Weapon: Mag-4
Type: Stacked Barrel Style Assault Rifle
Operators: The Magnetic Assembly, The American Union
Manufacturer: The Magnetic Assembly
Introduced: 2238

Length: 61 centimeters
Weight: 11lbs

Ammunition: 5.56mm 8x10 stacked tubes
Capacity: 80 rounds

The Mag-4 was originally designed in 2238 as a weapon system that wouldn't need reloading or maintenance. It was widely deployed on a number of drones and other platforms in the years following the revolution on Yelton Veda. Over the years this weapon system would be modified and improved upon.

In 2314 the weapon would receive its modern re-design. The weapon itself would still be an 8 tubed block with ammunition stacked inside. This block would slide into the back of a receiver that could mount additional optics and grips, but came standard with a flip up holographic sight and extendable stock.

The weapon itself wouldn't see much use, and was generally considered a specialty weapon. It would see some use among some of the non-soldier members of the Magnetic Assembly, as the extreme fire rate would be enough to scare off would-be attackers. This would also cause the weapon to become attractive to some American Union special forces units who would use the weapon for the same reason: Scaring opponents into submission with a sudden and overwhelming burst of fire.

The New Years Revolution on Hawking would dramatically reduce the Union's ability to get ahold of this weapon. A decent amount of the ammunition for the platform is produced in the Union specifically for the few operators of the gun, so those who already used the system have an easy time maintaining it.

The Mag-4 is a fairly basic system as the majority of the 'technology' of the weapon is housed in the ammunition magazine, with the 'weapon' part being little more than an ergonomic package to hold the magazine itself.

The top of the weapon system has a sleek surface with basic Iron sights, and a flip-up red dot sight.

The side of the weapon system just above the handle has a handle that can be pulled back to unlock the two sections of the gun so the forward section can be tilted down. Continuing to pull the handle will extract the ammunition magazine from the weapon. Just above the trigger assembly is a safety selector, which allows for semi-automatic, fully automatic, and safe modes. Above and behind the handle is a locking mechanism to allow the stock to be adjusted in or our. All of these are ambidextrous selectors and exist on both sides of the weapon.

The underside of the weapon has a rail system to fit a range of optics or handles, and a basic pistol grip. A batter pack is also located in the pistol grip, and is used to provide power for the electronic firing system.

The Mag-4 is a somewhat cumbersome weapon that provides a massive amount of firepower to an individual for just a few seconds. It is typically used in niche roles, often by special forces units that need to seem more massive than they really are when combat starts.

The 'metal storm' configuration of stacked bullets can be depleted rapidly, at ~9,600 rounds per minute. This means a single pull of the trigger for just a moment can fully deplete the ammunition supply of the weapon. The special ammunition configuration also requires special tools to repack the barrels, meaning that spent magazines can't be re-used in the field. Since the ammunition and barrels need to be replaced each time the weapon is reloaded, carrying extra ammunition for the Mag-4 can be very weight-intensive compared to more conventional weapons.

The recoil can be difficult to control, and can easily knock over an operator who has not braced themselves properly. Even enhanced operators using the weapon can have a difficult time keeping the weapon on target for the split-second it takes to fire all of its ammunition. To make matters worse the eight barrels aren't always calibrated to put rounds in exactly the same position, and this variation only increases with distance. This can make even single-fire mode difficult to use.

Extreme rate of fire is what the Mag-4 uses to compensate for its drawbacks. Even with the jiggle caused from firing, being able to fire 80 rounds at a target with one pull of the trigger can help makeup for issues with accuracy. The volume of fire is also great at suppressing targets. This makes it a popular choice for special forces units that may be low in numbers but require a shocking entrance or just for individuals who intend to shoot only as a prelude to running away.