MIk Duran B
MIK Duran M
MIK ACAR in service with Romandeos Militia.
MIK Duran
In service: 1964-1994/Present in Militia circles.
Weight: 4.6 kg
Length: 880mm
Barrel Length: 400mm
Cartridge: 6.8mm Marshite
Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire: 600-750 rounds per minute
Effective Range: 500m
Maximum Range: 700m
Feed System: 30 round magazine
Sights: L-shaped iron sights, Picatinny rail.
Abstract
Powerful, accurate, easy to use, reliable, and cheap, the Duran is perfect for states looking for something capable and reliable with a low cost and absolute cost effectiveness.
Background
Coming off of the heels of the Three Rivers Campaign that raged from 1958-1963, the MAK-AR, standard Marshite Assault Rifle and among the first ever fielded, started to show its faults. Incredibly reliably and firing a deadly round, it nonetheless had inferior range and accuracy to a host of other options. During multiple engagements the Marshites found themselves outranged by the Cult's standard weaponry and forced to advance despite being significantly outnumbered. Superior Marshite combined arms tactics as well as a superior NBC capability which allowed them to weather the nuclear and biological hellfire of the Three Rivers Campaign and emerge the victors made up for it, but only after tens of millions of combat dead. Post-campaign, Marshite Industrial studied the failings of the military during the campaign and searched for answers. One question that needed answering was what to replace the MAK-AR with. Marshite Assault Korp (MAK) developed the MAK-AR2. Marshite Industrial Alserta (MIA) produced the MI-16. And Marshite Industrial Khaska produced the MIK Duran, named after the designer's deceased son.
Prototypes of all three were delivered to various Holy Warrior or other special action groups for use in low-risk missions. The MAK-AR2 was found to be reliable and deadly with increased accuracy but did not have the range needed. The MI-16 was incredibly accurate and had superior range but was far less reliable and fired a bullet that was significantly less helpful. The Duran fired a powerful round with good accuracy and range and was just as reliable as the MAK-AR2, especially in wet environments where not a single jam was recorded. In 1964 the weapon was finalized and started mass production and was quickly fielded by the Marshite army. During the Alsertan Campaign of 1968, the Duran earned a legion of fans as it not only performed extremely well, but was able to be mass produced at low cost and with speed even as the factories of Alserta were under attack. It would go on to be modified and serve in the military until 1994, when the AVIR was introduced. Portions of the Militia still use it and its legacy lives on.
MIK Duran Construction, Stock, Barrel
The MIK Duran is a selective fire weapon operated by a MAK-AR gas-driven piston system with no regulator. The weapon is locked with a rotary bolt with two locking lugs that lock into recesses milled into the receiver which is made out of cold hammered forged steel. The solid steel billet action avoided cracking problems the AR series had with steel stamped sheet actions, but this made the Duran heavier.
When fired, a portion of the propellant gases are evacuated into the gas cylinder through a port, drilled at angle in the barrel, and a channel in the gas block. The high-pressure gases drive the piston rod (which is attached to the bolt carrier) rearward. During this rearward movement, a cam slot machined into the bolt carrier engages a cam pin on the bolt and rotates the bolt, unlocking the action. The arrangement of parts on the bolt carrier assembly provides for a degree of free travel, allowing gas pressure in the barrel to drop to a safe level before unlocking. To the immediate rear of the chrome-plated piston head is a notched ring which provides a reduced bearing surface and alleviates excess gas build-up. As the bolt carrier travels back, it compresses the return spring guided in a hollowed section of the bolt carrier and the return energy contained in the spring drives the moving assembly back forward, stripping a new round from the magazine and locking the action. The cocking handle is attached to the bolt carrier on the right side of the receiver and reciprocates with each shot; the handle is bent upwards allowing for operation with the left hand while the shooting hand remains on the pistol grip.
The ejection of spent cases from the Duran is a violent action. Cases can be dented by the ejector and be thrown as much as 30 ft away from the rifle in some cases, depending on position.
The Duran is hammer-fired and has a trigger mechanism patterned after the trigger used in the MAM HR-4. The rifle's fire selector switch has four positions: B-A-R-S. Pushing it to the near position “B” position provides a three-round burst. Pushing it to the middle-near position "A" produces fully automatic fire. Pushing it to the forward position "R" (Marshite terminology for "rapid-action"), provides semi-automatic fire. Pushing the lever fully forward to "S" will activate the safety.
All exterior metal surfaces are phosphated for corrosion resistance and then coated with a black enamel (except for the barrel, gas block and front sight tower).
The weapon is fitted with a high-impact plastic handguard and pistol grip and a side-folding (folds to the right side) tubular steel skeleton stock and features an internal compartment used to store a cleaning rod.
The weapon's barrel has a multipurpose muzzle attachment, which performs the role of a muzzle brake, flash suppressor and a mounting base for launching rifle grenades. The gas block incorporates a manually adjustable gas regulator that isolates and disconnects the gas system in the closed position and a lug at its base—used to attach a blade bayonet (i.e. KCB-type bayonet). The barrel can also mount a sound suppressor or blank-firing adaptor. Wire cutters were included to reduce the time necessary for Marshite troops to cut down wire fences common to rural areas in Mushania.
