Editing Rifleman (section)

==Variants==
Being one of the most common 'Mechs, and one of the most focused-upon out-of-universe, the Rifleman has a good amount of variants, as well as a few directly descended designs:
*'''RFL-1N''' - The original 2505 version of the Rifleman in its primitive and self-melting glory. Being a Reunification War-era 'Mech, PrimTech is abound: a primitive engine and primitive armor were used instead of the more timeless kinds of the ubiquitous version. As for weapons, each gunpod had one Large Laser and one Medium Laser for a total of two of each kind, which could easily tax its heat sinks in a single volley. After said war concluded, it was relegated to second-line and militia forces until being replaced with its better descendants entirely.
*'''RFL-2N''' - Made in 2556, and would last longer than its primitive predecessor. Its engine and armor were now similar to what would end up on the 3N, but the 'Mech still had some differences: notably taking six more Heat Sinks for a total of 16, and swapping the Large Lasers for full-blown PPCs. It was also the first variant to have torso weapons, with two more Medium Lasers being put there. Still capable of overheating pretty easily, but not as bad as before.
*'''RFL-3N''' - The ubiquitous Rifleman detailed above, first introduced in 2770.
*'''RFL-3C''' - The second-made of two variants of the Rifleman devised by Federated Suns First Prince Hanse Davion, the Rifleman 3C entered production in 3026. It removes the Large Lasers on the gunpod arms in exchange for upgrading the AC/5s to Autocannon/10s and adding an extra ton of armor. These heavier autocannons were fed by two tons of ammunition stored in the right torso. The end result is a shorter-range but heavier-hitting variant, allowing it to hunt Light 'Mechs reliably as well as aircraft.
*'''RFL-3Cr''' - A Jihad-era refit of the Rifleman 3C made in 3071. Designed to be more rugged and able to operate for extended periods of time without resupply, the 3Cr uses an XL Gyro and a Small Cockpit instead of the normal ones in order to make room for 3 additional tons of AC/10 ammo and to allow the armor to be upgraded to Heavy Ferro-Fibrous. The latter change makes the Rifleman more able to take hits, meaning this variant can move up to fighting medium 'Mechs on its own or even other Heavies if it has suitable friendly support.
*'''RFL-4D''' - The first-made of Hanse Davion's two variants. It was introduced in 3021 to compete with the heavier [[Warhammer (BattleTech)|Warhammer]] - [[EPIC FAIL|a doomed idea from the start with predictable results]]. It replaced the AC/5s with two PPCs and removed the chest-mounted medium lasers, while upping the heat sink count to 15. But the expanded cooling package wasn't enough to save it from being just as much, if not more due to using Large Lasers instead of Medium Lasers, of a brick oven as the 1N and 2N. If you can somehow keep it from cooking you alive, though, the combination of Large Lasers and PPCs means that the Rifleman 4D can be used as an extremely dangerous marksman that can get powerful potshots off on other Heavy 'Mechs - if one that will immediately fold if anything enters close-range. Expect sniper aces to be the only ones taking these VERY tempermental 'Mechs. Unless your commander doesn't like you.
*'''RFL-5CS''' - Hurriedly made by [[ComStar]] for the Battle of Tukayyid, the "Clanbuster" variant of the Rifleman is a semi-botched mix of a RFL-3C's armor and a RFL-5M's weaponry, with a Vlar 300 XL engine thrown in for good measure. That engine would let it reach speeds of 86 km/h and easily redeploy, but that was a side bonus to the main objective of increasing the 'Mech's endurance. To the latter end, the Rifleman-5CS swaps the Autocannons for Imperator Ultra AC/5s that have an extra ton of reloads to keep it in the fight longer while also keeping the Large Lasers. It also uses 10 double heat sinks to make the heat more manageable, but it had to ditch the Medium Lasers. Due to that removal, the 'Mech needs an escort to reach full effectiveness - 5CSes that became isolated were easy pickings for even Elementals in Battle Armor, especially since the armor increase for the variant was only modest. So in short, this is fully spec'd into anti-air and support and eat shit if directly confronted.
