A Rail Rifle uses a series of super-conductive electrodes to electromagnetically accelerate small, solid and conductive projectiles to hypersonic speeds. The resulting high levels of kinetic force imparted to the weapon's projectile then allows it to penetrate and kill the most heavily armoured of enemy infantry at long ranges. Because the projectile is capable of achieving a velocity of anywhere between six and ten times the speed of sound, it strikes its target with such force that it produces more damage than what would be produced by an explosive charge of the same size. Such is the speed of the projectile that those near its ballistic path will often find the breath sucked from their lungs.
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| - A Rail Rifle uses a series of super-conductive electrodes to electromagnetically accelerate small, solid and conductive projectiles to hypersonic speeds. The resulting high levels of kinetic force imparted to the weapon's projectile then allows it to penetrate and kill the most heavily armoured of enemy infantry at long ranges. Because the projectile is capable of achieving a velocity of anywhere between six and ten times the speed of sound, it strikes its target with such force that it produces more damage than what would be produced by an explosive charge of the same size. Such is the speed of the projectile that those near its ballistic path will often find the breath sucked from their lungs.
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| - A Rail Rifle uses a series of super-conductive electrodes to electromagnetically accelerate small, solid and conductive projectiles to hypersonic speeds. The resulting high levels of kinetic force imparted to the weapon's projectile then allows it to penetrate and kill the most heavily armoured of enemy infantry at long ranges. Because the projectile is capable of achieving a velocity of anywhere between six and ten times the speed of sound, it strikes its target with such force that it produces more damage than what would be produced by an explosive charge of the same size. Such is the speed of the projectile that those near its ballistic path will often find the breath sucked from their lungs. The size of the weapon determines the size of its power source and thus the kinetic force imparted to the type of projectile used as ammunition. Rail Rifles fire single, solid projectiles, and because the actual projectiles fired are so small, large numbers can be carried by the weapon's operator at a time; usually up to a hundred rounds of trilium-tipped solid darts. However, the energy requirements of the weapon are too great to be met by its internal power cell, and additional cartridge cells provide limited surplus power, fulfilling a role that can be likened to a ballistic weapon's ammunition magazines. A Rail Rifle makes an iconic "whip-crack" sound when it fires, which is created when the Rail Rifle's round breaks the sound barrier. The basic physical principle behind Rail Weapon technology is well known to the Adeptus Mechanicus, but the Imperium has never been able to utilise it due to the myriad of issues inherent in the operation of such weapons. The limitations of such technology include the staggering amount of power required to propel the projectile along the rail, and the dissipation of the heat generated by the process. The Rail Rifle manages these issues through the use of several pre-charged disposable capacitors which are replaced after every shot.
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