Different Types of Blaster Rifles & Blaster Pistols

Blaster Rifle Types

Blaster Carbine: A blaster carbine is a shortened variant of an already existing weapon, traditionally blaster rifles. They offer distinct advantages from other weapons. First and foremost, they are generally shorter and lighter than their heavier cousins, and allow for more capabilities especially in confined environments; they also have a faster rate of fire than a typical blaster rifle. In addition, carbines are often cheaper to produce than ordinary rifles. In exchange for these advantages however, they have a shorter range, less accuracy and less stopping power.

Repeating Blaster: Repeating blasters, or Repeat Blasters or Repeaters, are blaster or projectile weapons that can fire many rounds in short time intervals. The light repeating blasters are light enough to be carried by individuals and fire quickly without a mount, such as a tripod, but are heavy enough to be unwieldy for those not trained in their use. The largest of these are even called "heavy repeating blasters", but this is only in comparison with more lightweight models; all personal weapons are a step down from the heavier emplacement guns. Repeating blasters are only legally distributed to the military, however, that doesn't stop a large majority of folks.

Blaster Pistol Types

Hold-out Blaster: Hold-out blasters (also holdout blaster) are small, palm-sized blasters that can be easily concealed inside a sleeve. Because of their small size, holdout blasters usually can only fire six shots before expending their power cells. The association of holdout blasters with more nefarious characters means that such blasters are outlawed on some worlds.

Stingbeam: A stingbeam is a compact, easily-concealed energy pistol favored by individuals who need to be discreetly armed, or for individuals who disdain the use of larger weapons. A typical stingbeam is approximately the size of a Human hand. Unlike a conventional blaster pistol, it does not have a muzzle orifice; the end of its barrel is an antenna-like stub. A stingbeam is a powerful weapon, extremely lethal at close quarters, but it has a very short effective range. Most are capable of only a very limited number of shots (typically five) before recharging; when not at point-blank range, these shots act as stun blasts, unless the wielder chooses to use all the charges for one extra-strong blast. The stingbeam makes a piercing, whistling noise when fired, and each shot leaves the weapon hot to the touch.

Sporting Blaster: The sporting blaster is a blaster pistol variant. These light weapons are often used by beings of noble heritage, who prefer a more elegant alternative to the "uncivilized" standard blaster. These thin-barrelled blasters are designed for use in firing ranges and small-game hunting. They are light and easy to carry. Sporting blasters have a shorter range and pack less power than a standard pistol sidearm, though they have the advantage of being more affordable, and require less bureaucratic hassle to obtain.

Heavy Blaster Pistol: A heavy blaster pistol is a more powerful version of the standard blaster pistol. Heavy blaster pistols are basically cut-down blaster rifles, utilizing a more highly powered gas chamber, firing larger, more damaging bolts with a wider beam. Though bulkier and heavier than blaster pistols, the heavy blasters advantage is the firepower. It has power comparable to a blaster rifle but a shorter range than the typical blaster pistol. The power pack is generally the same size as a standard pistol and is consumed at a considerably higher rate than a typical blaster pistol. Due to the weapon's formidable power it is in most systems heavily restricted if not entirely illegal.