*'''RFL-5D''' - A new version of the 4D made with recovered tech from the Helm Memory Core, allowing it to not be an air fryer while making some upgrades to its weapons package. Namely, its PPCs are now Defiance 1001 ER PPCs, and it adds back in the torso Medium Lasers. Power is supplied by a 240-rated XL engine, freeing up weight for 17 double heat sinks - a cooling package able to actually handle the immense heat created by its energy weapons - and making the armor weigh 9 tons. Its production would be done by Kallon Industries on Tallon, Trellshire Industries on Twycross, and Red Devil Industries on Pandora, and would end up being a pretty good anti-materiel marksman support 'Mech.
*'''RFL-5M''' - Made for the Free Worlds League by Kallon Industries' facility on Thermopolis in 3049, the Rifleman 5M is a 3N upgrade that keeps most things but changes others. The changes made in question were making the Autocannons to be Ultra AC/5s with one ton of CASE-protected ammo in the right torso, increasing the armor to be 9.5 tons, and increasing the heat package to be 12 double heat sinks. These changes were made possible by a Hermes 240 XL engine being used as the power source. The end result is a 'Mech that performs the same as its original, just with less overheating issues and protection from ammo blowouts.
*'''RFL-6D''' - The production version of the 6X below, rolled out in 3069. Compared to its prototype, it swaps the Small Lasers for a head-mounted C3 slave unit for coordinated targeting while it changes out its AC loadout for Mydron Snakekiller Light Autocannon/5s with 3 CASE-protected tons of ammunition each. The large ammo bins notably allow for a variety of round types to be taken at once, making this variant very versatile - if slightly less armed than its experimental predecessor.
*'''RFL-6X''' - An experimental design from Kallon's Talon production plant conceived in 3063, intended as a fast response anti-aircraft 'Mech. It is built on an Endo-Steel chassis and powered by a larger XL Engine, and used for its weapons dual LB 10-X Autocannons with four tons of rounds, two ER Medium Lasers, and two ER Small Lasers. It also removes one heat sink and all the jump jets. The result is less powerful than the 3N, but more reliable and able to move on the ground quickly with a top speed of 86 km/h.
*'''RFL-7G''' - Another Free Worlds League variant, the 7G drops the usual gunpod-arm weapons for one Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle with one ton of ammo on each - essentially [[Rape|a rail shotgun that shreds the shit out of enemy aircraft and is dangerous to other 'Mechs too]]. The ER Medium Lasers are maintained for up-close defense. To support this heavier loadout, an Endo Steel chassis and an XL engine are used. Essentially its a walking flak platform, especially when using cluster rounds.
*'''RFL-7M''' - Made for Vicore Industries Project Phoenix program, and later rolled out by Kallon in 3066, this variant repurposes the Rifleman as a sniper unit. Two Light Gauss Rifles are the main guns of the 7M, while for close-range defense six ER Medium Lasers and a Small Defense Laser are included. It also has a Guardian ECM Suite for interfering with enemy electronics. This 'Mech would be used by the Free Worlds League as well as the assholes in the Word of Blake, primarily as bodyguards for their command units.
*'''RFL-7N''' - This Rifleman variant is another update of the 3N for a future era after its initial production. Built on an Endo-Steel chassis and powered by an XL Engine, it takes an ER Large Laser and LB-5-X Autocannon in each gunpod-arm, as well as the expected ER Medium Lasers in the torso. The Autocannons have two tons of ammo in a bin in the right torso, protected from blowing up the 'Mech with CASE II. Finally, cooling is done by 13 double heat sinks.
*'''RFL-7N2''' - A variant of the 7N that is similar to the 2N, having two Light PPCs and two LB-X-10 ACs for its gunpods. The ACs in particular have three tons of CASE II-protected ammo, but this requires the number of double heat sinks to be reduced to ten. This means it has some overheat issues, but the usage of light PPCs instead of full-size ones mean they aren't as bad as the oven-tastic prototypes. 
*'''RFL-7X''' - A variant conceived during the Blakists' temper tantrum, being deployed via field refit kits. Built on an Endo-Steel chassis with an XL Engine, XL Gyro, and Light Ferro-Fibrous armor, the 'Mech could reach a top speed of 97 km/h - pretty damn fast for a heavy 'Mech - and mounted six Jump Jets. As for its guns, its goes all in on particle guns: each gunpod has one Light PPC and one Snub-Nose PPC. Obviously this leads to the cooling package being strained heavily, but the potential for damage it has makes up for it so long as you can keep yourself from becoming an overcooked steak.
