M99 Stanchion

The M99 Special Application Scoped Rifle, also referred to as the M99 Stanchion Gauss Rifle, or simply 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 it ceased production in 2521. It appears to have been a popular rifle, as per its production length, and it was used mainly for anti-materiel operations. However, the .21 caliber round shot at a velocity of 15,000 meters per second was very effective against "soft" targets, such as Humans

Operational Use
The M99 Stanchion was used by Corporal Avery J. Johnson during Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE, who used 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, who was had a boy as hostage, 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 force imparted on 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 around the impact area. 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. As the M99 bears the name 'Gauss' rifle, one can expect that this is a rifle version of a MAC cannon, only on a much smaller scale.

Technology
The technology used in the M99 is 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 M99 also uses the ATLAS+ system developed by Ohana.

Trivia

 * 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.
 * 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.

Related Pages

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