KWD Crimson Tempest

The Crimson Tempest is a large double-action revolver firing the .375RR Long revolver cartridge. It is designed and made by Magnadunian weapons manufacturer Kahn-Rakkha Weapons Development, more commonly shortened to KWD or just 'Keyword'.

First introduced in limited quantities in the early 2160s, the Crimson Tempest was attempted marketed domestically and abroad for both security and sports shooting. This original model, retroactively referred to as the "Type S", was unremarkable from most DA/SA revolver models at the time. Production slowly increased throughout the 2170s, before spiking in 2181 with the introduction of features such as automatic ejection of spent cases, an electronic motor for both ejection and crane operation, and a ported barrel. This model is known as a "Type E" and has easily become the most popular variant of the Crimson Tempest, garnering a surprising amount of attention from off-world buyers and retailers. A further upgraded model was introduced in 2192, known as the "Type X", but it has not yet caught on as the "Type E" model did. It has additional features like a powered bottom rail and an integrated red dot sight replacing the iron sights.

All Crimson Tempest variants have in common that they are considered rugged and reliable guns with the potent firepower provided by the .375RR Long cartridge, although the limited 6-shot capacity will always be a massive downside when put up against higher-capacity semi-automatics. With this taken into consideration, the models with automatic ejection (Type E, Type X) are regarded favourably to their manual counterparts for providing some additional speed and practicality when seeking to perform quick reloads in the field.

***

The Crimson Tempest is a hammer-fired, double-action revolver with a ported 121mm barrel, lower accessory rail, and ergonomic, rubberized pistol grip. It fires the .375RR Long revolver cartridge (9.52x37mmR) from a six-shot cylinder. The six-shot cylinder hinges on a powered crane that rotates upwards, contrary to most revolvers which usually pivot downwards. The extractor/ejector mechanism is also powered by an electrical motor. The behaviour of these powered functions can be fully customized by the user. For example, the cylinder can either swing out and pivot all the way to the top, ready for handling - or it can be made to simply pop out 1/3 of the way so that it can be carried the rest of its travel by the user. Furthermore, the gun can be set to either forcefully eject spent casings, jettisoning all six cases out from the cylinder for a swift reload, or it can be made to simply push out and partially extract the cases for easy removal by the user. The revolver is powered by an ELIO A2 electrochemical battery housed in the pistol grip, with a full charge typically lasting for more than 12 months of ordinary use.

The exhibit showcased above is the "Type E" variant of the Crimson Tempest, with its powered crane and ejector mechanism. A ported barrel and an accessory rail located underneath are also standard on these models.

***

This information has been provided by the

International Manufacture & Proofing Association for Arms & Ammunition (IMAANI).

***