Blaster PistolS Course Notes {BP}

Welcome to the blaster pistols course, one in a series of courses, intended to better familiarize you with the arms you will come across and perhaps use yourself. Each course will cover a sub set of weapons. These are by no means ALL weapons in that category simply those you are most likely to come across. Along with some of the more Interesting pieces or those with historical merit, further courses are likely to cover more of each weapon type.

A blaster pistol is a small, hand-held version of a blaster rifle,commonly referred to simply as a "blaster."This is of course an over simplification, based on the functions,though in Some cases entirely correct.Most pistol designs though are not directly linked to a rifle version. Pistols commonly Have enough power to kill a humanoid and punch through body armor, though they do not have the energy to pierce most heavier armor with a single shot. Ownership and use is regulated in many systems, generally in the form of restrictions and regulations pistols can be further broken into three categories,blaster pistols,heavy blaster pistols and holdout blasters.

Blasters
Small and hand held pistols,this is your common side arm. More portable, but less powerful then a blast rifle or heavy blaster but often simpler to get ahold of. Decently far more commonly found then any other types of blaster pistols

Some of the common or notable Blasters:

DH-17 - This blaster was an example of a typical blaster pistol, and was a standard-issue military sidearm in the Imperial Navy, the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the New Republic Defense Fleet. A short-range combat weapon, and also effective at medium ranges the DH-17 had an optimum range of thirty meters, but its armor-piercing blaster bolts were still effective, though somewhat less accurate at up to four times that distance. A semiautomatic weapon, it could also be modified to fire in short bursts and had a low-power stun setting, capable of knocking a human out for up to ten minutes. However, setting the weapon to full automatic fire drained the power pack in less than twenty seconds, and the wielder ran the risk of overheating the internal components and causing an explosive overload. The DH-17's blaster gas chamber carried enough gas for five hundred shots, and a standard power pack supplied energy for one hundred shots. The energy pack could be replaced in about five seconds by a skilled soldier, and a generator can charge a drained pack in around fifteen minutes. The weapon was particularly popular among naval forces, being able to pierce most body armor without piercing the hull of the vessel.

DC-15 - A side arm blaster created by BlasTech Industries for the Grand Army of the Republic.The energy cell kept the blaster recharging at a slow but steady rate. While not as powerful as regular DC-15 blasters, the DC-15s was handy in close-quarters combat, or at times when conserving ammo was necessary. The DC-15s had a recharge rate of seven rounds per second.

IR-5 - Commonly called the "Intimidator", it was a rapid-fire blaster pistol manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc. It was slightly less powerful than a standard blaster pistol, but compensated for this with a rate of fire akin to a repeating blaster and an integrated targeting computer to improve the weapon's accuracy.

Model 44 blaster pistol - Manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc prior to the Galactic Civil War, this model was similar to the Power 5 blaster pistol. The Model 44 was a low-powered blaster, featuring a shorter barrel than the Power 5. This weapon was carried by Imperial officers aboard the first Death Star.

BlasTech DL-22 Blaster Pistol - Designed as a response to the MerrSonn DD6 weapon, the gun's barrel used a higher-grade focusing crystal to increase the damage dealt by the weapon's blasts, at the expense of the gun's stun setting. The DL-22 is held in high regard by those who prefer to customize their weapons.

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Hold outs

Hold-out blasters are small, palm-sized blasters that can be easily concealed inside a sleeve boot,or other small area. Because of their small size, holdout blasters usually fire two shots before expending their power cells, but there are always exceptions. They see widespread use in weapon-restricted areas and can be commonly found in the possession of the likes of. Undercover agents,nobles, Officers seeking to protect themselves.Hold out blasters have also been standard equipment for scout troopers as well. On the flip side,gamblers, bounty hunters,and just general shady characters are also known to carry such weapons.

A few common or notable hold out blasters are:

Scout trooper blaster pistol - This compact, one-handed blaster was fitted with a side-mounted targeting scope and phase amplifier, and featured a miniature gas cell on the rear. The weapon had a short-range barrel. Scout troopers commonly carried these weapons in a boot holster. Because scout troopers wore padded gloves, the pistol had a pressure-sensitive stock rather than a trigger. The trooper was able to grip the stock with two gloved fingers through the enlarged finger guard.

Q2 hold-out blaster - Small enough to be concealed in the hand of a Human, the Q2 hold-out blaster was common among undercover agents and those beings wishing to use a low-profile weapon. Unlike many such blasters this one had a capacity of 6 shots.

B22 Imperial Hold-Out Blaster - This holdout blaster, produced by Merr-Sonn during the height of the Galactic Civil War, was generally considered the smallest such weapon ever produced. It was a powerful weapon, despite its size. Known as the Imperial or, the Little Emperor, the B22 was originally produced for Imperial agents who needed an easily concealed weapon.

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Heavy blasters

A heavy blaster pistol is a more powerful version of the standard blaster pistol, utilizing a more highly powered gas chamber. It has power comparable to a blaster rifle,higher power then the basic blaster but a shorter range than the typical blaster pistol. The power pack is also consumed faster than a blaster pistol.

Some of the common or notable blasters:

Power 5 heavy blaster pistol - Manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc at some point prior to the Clone Wars. It was designed to imitate the more successful BlasTech Industries DL-44 heavy blaster pistol. Like the DL-44, the Power was a high-powered, short-ranged weapon. The Power 5 was slightly less powerful than the DL-44, and consequently smaller, firing more bolts per power cell.

DL-44 heavy blaster pistol - Manufactured by BlasTech Industries, a powerful sidearm from the time of the Galactic Civil War. Still found in use and one to be wary of despite its age its ability to consistently penetrate storm trooper armor makes it a threat. As a side effect, of this power however, it had a somewhat slow rate of fire and uses' about 4 times as much energy as a standard blaster, exhausting its magazine in about 50 shots. It weighs about 1.3 kg. A unique feature of the DL-44 is the vibration system built into the handgrip. A small stud in the grip begins to pulse gently to alert the user that the weapon's remaining energy is sufficient for five shots or fewer.

DT-57 - A high-powered heavy blaster pistol manufactured during the era of the Clone Wars. BlasTech Industries'DT-57, also known as the "Annihilator", is a weapon similar in appearance to the E-5 blaster rifle used by B1 battle droids of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This pistol was of the "super heavy" designation. It's Highly customizable, featuring a high output blaster magazine, a large trigger guard and a top-mounted scope. The DT-57 packs a heavy hit with no degradation of range.

CR-2 blaster pistol - A basic yet durable heavy blaster pistol. Famous for being able to deflect off certain surfaces yet penetrate armor.The CR-2 blaster was a basic blaster design created by the little-known Corellian Arms corporation. The CR-2 primarily fired bolts of charged plasma energy,a secondary firing mode allows the weapon to discharge electrical bolts stunning most living targets. The CR-2 pistol became an antique on most Core Worlds long ago, but can still be found on the rim and among those in need of a durable weapon.