Auto bolt rifle or bolt rifle

[DAC]

So I’m new to space marines and ultramarines…

 

Built up two 5 man squads of intercressors and stuck on the auto bolt rifle. I liked the 3 assault shots only problem the more I read the more I keep seeing that the standard bolt rifle is better for ultramarines. Rapid fire and the -1ap could come in handy and I believe we get a range of 36” too.

 

So I guess my question should I change them? Is it really that much better in most situations? Oh forgot to say, yes I glued the small cassette in the guns.

 

 

Auto bolt rifle- 24"-Assault 3-4-0-1

Bolt rifle- 30"-Rapid Fire 1-4- -1-1

[BloodyB]

For ultras, the standard is better than auto, but I don't think it's worth changing over at this point. The auto is still good, and I don't think I would ever be kicking myself over taking one over the other. Either one is good for maneuvering while maintaining fire, as well as thinning infantry out.

 

So I say don't sweat it, and if worst comes to worstz most opponents will be okay with proxying such a small detail.

[Lord_Ikka]

I run a fairly troop-heavy, aggressive list- 2x 5-man autos, 1x 5-man regular bolt rifle, 2x 5-man assault intercessors. I run the autos and assault intercessors together to push up the field (with bladeguard behind them normally) while the regular bolt rifle squad stays back as a rear objective holder. The autos work well for what I use them for, I can Advance and fire with them and they provide a lot of distraction before the more specialized melee guys hit the enemy. Then the autos just stay on the midfield/enemy objectives to gain VPs. I will say that the autos aren't the most "killy" of the guns, but they are good chaff clearers and ok against SM- with the Ultras wanting to stay in Tactical Doctrine the autos just turn into regular bolt rifle AP stats for two rounds, which isn't bad at all. 

 

Like BloodyB said, most people don't care about porxying the different bolt rifle variants- as long as you are clear and consistent throughout the army with what unit has what.

[Karhedron]

Generally speaking, weight of fire is handy to have. 3 shots at AP0 are better than 2 shots at AP-1 against anything with a 4+ or worse save. They are the same against anything with a 3+ and only worse when facing units with a 2+ save. Against units with a 1+ save (Cover, stormshields etc) the 3 shots become stronger again as AP-1 is irrelevant.

 

The other thing to remember is that 3 shots can net more wounds overall than 2 if your dice are rolling hot (or your opponent's saves are cold). Whilst they may be the same on average against 3+ save targets, you have a higher ceiling. I always opt for ABRs unless I specifically want a unit for hanging back.

[Cruor Vault]

Against basically anything but a 2+ save in cover the Auto version comes out slightly ahead of the Rapid Fire version.  It also has a higher damage potential due to more shots (though that only comes into play in the most statistically unlikely situations).

 

If you've already got the Rapid Fire versions you shouldn't feel pressured to change it up, but if you're looking to squeeze that last bit of oomph out of your list the Autos are the way to go!

[Prot]

Ap is the way to go for me. I’ve tried it all and from my weekly experience swapping out these weapons I am regretting most of my no ap weaponry. Unfortunately I glued those Auto rifles on my heavy Intercessors. I might still rip the arms off. 
 

the play to angle on is at AP 2 stuff actually dies in my experience. So as an ultra moving up, getting full rapid fire shots in tac doctrine is the right choice for me. Note that I play with a lot of decent terrain, cover is plentiful, and this is mostly against; Admech, sisters, DG, Orks, BA, and Dark Angels. ( these are my most common weekly opponents). 
 

the bottom line Is… my best piece of advice is don’t make a decision based on forum advice like I did. Play it out. Proxy it and just weigh what you read here carefully.

[Captain Idaho]

I gotta agree with that. I use a lot of Firstborn including vehicles which have Storm Bolters and the drop off in effectiveness of those bolters when the Tactical Doctrine ends is noticeable.

[Tokugawa]

Relax, just playing with the actual options on your models is OK.

 

The game will never be decided by such slight difference on a slot filler troop unit.

[Blitzjager]

I have  slightly different perspective as I only play in Crusades.  The with Crusade Honours you can acquire the ability (Centurion Studs) for a squad to pick which doctrine you're in each turn.  On the pro rapid-fire side of things having Ap2 guns the whole battle is nice, But I rolled up marksman's honours on my current intercessor squad.  So I have found myself spending CP for Squad Doctrines out side of turns 2-3.

Edited November 24, 2021 by Blitzjager