Autopistol

The Autopistol is a hand-held, fully automatic Auto Weapon that fires solid-slug rounds at the intended target in rapid succession. Small enough to be held and controlled in a single hand, these weapons are the favored sidearm of many a warrior in the Imperium of Man, despite their lack of range and notorious poor accuracy.

Overview
An Autopistol is a rapid-firing firearm, that has a faster rate of fire than most other pistol-grade weapons. In essence, they are the pistol version of the Autogun, and ressemble the ancient compact submachineguns of ancient Terra. The weapon works by using a solid hammer to strike and ignite a chemically combustible propellant. The explosion of the propellant expels the solid projectile through the barrel, while the reactive force of the bullet's expulsion pushes the breech back. This mechanical action extracts another round from the clip and loads it in the breech, re-cocks the mechanism and, providing the trigger is still depressed, fires the just-loaded round. This cycle keeps repeating until either the magazine is empty or the trigger is released.

Autopistols are lightweight and easily concealable weapons, but lack accuracy beyond the closest of ranges due to the relatively low velocity of their projectiles and the shortness of their barrels. They have a high rate of fire, but only use small calibre caseless rounds. The lightweight Autopistol slugs have very poor armor penetration, but the high rate of fire allow the user to litterally spray a target with bullets, putting them down in a single burst at short range. The weapon is therefore favored as a sidearm, to be used at point-blank range against lightly armoured opponents.

There exist innumerable models and variants of the Autopistol, but most models fall within the following rough characteristics:


 * AutoPistol.jpgh: 9-40 cm
 * Barrel: 4-18 cm
 * Weight: 0.5-0.8 kg (empty)
 * Feed: 5-30 rounds straight magazine
 * Type of fire: Single or automatic
 * Sights: Fixed front and centre optic sight
 * Cyclic rate of fire: approx. 900 rpm
 * Muzzle velocity: approx. 255 m/sec

Autopistols are used massively throughout the Imperium and can be found even on low-tech worlds. Like the larger Autogun, it is very easy to construct and readily available in large numbers. The Autopistol is a common weapon amongst renegades, gang members, and lowly criminals, due to aforementioned ease of construction, use and maintenance. They are not generally considered a military issue weapon, but are a favourite amongst many military veterans as a supplement for their standard Lasgun or as a backup weapon, especially by those using unreliable melta or plasma weapons. The Autopistol is also sought after by vehicle crew members for self-defense, who often simply lack the room inside their vehicle to carry larger weapons.

Some Imperial Guard regiments, like for instance the Cadian 8th Regiment, equip all their troops with Autopistols as sidearms as part of their standard equipment pack, improving their combat firepower. Other commanders do not requistion sidearms for the rank-and-file soldiers, but allow their troops to acquire spoils from the battlefield for their own use, and Autopistols are popular choices for such trophies. In other quarters, it is felt that only officers should be equipped with pistol weaponry, so such equipment is reserved for soldiers of and above the rank of Lieutenant. Despite these sometimes contradicting customs, the use of Autopistols has over time become so widespread in the Imperial Guard that the Departmento Munitorum included a paragraph about correct Autopistol handling and caring in The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer, to ensure every Guardsman is able to correctly use and care for the weapon should he be issued with or acquire one.

Known Patterns of Autopistols

 * Disposable Handgun - A disposable handgun is basically an Autopistol stripped down to its bare minimum with a small clip attached. Made by a wide variety of manufacturers, disposable handguns are one of the most easily obtainable and inexpensive firearms in the Galaxy. Many shipboard survival kits contain one of these weapons. They have very shoddy craftsmanship and poor performance and seasoned warriors joke that when the clip runs out, someone is better off throwing the gun at an opponent than trying to reload it. However, many of the destitute cannot afford a better weapon and it remains a useful tool for self-protection.


 * Ius Automatic Pistol - Crafted by the gunsmiths of Gunmetal city in Scintilla to be as sturdy as possible, Ius is a solid and unspectacular yet utterly reliable weapon. Normally used by Calixian Arbites as a backup firearm, it is ubiquitous amongst both the Calixian Adeptus Arbites and planetary enforcers of Scintilla. Typically issued to junior ranks within both organisations, the Ius is designed to be foolproof and to withstand punishment that would damage other firearms.


 * Hecuter Autopistol


 * Ripper Pistol - A Ripper Pistol is a heavily modified Autopistol which fires specially designed armour-piercing metal shards containing a vicious cocktail of venomous chemicals. The initial wounds caused by the shards allow the venom to enter the victim's bloodstream and cause death, and thus the weapon can bring down the largest opponents in a single shot. It is designed so that if the vicious impact of the bullet doesn’t kill the target, the poisons flooding into its bloodstream will. Crafted to very high standards, Ripper Pistols are precise and reliable, and can be outfitted with a silencer to operate almost soundlessly. The Ripper Pistol is a favored weapon of well-connected Rogue Traders, Explorators of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Inquisitors who trust a discrete yet deadly sidearm. Living Catachan legend Sly Marbo is a renowed user of the Ripper Pistol.


 * Tronsvasse Hi-Power Autopistol


 * Voss Pattern Mk 10


 * Voss Pattern Mk 11