69
Amban Sniper Rifle
Location: Nevarro
Date: 9 ABY
This crude but highly effective firearm was well suited to bounty hunters operating in lawless underworlds. Manufactured by the Amban Arms Corporation the rifle is considered to be the source of several accounts that claim that Mandalorian arsenals routinely contained weaponry capable of disintegrating enemies on sight.
Topped with a removable electroscope for precise aim, the sniper rifle is tipped with a forked ion-prod electro-bayonet that was capable of turning an organic target to dust with a single squeeze of the trigger. On its highest setting, one blast would send a ionic pulse reverberating through a lifeform’s essential systems. Contact with living matter vibrated the molecules so violently that the jolt and subsequent burst of released energy tore the target to shreds. A shower of sparks, charred flesh, and shreds of clothing were frequently all that was left, making victim-identification extremely difficult. For this reason, bounty hunters only used the rifle’s highest setting as a last resort when hunting fugitives, as they could not claim success without at least the trophy of the intact head of their prey.
With the carry strap removed, the power-cell port hatch control is clearly visible. Amban rifles of this type are charged by Notimo-6 power cells. A new power cell is required for each high-powered disruptor round.
Weighing just 3.65 kilograms (8 pounds) and with a reinforced stock, the Amban rifle can also be used as a melee weapon. The firearm is calibrated to fire a shock of anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 volts. If the two prongs are pressed into the flesh of an opponent they deliver a jolt that will incapacitate most species. Used against more massive creatures, this stun feature is little more than a painful annoyance, like a sudden pinching sensation.
In 9 ABY, the Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin utilized his rifle’s useful shock function to ward off a ravinak that threatened to consume his ship. He also used it to escape a krayt dragon that was terrorizing the community of the town of Mos Pelgo on Tatooine. In both cases, Djarin survived and neither creature was harmed.