Which is the better weapon...

[Praeothmin]

Which weapon from this list would you rather have in a firefight, and why:
1- E-11 Blaster rifle;

2- D-44 Heavy Blaster (Han Solo's);

3- Type II hand Phaser;

4- Type III-A pulse Phaser rifle;

This thread was inspired by a similar thread at SDN, although the one at SDN only adressed ST weapons.

Many debaters preferred the modern pistol likeness of Blaster pistols, saying they would be easier to aim than any Phaser.

Yet I disagree. I have a small Type-I phaser at home, and when I held it in my hands, thumb over the fire button, I found that, due to the way it was held, my hand pointed pretty much where I wanted to aim, and the end of the weapon was always aligned with my arm, and thus my thumb became a very good "gunsight".

So this is why, in light of the heavier firepower available at higher settings, because of the lightness of the weapon, the option to hide it a lot more easily than any other weapons on the list, I would choose the Phaser Type-II.

[Cpl Kendall]

The E-11, it's similar enough in layout to firearms I've used in my career to be used without much adjustment.

[Trinoya]

Type II Phaser...


That said, I would much rather have one of the following:

For straight up combat I would like a modified TR-116 rifle

For the versatility package AND straight up combat, I would like a the Type III non pulse rifle as we know it has 16 power settings, fully-autonomous recharge capability, multiple-target acquisition, and gyrostabilization.

Can't beat fully autonomous recharge in long term combat.

Though we can infer the pulse phaser rifle has the same package, it is never directly said, as such, I'm going to go with the one that I KNOW has what I want...

And it has a nice sight to boot.

[Socar]

I would have to go with the E-11, though there are certainly times when the widebeam setting on a phaser could be useful.

I do have to agree with what was expressed in the SDN thread about Dr. Soran's "ganstaruptor". I've always wanted one of those.

[Cpl Kendall]

Type II Phaser...


That said, I would much rather have one of the following:

For straight up combat I would like a modified TR-116 rifle

For the versatility package AND straight up combat, I would like a the Type III non pulse rifle as we know it has 16 power settings, fully-autonomous recharge capability, multiple-target acquisition, and gyrostabilization.

Can't beat fully autonomous recharge in long term combat.

Though we can infer the pulse phaser rifle has the same package, it is never directly said, as such, I'm going to go with the one that I KNOW has what I want...

And it has a nice sight to boot.

So it recharges itself? So it's a perpetual motion machine? This doesn't make any sense given we see magazines handed out during the the AR-558 battle.

[Who is like God arbour]

Only a speculation:

But maybe it is able to absorb radiation and other particles and change it to from the phaser usable energy.

It can't absorb enough energy if it is used in quick succession and the energy is spended faster than the surrounding radiation consist of.

But if it would lie a day, it would recharge for another shoot - or faster if one would hold it in a campfire or other energy sources which hold more energy than the normal surroundings.

Because that wouldn't be enough in a battle. there are still "magazines".

[Cpl Kendall]

Only a speculation:

But maybe it is able to absorb radiation and other particles and change it to from the phaser usable energy.

It can't absorb enough energy if it is used in quick succession and the energy is spended faster than the surrounding radiation consist of.

But if it would lie a day, it would recharge for another shoot.

Because that wouldn't be enough in a battle. there are still "magazines".

This makes more sense than the weapon performing the function in a vacumn. If the weapon is able to recharge by being left out in the sun for example (like a WH40K lasgun magazine), or a source of heat then it wouldn't violate basic science. And as you suggest the extra mags are there for when the magazines can't be recharged in time.

[Who is like God arbour]

It's good to see that we can sometimes agree.

But there is energy in vakuum too. The solar cells of each satellite and space station is using an infinitesimal part of that energy.

[Cpl Kendall]

It's good to see that we can sometimes agree.

But there is energy in vakuum too. The solar cells of each satellite and space station is using an infinitesimal part of that energy.

No not vacumn as in vacumn in space, the literary vacumn where there is nothing.

[Who is like God arbour]

Nothing, no Vacuum energy and no Zero-point energy?

[Cpl Kendall]

Nothing, no Vacuum energy and no Zero-point energy?

To say something occurs "in a vacumn" in English typically means that it occurs where nothing exists.

*Edit: perhaps saying "in an abyss" would be better in a debate.*

[GStone]

1) E-11 Blaster Rifle-You have better accuracy with a slugthrower. I'd prefer my ruger over this one. The only thing it has over handgun/rifle slugthrowers is ammo life.

2) D-44 Heavy blaster-The same as above, only its larger and heavier.

3) Type-II Pasers-These are a beaut and is my choice. Lightweight and easy to aim. Much larger destructive capabilities than the previous 2. I've always liked the look of the 2nd version of the TNG type 2 phaser over any other version of hand phaser, regardless of the century.

4) Pulse Phaser rifle-I don't know if the typ 2 has gyrostabilizers, but they might have put them in in the later models. While it has many functions that might not show up in the hand phaser, it requires making the phaser rifle size, which might make it cumbersome in some situations.

[Praeothmin]

GStone wrote:

You have better accuracy with a slugthrower.
D-44 Heavy blaster-The same as above, only its larger and heavier.

I have to disagree on this one, because Han Solo didn't seem to have to much trouble doing 60-80 feet center shots with his in ROTJ.

The E-11 may lack precision, but the D-44 seems accurate enough.
And it does pack quite a punch too.

But I still prefer the Type-II Phaser... :)

[TheRedFear]

I have a ahrd time imagining any conceivable reason why anybody's choosing anything BUT the type 2 handphaser.

Power, accuracy(Oh who the hell needs accuracy anyway? That's what widebeam is for), versatility, settings, the type 2 phaser has it all, and it'll probably walk your freakin' dog for you if you ask nicely.

The type 2 handphaser is more than a weapon. It's your lover, your best friend, your first grade home ec teacher, your priest, your god, and your tax guy all in one.

[Jedi Master Spock]

I have a ahrd time imagining any conceivable reason why anybody's choosing anything BUT the type 2 handphaser.

Power, accuracy(Oh who the hell needs accuracy anyway? That's what widebeam is for), versatility, settings, the type 2 phaser has it all, and it'll probably walk your freakin' dog for you if you ask nicely.

The type 2 handphaser is more than a weapon. It's your lover, your best friend, your first grade home ec teacher, your priest, your god, and your tax guy all in one.

The IIIa has more and better features and a bigger power cell, AFAIK. Maybe bigger top settings, too, and if I'm definitely getting shot at, I'm not going to worry about whether or not my gun could be concealed if I stick it back in the holster. If I can assume that I'm trained in the use of the weapon I pick, the IIIa is a shoo-in. It's even light enough to use one-handed in a pinch.

Without assuming that, my first pick is not on the list - the Cardassian phase disruptor rifle. At 50 cm in length, it's actually a shorter weapon than the E-11 (55 cm), and is quite simple to use while having a punch comparable to the IIIa (i.e., enough to shoot through things quite well). Simple is a must if I'm going to have to learn how to use this weapon while getting shot at.