To the Space Marines, the Boltgun is far more than just a weapon it is a symbol of his position as a chosen warrior of the Emperor and a physical representation of Mankind's supremacy. The fear and awe that bolter fire creates makes it a perfect weapon for shock troops, the hammering thunder of the guns mixing terrifyingly with the dull, wet explosions as flesh is blown apart. Once relatively common within the fledgling Space Marine Legions, Volkite Weapons had fallen largely from favour by the time the Horus Heresy began in the early 31st Millennium and had been superseded by the far more flexible and utilitarian Terran bolter.Ī brutally efficient weapon, the bolter fires mass-reactive bolts at its targets, each one a self-propelled missile which explodes with devastating effectiveness after penetrating its target. Furthermore, Volkite armaments were somewhat lacking in effective range, and had high maintenance requirements that were unsuitable for the wartime needs of the burgeoning crusade. Unfortunately, Volkite Weapons of the various types were difficult to manufacture, even for the most able of the Mechanicum's forges, and the demands of the expanding Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium swiftly overwhelmed the supply of these relic-weapons. These compact weapons possessed considerable killing power, surpassing most other armaments of their size. The ancient Space Marine Legions once utilised Volkite Weapons, a class of powerful thermal ray weapons whose technology is pre-Imperial in origin and dates back to the Age of Strife. ![]() The boltgun, or bolter as it is also known, has been the standard armament of the Adeptus Astartes for as long as Space Marines have defended the Imperium. Warhammer 40K Darktide Review - Left To Shred The bolters used by the Space Marines are known to be coded to Astartes genetic signatures so that they are only functional for members of the Adeptus Astartes. At each point in its construction, special rituals are observed by the Artificers or Tech-priests. Indeed, a good part of the daily firing rituals performed by the Space Marines when not at war is spent carefully tending to the bolter's multiple mechanisms and entreating its Machine Spirit, to ensure the weapon is always ready for war.Įvery Astartes carries a bolter lovingly handcrafted by the Artificers of his Chapter's Armoury or by one of the Adeptus Mechanicus Forge Worlds. Both a weapon and an item of devotion to the Emperor, an Astartes' bolter is carefully tended by its user. The most common standard patterns of bolter can easily be wielded by a Space Marine, but on account of their size and weight, smaller Human-scale pattern bolters are used by the battle-sisters of the Adepta Sororitas.Ī Mark II Cawl Pattern Bolt Rifle as used by the Primaris Space Marines.įor both the Space Marines and the Sisters of Battle of the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, the bolter is viewed as a weapon intended by the Emperor of Mankind to bring His wrath to the enemies of Mankind. The bolter is a mid-range, anti-personnel ballistic weapon that lies between the lighter and more compact Bolt Pistol sidearm, and the more effective but more cumbersome Heavy Bolter. The Chaos Space Marines of the Traitor Legions were issued their Legions' bolters before the Horus Heresy, and therefore use generally older variants than the patterns available to present-day Loyalist Space Marines. The weapon is fearsome, with explosive rounds capable of ripping through or blowing apart a foe. However, although the Space Marines are its primary users, the bolter finds itself in use in military organisations throughout the Imperium. The bolter is a weapon synonymous with the Adeptus Astartes, and rightly so. It is a powerful assault weapon that fires explosive kinetic rounds colloquially referred to as bolts. The bolter, also called a boltgun, and its variants are some of the most powerful, hand-held, ballistic anti-personnel weaponry in use by the military forces of the Imperium of Man. The standard Adeptus Astartes Mark Vb Godwyn Pattern Bolter. From the teachings of Roboute Guilliman as laid down in the Apocrypha of Skaros ![]() Its howling blast is a prayer to the gods of battle." " To a Space Marine, the boltgun is far more than a weapon it is an instrument of Mankind's divinity, the bringer of death to his foes.
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