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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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The lasgun operates in the same basic way as the more compact laspistol, emitting a beam of focused light. It is a relatively undevastating weapon when compared to many other weapons of 40K, but is capable of cleanly severing limbs and potentially even piercing the power armour of a Space Marine (but usually only through a vulnerable spot in the armour). Most designs have iron sights mounted along the top of the weapon. It is powered by a small rechargeable power pack located beneath the weapon and in front of the trigger guard which can be recharged in many ways e.g. by sunlight. The weapon has numerous power settings for adjusting the power of each shot and to conserve power (resulting in a weaker laser shot fired). The standard powered lasgun has the same killing power - in game terms - as an [[autogun]]. The weapon can be overpowered with a "Hotshot" laser pack, providing more powerful but fewer shots.
The lasgun mounts a bayonet lug, allowing the weapon to be fitted with bayonets or combat knives. There are The sniper variant of the lasgun, known as the long-las, is the prefered weapon of Imperial Guard sharpshooters. The barrel of the long-las is extended to bolster the weapon's accuracy. The barrel requires replace ment every 20-50 shots depending on the power setting and cooldown time. For this reason, the long-las is outfitted with a few modified Lasguns designed to work as sniper rifles"slide-lock" barrel, which is easily locked and unlocked from the sniper weapon's housing. [[Mad Larkin]] from the [[Gaunt's Ghosts]] novels by [[Dan Abnett]] carried one such modified Lasgun, known as a long-las.
The standard pattern is known as the 'M-Galaxy' style although hundreds of thousands of variants exist, with the [[Cadian Shock Troops|Cadian]] variant being very different from that used by the [[Tallarn Desert Raiders]], [[Tanith First and Only]] or [[Elysian Drop Troops]]. The M-Galaxy was first put into use in 2546789.[[M35]].
