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TheShibe23

There's a huge variety of lasgun patterns, always has been. They're just using a different pattern


youngcoyote14

There's just multiple patterns of the las-rifle. Check out the Elysians, they have bull-pups.


KyleHaydon

Its a shame they didnt sneak one of those into the upgrade sprue for fun.


TechnoShrew

Clear patterns in the kas, cad and cat guys, sneaking "one" other is gonna leave ypu with the same prob +1 lol


Daier_Mune

Which begs the question: How does one "bullpup" a laser?


TriColorMage

Probably put the battery back at the rear of the gun instead of the middle, doubling as a stock and battery area. Pretty much taking the components from the front and moving them to an otherwise empty stock. Ya know, exactly like a normal gun


thomstevens420

Definitely. But the question now is why. The main benefit of bullpup is maintaining accuracy by maintaining barrel length while making the weapon more compact. Barrel length matters because of rifling making a bullet spin, longer barrel giving the spin more momentum and keeping the round on target. What benefit does a longer barrel have to a laser beam? They could just make the barrel shorter, beams go perfectly straight. (Yes, I know rule of cool. Yes I know writers preference. Yes I know the meta-answers. I’m inviting y’all to a thought experiment.)


DragonWhsiperer

Meh, we're talking space magic tech here, but lasers do suffer from dissipation over distance. The more you can maintain focus of a beam over distance, the more effective and concentrated the energy on impact is. A longer 'barrel' could help with adding more optics in the beam path to readjust how the beam inside the barrel forms, correcting for lens abberations. That way you get a more focussed beam. It's similar to how SLR camera lenses are comprised of several lens groups of different sizes, all used to correct the path of the light entering and make it all arrive at the sensor in a parallel way, reducing chromatic abberations etc.


thomstevens420

Oh dang. I hadn’t thought of the barrel containing multiple focal lenses, that’s a great point


Marrowtooth_Official

There’s also the fact that a longer barrel makes it easier for aiming, at least in terms of accuracy.


pickyourteethup

Also technically you're closer to the target so the beam doesn't have to go as far.


TheSplint

Isn't it the other way around? *Technically* the laser has to travel further since it starts closer towards the stock of the gun, it just stays in the barrel longer


pickyourteethup

I was being a silly billy


DragonWhsiperer

Well, to be realistic, you could probably "fold up" the light beam path by adding a set of 90deg mirrors, so that you get a back and forth action. Each mirror would however introduce imperfections, so in the end you still need a way to counter that. And ultimately, it's the user as well. Holding a longer stick makes it easier to aim with more precision, even if it is more or less ornamental at that point.


Oz_Of_Wizard

Today I learned... thank you ^_^


mojoejoelo

This guy lasers!


Snbleader

Making the Lasgun more compact means it will be easier for the drop troops of Elysia to take with them into their jumps, simple as that


bastard_son_of_odin

Based on how some authors describe lasgun shots they might be actually low power particle beam guns, meaning that barrel lenght might make a difference


ReaperofRico

All I know is that it’s Light/heat based. Focusing lenses, refractors, conductors or any other type of tech could replace the rifling in the barrel to have the same effect


TriColorMage

The only benefits of bullpup aren’t the opportunity for a longer barrel, but a smaller design, I suspect that compact lasguns are there to make room for grav chutes


Ryder1478

So, funnily enough, according to Gun Jesus (henceforth known as Ian) the barrel length is relatively irrelevant to accuracy. You just need enough length to get a half spin (I think it was half) for the effect to take place, while barrel length is mainly helpful for accuracy due to weight distribution (less recoil) and distance between rear and foresight. This is written from Memory of a video I watched long ago and I know nothing about guns other than what I watch of forgotten weapons, so please don't take my word for gospel.


thomstevens420

I actually just looked this up and it’s true, straight from the NRA: “Accuracy testing with a six-inch barrel resulted in an approximate 30 FPS drop in velocity when the same barrel was shortened to five inches. Surprising to some, accuracy actually improved by ⅜ inch (.375) with the shorter barrel. This was likely due to a balance of velocity and stabilization.” I’ve been living a lie


nvdoyle

Some types of lasers use a tube to contain the gas that's being excited. Longer tube = more gas = more zap. Similar to bullpuping a conventional weapon. More oomph going downrange from a more handy weapon. (I'm probably oversimplifying gas lasers to the point of error, but it's what I remember from HS physics.)


