M77 Special Applications Scoped Rifle

"Five and a half kilometers..."

- Anonymous UNSC Serviceman

The M77 Special Applications Scoped Rifle, also known as the Reaper, which was the name of the creator of the design, was, at the time of its introduction, the longest ranged handgun used by the UNSC. It is much more advanced than its petty competitor, the M99 SASR.

Development
For years, the M99 Stanchion, a long ranged sniper rifle in use with the UNSC since the early 2500's, was the standard issue rifle for missions of extremely long range. However, there were many problems with the M99. First, it is quite difficult to lug around, as it has a separate power source which is connected to the weapon by a wire. Second, the weapon's accuracy was often unreliable. It often missed the target the first time, and in assassination missions, one shot is all that you have. Thirdly, the power source can often overheat if not properly cooled, meaning the weapons often didn't work in temperatures above 88 degrees, Farenheit. All of these reasons put the Stanchion out of service by 2527. The concept of a gauss rifle wasn't considered again until 2560, when physicist John Reaper began talks with Misriah Armories to develop a new Gauss weapon system. Misriah was not interested however, and sent Reaper away. Twelve years later, Reaper returned, this time with evidence that his system would be much better than the M99's. This time, Misriah did like the design, and assigned workers to "build a rifle" around it. They completed this task in about a month and a half, the product of which was the most advance handheld rifle to date. The weapon was designated the M77 "Reaper" SASR after John Reaper.

Operation
Instead of using a small detonation to propel the round, the M77 uses a coilgun system to propel the round at extremely high speeds. Sets of small metal coils are wrapped around the barrel of the weapon, and as each coil is filled with an electrical current, it is magnetized, pulling the projectile to it. As the round is about to reach the first round, a second coil is hit with a stronger current, further accelerating the round. This continues until the round is shot out the barrel. The entire process is nearly instantaneous and accelerates the projectile to such a high speed that it makes for devastating results. Because of the high velocity, the bullet does not just puncture and kill the target Instead, it literally makes blows the person apart. This almost guarantees a kill every time a person is hit. However, a power source is needed to magnetize the coils when needed.

Components
The M77 features a number of new components not featured on other rifles of the era.

M12 Magazine
The M77's ammunition is internally stored. When the rotating bolt is pulled back, it reveals a slot slightly longer than the round used by the weapon. The slot has a spring mechanism pushes the next round into the firing chamber. The M12 Magazine is a cartridge which carries three rounds at a time. Instead of individually loading each bullet, the M12 puts three rounds in at once, allowing for a more convenient reload. And, because the ammunition is stored inernally, the design prevents the magazine from getting in the way of the operator, allowing for a more comfortable weapon. After the M12's introduction, it has been used in various sniper rifles, though none of them have actually made it into military service, yet they have been used by police forces, defense contractors, recreational shooters, and some rebels have also gained posession of rifles using the M12 Magazine.

Advanced Digital Teliscopic System
The scope on the M77, known as the ADTS, is highly advanced compared to others of the time. The scope, produced by Blankenport Armories, is highly customizable. There are five optical zoom settings for the scope: 2x, 5x, 10x, 15x, and 20x. These allow for accurate shots from various ranges, which could be anywhere from 100 meters to over 5,000 meters. There are also a number of other features, including fully customizable crosshairs, a dimming/brightening device, an mode view, an infared mode, range display, time display, and a digital compass. The scope itself costs nearly 4,000 cR. If it was preferred, the operator of the weapon could instead use a scope listed here, though this happened very rarely.

Power Source
The power source used by the M77 Reaper is a much liked improvement over the M99's. It looks like a standard magazine on the bottom of the rifle, but in fact it is a fully operational battery which powers the Gauss weapon system. Using advanced technology, the battery puts out enough power to fire one round every fourteen seconds, otherwise the small battery would overheat. The battery pack recharges using a complex system in which friction-generated heat is transfered back into power. With this system, the M77 is able to fire six shots in one charge instead of five, though the recharging only makes up 20% of the power for the last shot. Since the battery pack is fairly small, additional packs can be carried on a utility belt, in a pouch on the uniform, or in a back-pack much like explosive technicians often carry C12 plastic explosive in a backpack. Also, the butt of the gun can be removed to store an additional battery pack.

Storage Compartment
On the stock of the M77 is a small compartment which has multiple uses. There are a few standard uses for the compartment.
 * Ammunition - The compartment can store eight spare M12 cartridges.
 * Power - The compartment can also store two additional battery packs. It could also store one battery pack and eight ammo cartridges.
 * Other - The compartment can also store dehydrated rations, personal items, etc.

Production and Service
The production of the M77 began in 2573 at a rate of, at the most, 250 rifles per year. In order to maintain quality, the Reaper has to be assembled completely by hand, something seldom performed by modern factories. The production halted due to lack of funds in 2585, but resumed two years later, but at a slower rate. The first M77 to be used was in 2576 when an ONI assassin used the weapon to kill a man suspected to be the leader of a small insurgency. The assassination went perfectly, and the killing blow was delt from a cliff that was over two kilometers away. Over the next four years, assassins and NAVSPECWAR servicemen used the M77 to take out over seventy-five members of the United Liberialists Group, a rebel faction operating out of the Darcyc System, a star system in the Outer Colonies both before and during the Darcyc System Campaign.

After the campaign, the weapon started to become more popular, with over 1,000 soldiers using the M77 Reaper. By the time of the Miner's Rebellion and Kongo Wars, the M77 was known to be an extremely efficient weapon. Between 2585 and 2588, the M77 had scored an additional 150 kills, with the farthest distance of any of these recorded by Major James Corbett with an astounding kill from 5,603 meters away. SPARTAN-379 also reportedly hit a moving vehicle from over 1,000 meters. The weapon gained even more popularity at the turn of the Second Great War. Throughout the entire war, the M77 was the cause of over 5,000 kills. The production of the M77 ceased in 2611, but the weapon wasn't retired until 2640, when it replaced by its successor, the M78 Special Applications Scoped Rifle.

Usage
The M77 has been used in a variety of roles. The most popular use of the M77 is as an assassin's weapon, usually directly employed by ONI, but NAVSPECWAR servicemen and ODST's may also fill the role. Another use of the M77 Reaper is simply as a field sniper, usually harassing opposition from an elevated location. These operations are performed often by NAVSPECWAR operatives, ODST's, and sometimes by Marines, though they normally use the SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle or its new variant, the SRS99F-S2 AM, which was unveiled in 2581. Lastly, the M77 can be used by mobile combat forces, operating in ranges no longer than 150 meters, though this is often called "a waste of Tungsten" by those who fill the role.

Remarks
"Reaper. It sure fits the weapon."

- Anonymous UNSC Serviceman

"Give one of these to a SPARTAN, and you get a nice show... if you can keep up."

- Anonymous UNSC Serviceman

"When you use one of these, you can't be told to bring them back, dead or alive. It's either alive... or a pile of sliced organs."

- UNSC NAVSPECWAR Sniper

"When we got a hold of one of those weapons, we couldn't figure out how it worked. Its projectiles have no propellant, yet it has the power to make a soldier explode."

- Anonymous Jiralhanae

Trivia

 * The M77 Reaper was the preferred weapon of SPARTAN-379 and James Corbett.
 * The M77 was known to be well respected by Sangheili for being a primitive weapon system.
 * The exact kill count of the M77 was 7,304.