The video opens with this title card.
You see an andorian man with a white goatee-mustache combo and a white ponytail, sitting behind a table covered with grey cloth. On it are three rifles propped up with small stands. They look very similar. The first and third are long, with the third having some sort of muzzle attachment. The second is shorter.
“Hi guys, thanks for tuning in to another video on Forgotten Weapons dot fed. I’m Ikeb McCollum and I’m here today at the United Federation of Planets’ military history reference center on Memory Alpha. And today we are going to be taking a look at a strange technological reversion brought about by a unique military situation.”
“This is the CheyTac model TR-116 projectile rifle. This weapon is the first and so far only chemically-propelled projectile weapon adopted by the Federation for use by Starfleet and MACO. You heard me right. This is a true ‘firearm’, a thousand year old, primitive weapon reintroduced into modern military service, albeit with a cutting edge twist we will get to later.”
Ikeb gestures to the rifle closest to him.
“Now you may be wondering why a modern military would adopt an ancient, primitive weapon in this age of self-targeting phased energy emitters. Originally, it was actually a stopgap solution to a problem encountered in skirmishes with Klingon shock troops during the 2372 conflict with the Klingon empire. Early into the conflict, some elite Klingon units utilized their unique proficiency with melee weapons in combination with high power electromagnetic field disruption devices in order to rout otherwise overwhelming Federation ground presence. The emitters would send out constant EMP’s, completely disabling all electronic devices in the local area, followed immediately by Klingons storming Federation positions with Bat’leths and other similar weapons.”
“This tactic started to become popular, leading the Federation to try to develop an immediate countermeasure. With no time to develop a new variant of phaser, Starfleet Command turned to technology already tested in battle. They turned to a long time civilian manufacturer of high precision hunting firearms, CheyTac. In only a few months, they came up with this, the TR-116, and it’s later model the TR-116A and B. It was shortly adopted for service use by the Federation, with replicator patterns being sent to all commands for immediate production.”
“So, let’s take a closer look.”
He picks up the nearest rifle, and the camera angle changes to an overhead view of his hands and the rifle on the table.
“So, this rifle, unlike all other modern weapons, including firearms, has no electronic components whatsoever.” he gestures towards the front, top tube. "Although it looks like one, this is not a second barrel, but the tube for the long stroke gas piston system. This forward brace hides a vent that goes from the low barrel, to push the gas piston, which is directly connected to the bolt carrier. This causes the recoil cycle, which ejects the spent cartridge before loading a fresh one from the magazine.
“As for disassembly, first we take out the magazine, and these four pins in the polymer stock.” He removes them. “Then we take hold of the barrel and slide out the entire internal assembly from within the stock, which is held in place on a set of rails.” He pulls the assembly out, and examines the stock. “As you can see here, the trigger assembly and the magazine well are built into the stock, with the trigger impinging on the bolt assembly via a plunger.”
He puts the stock offscreen to the side, and focuses in on the internal assembly.
“Next, we unhook this hydraulic recoil spring from the rear, and slide it out of the bolt carrier. Then we slide the bolt carrier along with the gas pistol back, then lift it up out of the assembly. Then we twist the bolt face to the right position, and remove the pin, which detaches the bolt from the carrier for maintenance purposes.” He completes all the steps, and neatly arrays the parts for the camera. “And there we have it, a fully disassembled TR-116. Thanks to the marvel of replicators, there are few separate parts, unlike a weapon made with traditional manufacturing process. This makes disassembly and maintenance very simple, perfect for a combat situation.”
The camera transfers back to the original veiw.
“The original TR-116 and the TR-116A carbine variant were adopted for use by both MACO and Starfleet personnel in energy disruption situations. This was soon replaced by the new compression phaser rifle, though the TR-116 is still used by the MACO anti-borg troops to penetrate the personal shields used by borg drones.”
He motions to the third rifle, the one with the muzzle attachment.
“Now the TR-116B was not adopted until late 2275, and was borne out of the mind of a murderer. In 2275 on starbase Deep Space Nine, a series of murders were comitted by a Vulcan officer using a TR-116 modified with a micro transporter muzzle attachment. In combination with an exographic targeting sensor, the shooter was able to see through solid objects, and directly teleport the projectile directly to the target. This idea was quickly introduced in a new specialist variant, the TR-116B. It was- and is- only issued to extrmely specialized MACO sniper teams.”
“Since these are extremely rare pieces, I took this opportunity on Memory Alpha to make this educational video. Thanks once again to the UFP Military History reference center. And thanks for watching.”