Feeding, Sights
The Duran is fed from a curved steel box magazine with a 30-round capacity . The magazine is inserted front end first in a similar manner to the MAK-AR family. An optional magazine adaptor enables the use of various friendly STANAG magazines. The L-shaped rear sight has two apertures preset for firing at 0–500m and 500–700m respectively (the rear sight can only be adjusted for elevation). The front post is fully adjustable for both windage and elevation zero and is enclosed in a protective hood. Low-light flip-up front blade and rear sight elements have three self-luminous tritium capsules (betalights) which are calibrated for 100 m when deployed. When the rear night sight is flipped up for use, the rear aperture sights must be placed in an offset position intermediate between the two apertures. A Picatinny rail is attached and allows for the attachment of a wide range of scopes atop the receivers of larger caliber rifles, but, once established, its use expanded to other such accessories as tactical lights, laser aiming modules, night vision devices, reflex sights, foregrips, bipods, etc.
The 6.8mm Marshite is the standard round fired, with many different variants based on gram and jacket. The 6.8mm Marshite AP Gold Dot II bullet is the standard bullet for the round, a 110 gram tungsten tipped round with 2,400 joules of muzzle energy.
MIK Duran Variants
The MIK Duran was well received off of the assembly line and hailed as a leap in reliability, accuracy, and firepower. Variants naturally developed over the life cycle of the weapons system, the important ones noted below.
MIK Duran B- 1968. Developed to address possible weight concerns after the Titanium Deposits of Area 66 were retaken, the Duran B features titanium along several areas of the weapon outside of the barrel. Weight reduction to 3.9 kg. Other features include more accurate iron sights and a better constructed stock. A 35 round magazine was introduced alongside it.
Duran CAR- 1970. Extremely lightweight weapon system- 2.5 kg unloaded- made up of large portions of titanium and high impact plastics. Preferred weapon of non-frontline service personnel, it suffered from major recoil issues. As a result, most CAR users tended to fire semi-automatically.
Duran P- 1970. Version created for Palmyrion rebel use, modified initially to use the 7.62x39mm common in that nation.
Duran D- 1977. Major Tungsten is used along the barrel, providing superior barrel life and being a factor in helping to produce a slightly more accurate weapon. Is fitted with the capability to be equipped with multiple attachments underneath, such as breaching shotguns and 40mm grenade launchers. The heaviest version at 5.1 kg,
Duran M- 1990. At the time, the final version of the main MIK Duran line. Made up of heavy use of lightweight titanium and high impact plastics combined with tungsten, a lightweight and deadly platform. The flash suppressor was again modified, this time to be closed on the bottom so it would not kick up dirt or snow when being fired from the prone position, and acting as a recoil compensator. The front grip was modified from the original triangular shape to a round one, which better fit smaller hands and could be fitted to older models of the Duran. The new handguards were also symmetrical so that armories need not separate left and right spares. The handguard retention ring was tapered to make it easier to install and uninstall the handguards. A notch for the middle finger was added to the pistol grip, as well as more texture to enhance the grip. The buttstock was lengthened by 16mm. The new buttstock became ten times stronger than the original due to advances in polymer technology since original Duran. It is additionally equipped with a carrying handle, folding bipod and a larger wooden handguard. The handguard has grooves for bipod storage. When folded, the bipod's legs form a speed chute for rapid magazine insertion; the bipod will form a wire cutter. It can function either as battle rifle, assault rifle, or light machine gun with 60 round magazines developed. Receiver can be changed to fire 7.62x55mm Marshite or 5.56 Marshite Standard.
MIK Duran M Specs:
Duran ARM- 1991. A specialization of the Duran M specialized for light machine gun operations, capable of using drum magazines.
Duran ACAR- 1990. Improved carbine with more efficient use of high-strength polymers as well as tungsten. Heavier than the CAR at 3.1 kg, but considerably more user friendly.
Duran PSR- 1975. The precision sniper rifle is a semi-automatic-only rifle with a similar operating system to other Duran variants, but optimized for accuracy. The rifle is fed from a 30-round box magazine. It uses a heavy profile match barrel that is heavier than that used on other variants. It is fitted with a multi-functional muzzle device, which acts as a flash suppressor and a muzzle brake. It can be replaced with a sound suppressor which requires the use of subsonic ammunition for maximum effectiveness.
The weapon was modified with a two-stage trigger mechanism with an adjustable pull force, a wooden buttstock that folds to the right side of the weapon and a heavy-duty bipod, mounted to the forward base of the receiver housing that folds beneath the handguard when not in use. The buttstock is fully adjustable in length and height and features a variable height cheek riser. The rifle comes with mechanical iron sights and an adapter used to mount a telescopic day sight or a night sight. The mount is quick-detachable and capable of retaining zero after remounting. Recent production models feature synthetic plastic furniture and a skeletonized metal stock.
Export
The Duran is one of the most common weapons to be found in Holy Marsh. Even if it is no longer in service, billions of Durans were produced during the end of the Long War and have been well taken care of. Rugged, durable, accurate and deadly, the Duran series is a valuable platform for any nation with budgetary concerns. The purchase of any Duran comes with six magazines as well as additional parts and cleaning supplies.
MIK Duran- $40 NS dollars.
MIK Duran B- $60 NS dollars.
MIK Duran CAR- $55 NS dollars.
MIK Duran D- $80 NS dollars.
MIK Duran M- $180 NS dollars.
MIK Duran ACAR- $110 NS dollars.
MIK Duran PSR- $300 NS dollars.
DPRs for the Duran, Duran B, CAR, or D are available at $180 million for the lot.
DPRs for the M, ACAR, and PSR are available at $1 billion for the lot, or $400 million each separately.
Sales are made through Covenant Arms.