*'''RFL-8D''' - Another variant of the Rifleman made for Project Phoenix, and considered the definitive variant to come out of that. It's intended as a line unit, which required extensive overhauling given the 'Mech's propensity to keel over if a CQC 'Mech even breathed on it. To support all the equipment it needs to fulfill that role, a Kallon Type XV Endo Steel chassis and Hermes 240 XL engine were used for space-effective essential infrastructure, all protected by the heaviest amount of armor ever seen on a Rifleman coming in at twelve tons. It also has eleven double heat sinks for ensuring everything stays frosty. As for what this all accommodates, the 'Mech fights with two Mydron Model RC Rotary Autocannon/5s with six tons of ammunition and two Bright-Blossom ER Medium Lasers (one of both in each gun-pod), and for mobility it has two McCloud Specials (Reinforced) Jump Jets per leg for a jump range for 120 meters. The only thing kept the exact same are the electronics due to them already being effective and robust. As a complete package the 8D is a shredder of lighter 'Mechs and light armor, and in a group as 'Mechs-of-the-Line want to be in it can shred other Heavies too.
*'''RFL-8X''' - A variant made by the [[Republic of the Sphere]] made in 3068 that's similar to the 2N, but not prone to overheating to death due to the advanced tech the Devlinites have. It mounts two ER PPCs and four ER Medium Lasers, providing heavy firepower at basically any range; the 8X also can move at 86 km/h due to taking a light fusion engine. It's essentially what the 4D should have been.
*'''RFL-9T''' - A stealthy medium-range sniper [[Rage|with aimbot installed]]. A Targeting Computer links to two Light PPCs and two Light Autocannon/5s on the gunpods and two ER Medium Lasers in the torso. As to avoid long-range fire, it takes Stealth Armor to avoid weapon locks by being very hard to detect.
*'''Rifleman C''' - A Clantech refit used by [[Clan Jade Falcon]] for second-line roles during the Clan Invasion (not being first-line due to them already having IIC variants that are better-suited for that role). For 'purity' it removes all Spheroid weaponry, instead taking two Clan-tech Large Pulse Lasers and LB 5-X ACs split between the two gunpod arms and twelve single heat sinks (the additional two replacing the ER medium lasers). As its all Clanner weapons, the 'Mech is harder-hitting than its Inner Sphere counterparts and due to the extra heat sinks it doesn't have the same heat management complications.
*'''Rifleman C 2''' - Made by Red Devil Industries in 3083 for the Falcons, this Clan variant uses an experimental XXL engine and Improved Jump Jets for extreme mobility. It also takes Ferro-Fibrous armor for protection, and an ER Medium Laser and Improved Heavy Medium Laser on each arm. The Rifleman C 2 is a fast-moving and hard-hitting 'Mech as a result, suitable for taking on other armor as well as aircraft.
*'''Rifleman C 3''' - A [[Clan Diamond Shark]]/Sea Fox variant based on the Rifleman C, this 'Mech uses an ER Large Laser and an Ultra AC/5 with one ton of ammo in each gunpod as well as two torso-mounted ER Medium Lasers. Fourteen double heat sinks ensure everything is chill, while a Clantech Endo-Steel chassis and Ferro-Fibrous armor round out the design.
===Rifleman II===
Enough of a radical departure that it isn't just a variant but its own 'Mech model, the Rifleman II was made for the SLDF Royals in 2773. This one becomes an outright Assault 'Mech due to it adding twenty tons of overall mass for a total of 80 tons. Built on an Endo-Steel chassis, protected by 12 tons of Kallon Royalstar armor, and powered by a Pitban 320 extralight fusion engine, the 'Mech was capable of reaching speeds of up to 64 km/h despite its increase in weight. Its loadout, meanwhile, focused on its strength as an anti-aircraft platform: the gunpod-arms had one LB-X Autocannon/10 and Large Pulse Laser each, while the torso had two Medium Lasers. Finally, fourteen double heat sinks and a Beagle Active Probe rounded out the design, as well as an unspecified comms system and targeting/tracking unit that were both presumably on par with the standard Rifleman's.