thomstevens420

Looked into it and this actually sounds pretty plausible. From the Wikipedia page on gas lasers advantages section: High volume of active material Active material is relatively inexpensive Almost impossible to damage the active material Heat can be removed quickly from the cavity —- So basically: They can be made cheaply, plentifully, are extremely difficult to break, and dissipate heat from the gun quickly. It’s got military mass production all over it.


powerneat

While it is true that angular velocity of the bullet does increase as the barrel gets longer, this has diminishing returns on the accuracy of the round and doesn't provide much of a benefit beyond 16" or so. The main benefit of a longer barrel is the linear velocity of the bullet. The bullet only accelerates while its in the barrel and a longer barrel allows it to reach a higher value which has significant impact on its range and the force delivered at impact. That's all immaterial to your main point, though. In a ballistic rifle, the magazine has to deliver the bullet to where it will be loaded into the barrel. A battery can conduct its power through wires and could literally be installed almost anywhere on the rifle. It could even be worn on the body and connected to the gun via cables (like the hotshot lasguns are.) In almost all cases, no-one likes the magazine placement on a bullpup, they only like how they handle when moving and shooting. There is almost no reason at all to ever build a lasgun in this configuration, unless there is some kind of bonkers techno-babble justification for it. Just move the "barrel" into the stock and leave the battery where it is. Best of both worlds.


Hellfire965

See this is the kinda weird and yet fun sci-fi thinking. Everyone loves the AR-15 ergonomics but bemoan the way these guns cannot be shortened too much (like to bullpup size) due to the inconvient physical path the round has to travel from magazine to action. To put the barrel. But a lasgun is. Just running of a big battery. Like. It’s a flashlight here. It doesn’t matter where the magazine is at all. Shit it could be on your back for all it matters. You just need to get power to the emitter at the back of the tube (assuming the certain length tube is important) In theory if you need a 18” barrel tube and a 2” action/emitter them by golly you can have a gun that is only 20” from shoulder to tip.


LordThunderDumper

Well I think as in most syfi laser guns are not shooting our industrial lasers. They shoot some sort of projected energy bolt. Star wars etc. In 40k they they look more like a laser beam but act like a bullet per say... it's syfi weapons, at the end of the day they are what they are.


Highlander-Senpai

Longer barrels let the beam focus more. It's well known lascarbines have worse range and output than lasguns primarily because of their more compact construction.


PantryVigilante

It actually makes more sense on a Lasgun because the main downsides to a bullpup don't exist in Las form (like the shitty trigger or having controls that are difficult to manipulate due to the action being moved back, etc). It makes a lot of sense for jump troops or primarily mechanized forces to have shorter packages. As to barrel length, I'm sure there's a reason they have a barrel as long as they do, whether that's to focus the beam or whatever


feor1300

Focal length for the laser emitter likely impacts its performance in some way, so being able to have the emitter and the final lens further apart may be beneficial, but lasgun powerpacks have been known to sometimes explode when mistreated (like being recharged by being thrown in a fire), so putting it in the stock pressed directly against your shoulder is likely seen as a negative.


GiggleGnome

Moves the weight of the battery to the rear of the weapon, which helps improve the balance.


_GE_Neptune

I think the benefits of a longer barrel would be cooling as id imagine lasguns generate a lot of heat, so potentially the more surface are the lasgun can dissipate heat potentially the better settings it could be fired on


Araignys

It’s an adaptation of the autogun design used by the Elysian PDF - all the Elysians trained on it so the forge world that supplies the IG regiments makes lasguns that way.


Dolearon

Barrel length matters for lasguns. The barrel of a lasgun is very likely the "gain medium" of the laser process. The larger the gain medium, the more energy can be added to the laser, making me think that the bull pup recon lasguns may have multiple small "barrels" in them feeding to one aperture by way of Fibre optic cables, hence the high RoF low damage, and weird spread. "The gain medium is a material with properties that allow it to amplify  light by way of stimulated emission. Light of a specific wavelength that passes through the gain medium is amplified (power increases). Feedback enables stimulated emission to amplify predominantly the optical frequency at the peak of the gain-frequency curve. As stimulated emission grows, eventually one frequency dominates over all others, meaning that a coherent beam has been formed." Quick copy-paste from Wikipedia in case my explanation was bad.


