M99 Stanchion

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

History
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 then-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 diner, the Jim Dandy. His first target was successfully killed and blown into fragments from the force. The second target had killed herself with a bomb, along with three UNSC Marines and thirty-two civilians in the diner.

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 tungsten rounds have the ability to rip targets apart, even through office buildings.

The rounds have been known to have the ability to travel great distances without even affecting the trajectory, delivering enough force to punch through instacrete pylons, blow a Human apart, and continue on course through an abandoned parking lot.

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 rather than chemical propellants as a source of kinetic energy, and is more similar to the M68 Gauss Cannon. A weapon which ultizes this technology is needless to say, very powerful.

The M99 is also used with a portable computer to provide the ballistic caluculations 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 use of Gauss technology further aids accuracy by dramatically reducing the effects of drag on the projectile.

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 incredibly well as an anti-personnel weapon.
 * In reality, there is a firearm designated as the M99 which fires a .50 caliber round: Barrett M99
 * There is also a Chinese sniper rifle designated as the M99. It fires a 12.7mm (.50 Caliber) bullet as well.
 * This was Staff Sergeant Nolan Byrne's incumbent trademark weapon alongside the Sharpshooter-classified Battle Rifle around the time of the Battle of Harvest.
 * It seems very similar to the Gauss Cannon found on warthogs.
 * Note: It is interesting that this rifle never appears in any of the games; perhaps this is because of weapon balancing.

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