Weapons

The weapons of the SSRP universe take the form of highly-developed ballistic weaponry for personnel. Multiple manufacturers create firearms for the Sol Defence Corps and a variety of these are available as either standard- or special-issue.

Calibres
The SDC uses several standard calibres in its current weapons arsenal, 2 for long guns, 1 for PDWs, 3 for handguns, and 1 shotgun cartridge. Additional efforts are being made to narrow the selection of cartridges even further in order to better standardize ammunition and make logistics handling more streamlined than it already is.

7x47mm CRC (.300) / M74
Standard-issue rifle calibre meant as a compromise between previous-generation calibres of 5.56, 7.62 and 6.8. Uses a durable lightweight polymer casing, a solid-block explosive propellant with zero fouling capability, and comes with multiple bullet types and pressure configurations for filling diverse roles.


 * M74 Standard - 130gr FMJ with fragmenting core, designed for penetration and wounding.
 * M74S (Subsonic) - Subsonic, heavy variation. 177gr FMJ tungsten carbide core optimized for armor penetration.
 * M74FX (Fragmentation, Explosive) - 128gr jacketed hollow-point with built-in fragmentation charge for inflicting devastating internal damage on targets. Successor to hollow-point ammunition.
 * M74HX (High Explosive) - 180gr heavy round filled with a high explosive charge that detonates either on impact or midair (via remote). Effective blast radius of 0.5 meters, effective as AOE or airburst.
 * M74H (Heavy) - 155gr brass-jacketed variant with red tracer tip. Used on fast-firing weaponry like machine guns.
 * M74ES (Electroshock) - Low-velocity flat-tip round that discharges an electric shock into anyone the bullet hits. Useful for non-lethally subduing a target.
 * M74R (Rubber) - Riot control concussion ammunition, flat-tip rubber round that nonlethally disables a target with blunt force. Successive trauma in a small area may cause bone fractures and internal bleeding.

11x80mm (.433) / M433
Anti-materiel rifle cartridge used for heavy weapons such as anti-materiel snipers, HMGs, or small autocannons. Uses the same design and core components as 7x47mm, extended into a larger round. The base variant has an effective range of 2.55 kilometres with a 7.5 kilometre maximum range, with a standard velocity of 2.2 kilometers/second.


 * M433 Standard - Jack-of-all-trades 180gr ammunition for combined or varied usage.
 * M433UHV (Ultra-High Velocity) - Overpressure cartridge with an effective range of over 4 kilometres and a top velocity of 4.3 kilometers/second, optimized for maximum range and pinpoint accuracy. Volatile, extremely loud, and causes significant recoil especially on weapons without recoil management systems. Usually used only on open battlefields such as on Mars.
 * M433C (Concussion) - AOE round. This round creates a miniature sonic shockwave on impact with a target, disorienting or stunning enemies around the 1.1 meter blast radius and interfering with equipment. Can rupture eardrums.
 * M433AT (Anti-Tank) - Uses a shaped charge to penetrate thick armor and deliver payload into armored vehicles or structures. Used exclusively by special operations personnel against mechanized infantry. Unsuitable for machinegun usage.
 * M433T (Tracer) - Identical to M433 with additional red phosphorus tracer tip.
 * M433HX (High Explosive) - Airburst grenade round, capable of detonating on impact or midair with an effective blast radius of 1.3 meters. Often loaded into small autocannons with devastating effects.

9x19mm / 10x25mm
These two handgun calibres form the bulwark of the SDC's self-loading sidearms, with 9x19mm being gradually phased out by 10x25mm. Both share characteristics of their 21st century namesakes and templates, but have been modified with 22nd century manufacturing processes as well as adopting the polymer casing and solid propellant employed by all other modern weapons.

A12G (12ga)
The standard-issue 12-gauge shotgun round. Present for almost two hundred years, the modernized version of the shotgun shell is optimized for higher efficacy versus armored targets, as well as coming in several varieties intended for different scenarios.

5.8x35mm (M58)
A PDW/pistol armor-piercing calibre intended as a higher-velocity, penetrating counterpart to trauma-focused pistol rounds. Notably featured on the HSG-37 and MLP-22.

.44 Magnum
This highly venerable revolver round is only used on the RV-94 six-shot revolver. Often regarded as a legacy cartridge it too has received the same modernization treatment as its other cousins in the modern arsenal; however, support for it, as well as revolvers as a whole, is planned for being phased out in favour of pistols. While it is in service, however, it has found a considerable niche for delivering slow but powerful rounds that outmatch even the largest pistol calibres available, delivered in a reliable form factor that has existed for over 300 years.

Pulse action
A relatively new development in firearms is the widespread adoption of pulse-action firearms. Pulse actions use electric discharge to ignite a bullet primer, allowing the weapon to function without usage of a firing pin and, as a result, minimises moving parts. The recoil mechanisms of pulse-action firearms often have linear alternators built into them to recycle energy emitted from the bullet back into the weapon itself, which can be used towards the firing mechanism or towards any electronics integrated into the weapon itself. Most rifles in SDC service use pulse-action, with their recoil mechanisms augmented by linear alternators.

Pulse actions can have their firerate fine-tuned and controlled at will, due to having an electronic action mechanism. As a result, weapons can be adjusted to lower their firerates for higher accuracy, or to increase the firerate to provide suppressing fire. Overheating and ejection malfunctions serve as risks to increasing the firerate of assault rifles, however, so it is often limited to either emergency usage or on specially-converted machineguns.