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The service rifle is a weapon in Fallout: New Vegas.

Background[]

A pre-War[Non-game 1] lightweight, air-cooled, magazine-fed, gas-operated rifle that uses the direct impingement gas principle with a rotary bolt locking mechanism.[1] Its simplistic assembly design allows for each unit to be easily broken down for cleaning or replacing with a new unit as well as for mass production in times of large-scale military response.[2]

By 2281, the weapon has become the standard-issue armament of the New California Republic Army, with technical and maintenance support provided by the Gun Runners.

Characteristics[]

Service Rifle blown up

Service rifle expanded

The weapon fire semi-automatically with a magazine capacity of 20 rounds. It does decent damage per shot, has a moderate damage-per-second (DPS) value, does decent critical hit damage, costs a moderate amount of AP, has moderately high spread, very high durability, a decent weight of 8.5 lbs., and a decent caps value of ~500.

With all weapon modifications attached, its rate of fire and so its DPS is moderately higher, its durability is significantly higher, and its caps value is significantly higher.

One trait of the service rifle is its ability to repair high-end weapons like the light machine gun, sniper rifle and assault carbine using the Jury Rigging perk. The service rifle can be modified with a forged receiver to increase durability and an upgraded spring to increase the rate of fire even further.

Durability[]

The service rifle can fire a total of about 1,995 standard rounds, the equivalent of 100 reloads, from full condition before breaking. When modified with the forged receiver, it can fire a total of about 2,995 standard rounds, the equivalent of 150 reloads, from full condition before breaking.

Ammunition typeUnmodifiedW/ Forged receiver
ShotsReloadsShotsReloads
Standard, HP, AP & match19951002995 150
Surplus66234995 50
.223 caliber round24951253745 188

Modifications[]

Variants[]

Comparison[]

Legend 
Weapon name (current weapon is highlighted)- Weapon name (melee or unarmed)Attacks in V.A.T.S.- Attacks in V.A.T.S.
Weapon name (current weapon is highlighted)- Weapon name (gun, energy or explosive)Action point cost- Action point cost
Damage per attack (damage per projectile)- Damage per attack (damage per projectile)Damage per action point- Damage per action point
Damage per second- Damage per secondWeapon spread- Weapon spread
Area of effect damage- Area of effect damageMagazine capacity (shots per reload)- Magazine capacity (shots per reload)
Effect damage & duration- Effect damage & durationDurability (number of attacks before breaking)- Durability (number of attacks before breaking)
Bonus effects- Bonus effectsWeight- Weight
Attacks per second- Attacks per secondValue in caps- Value in caps
Critical chance % multiplier- Critical chance % multiplierValue to weight ratio- Value to weight ratio
Critical damage- Critical damageSkill required- Skill required
Critical effect damage & duration- Critical effect damage & durationStrength required- Strength required
With all mods attached- With all mods attached
Weapon name (current weapon is highlighted)Damage per attack (damage per projectile)Damage per secondAttacks per secondCritical Chance % multiplierCritical damageAction Point costDamage per action pointWeapon spreadMagazine capacity (shots per reload)Durability (number of attacks before breaking)WeightValue in capsValue to weight ratioSkill requiredStrength required
Service rifle 18
75.64.2x118151.20.552019958.554063.5252
Service rifle With all weapon mods attached 18
98.35.46x118151.20.552029958.52040240252
Survivalist's rifle Honest Hearts48
187.23.9x148202.40.081024958.55400635.3754

Locations[]

Notes[]

Behind the scenes[]

Josh Sawyer commented that the service rifles are pre-War and a "sorta" mashup of an AR-15 and AR-10.[Non-game 2][Non-game 3]

Bugs[]

  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 Sometimes in V.A.T.S., the service rifle will disappear from the player character's hands; the animation will continue, however, which will waste ammunition, and do no damage to the enemy. The gun will reappear when the V.A.T.S. animation ends. This glitch may happen outside V.A.T.S. as well, when crouching, but can be fixed by simply standing up. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 When completing the aid for Camp Guardian a loop can be created through dialogue with Private Halford to obtain 1 service rifle, 15 armor piercing 5.56mm rounds and 32 5.56mm rounds by going through the top dialogue options repeatedly. [verified]
  • PCPC When upgraded with both the upgraded springs and the forged receiver, shooting with surplus ammunition makes the Condition jump to 100% before it starts to decline. The condition drops to a certain point around the 75% mark on the scale and then jumps to 100% Condition making 5.56mm surplus ammunition much more valuable as a repair exploit. The process is repeatable. [verified]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Weapon appearance and mechanics.
  2. Alexander: "The orders for service rifles and ammunition have been pouring in from McCarran so fast we can't keep up. Hell of a fight is coming."
    (Alexander's dialogue)

Non-game

  1. Where does the NCR get the wood for it's service rifles?
    Joshua Sawyer: It doesn't. Those are Pre-War rifles.
    Josh Sawyer Formspring answers
  2. Question: "Where does the NCR get the wood for it's service rifles?"
    Joshua Sawyer: "It doesn't. Those are Pre-War rifles."
    Josh Sawyer Formspring answers
  3. Question: "Is the service rifle a mish-mash of an AR-15 and an original AR-10?"
    Joshua Sawyer: "Yeah sorta."
    (JESawyer on Formspring)
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