M90A shotgun

"I believe that the sound of racking the pump of a shotgun is universally recognized as "kiss your ass goodbye"."

- Anonymous E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman

The M90A Close Assault Weapon System, or M90A CAWS, is a powerful pump-action shotgun in the service of the United Nations Space Command as a standard close-quarters assault weapon. It is a military variant of the widespread DTM series produced by Weapon System Technologies.

Design
The M90A fires the tremendously powerful 8-gauge magnum cartridge, generally the Soellkraft-produced variant, feeding from from a 6-shell dual-tubular non-detachable. The weapon has an overall length of 123.9cm and a barrel length of 61cm. It weighs 5.4kg empty and 5.7 when fully loaded. It has a characteristic shape, with the prominent non-detachable magazine positioned above the barrel, atop which are positioned a set blue-glowing illuminated iron sights. Below the barrel, the forend (or "pump") follows a protruding rod. Into the forend is inserted a reddish button. On the weapon's left side, mounted along the barrel, is a flashlight. The adjustable stock, pistol grip and forend of the weapon have a matte black finish, with the rest of the weapon being a dark, metallic grey.

Functionality
When using standard Soellkraft 8-gauge magnum ammunition, the weapon does not fire a single projectile but a spray of small pellets known as buckshot, each of which leaves the weapon's barrel travelling at 300-400m/s in a plume of fiery gasses. After the weapon is discharged via the depression of a trigger positioned at the top of the pistol grip, the forend of the weapon (which acts as a foregrip for the user's non-dominant hand) must be retracted towards the stock by the user, ejecting the spent shell of the round just fired. When the forend is fully retracted, the way will have been cleared for an elevator to position a new shell from the magazine so that it can be loaded as the forend is once again pushed forward in the direction of the muzzle. At any point, the weapon's non-detachable magazine can be topped off or reloaded with more individual shells via a prominent receiver mounted on top of the weapon, roughly in alignment with the trigger on the underside.

Performance
The M90A is a simple weapon, quite easy for any shooter to make use of. When firing standard ammunition, it possesses both an extreme degree of stopping power at close range and a situationally beneficial lack of propensity to cause unintended damage to hard targets such as spacecraft hulls. It features noticeably milder recoil than other variants of the DTM series. A marine of E2-BAG/1/7 noted that the M90As usefulness outside of its specific role was somewhat limited, musing that it would perhaps be better thought of as a tool than a weapon.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo 3: ODST