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Melissia wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

Grey Templar wrote:Guardsmen are required to have 2000 rounds avaliable at all times.

The Uplifting primer says that Guardsmen get 4 power packs.

2000/4 = 500

Well I haven't read that but I've read a lot of other stuff and I think 70 rounds is the absolute max.

Why? The Primer says otherwise.

You really should go read the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer, it's a great book and has lots of stealthy humor.

It also says Tau use clubs and wear animal firs. Maybe that number is also part of the humour. You're supposed to have 2000 rounds on you at all times but the munitorium only supply you with 200.

Grey Templar wrote:Guardsmen are required to have 2000 rounds avaliable at all times.

What is the source of this?

Irregardless, the Munitorum Manual clearly states that a power pack typically should hold up to one hundred and fifty shots if used conservatively. The M-G pattern lasgun (the pattern shown in the Uplifting Primer) carries only forty shots.

Gogsnik wrote:

Grey Templar wrote:Guardsmen are required to have 2000 rounds avaliable at all times.

What is the source of this?

Irregardless, the Munitorum Manual clearly states that a power pack typically should hold up to one hundred and fifty shots if used conservatively. The M-G pattern lasgun (the pattern shown in the Uplifting Primer) carries only forty shots.

Munitoium Manual? There's an actual one?

I guess I'm getting the Uplifting Primer confused with The Munitorium Manual. What's the difference? Is the Munitorium one just very weapon focused?

It's very much the same thing but with focus on a Guardsman's responsibilities from an administrative angle but it's just a reworked Uplifting Primer to all intents and purposes.

I'm sure that's how the Guardsmen feel too.

Praxiss wrote:I've not read a lot of 40k books i the line "he slapped a fresh magazine into his bolter" (or equivilant) does ring a couple of bells.

It's power armour, surely with all their amazing tech, they can have a couple of pockets?

And fine motor skills even with a power fist, turned off... I recall reading a short piece of fiction in a WD ages back, a terminator squad waiting to teleport into battle and the chaplain giving them final words meantime. Everyone does their usual rituals - saluting the standards, mumbling a prayer and so on. One of the brothers does his usual move of pointing his empty and unloaded stormbolter at a chapter symbol on a wall and pulling the trigger, then loading a magazine and readying the weapon. The chaplain, as always, considers this slightly suspect but can't deny it seems to bring luck in battle and so lets it pass.

I've not read the referenced story so I need to pose a question. Does it actually state that they were engaged in direct action for 6 hours straight? Keep in mind that they were defending a fortress and would probably have had automated defenses, heavy doors that could be sealed off etc. This would give them plenty of time to reload their magazines, and set up a new defensive position.

In terms of how much ammunition a typical marine carries it seems logical to assume four to five magazines for an average mission, like others have said. The marines also likely store extra ammunition in whatever mode of conveyance they took to the fight in the first place. A Thunderhawk or Rhino could probably hold a large stockpile of extra ammunition, barrels, etc. just in case the mission went longer than expected.

It's worth mentioning that the Uplifting Primer is a satyrical work...

Yes, but the weapon info is accurate.


the Imperium doesn't overplay it's tech. it downplays Xeno tech by calling it inferior.

Guardsmen arn't lied to about the abilities of their weapons. only in the abilities of the enemy.

Brother Coa wrote:I know for a fact that IG do not need secundary pack because their Lasgun can recharge on sunlight

Actually, in the fluff, they carry extra ammunition, and run out pretty consistently. While the cell can charge on sunlight, I assume this process takes a while and is not useful in a firefight.

I'd have to agree on the serf theory, who bring them ammo. If you look at any pitched battle scene with Space Marines, you'll see all kinds of servo-skulls and hooded indivuduals. The Space Marine Codex has a great example.

Gavo wrote:

Brother Coa wrote:I know for a fact that IG do not need secundary pack because their Lasgun can recharge on sunlight

Actually, in the fluff, they carry extra ammunition, and run out pretty consistently. While the cell can charge on sunlight, I assume this process takes a while and is not useful in a firefight.

I also downloaded the book and read that they even have cell battery to replenish las shots.
That means that in a heat of battle, go to Leman Russ, attach your magazine to the Tank battery and after few minutes you have fully charged magazines for Lasgun


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Goddard wrote:I'd have to agree on the serf theory, who bring them ammo. If you look at any pitched battle scene with Space Marines, you'll see all kinds of servo-skulls and hooded indivuduals. The Space Marine Codex has a great example.

