Boltgun

The ubiquous Bolter is commonly associated with the legendary Adeptus Astartes, however its variants are used throughout the armed forces of the Imperium.

The Bolter is a two stage projectile weapon with a self propelled round. The bolt is fired and leaves the barrel in the manner of a conventional bullet, however as it leaves the barrel a small rocket motor is ignited, which carries the warhead forward and imparts a stabalising spin. In a conventional firearm, the projectile begins to lose velocity as soon as it leaves the barrel, the bolt however continues to accelerate throughout its trajectory.

The Bolter has two advantages over a conventional firearm. Firstly, the amount of propellant required for the first stage is relativly small. This means that with the standard calibre of .75, the recoil is negligable when compared to a convential projectile weapon of equivilent calibre. Secondly, recoil is further reduced by the smoothbore design of the Bolter. Because spin is imparted by the rocket engine after the bolt exits the barrel, there is no need for rifling.

The Bolter is complex to produce and requires dedicated maintenance, which prevents it being issued more widely throughout the Imperial Guard. Its is far more susceptable to dirt and mishandling than the basic Lasgun issued to Guardsmen.

The standard ammunition employed by the Space Marines is a mass reactive warhead, which has earned the Bolter its reputation as a terror weapon. A milli-second fuse detonates the warhead after it has penetrated the target. Against soft tissue (read: unarmoured targets) the effect is particularly gruesome, and many enemies of the Emperor quickly capitulate after seeing the results of Bolter fire on their comrades. It is possible that the creation of this projectile was motivated by the ancient first encounters with the xenos Orks, whos massive frames and tendancy to ignore pain render solid projectiles ineffective. This standard bolt is also effective against light armoured vehicles.

For the Adeptus Astartes the Bolter is a holy symbol of the Emperor's wrath. Each Marine carries a weapon hand-crafted by an artificer, at each step of the construction the proper rituals are observed, and sacred oils are applied. The Marine's maintenace of his weapon therefore carries a degree of religous ritual.

A wide variety of variant warheads are employed for specialised missions, and are listed below.

Variants

Storm Bolter- An evolution of the combi-bolter used before the Heresy, the storm bolter is essentially a dual chambered, linked bolter. Its massive rate of fire makes it a devestating weapon in close quarters.
Bolt Pistol
Heavy Bolter- A larger calibre Bolter with sustained fire capabilities. It is used by Imperial forces as a squad support weapon, as well as close anti-infantry defense for tanks and other armoured vehicles.

Ammunition Types

• Standard Pattern - Standard explosives and propellent used.
• Inferno Bolt - Deuterium core replaced with oxy=phosphor gel (possibly a relation to modern napalm).
• Hellfire Round - Core and tip replaced with a vial of acid.
• Metal Storm Frag Shell - Various parts replaced with fragmentation casing and increased fuel, with a proximity sensor.
• Stalker Silenced Shell - Propellant and main explosive removed, detonator cap replaced with solidified mercury slug.
• Kraken Pattern Penetrator Round - Deuterium core replaced with much heavier explosives, and rocket acceleration increased.
• Oddyseus Bolt - Psychically impregnated solid slug for tracking targets.

Magazines

The Bolter may have one of four different magazines. These include:

• Sickle - Standard clip, 20-30 rounds
• Drum - 40-60 rounds but jams
• Straight - 12-20 rounds, easy to loads
• Duplus X - Two magazines strapped together

Bolter Designs

The standard hand held Bolgun comes in several different designs. Some of these include:

• Ultima Pattern
• Crusade Pattern
• Heresey Pattern
• Filienostos Pattern
• Astartes Umbra Pattern

They all have the same basic features and design in mind, but some have additional features, or some removed features to make them more efficient. Part of the daily rituals of a Space Marine is to maintain his weapons and armour. The model currently in use is designated the Model 998, compatible with an M40 targeting scope. It is fited with a Godwyn pattern ammo counter and a Sinister/Dexter locking mechanism. The Model 998 fires in 4-round bursts. Many variants of the Model 998 exist, including versions fitted with Grenade Launchers, Silencers and Bayonets.

Sources

3rd Edition Rulebook
3rd Edition Codex: Space Marines