We don't know much about it, and it has no variants or even images beyond a silhouette, so that's all we have for now.

===Rifleman III===
[[File:Rifleman III.jpg|thumb|Yet another Amaris [[Wunderwaffen]] gambit. And just like [[Matar|the main one]] it had some...critical design flaws.]]
A one-off experimental prototype made for [[That Guy|Stefan Amaris the Usurper]]'s occupying [[Rim Worlds Republic]] forces during the [[Amaris Civil War]], the Rifleman III was yet another chonkier Rifleman that was now in the Assault class. Weighing even more than the Rifleman II at 90 tons, while the chassis it was built on is unidentified we do know it used a 180-rated extralight fusion engine and 10 and a half tons of standard armor - despite the lighter engine it was one of the slowest 'Mechs ever made at a snail's pace of 32 km/h. This meant the [[UrbanMech|Urbie]] could keep pace with the thing. [[Wat|Despite this slow speed it was intended as an ambush unit.]]

For that dubious role, its main piece of experimental technology was a Null Signature System that essentially masked the 'Mech from all but visual detection - somewhat offsetting the fact that it was so slow by making it so that you couldn't engage it until you could clearly see it. As for weapons, it had four Gauss Rifles with only two tons of ammunition, [[FAIL|meaning it only had four full volleys until it was a sitting duck]].

No wonder only one was made. 

But to be fair to it, the one prototype made was never meant to see actual combat: it had to be rushed into service to defend against legendary General Alexsandr Kerensky's reclamation of Terra in 2777 [[EPIC FAIL|and as expected was completely bodied]]. Not that it didn't go down swinging, as it managed to eliminate 9 SLDF BattleMechs (with presumable ammo-conservative tactics, and probably of significantly lower weight) before being rendered inoperable. Not bad for a 'Mech so bad that the ''[[Banshee (BattleTech)|Banshee]]'' looks good in comparison.

Afterwards the failed design would be forgotten (aside from a few rumors, and of course besides those on Terra and part of [[ComStar]]), only being rediscovered in entombed wreckage on Terra by the [[Republic of the Sphere]] in 3146. Of course, the Devlinites wouldn't have much time to study it before [[Clan Wolf]] reclaimed Terra for Kerensky's legacy - and it is unknown if the newly-crowed ilClan will take interest in it or not. Could take the good idea of a fully stealthed 'Mech and make a Rifleman IIC that serves as nigh-undetectable anti-air emplacements...

[[tl;dr]]: [[Not as planned|Oxymoronic prototype that was forced into combat before it could be kitted in an actually effective way, with predictable results.]]

===Rifleman IIC===
[[File:Rifleman iic.png|thumb|The Clanners' unique Riflemen have funny [[hats]].]]

As one of the most common 'Mechs in the era of the First Star League, it was only natural some of the RFL-3Ns found themselves taken along for the ride in Kerensky's Exodus. As such, their Riflemen would benefit from uninterrupted technological development, leading to the Rifleman IIC. Five tons heavier (for a weight of 65 tons) and a bit slower (with a top speed of 54 km/h) than a regular Rifleman, it adds a bunch more space to equip more stuff with. This is accomplished partially by upgrading the frame to a CCo-B Endo-Steel one and using a Fusion 195 Mk. VI, Mod. 3 engine, saving some weight than if the regular frame and engine were just upscaled for the new size. It also is better armored than its Inner Sphere counterpart, 11 tons of Forging ZM15 Ferro-Fibrous armor making sure it doesn't crumble like a cookie the moment something shoots at it. Also, to make up for the mobility loss, three Jump Jets are added so that the 'Mech can leap 90 meters in one thruster burst.

The most striking feature is the 'hat' the 'Mech has, which is comprised of the technology it uses to make itself even more effective as its role of fire support and anti-air defense. This consists of a Hector CC-22E communications system, a Mk. CXC-4 targeting & tracking system, an ECM Suite, and an Active Probe. By default it also has 19 double heat sinks, though volley fire is recommend with the 'Mech's typically energy-heavy loadouts.

For Design Quirks [[crunch]] it has Anti-Aircraft Targeting and Improved Communications, ditching the others of the Spheroid version.