But in story clearly states that they where shotting the whole time, in a middle of the great ceremonial room, surrounded by dead and alive Tyranids, with no fresh ammo and no help. Just handful of them for 6 hours. This must be quite unrealistic, even for the veterans of the 1'st company.

We must also separate heroic stories from what actually happened.

I think we all know what happened in the end. Poor souls.. :(
They had stand heroic for 6 hours, but there is no way that they have shoot for that long.

I'm sure they have some on their belts.

Brother Coa wrote:

Gavo wrote:

Brother Coa wrote:I know for a fact that IG do not need secundary pack because their Lasgun can recharge on sunlight

Actually, in the fluff, they carry extra ammunition, and run out pretty consistently. While the cell can charge on sunlight, I assume this process takes a while and is not useful in a firefight.

I also downloaded the book and read that they even have cell battery to replenish las shots.
That means that in a heat of battle, go to Leman Russ, attach your magazine to the Tank battery and after few minutes you have fully charged magazines for Lasgun

Not in the heat of battle. It's done afterwards, it takes a while.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Brother Coa wrote:

But in story clearly states that they where shotting the whole time, in a middle of the great ceremonial room, surrounded by dead and alive Tyranids, with no fresh ammo and no help. Just handful of them for 6 hours. This must be quite unrealistic, even for the veterans of the 1'st company.

If you're talking about the Battle of Maccrage Imperial Guardsmen were also present in that battle.

KamikazeCanuck wrote:
If you're talking about the Battle of Maccrage Imperial Guardsmen were also present in that battle.

Not in the last stand of the 1'st company's surviving Terminators in the grand hall of the northern fortress. The story said only 6 Terminators reach the hall before they started their last stand.

What's this story in?

The IG were only bombing macragge with their basilisk batteries, they didn't participate with the actual battles.

There weren't any IG on Maccragge,


there was the Maccragge PDF which is better then most of the IG.

@Tmonster: Basilisks are ground based artillery. when the Nids attack a planet, there is no such area as a non-combat zone.

the PDF was certaintly engagged.


@Kamikaze: the story is in the Space marine codex.

There was Maggrage PDF at the polar ice cap battle is what I'm saying.
Not sure what the big mystery is here. "Where did they get ammo?" How about the giant Military base they were defending.

KamikazeCanuck wrote:There was Maggrage PDF at the polar ice cap battle is what I'm saying.
Not sure what the big mystery is here. "Where did they get ammo?" How about the giant Military base they were defending.

As I said, only 6 of them where left, in giant hall full with Tyranids and they where fighting for 6 HOURS. And the story said that they where shooting the whole time and they fall only when they left without bullets. And if the story is true, there is no way that they could get enough ammunition to kill all of them + they where surrounded in a giant room with no secondary ammunition - so no ammo crates all around them.
That's the mystery.

Brother Coa wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:There was Maggrage PDF at the polar ice cap battle is what I'm saying.
Not sure what the big mystery is here. "Where did they get ammo?" How about the giant Military base they were defending.

As I said, only 6 of them where left, in giant hall full with Tyranids and they where fighting for 6 HOURS. And the story said that they where shooting the whole time and they fall only when they left without bullets. And if the story is true, there is no way that they could get enough ammunition to kill all of them + they where surrounded in a giant room with no secondary ammunition - so no ammo crates all around them.
That's the mystery.

I'm not familiar with the story of the last six but nonethless its pretty common to say and "they fought for six hours straight" rather than the more detailed "they fought for six hours straight and much retrieving of ammo and reloading happened as well" even in real life history books.

There was a basilisk battery unengaged in that specific planetfall..

I belive the 6 hours bit was the time from when last contact was had to when the rescue party came.

the actual battle lasted for a couple of days.

100 marines(in terminator armor) were defending the base against the swarm.



it wasn't that those 6 terminators held that last room for 6 hours. no one survived to say how long it was before they died.

Well, a suit of terminator armor is an integrated combat suit, id assume the reloads are inside the armor itself, and automatically reload as needed.

Theres about 40 cubic feet of open space inside those walking tanks lol, plenty of room to put a drum with a few thousand bolts.