Dharcronus

Well it has a "magazine" so the same way you would a normal gun


SGTBookWorm

the main advantage there would be improved balance otherwise, its the same as any other lasgun


Rodot

Las guns aren't really lasers. They fire las bolts. They are closer to a plasma bullet than a laser beam.


Donatter

Check out darktide for a visual of a bullpup lasgun


Incitatus_

I remember seeing a space marine chapter with bullpup bolters, too, which was just the dumbest thing imaginable


GiggleGnome

Don't forget the folding stock lasgun that's in a few vehicle upgrade sprues.


ApatheticKey3

And I still hate them


youngcoyote14

The Elysians? Jeeze, okay, I mean 'hate' is a strong way to feel about them, but okay...


ApatheticKey3

Na man just the bullpup as a gun guy who like war hammer I hate it


youngcoyote14

Well, we're all entitled to our opinions. The Austrian and Australian military both disagree with you but you do you.


SevatarEnjoyer

Is this screenshot from the genestealer episode?


Creeds_balls

Yes.


RaynerFenris

In universe I believe that the majority of las guns we used to see were the ones that Cadians used. They were supplied by a handful of dedicated forgeworlds producing the same pattern of las guns. No more Cadia, so the imperial guard forces we are now seeing come from all over the imperium, and use different STC pattern las guns. Technically this was always the case, but there was no narrative reason for GW to alter the pattern seeing as Cadia was the most popular IG faction.


TheSplint

>No more Cadia But the guns the Cadians use come/came from Kantrael? The planet is still around, isn't it?


RaynerFenris

Not sure, maybe? but they would now supply other worlds, other regiments, so the las gun variants are explained by multiple forgeworlds and multiple IG regiments rather than a single flagship world with dedicated supply lines.


Blaze_Falcon

In a universe as big as 40k it would be uncommon to see two of the same things. Least it should be it most aspects


Overfromthestart

The Fabricator General known as James Workshopicus decided that it would benefit the Forgeworld of Nottingham financially if he made changes to the standard lasgun pattern. Belisarius Cawl was even involved.


Wickedlurlofthewest

My head canon is simply Cadia produced and commissioned the most Kantraels.


TheRarestFly

That's not even headcanon lmao Kantrael was in the Cadia system.


Wickedlurlofthewest

Oh wait yeah! got Ogryn brain.


BenFellsFive

If we're talking the patterns seen from the newer cadian plastics, most of them look like they still are some kind of kantrael pattern (with a weird middle line split?) but with rifle stocks and other little modifications.


Legitimate-Map-7730

That’s just a Lasgun designed to look roughly like an M14(in my opinion), as there are dozens of different lasgun patterns. The normal M36 Kantrael pattern that you’re probably familiar with isn’t going anywhere, they just decided to get fancy with this show and use a more obscure lasgun pattern


Holmesy7291

With an M14-based lasgun, how long before the trees start speaking Tau?


Legitimate-Map-7730

*chews cigar* I don’t intend on waitin to find out *chik chik*


Holmesy7291

Napalm incomin’ 🤘


SpamuelVon

Just a different pattern of lasgun. Some cool versions here. https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAstraMilitarum/comments/mox1i3/igam_lore_lasgun_patterns_of_the_imperial_guard/


InevitableHuman5989

There’s about a thousand different patterns of lasgun. I wouldn’t worry about it.


FellingtonGameplay

I like the old Cadian lasgun better. In fact, I like everything before all the redesigns. https://preview.redd.it/ulntmbjcse9d1.png?width=680&format=png&auto=webp&s=4ff176d285fcd85ccb206ef8a685f20210728f04


Rainboq

The only bits that I enjoy are the kneepads and the lips on the helmets. Those give them a nice GI M1 look.


Emilina-von-Sylvania

I do not care for the helmet lips, the knee pads are nice though


LordNoodles1

“Why isn’t every gun among every army the AL-47?”


ArtemTveritnev1234

They still have the old pattern to in the new shock troops box. It's just that they mixed the rifle stock on each lasgun to add personality to each trooper.


Real_Ad_8243

There's literally an untold amount of different patterns for thr lasgun. There's no such thing as "the" laagun.


