Sniper Rifle System 45
"The 45 ain't a bad rifle. It great in fact. Accurate, and fast firing, but not too fast. And compared to the 99, its lighter, quieter, and kicks less. While it can mow down innies in full armor, grunts, and jackals all day, it takes a couple of shots to down an elite with their shields up, and I don't think brutes even notice a hit by the damn thing. Then again, brute don't notice anything but anti material fire." -UNSC E5 serviceman
The Sniper Rifle System 45 Magnum/Anti-Personnel, is an anti personnel sniper rifle in service with the UNSC since adoption by all UNSC branches in early 2421 replacing several different sniper rifle models and is considered the predecessor to the SRS-99 AM. The SRS 45 M/AP was designed, produced, and is continuously updated by Misriah Armory. It has seen service with UNSC forces through the insurrection, the Human Covenant war, and continues to see service in the post war era alongside its larger counterpart, the SRS-99. While its role in the UNSC has been diminished, it still remains a popular weapon where found.
Inception and Development
In 2399, Misriah Armory began development on a highly durable, high performance sniper rifle for the UNSC. By 2421, the result was the Sniper Rifle System 45, and it was adopted by all UNSC branches, and was favored by UNSC marine snipers.
Originally chambered in an Armor Piercing .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, Misriah Armory was dissatisfied with the projectiles performance against modern body armor. Hence, from the project, also came Misriah Armory's proprietary ammunition for the rifle. The 8.6 x 86 mm Full Metal Jacket - Armor Piercing High Velocity Eldritch Magnum, which under the UNSC arsenal, is labeled as the M158 Magnum Sniper Catridge.
Its silhouette is mostly boxy as its barrel is housed in a sturdy, rectangular shroud to protect the barrel from the elements and debris. In side the shroud, are several systems and components meant to stabilize the barrel from recoil during firing which increases accuracy. These systems can be adjusted by an operator in the field if needed to compensate for air pressure and temperature, but the default settings will work well in all environments. Its rectangular muzzle is an Misriah Armory proprietary M63-SR45 integrated flash suppressor, which also helps dampen the sound of firing, though not to the same degree as a traditional silencer. The flash created by an SRS-45 is very brief and dim, making it harder for hostiles to spot an operator while firing. Silencers can be attached to the end of the integrated flash suppressor via hard points; when a silencer is attached to the rifle, the operator becomes nearly impossible to detect via muzzle flash and noise from firing.
The weapon also has a proprietary chambering system to allow for rimmed cartridges. If one looks, the ejection port is slightly offset behind the magazine well. This is done to prevent jamming. To load a round, a stud on the receiver and a mechanical lever system, operated by the bolt and trigger primer, is used to draw a cartridge backwards and push it up into the chamber. The system, is quite simple in design and is hard to break down.
The weapon also uses a hydraulic, spring loaded recoil dampener which greatly increases a shooters ability to fire rounds rapidly, and accurately on a target.
Other feature include UNSC smart targeting and HUD linked targeting systems, and a slew of magnetic hard points for attachments and scopes. The standard scope is an M-116A Smart Scope with thermal and night vision modes with full HUD integration.
Due to the weapons making use of multiple proprietary systems, parts, and ammunition, and several other reasons created by the advent of the Covenant, production for the SRS-45 slowed greatly during the Human Covenant war for the far more powerful, simpler, and more quickly produced SRS-99.
The weapon has several different iterations and variants, with the current version in use by the UNSC armed forces being the SRS-45A7-B. As of 2575, Misriah Armory is in development of a replacement for the SRS-45 Anti-Personnel with the SRS-49 project, which will still use the M158 MS Cartridge.