USBN Aircrew Survival Weapon Mk I

IMPORTANT: please click the image twice to visualize it in full size.

during the second world war, Little Brazil (which would later become USBN; i'm still working on the story, hold on, i'll post it when i finish it ) realized it was needed to provide pilots with a means to hunt for food if they happened to be shot down. the result was the ASW Mk I, an over-and-under, rifle-and-shotgun design, which is still used today, having suffered only minor modifications.

it features a folding wooden stock with holes inside for ammunition and a stainless steel skeleton to improve sturdiness. there is a spring-loaded button located in the buttplate, however protuding to the inside in order to avoid it being pressed by the shooter's shoulder. when pressed, it allows the buttplate to be rotated to the side, using the lower screw/pin as the turn axis. then the shooter can take the rounds stored inside the stock, and by simply pushing the buttplate back into it's original position again it locks again. ]

the over-and-under barrels are break-open type. to unlock them, the operator simply pulls the unlocking handle (which is in front of the trigger) back. as it is spring-loaded, the shooter must keep it back and flip the barrels open, then he may release the handle. to lock it again, the operator will simply push the barrels down again and the barrels will be locked by the spring-loaded pin.

the sights are folding-type. however, they have a very useful feature. they can be used even when folded. when folded, the sights will resemble the sights of a revolver. when unfolded, the sights will be adjustable. the target-disc combined with a traditional front sight post gives good accuracy in aim, and more modern versions have tritium inserts like the ones used in modern pistol sights. the target disc can be adjusted to distances up to 500 meters by using an ambidextrous dial.

the weapon uses a single-action mechanism. a simple safety mechanism prevents the hammer from being cocked when locked on safe position. the shooter may choose which barrel he wishes to fire with a simple fire selector. it works by locking one of the firing pins. as the hammer strikes both, only the barrel with the unlocked firing pin will fire. the upper barrel is the rifle barrel, the under barrel is the shotgun. to fire the rifle, put the selector down. to fire the shotgun, put it up.

such simplicity in design makes the rifle easy to field stip nd also makes it very sturdy and reliable. it is said to fire well even when underwater or covered in sand or mud.

the rifle features a barrel extension that is included with the rifle itself. the only reason it is detachable is to keep the rifle short when stored.

the weapon is available in the following calibers:
rifle: 30-06/7x54mmR/.44 Magnum/.357 Magnum
shotgun: 20 gauge or 16 Gauge

the rifle is stored in a bag in the pilot's flight suit, so if the pilot jumps out of the plane (or ejects, nowadays) he won't have to walk to the plane's wreckage and hope the rifle is still in one piece. the rifle must be stored with safety on, stock folded and barrel extension detached.

the front sights can be detached by simply pulling two telescoping pins so they can be put on either front sight mount (in the barrel or in the barrel extension).

due to the compactness of the rifle, it is illegal for civilians in many nations. however, in the USBN, due to the pretty mild gun laws, any civilian can own this rifle (in fact, everyone in USBN must pass through basic military training when 14 years old, men and women. the only exceptions are those who are uncapable, but even then they must pass through a firearm use course, except very severe cases.) it is actually very popular with hunters and people who go on expeditions alike as backup weapons. in fact, the boy scouts (which, in the USBN, comprises the girl scouts as well) use these rifles as standard when going in expeditions trough dangerous environments or anywhere they might need to hunt for food.

the popularity of these rifles led to the release of camouflaged editions. when it was realized that some pilots were adapting their ASWs to fit picatinny rails, a "tactical" version was released along with camouflages. it also features rubberized polymer furniture instead of wooden furniture. aircrew may choose what rifle they want to be equipped with. most of then still prefer the classic variant though as it is considered to be easier to aim through the folded sights and scopes are rarely needed. other acessories such as flashlights might be useful though, but some pilots have found a solution for this: as they are issued with two flashlights and some duct tape in their survival kit, some pilots use the duct tape to attach one of the flashlights to the rifle. this has become quite popular.

though it was designed as a survival, hunting weapon, it is never issued with Hollow Point rounds due to the possibility that the aircrew may use it for personal defense against enemy troops. however, it is possible to use HP rounds in it.

pilots may also take sub-caliber adapters with them so they can fire the rifle in both .44 and .357 magnum, as well as firing the shotgun in 16 and 20 gauge, as well as .410.
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so, this is it people! remember to add a comment, and enjoy!