M99 Stanchion

The M99 Special Application Scoped Rifle, also referred to as the M99 Stanchion Gauss Rifle, or just the Stanchion, was a United Nations Space Command anti-material rifle.

Background
The Model 99 Special Application Scoped Rifle first entered production in 2491, and ceased production in 2521. It appears to have been a popular rifle, as per its production length, and it was used mainly for anti-material operations. However, the .21 caliber round at a velocity of 15,000 meters per second was very effective against "soft" targets, such as human beings.

Operational Use
The M99 Stanchion was used by Corporal Avery J. Johnson during Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE, using the weapon to assassinate Jerald Mulkey Ander, a member of the Secessionist Union from a significant distance. He used another M99 Stanchion during Operation: TREBUCHET to kill an Insurrectionist terrorist driving a truck rigged as an explosive, and attempted to use it to neutralize a second terrorist inside a nearby restaurant, the Jim Dandy. His first target was successfully killed and torn apart by the force. The second target had killed herself with a bomb in the restaurant on Tribute, along with three special warfare Marines and thirty-two civilians.

Ammunition
The 5.4mm/.21 caliber round is very small in comparison to most standard firearms of the era, but using the Gauss technology, the small rounds have the ability to rip targets apart, even through office buildings. This is due to the high speed of the round. The round creates shockwaves as it passes through the target. In the case of material targets, this is a minor explosion. In the case of personnel targets, it simultaneously rips apart and pulverizes the body part hit. Even hits in an extremity can be deadly.

The rounds have been known to have the ability to travel great distances without affecting the trajectory, delivering enough force to punch through instacrete pylons, blow a human apart, and continue on course through an abandoned parking lot. Being it holds the name 'Gauss' rifle, one can expect that is a rifle version of a MAC cannon, only on a much smaller scale.

Technology
The technology used in the M99 is the practically the same concept used on the larger Mass Drivers and MAC guns, but on a much, much smaller scale. This system works through using a series of electromagnetic coils (an Asynch Linear-Induction Motor) rather than chemical propellants as a source of kinetic energy, and is very similar to the M68 Gauss Cannon. A weapon which utilizes this technology is needless to say, very powerful.

The M99 is also used with a portable computer to provide the ballistic calculations necessary to engage long range targets. The rifle can also be integrated with other systems, such as ARGUS Drones for trajectory and ballistic data.

The M-99 also uses the ATLAS+ system developed by Ohana.

Trivia

 * The Stanchion is an anti-material weapon designed for eliminating explosive ordinance and light armored vehicles at a distance, but also functions extremely well as an anti-personnel weapon.
 * In reality, there is a firearm designated as the M99 which fires a .50 caliber round; The Barrett M99. There is also a Chinese sniper rifle designated as the M99. It fires a 12.7mm (.50 Caliber) bullet as well.
 * It seems very similar to the M68 Gauss Cannon found on Warthogs.
 * The British designed "Boys Anti Tank Rifle Mark 1" was originally named the Stanchion, before the death of one of its designers caused a name change.
 * It is likely that some of these rifles were used during the Human-Covenant War, although this is unconfirmed, but one would consider them extremely effective against the Covenant's energy shields.
 * Since the M99 Stanchion lacks a muzzle brake, the recoil of firing a weapon of that caliber is transferred into the shooter's shoulder, and is speculated that the recoil must be tremendous.
 * The M99 Recoilless Rifle was used by American Paratroopers during World War II. They were used as an anti-tank weapon and fired an explosive shell, for massive damage and minimum recoil.

Related Pages

 * Halo Graphic Novel, Page 122
 * United Nations Space Command
 * SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle
 * Halo: Contact Harvest