Editing Autogun (section)

==Autoguns versus Lasguns==
The Autogun is a significantly older weapon than the [[Lasgun]], and does not see nearly as much use due to the [[Administratum|Departmento Munitorium]] saying it's a bad idea. So if a young and curious Guardsmen tries to ask a superior, likely a Commissar (yes, reasonable Commissars do exist) on why a Lasgun is preferred over an Autogun by Imperial Standards, they will provide you a whole list of things, with the next five points being the most important:

*A lasgun's "ammunition" can be replenished indefinitely as long as the Guardsman has access to a source of power that his lasgun's power packs can accept (such as heat, light, or a direct power outlet). Autogun ammunition, meanwhile, is dependent on logistics.
*Lasgun power packs provide somewhere around 80-120 shots per pack, compared to 12-20 shots for an autogun magazine.
*Lasguns are significantly more accurate than Autoguns; a properly zeroed lasgun will *always* instantaneously hit ''exactly'' what the weapon was pointing at when it was fired, meaning that misses and near-misses are almost completely subject to the user's skill and reflexes.
*Lasguns have no recoil, so any conscript from an 8-year-old schola kid to a dusty 70-year-old clerk can fire it straight with minimal training.
*Lasguns have very few moving parts, which lends the weapon a supremely high level of reliability in all conditions.


The ''big'' reason that Lasguns are favored over Autoguns is the first one noted above- logistics. Despite this, the Autogun still has a place because there are two things the Autogun has that the Lasgun doesn't. The first is the wide variety of different ammunition types that Autoguns can utilize. These include but are not limited to Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, and Flechette rounds; even High-Explosive rounds. This means that while the Lasgun is preferred for fighting wars on a galactic scale, certain organizations and individual operators may prefer the Autogun as a flexible ''tactical'' weapon. The other thing an Autogun can do that a lasgun can't is punch through light cover. A laser will react with things like foliage or even smoke and fog between it and the target, which quickly reduces its effectiveness. A physical bullet, on the other hand, will just punch straight through.

Ultimately, the sheer logistical advantage of not needing to ship massive quantities of cartridges everywhere secured the Lasgun's place as the Imperium's primary infantry weapon. However, in spite of the ammunition problem the Autogun still sees use throughout the Imperium (particularly among PDF forces, who only have to worry about logistics on their own planet). Although the Autogun has been sidelined by the Lasgun in official service, it remains in development.