Lasgun

Standard issue Cadia-pattern Lasguns used by the troops of the Imperial Guard

A standard pattern Imperial Guard Lasgun

A Long-Las sniper rifle used by Elysian Drop Troops

A standard pattern Imperial Guard Laspistol

Cadian Pattern Lasgun, with holding case

The Lasgun is a directed-energy antipersonnel weapon used by the military forces of the Imperium of Man, and it is the most common and widely used type of laser weapon in the galaxy. It is standard-issue for the Adeptus Mechanicus' cybernetic Skitarii infantry, all Imperial Guard infantry and most junior Imperial Guard officers. Lasguns are reliable, easy to maintain and to produce, and are readily available on most Imperial worlds. A Lasgun has a longer range than a Laspistol, but is nowhere near as powerful as a Lascannon nor does it possess the rapid-firing qualities of the Multi-laser or the Hellgun. Though not as powerful as kinetic projectile weapons, the lower cost of production, the lack of a requirement for ammunition production and resupply make the Lasgun the best choice for the large forces of the Imperial Guard. The Lasgun uses a small portable capacitor power pack to produce a focused pinpoint laser beam which is strong enough to take an ordinary human arm off with one shot but is not as effective against the more durable alien bodies and stronger types of personal armour. A Lasgun's beam also cauterizes the wounds it inflicts due to the immense heat given off by the shot. The Lasgun is effective when used en masse, but considerably less effective when used alone.

The Lasgun uses the same basic technology and operates along the same lines as other laser weapons, emitting a beam of highly-energetic, focused, coherent photons. The high amount of energy carried by the photons of the beam causes the immediate surface area of a target to be vaporized in a small explosion. It is a relatively unimpressive weapon when compared to many of the other high-technology weapons of the available in the galaxy, but it 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 Lasgun 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 a number of ways, including by sunlight. These power packs can also be "overcharged", a trick used by Imperial Guard veterans, which causes the pack to explode, turning the weapon into a makeshift grenade. This tactic is only used in last-ditch situations as it results in destruction of the weapon. Lasguns have numerous power settings for adjusting the power of each shot and to conserve power (resulting in a weaker laser shot fired). The weapon can be overpowered with a "Hotshot" laser capacitor pack, providing more powerful but fewer shots. The Lasgun mounts a bayonet lug, allowing the weapon to be fitted with bayonets or combat knives. The sniper variant of the Lasgun, known as the Long-Las, is the preferred weapon of the Imperial Guard's sharpshooters. The barrel of the Long-Las is extended to bolster the weapon's accuracy. The barrel requires replacement after every 20-50 shots depending on the power setting and cooldown time. For this reason, the Long-Las is outfitted with a "slide-lock" barrel, which is easily locked and unlocked from the weapon's housing.

The standard Lasgun pattern used by the Imperial Guard is known as the "M-Galaxy" pattern, although hundreds of thousands of variants exist, with the Cadian variant being very different from that used by the Tallarn Desert Raiders, the Tanith First and Only or the Elysian Drop Troops. The M-Galaxy was first put into use in 2546.789.M35. The Lasgun and Laspistol are possibly the weakest weapons in terms of pure killing power of all the weapons in common usage by the Imperial military forces, and are widely and scornfully known by Imperial Guardsmen as "flashlights." However the true power of Lasguns resides in their massed, concentrated use. It has also been demonstrated that even a Laspistol beam is fully capable of killing an unarmoured target, slicing limbs off and, if fired into a target's eye, searing the brain and causing immediate death.

Standard Pattern Lasgun

File:Lasgun.jpg

A standard Cadia-pattern Lasgun used by the Imperial Guard

The Imperial standard Lasgun, as used by most of the Regiments of the Imperial Guard, has many attachments including (but not limited to) several types of scope, bayonet, laser sight and flashlight.

Regimental Variants

Many Regiments of the Imperial Guard have aesthetically different Lasguns to match the rest of the regiment's distinctive cultural equipment and to allow manufacture on planets with limited resources or industrial production capabilities. Most designs are typically suited to the regiment that use them. Catachan Lasguns, for instance, have less cowling than the Cadian pattern, making them lighter and easier to carry in the dense jungle environs the Catachans usually fight in. Despite this the main mechanism remains the same in almost all regiments. This makes the logistics of supplying multi-regiment armies a much simpler matter. Other variants of this weapon include the more compact Laspistol, the anti-armour Lascannon and the more powerful and expensive Hellgun.

Other Known Lasgun Patterns

• M36 Kantrael - Standard Lasrifle used by the Imperial Guard's Regiments of Cadian Shock Troops and many others
• Mk. 4 Catachan Lascarbine
• Mars-pattern Lasrifle used by the Jouran Dragoons
• M35 M-Galaxy
• Mk. IV Accatran-pattern used mainly by Elysian Drop Troops
• Necromunda-pattern Lasguns - manufactured on the Hive World of Necromunda
• Number 98 Lucius Pattern Lasrifle

Specifications of the Cadia Pattern Lasgun

(as per The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer, Damocles Gulf Edition)

• Service designation: Standard M-G short pattern lasgun/lasrifle
• Weight: 2.3kg
• Length: 900mm
• Magazine type: 19 megathule range (rechargable)
• Type of fire: Single shot or fully automatic
• Rate of fire (cyclic): 220 shots per minute
• Shot intensity: low to high
• Sights: adjustable, back and front sights with optional laser sight/integral optics

Las-Lock Weapons

Lasgun Structure

A Las-Lock is an energy weapon that uses much of the same technology as a standard Lasgun or Laspistol, but more closely resembles a flintlock rifle. Las-Locks are, presumably, adaptations of present-day laser weapons technology that are used by less technologically advanced societies who have regressed from the modern day Imperial standard. Las-Locks are single-shot, with primitive capacitors that require the need to reload after every shot. While this presents many problems with the rate of fire, the single laser bolt that Las-Locks fire is considerably more powerful than those fired by standard Imperial laser weapons. Las-Locks are often seen in use by the occupational troops deployed by the Forces of Chaos when they seize an Imperial planet, particularly the law enforcement forces known as the "Excubitors". However, many Imperial Guard soldiers, especially those with an interest in archaic weapons, will carry Las-Lock rifles or pistols as back-up weapons.

Related Articles

• Imperial Guard
• Lascannon
• Laspistol
• Hellgun

Sources

• Abnett, Dan. First and Only, 1999, Nottingham: Black Library.
• Priestley, Rick (1995). Codex: Imperial Guard, 2nd Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop.
• Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition)
• Ralphs, Matt. The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer, 2003, Nottingham: Black Library.