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Are Stalker Bolters a separate pattern of bolter, manufactured as a complete unit, or may any bolter be adapted to be a Stalker Bolter by the inclusion of a Stalker Silencer and targeting system?

I believe the way they were described when they first came out as a piece of wargear for the Deathwatch squad in 3rd edition implied they were a specialized type of bolter.

"A normal bolter equipped with an M.40 targeter with auto-sense link and Stalker silenced shells acts as a perfectly satisfactory sniper weapon."
- the above-mentioned source

(the model already implies this, imho - it's pretty much a Godwyn with a scope and silencer attached)

[edit] Note that, as every so often, the sources differ on this detail. The Space Marine video game and FFG's Deathwatch RPG have the Stalker as a decidedly separate boltgun pattern, iirc.

If I recall correctly, there's a Stalker pattern boltgun (which integrates sniper rifle features) and separate Stalker pattern shells, which are subsonic rounds. Either one can be referred to as "being equipped with Stalker bolters", but they're designed to be combined.

Stalker bolters are bolters that have a strange obsession with one type of enemy, so they modify themselves to better see the enemy(Scopes, infa-red) until the enemy finds out and puts a restraining order on the bolter

So, I wouldn't be far wrong If I was simply to convert any bolter into a Stalker pattern bolter?

@hotsauceman1 - I see what you did there....

I wouldnt think so, i have Marines with scopes and without scopes, simply a cosmetic choice in the end. The only thing id say about converting to a scope is that the scopes that come with Tac squads have very bulbous ends. By that I mean they are very round at both end, and could do with a slight drill to make a depression for the glass of the scope, rather then having just a colour blot on the end. I think it looks ALOT better, and wish I had done it with all my Marines rather then the ones at the end of building/painting.

Bludbaff wrote:
If I recall correctly, there's a Stalker pattern boltgun (which integrates sniper rifle features) and separate Stalker pattern shells, which are subsonic rounds. Either one can be referred to as "being equipped with Stalker bolters", but they're designed to be combined.

Aside from my concerns about the physical possibility of manufacturing Stalker shells, using a suppressed bolter without the Stalker pattern shells would be useless. While it might help suppress the initial report, the sound of the rocket motor in the standard bolter shells would probably attract attention

To get the terminology right - a different pattern is by definition a modified version of the same thing. Look at Land Raiders, Predators for examples...there has to be some similarity in what's being compared or it wouldn't be a pattern, it would be a whole new thing.