TBR-1 ‘Claviger’ Battle Rifle
Chambert's Guide to Defense - Episode 5
The success of the TAR-29d prompted a re-examination of the GuardCorps’ range of so-called ‘battle rifles’. While the classic assault rifle is suited for a variety of threats, the GuardCorps’ battle rifle concept was aimed squarely at packing enough kinetic energy punch to overcome even heavy Zeoform armor.
Previously, high ammunition weight per shot proved a critical factor in achieving adequate performance for the heavyweight HBR-4 ‘Khagan’ Battle Rifle. For Medium, and Tactical Zeoforms every battle rifle tested came with a distinctly restricted ammo loadout which effectively ruled out their usefulness.
Over time this had led to the battle rifle concept being effectively dropped by all but a limited number of specialist pilots dedicated to rogue Zeoform interception, with the HBR-4 as the rare remaining example of a mass-produced battle rifle armament. Advances in the nano-lathe of the TAR-29d solved this issue at a stroke, and it wasn’t long before an effectively re-bored, lengthened version of it was tested for a putative battle rifle role.
The initial results were highly promising although cyclic rate of fire naturally had to be reduced both to accommodate the capabilities of the nano-forge and to keep recoil within tolerable margins. The sighting interlink used for the TAR-29d was re-designed in anticipation of an increased engagement envelope and, with very few other alterations, the outstanding TBR-1 ‘Claviger’ battle rifle was born.
