The 7mm Colonial is Terra Nova's most ubiquitous cartridge, and not by accident. When the planet was first colonized, the settlers brought with them a powerful and flexible multi-role bullet. Given the hostility of Terra Nova's indigenous species, and faced with long supply lines and limited cargo space, it was essential that the colonists be able to produce their own ammunition and with less than sophisticated facilities.
The product of a long and comprehensive design process, the Cartridge, Interstellar Colonization 7x40mm features a case that can be manufactured from a variety of materials, including brass, steel, and aluminum, and can be stamped, extruded, or machined, depending on local manufacturing capability. The design tolerances are loose enough that bullets cast over a campfire are virtually as effective and deadly as those turned out by automated factories, and that lead, milled steel, and even ceramic can be used in the projectile.
Consequently, the 7mm Colonial is produced universally across Terra Nova, in the vast Territorial Arms factories, in Peace River, at homesteads in the Protectorate, and in back alleys in the shadier sections of all major cities. Legends persist about settlement-era brass cartridge cases being handed down through the generations, reloaded time and again. Most survival kits contain a bullet mold and a crimper, as well as a recipe printed on a waterproof plasticard for functional, if rough and ready, powder.
Along with the bullet came two principle action designs: the Geddes bolt action and the Sturm selective fire action. These are at the core of all 7mm rifle models currently in production, with the exception of the new proprietary Peace River 7mm rifles. Both the Geddes and the Sturm actions are tested and true. Occasional and minor variations do exist; the MILICIA's Dartand 7mm rifle, for example, features a semi-automatic only variant of the Sturm action that, according to the manufacturer, produces superior accuracy at range. Nonetheless, the variations on the core actions are oddities, with the result that virtually all 7mm rifles across Terra Nova have very similar performance and even, in many cases, interchangeable parts!
Though the new Paxton 7mm cartridge boasts greater damage potential, it is also heavier and harder to manufacture, ensuring that the 7mm Colonial will remain in use for decades, if not centuries, to come.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
7mm Colonial
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