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Technical Readout

The Rifleman is a BattleMech of 70 tons, designed as a medium fire platform to fill out different roles. But without a defined role it did not successfully fill out any, up until when it was realised that with his outstanding tracking device the rifleman was a solid Anti-Air capable BattleMech.

History Background

The Rifleman was originally designed by Kallon Industries around 2505 as a 50 ton BattleMech. Serious overheating problems resulting from heavy energy layout stalled the design, paired with other issues and problems. It was not up until 2056 that these problems were overcome and the two large lasers in the arms were replaced by a pair of PPC’s, adding two more medium lasers into the torso.

So still a competitor to the Jagermech, the breakthrough was achieved by upgrading the design to a 60 ton BattleMech, the RFL-3C variant. With the won space the Rifleman got more heatsinks and its distinguished arm look with the two heavy weapons in its arm, the large laser and the autocannon 5.

Still not a full worthy first line BattleMech due to the very minimalised use of armor, the Rifleman was a very potent long-range support BattleMech, paired with it’s outstanding targeting and communication device being an opponent to be reckoned. It was discovered by the pilots serving with the new design that their target devices could pick up air targets far better then the usual BattleMech target devices.

The Rifleman never the less had serious flows. The torso couldn’t turn to each side further the 40 degrees, but the arms could be flipped to the back, giving the full firepower from the front to the rear in an eyeblink, allowing strafing planes or spaceships to be followed without the need of changing the facing direction. Its light armor makes it a not frontline worthy.

Main Platform

The most used variant would be the RFL-3C, fielding two AC/5 and two large lasers in the arms and a pair of two medium lasers in the torso. 10 heat sinks are built in this Mech. With a weak armor and a top speed of 64 km/h it is a heavy BattleMech, not being able to slug it out with other opponents, but a platform to fight from long range.

Variants / Timeline

2505

RFL-1N

First Appearance

2556

RFL-2N

New design of the RFL-2N, changing the two large lasers against two PPC, adding two more medium lasers in the torso and adding 6 more heat sinks.

3026

RFL-3N

A new design was introduced the Davion variant called RFL-3N. Here the two large laser and the two AC/5’s were replaced by two AC/10’s and adding one ton of armor.

There are many more variants you can find on the Sarna.net.

Clan Variants

Most notable there were two more Clan variants of the Rifleman

Rifleman C

Replacing the Inner Sphere AC/5’s and large lasers against the Clan’s Large Pulse Lasers and LB 5-X’s

Rifleman 2C

In which the clans exchanged their Large Pulse lasers and the LB 5-x’s against two ER Large Lasers and two medium Clan Lasers.

Notable Personalities

Janos Marik

The Captain General of House Marik used a special variant customised by exchanging the two AC/5’s against two AC/2’s for even longer range, the free space and weight was used to fill in more heat sinks and armor.

Davis McCall

The famous third in command of the Gray Death Legion was piloting a Rifleman.

John Clavell

Part of the infamous Black Widow Company of Wolf’s Dragoons, leading the recon lance from his Rifleman. Philip Capet

Roderick Steiner

The son of Arche Duke Katharina Steiner and Hanse Davion piloted a Rifleman in his military career.

Justin Allard aka Justin Xiang

Justin Allard travelled to Solaris in 3027 after being deflected by House Davion, taking the name Xiang. He fought and killed Philip Capet in his own Rifleman, the Mech “Legend Killer” who he took from Gray Noton.

Tex Talks Battletech: The Rifleman

Welcome back folks, to another Tex Talks Battletech. This time we’re talking about a battlemech many are familiar with, and plenty underestimate. The Rifleman is a potent ballistic-fire mech with a simple battlefield role – put lead on bad guys from hopefully a fair distance. But there’s plenty more to the mech than that: From the anti-air capabilities, to the advanced targeting suite in the production models, to the strange and terrifying development of the Rifleman III. So take your seats, and let’s take a look at a machine with plenty of history.

DISCLAIMER:

TEX TALKS BATTLETECH is a fan-based parody/attempt at education for a setting that deserves much love. Battletech, Mechwarrior, and all other material are owned by CGL, Topps, Tornante, PGI, their various subsidiaries, and a million shareholders (though not harmony gold, fuck those guys). No challenge to their ownership status is being made or intended by the creation of this work. Battletech is owned by the company, but the fanbase is what keeps it alive. Let us hope they forgive us for what fun we have. Tex Talks Battletech is a semi-serious take on Battletech, its setting, lore, and history in an attempt to bring people into one of the greatest franchises ever envisioned and should not in any way represent the official stance of any corporation, conglomerate, megacorp, holding company, or cartel which currently owns the franchise.

TL;DR: this is the opinion of one guy who loves a setting, and is dead-set on bringing it to everyone who cares to hear about it.

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, Allowance is made for “Fair Use” for the purposes of Criticism, Comment, News Reporting, Teaching, Scholarship, and Research. Fair use is therefore Permitted by Copyright Statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-Profit, Educational, or Personal use tips the balance in favor of “Fair Use.”

LINKS

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