*'''Rifleman IIC 1''' - The standard Rifleman IIC takes four Large Pulse Lasers, able to shred enemy 'Mechs and aircraft alike. It also has an ER Small Laser slapped onto the hat, seemingly as an afterthought - its more effective against light armor and infantry than other 'Mechs that have closed the distance. In short, it can easily nail other 'Mechs as well as fliers - the latter especially has to be careful with the sheer amount of laser [[Dakka]] it can put out with exceptional precision.
*'''Rifleman IIC 2''' - A complete flip to physical guns instead of energy ones, the IIC 2 takes out all the weapons and equipment of the IIC 1 and sheds a half ton of armor in favor of mounting four Ultra AC/2s with six tons of ammunition and a more powerful engine capable of supporting speeds up to 64 km/h. While the massive & unprotected ammo bins are obviously a hazard to be wary of, it's well worth the ability to fuck up anything that enters its airspace.
*'''Rifleman IIC 3''' - Made after the Great Refusal assfucked [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] into oblivion by invading its homeworld of Huntress, this configuration made in 3063 was intended to bolster [[Clan Cloud Cobra]]'s defenses so that such a thing cannot happen to them. It has two Model HHC-30 Ultra Autocannon/2s as its long-range armament, making it easy to mistake for an IIC 2 until it suddenly opens up with two Series 4D-2 Heavy Large Lasers. Due to the large amount of produced waste heat of the latter the 'Mech has 21 double heat sinks, though this necessitates removing the ECM suite.
*'''Rifleman IIC 4''' - This 'Mech swaps two of the Large Pulse Lasers for two ATM-9 launchers with two tons of ammo each, making it the first Rifleman variant to mount missiles. It also reduces the heat package to only 16 double sinks since the 3 removed aren't really needed. 
*'''Rifleman IIC 5''' - A jumper variant that takes Improved Jump Jets in order to allow it to leap up to 150 meters. Aside from that it has a marksman loadout of three ER Large Lasers and two Medium Pulse Lasers, cooled by 19 double heat sinks. The Rifleman IIC 5 thus excels at being a sniper able to rapidly reposition after taking shots.
*'''Rifleman IIC 6''' - Thought the IIC 2 was already the pinnacle of rapid-fire death? The IIC 5 ups the ante by using two Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifle/30s with seven tons of ammo as its guns, while also taking two anti-missile systems so it can shoot down the missiles fliers fire as well as the fliers themselves. However, to accommodate this the ECM Suite and Jump Jets of the IIC 1 have to be removed. The design is thus less mobile, but able to fire streams of hypervelocity {{BLAM|'''*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*'''}} at targets - something just as lethal to other 'Mechs as it is to aircraft.
*'''Rifleman IIC 7''' - First manufactured by [[Clan Nova Cat]] in 3078, the IIC 7 is basically [[Rage|an IIC 5 that installed aimbot cheats]]. Said cheats come from the Targeting Computer, which is linked up to gunpod-mounted Heavy Large Lasers and Plasma Cannons (one per gunpod-arm). The jump capability is retained, making it also able to flee before it can face retribution for the [[bullshit]] antics its loadout allows it to pull even against heavier 'Mechs. 
*'''Rifleman IIC 8''' - A hard-hitting and fast-moving generalist, the IIC 8 is built on an Endo-Steel chassis and powered by a Consolidated 325 XL engine that lets it reach speeds of 86 km/h. It also has five Jump Jets for leaping up to 150 meters at a time, while retaining the IIC 1's ECM suite so it can disrupt enemy electronics. Its real strength, however, comes from the sheer power of its weapons: in each gunpod-arm, a Series 7K ER Large Laser is used as its long range anti-armor weaponry while a Series-9 Anti-Personnel Gauss Rifle is mounted to sweep up infantry and Battle Armor; and for CQC, it has two Type VI Streak SRM-6 launchers mounted in the torso. [[Rape|Good luck taking it down, as it's going in dry.]]
*'''Rifleman IIC 9''' - Another aimbot sniper, this one a less mobile Dark Age variant and almost reaching overheat levels only thought possible with the prototypes and the Rifleman 4D. This is due to it taking [[Anal circumference|''four'' Targeting Computer-linked ER Large Lasers]] (two per gunpod-arm) that can be a threat to any 'Mech; the heat they generate requires 20 double heat sinks for volley fire as well as 2 coolant pods for an alpha strike firing all weapons at once. It also mounts Reflective Armor as to protect the 'Mech from others' energy weapons. The aforementioned cooling pods and additional heat sinks necessitate the removal of the Active Probe, ECM Suite, and ER Small Laser, but did you really need them with this much firepower?
*'''Rifleman IIC 10''' - Made by the [[Outworlds Alliance|Raven Alliance]], this oddball variant flips the Rifleman to be close-range instead of fire support. For its arm weapons it has four ProtoMech AC/8s, while for backup it still has the 'hat'-mounted ER Small Laser. It also keeps the Active Probe of the original, while reducing the number of heat sinks to 10 since it doens't need any more than that. Finally, a Supercharger is installed to allow it to rapidly change range brackets with bursts of speed. The end result seems more focused on said speed than firepower, since ProtoMech guns will only really be good against the usual aircraft prey and Light 'Mechs.