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Hello. I have a Loyalist Space Marine Fire Raptor FW rules are here.http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Downloads/Product/PDF/F/fire-raptor.pdf

I am nearly done putting it together but I can't decide on which weapons to give it. The options are the quad heavy bolters, very good at infantry killing. Or two twinliked autocannons. I usually play at a gaming club or the GW store where I live. This gives me rather random enemies who use all kinds of armies and units. This makes it very hard to decide which weapon choice to go for. I don't like to magnetise my models so I need to pick one. The Raptor has power of the Machine spirit and with the independent turret rules it can shoot at four separate targets. However if I use the skyfire rule they all have to shoot air, it's unlikely that the quad H-bolters will be useful. But this must be balanced against the fact I can get other Flyers to do my anti-air work and I have a Mortis Contemptor to help out there.

The benefit of the quad H-bolters is that the Raptor has straffing run which makes it great at killing loads of infantry. I think it looks a little cooler than the twin autocannons and is (relatively) unlike other guns in a Marines list.

The autocannons make it good at hunting other flyers and light vehicles. Because the Raptor has four hellstrike missiles as well the missiles seem to work better with a light vehicle hunting role. This seems to make the Raptor more consistent with what it wants to do. However this means I may lose out on using straffing run. And I may need the infantry killing power of the quad H-bolters.

I don't know which to choose because both seem very good.

Any help you can give will be great.

The auto-cannons are the better option. You pay a few extra points, lose 2 shots each but you gain +2 strength on each shot. This greatly increases the Raptors ability to threaten armor. The main gun is more than sufficient to kill most infantry short of terminators and the heavy bolters wouldn't do any better. The auto cannons are still just as good at killing infantry too.

As of IA: Vehicles of the Adeptus Astartes, Loyalist Fire Raptors can only use Heavy Bolters, and Chaos can only use Autocannons(maybe Chaos can upgrade to butcher cannons, dont remember)

The errata gives loyalists a free upgrade to the autocannons.

 shamroll wrote:
The auto-cannons are the better option. You pay a few extra points, lose 2 shots each but you gain +2 strength on each shot. This greatly increases the Raptors ability to threaten armor. The main gun is more than sufficient to kill most infantry short of terminators and the heavy bolters wouldn't do any better. The auto cannons are still just as good at killing infantry too.

The autocannons aren't more points, not in the IA book. You don't lose two shots if you take them though, you lose four which is alot to lose.

So I'm still not sure.

So 8 shots all together.

In otherwords losing 66.7% of the shots from those guns.

4 tl st7 ap4
Or
12 tl st5 ap4

Big call. Depends on what role you want it to fill. You will still be using strafing run against everything thats not a skimmer, jetbike or flyer.

Editted for rather stupidly putting ap5.

Autocannons are very much worth having over heavy bolters. Never leave home without them.

Poly Ranger wrote:
So 8 shots all together.

In otherwords losing 66.7% of the shots from those guns.

4 tl st7 ap5
Or
12 tl st5 ap5

Big call. Depends on what role you want it to fill. You will still be using strafing run against everything thats not a skimmer, jetbike or flyer.

Both are AP4

Typo. Oops - yeh, I come across HBs and autocannons enough tbf!

With the autocannon, you can use the main guns to take down MEQs and the autocannon for other targets like aircraft. My Raptor with ACs never lets me down and is an auto-include in my list.

I would go with the bolters. The 12 shots means you are a legit threat to FMCs, which marines often have difficulty with. ACs dont do much damage to vehicles, even when they get side armor. I would rather the additional shots and better anti-infantry than some more poor anti-armor weapons.

Is magnetting them not an options? Its one of the easiest things to do and it really gives you a lot of flexibility with models.

osirisx69 wrote:
Is magnetting them not an options? Its one of the easiest things to do and it really gives you a lot of flexibility with models.

Magnetising isn't an option. I prefer to usually (Dreadnought arms are and exception) glue on parts of possible. Painting is also a big part of the hobby for me so I want the shading to look right etc. Magnetising would likely interfere with this.

Thanks, your opinions are helping.

 Leech wrote:
Hello. I have a Loyalist Space Marine Fire Raptor FW rules are here.http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Downloads/Product/PDF/F/fire-raptor.pdf

My biggest point of help would be to point you to IA2-SE.
The PDF is out of date and that are not the correct rules.

Col. Dash wrote:
Autocannons are very much worth having over heavy bolters. Never leave home without them.

Semi-true.
Autocannons are better than Heavy Bolters.
But Quad Heavy Bolters are better than Autocannons.

 Crazyterran wrote:
As of IA: Vehicles of the Adeptus Astartes, Loyalist Fire Raptors can only use Heavy Bolters, and Chaos can only use Autocannons(maybe Chaos can upgrade to butcher cannons, dont remember)

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Downloads/Product/PDF/i/IA2faq.pdf
Loyalists can also take TL Autocannons.

So to give my own opinion: It really depends on what you need.
I usually find that I don't need the 4 S7-shots and I'm better of with the 12 S5-shots.
The rockets and missiles are usually enough to kill the vehicles I want dead, or I have enough melta to deal with it.

Thanks for the help everybody, I think I'll go with the quad Bolters.

 Leech wrote:

osirisx69 wrote:
Is magnetting them not an options? Its one of the easiest things to do and it really gives you a lot of flexibility with models.

Magnetising isn't an option. I prefer to usually (Dreadnought arms are and exception) glue on parts of possible. Painting is also a big part of the hobby for me so I want the shading to look right etc. Magnetising would likely interfere with this.

Thanks, your opinions are helping.

Magnets don't interfere if dont right, with the shading. in fact done right you can't even tell it was magnetized. Means you can paint and shade both sets of weapons.

IMO it really comes down it if you need more anti air or anti infantry. The HBs are great against anything T5 and lower or AV11 and lower (nightscythes, most FMC, and infantry). When it gets to AV12 though you cannot hurt it (so waveserpents and many flyers). Either way you get to target separate targets so they are great at getting to side and rear armours and you don't have to match the loadout to the rest of the weapons.