Concept Art: CMZ-36

Thought I'd finally upload this picture, months after I've finished it. Finally, huh?

This is the CM6-36, standard-issue assault rifle of the Cornerian Rising Phoenix. Produced by Cornerian-based military weapons and vehicle manufacturer Firebird Industries, the CMZ-36 is a "bullpup" style weapon, meaning the action is located behind the trigger assembly (examples include the Steyr AUG, the British SA-80 series of weaponry, the TAR-21, and others). Production of the weapon began in 1718 following the first Colony War, and it was adopted in 1736.

Designed to be as user-friendly as possible, Firebird Industries succeeded in creating a weapon as iconic as the Zonessian AK-47/AKM- and proving to be easier to handle. Reloading only involves sliding a plate forward, removing the magazine (or letting it fall out if empty), sliding a new one, and pulling the plate back, which also chambers the first round. Its standard ironsights are simple enough, and the weapon features a forward ejection port, making the weapon effectively ambidextrous as a left-handed rifleman won't have to worry about casings pinging off of her/him. The weapon is capable of semi-automatic burst-fire (2-round) or fully-automatic fire at a rate of 850 RPM. The firing selector can be accessed ambidextrously without removing a finger from the trigger. Other features of the CMZ-36 include a retractable-action barrel, which slides back and forth with each round expended. This lateral motion into the shoulder of the rifleman reduces overall recoil, though it does prevent use of an effective suppressor. Then again, combined with the weapon's cartridge, the notion of attaching a suppressor to this weapon would be preposterous.

The cartridge itself is of worthy note. The CMZ-36 fires the 6.59x54mm APAA (Anti-Personnel, Anti-Armor) Magnum, custom-made for this weapon. Though smaller than the 7.64x54mm standard round, it packs considerably more punch at the cost of a noticeably less-aerodynamic design. Lightly-armored vehicles are easily shredded up by the APAA round, to say nothing of standard body armor. Despite decreased muzzle velocity, accuracy, and a muzzle energy that would render most suppressors useless (or break them), CMZ-36's 32-round magazines and high rate of fire more than make up for this.

The weapon also boasts slew of attachments and optics. Most notable are the Firebird Industries "Serris" holographic sight, a bayonet (lug is located under the barrel), and the IG-29 smart airburst grenade launcher (which can interface with the Electronic Grenade Launcher Management system of the Serris sight).

The CMZ-36 has proven to be more than adequate in performance on the battlefield. Built with less than 50 moving parts, all of them relatively large (and heavy, with the weapon weighing 13kg unloaded), the CMZ-36's design and components make it very low-maintenance and difficult to jam. There has been more than a handful of stories where opposing forces discarded their weapon for a looted CMZ-36. Fearing the same proliferation would befall the CMZ-36 as the AK47/AKM, Firebird Industries began to step up measures to keep the weapon from falling- more or less operating in- into enemy hands.

Boasting heavy firepower and a compact, user-friendly, easily-maintained design, the CMZ-36 is perhaps the most iconic modern firearm in the Lylat System. Heavy, loud, efficient, and no-nonsense, it embodies the Firebird Industries mantra.