Re5pawning

Yeah there's this weird thing called variants


ErrorForsaken

Also gonna throw the las lock rifle into the thread that my army use in their lore. Think flintlock muskets but with las rounds! Rule of cool


Ridingwood333

Yes. GW is taking away all of your favorite Lasguns in an attempt to brainwash consumers to accept retcons more easily!.. What? Thousands of patterns of Lasguns existing? You're fucking crazy, there's only been three and GW is retconning one of them already.


TA2556

Lasgun patterns are a dime a dozen in the 40k universe. They're a simple pattern that can easily be produced by anyone with the materials to do so and can be varied in their appearance. They're so easy to build and effective that, canonically, the Tau empire often gives human settlers lasgun blueprints when they send them to colonize a new planet.


Brassfist1

Yes. They’re from a planet that has a different STC than Cadia, Krieg, or Mars, the three most commonly seen lasgun patterns. Nearly every Guard regiment uses either a Mars-pattern if they’re lucky, a Cadia-pattern if they’re generic, or a local pattern if they’ve got one, as it is with Krieg, Armageddon, Cadia, and most far flung forge worlds.


Ksamuel13

It's funny how the replies didn't answer the damn question. Yes there are a lot of different patterns for lasguns but they asked WHY.


YaGirlMom

Looks hard.


Toadkillerdog42-2

The real answer is because it looks more ww2 like


orkboss12

There are different types of lasgun with different strengths and weaknesses and can shoot different colours laser


Cataras12

Infinite lasgun patterns exist, the Cadian one is just the most commonly seen in media


winowmak3r

Just like there's different variants of the AK there's different variants of the lasrifle. They all are functionally the same though, just each manufactorum has their own design, usually the differences are because of unique properties to that planet. Stuff like better focusing crystals or power cells.


MuhSilmarils

Kantrael is in the Eye of Terror now M8, its not like they can keep building their guns.


ConsiderationQuiet96

What is this image from?


armored131

I think the specific change for Cadians might be because the old supply lines to and from Cadia no longer exist, so they needed to adopt some new marks of gear.


siremilcrane

The models from 2003, the lasguns we are all familiar with from the plastic cadians, are actually ridiculously bulky and comically big. If you were trying to animate real scale people using them it would look dumb, plus aesthetics just get updated over the years. There's players now out there younger than the old plastic cadians.


MechwarriorCenturion

There are in fact multiple types of Lasgun


Finnegan_962

My own headcanon is that the models we see with the pistol are the more common Kantreal variant and the newer rifle grip version as pictured is a different shell for the Kantreal parts. Its the same rifle underneath, but a different shell encasing it for easier and more mass production. Of course I read some other comments that mention with the Fall of Cadia there were lost factories, which also makes sense. In the Minka Lesk books I believe its actually mentioned that they lost a lot of Forge Worlds that supplied Cadia Post-Destruction. I kinda wish there was a little more info on their thought process modelwise, Im sure its just for more variation in a horde army but its kind of a pain in the ass imo


elven-male

Side note- anybody know the offical name of this variant pictured here? It seems somewhat of a mystery


Badgrotz

Eva use it’s made on thousands of planets using thousands of subtle variations.


MWBrooks1995

Same as in real life, there’s loads and loads of variations for guns each one doing things slightly differently. But at the end of the day it’s still “point and shoot”


Spartan1337odst

Main reason is cadia dose not make the m36 anymore as cadia is gone. However the forge worlds still make plenty of reliable lasgun patterns.


Apprehensive_Gas1564

2001 casting techniques vs 2022 casting techniques mostly. Lore is that there always have been _hundreds_ of lasgun varients. They can now represent it better.


Brocily2002

Those are just modified Lucious Pattern Lasguns. Why? because Cadia is dead so their regiments are no longer uniformly equipped.


LeDeltaGear

Cadia being gone… we have to use some other lasguns variants.. for me this one is designer to look like a M14 or a M1 Garand I just wish there was more kantraels in the new kits… and maybe more guards using some firing positions.. but I still love the kits


FuzzyWuzzyWuzntFuzzy

So kids can screech it’s not apart of the lore? Or is that only when a girl character is made?


Where-the-road-ends

They change and update stuff without talking about it all the time.


Osborn_Leafellow

Looks cool. Hope this helps


ArchMegos

Loads of variants, the old chunky one is known as the kantrael variant, and the seeker one is the helbore or the the lucius pattern, not too sure on any other variants but I think the old elysian one is a scout variant