Vapor rifle

The Vapor rifle, also known as the V rifle, was an assault rifle that was manufactured by the Earth based company, Vapor Industries. The rifle had incendiary rounds, which caused combustion if a target was hit several times. It had a red barrel and a short range scope that allowed for medium range accuracy. It was the first rifle developed by Vapor Industries. After several years of use, an upgraded version of the rifle was produced, the V2 Rifle. Soon after, the Vapor rifle became obsolete. The weapon was later obtained by the Cherovs, who used it during the Quarian Wars.

Characteristics
The Vapor rifle was the first weapon manufactured by Vapor Industries. It was constructed to be a more powerful assault rifle than it's non-incendiary predecessors. The weapon accomplished this by using a formula constructed by the creator of the company, John DeMarcus. The weapons were built with a scope that allowed the user to see further than the naked eye, but not as magnified as a sniper scope. The weapon's red barrel, a side effect of its incendiary origins, caused soldiers to not use them while on stealth missions because Alliance soldiers claimed to was easier to see.

The Vapor Rifle had a clip containing four-hundred and fifty rounds, though the pellets could not be fired in rapid succession due to the chance of it over-heating. The weapon's scope allowed for medium to long range accuracy.

Some of the Vapor rifle's produced did not possess a scope, the rifles were usually sold at a lesser price. The weapons without scopes also didn't overheat as fast. Scientists hypothesized that it was because of the less weight on the top of the weapon, though their educated guess was never proven.

Usage
To correctly carry the weapon, the user had to press the back, or butt, of the weapon into their shoulder. This increased the weapons steadiness during fire. The heat that was exerted out of the weapon's barrel would burn the user if one touched it, a method used by various gangs.

History
The Vapor rifle was first manufactured in 2163 CE, it was the first product released by Vapor Industries. The rifles were then used by several human organizations, such as Cerberus and the Alliance. The weapon was used in most kinds of warfare because the rounds were strong enough to tear through most ship's shields, though excessive firing was known to cause the barrel to overheat.

The Alliance military often complained that the weapons were being used by mercenaries, which was legal. They said that the powerful weapons made it tougher for them to crack down on the gang activity which caused poor relations with the other species. Despite this, the rifle was still used by both military and mercenaries because the Alliance refused to pay for the exclusive use of the weapons. After the construction of the V2 Rifle, the Vapor rifle was slowly removed from production.

The price of the used weapons dropped, allowing gangs with less money to obtain them. Also, alien species, such as the Cherovs, gained possesion of the weapons. They used the incendiary rounds against the Quarians during the Quarian Wars because the heat easily melted through their suits. Years after the Quarian Wars, the weapon dropped in popularity, mostly due to all the production of it was halted as the V2 rifle was more successful.

Behind the scenes
The Vapor rifle was the first content article created on Mass Effect Fanon. The weapon was inspired by the blaster rifles in the Star Wars series, as demonstrated in the weapon's picture.