Sternguard: lock and load

[captain fabian]

I havent much experience with these guys since most of the battles see them droping into the enemy and getting slaughtered eventually. This is not the place I want them to be. This is not the point of this topic though. Lets say that indeed Sternguard were designed to be dropped into the enemy army. How would they use their special ammo?

I mean they get into the Drop Pod with a armed Bolter. So lets say they are equiped with the Dragonfire rounds. Now if they drop and once all the smoke and shock is over the marines dissembark and smell the filthy breath of a Carnifex. They would hopefully use the Hellfire rounds. However they must remove the magazine, clean the firing chamber of the remaining bolt, find the apropriate magazine, stick it in, reload, aim and fire. And once they find another target they have to change it again. For a marine this may be a piece of cake. Thats why I ask. What do you guys believe? Also how many magazines of each type does each marine carry? Am I missing something? Do I think complicated? Who knows. Your thoughts?

[Chapter Master Gabriel]

I tend to think that Sternguard marines load their Bolters with Multi-feed Box magazines, so they can switch ammo types on the fly without worry of swapping out magazines constantly. Irregardless of the fact that a space marine is trained to swap-out mags in a second or less but, if you keep swapping out mags every other shot - thats gonna create a lag cycle where your not firing as close-quarters fire-fights are not places where you wanna be lagging behind.

[Archnomad]

Honestly, if you're drop podding, take combi weapons and get a real alpha strike. If you want bolter fun take a rhino. 10 Combi Plasmas do much better on the drop than 10 Hellfire bolters.

 

On the topic of your question though. I reckon they just slide out the clip and chuck in a new one. It would probably only take a second for a marine, considering how often they practice and train. (:

[Arnil]

Well it is my understanding they wouldnt need to typically change ammo THAT much. Also they have to reload anyway once they shoot a clip so no big deal to grab a different one. Photographic memory helps in finding where you placed that type of ammo. If they go down with the intent to fight Tyranids they will bring Tyranid rounds, also if they are really good, as they should be, they would fire in shifts allowing for continueous fire and reloading.

 

Thus they reload periodically anyway.

 

One enemy=one round.

 

Marines can find specific ammo really fast.

 

Expert shifts of shooting allows for changing of rounds while the old round is still in place.(Fluff wise not game wise, one one type per shooting phase but in actuallity it would be way different)

 

This is all just me applying logic to it...for all i know they can stop time and reload.

[manofmanynames]

I think the sternguard would be able to remove the magazine and switch it with the appropriate magazine pretty quickly. As for how much magazines, I think they would carry mabye 3-4 of each kind, more or less depending on how long they think the mission will last.

[Arnil]

I tend to think that Sternguard marines load their Bolters with Multi-feed Box magazines, so they can switch ammo types on the fly without worry of swapping out magazines constantly. Irregardless of the fact that a space marine is trained to swap-out mags in a second or less but, if you keep swapping out mags every other shot - thats gonna create a lag cycle where your not firing as close-quarters fire-fights are not places where you wanna be lagging behind.

 

Well they wouldnt be switching out ever shot...in game terms a shooting phase represents about a clip of bullets. Just like assault phase is chargeing and swinging a few times. and movement is running a few meters.

 

So since they can switch rounds every shooting phase it is like they shot a clip off and are reloading a different one.

[calgar101]

Have them magnetically attached to their legs facing vertical? So they could like slam the clip into the bolter, it 'clicks' into place and is in the bolter once they remove it, a bit like Lara Croft style?

[Aegis]

When they change the magazine for a different kind of ammo, they wouldn't have to eject the old chambered round. They'd likely just pull the trigger and clear the chamber that way. At least that's how I imagine a brutally efficient, genetically engineered, killing machine would handle the situation. :)

[Arnil]

When they change the magazine for a different kind of ammo, they wouldn't have to eject the old chambered round. They'd likely just pull the trigger and clear the chamber that way. At least that's how I imagine a brutally efficient, genetically engineered, killing machine would handle the situation.

 

Yes i remember reading somewhere that they could count the exact number of rounds they have fired and always know how much ammo they have. Thus as they are soon to reach the last shot they could grab another ammo pack, fire the last round, eject the clip(or possibly it ejects automatically, it IS the 41st millenium after all), slam in another clip and bring holy death unto the Emperor's enenmies!

[chapter master 454]

When they change the magazine for a different kind of ammo, they wouldn't have to eject the old chambered round. They'd likely just pull the trigger and clear the chamber that way. At least that's how I imagine a brutally efficient, genetically engineered, killing machine would handle the situation.

 

Yes i remember reading somewhere that they could count the exact number of rounds they have fired and always know how much ammo they have. Thus as they are soon to reach the last shot they could grab another ammo pack, fire the last round, eject the clip(or possibly it ejects automatically, it IS the 41st millenium after all), slam in another clip and bring holy death unto the Emperor's enenmies!

 

Sternguard veteran: 1 elephant, 2 elephant, 3 elephant, 4 elephant, 5 elephant, NOW -expertly switches out his magazine within .5 seconds- Good old elephants never let me down!

[Arnil]

Yes count the falling elephants :P

[Kay]

In the grim future of the 41st millennium, 5 elephants may be already too late...

 

as for the topic goes, based on my knowledge of actual warfare, wich is pretty much what i have seen in movies like black hawk down or the hurt locker, if Eric Bana can change a clip in about 3 secs, i bet a 300 years vet who lives to nothing but to spending ammo and changing clips, can do better...

[Commander Sasha]

As an old Judge Dredd 'Lawgiver' fan, I'm going with the vend-a-matic multiple chamber ammo feed. The product of Bolter technology combined with an 'Eavy Metal airbrush...