Could Anti-Tank Rifles Make a Comeback?
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Immortal Cyan
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Post by Immortal Cyan » Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:34 am
Hey guys! So, I thought of this topic late last night (or the night before that), when people were discussing the power of weapons in Shattered Universe. For the most part, the discussion concluded with the idea that most standard rifles and pistols are capable of blowing holes through buildings and wreaking severe environmental destruction on their highest settings. With this in mind, I began to think of the destruction potential of weapons that are three to ten times heavier than those, such as the good ol' anti-tank rifle. Knowing that 2-9 lb. weapons can inflict such extreme damage, I was wondering what say...a 30 or 90 lb. rifle could do, especially if they condense all of their power into a single shot. I imagine that these weapons would have new capabilities that would allow them to serve as (somewhat) handheld anti-air cannons against low-flying fighters, provided they have the range and projectile/beam velocity.
So, here is the question I would like to pose to the community: Are Anti-Tank Rifles great again?
Landsman
Re: Could Anti-Tank Rifles Make a Comeback?
Post by Ahoy » Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:55 am
I can see anti-tank rifles being a thing. They're much more cheaper to produce and use then a tank or more advanced anti-tank weapons like guided ammo, or likewise. I don't think that an anti-tank rifle can take on a MBT, but the rifles can still be very useful for APCs or lighter targets. Having an anti-tank rifle in a squad would greatly add versatility as the squad can take on more threatening targets and armored buildings. AT rifles are also great in the defense. Find yourself a good spot to hide in, and wait for the enemy to come. Again, the main advantage of the AT rifle is its versatility against a lot of stuff. Anything less then a MBT or a heavily armored APC will be a good target. As for low-flying, that's more limited usage, while better then nothing - it is best to leave anti-air defenses to that job.
CadetNewb
Post by CadetNewb » Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:14 pm
I would say that anti-tank rifles, or more accurately, anti-vehicular rifles, are viable in the setting. I would say that with them, the cost would go into the rifle itself with cheap ammunition. In comparison, missile launchers and the like would invest in the projectile but have a cheap weapon platform. Chances are, an anti-vehicle rifle would be comparable to a space-autocannon. Basically a space-Bradley's main gun, minus the capacity to fire for extended periods of time. Because of that, I would guess that it would take a bit of fire from them to bring military vehicles down, so they're actually best used in teams against said vehicles.
Use against infantry however, would be 'interesting' to say the least.
Post by Kim » Mon Jan 13, 2020 3:07 am
We did use one in Knights during the Kiriku Ranch battle.
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