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 expanded
The weapon fires 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 type | Unmodified | W/ Forged receiver | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shots | Reloads | Shots | Reloads | |
| Standard, HP, AP & match | 1995 | 100 | 2995 | 150 |
| Surplus | 662 | 34 | 995 | 50 |
| .223 caliber round | 2495 | 125 | 3745 | 188 |
Modifications[]
- Service rifle upgraded springs - Adds +30% rate of fire.
- Service rifle forged receiver - Adds +50% condition.
 | The following is based on Fallout: New Vegas cut content. |
|---|
- Service rifle reflex sight - Cut from the game.
- Service rifle bayonet - Cut from the game.
| End of information based on Fallout: New Vegas cut content |
|---|
Variants[]
Survivalist's rifle - a unique variant found in Zion Canyon at the Red Gate.
Comparison[]
| Legend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | - Weapon name (melee or unarmed) |  | - Attacks in V.A.T.S. | |
 | - Weapon name (gun, energy or explosive) |  | - Action point cost | |
 | - Damage per attack (damage per projectile) |  | - Damage per action point | |
 | - Damage per second |  | - Weapon spread | |
 | - Area of effect damage |  | - Magazine capacity (shots per reload) | |
 | - Effect damage & duration |  | - Durability (number of attacks before breaking) | |
 | - Bonus effects |  | - Weight | |
 | - Attacks per second |  | - Value in caps | |
 | - Critical chance % multiplier |  | - Value to weight ratio | |
 | - Critical damage |  | - Skill required | |
 | - Critical effect damage & duration |  | - Strength required | |
 | - With all mods attached | |||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service rifle | 18 | 75.6 | 4.2 | x1 | 18 | 15 | 1.2 | 0.55 | 20 | 1995 | 8.5 | 540 | 63.5 | 25 | 2 |
| Service rifle | 18 | 98.3 | 5.46 | x1 | 18 | 15 | 1.2 | 0.55 | 20 | 2995 | 8.5 | 2040 | 240 | 25 | 2 |
Survivalist's rifle  | 48 | 187.2 | 3.9 | x1 | 48 | 20 | 2.4 | 0.08 | 10 | 2495 | 8.5 | 5400 | 635.3 | 75 | 4 |
Locations[]
- South Vegas Ruins - Found on the second shelf of metal racking, located inside the ruined building directly north-east of the entrance to Vault 3.
- Boulder City - Located on the second floor of an abandoned building to the northeast of the Boulder City ruins entrance, next to some skeletons and a ranger holodisk message. It is in poor condition.
- Bloodborne cave - Found just after the second campfire, next to a dead NCR trooper.
- Camp Guardian caves - Located on the path down the center.
- Jacobstown - Inside one of the bungalows, above the fireplace.
- Major Dhatri, Klamath Bob, Duke, Private Halford and Ranger Gomez all carry one.
- Gun Runners - Can be bought from Vendortron.
- Johnson Nash sometimes has one for sale in Primm.
- Blake at the Crimson Caravan Company sometimes sells them.
- Doc Sawbones in Camp Golf may have his own rifle for sale if he has his 10mm pistol equipped since his rifle will be in his inventory.
- Camp Searchlight - Can be obtained from First Sergeant Astor for completing We Will All Go Together.
- Mojave Outpost - One in good condition can be obtained from Ranger Jackson, along with 72 armor-piercing 5.56 rounds, two weapon repair kits and two caravan lunches after completing Can You Find it in Your Heart?. Can also occasionally be sold by Lacey.
- Zapp's Neon Signs - Duke drops a service rifle when killed.
- This rifle, along with two ammunition boxes can be found in a small, unmarked coyote den west of Primm (exact location would be further west from the drive-in cinema and playground, just south of the canyon wreckage spot on the map) guarded by at least two coyotes.
- Carried by almost all standard NCR troopers.
- During I Forgot to Remember to Forget, the Legion vexillarius will carry a service rifle when the Legion attacks Bitter Springs.
- Many rifles can be found on the corpses of NCR personnel and scattered on the ground on the remains of the Long 15 if it is targeted by the nuclear warheads that can be launched during The Apocalypse.
Notes[]
- The service rifle has the same style of iron sights as the assault carbine.
- Two modifications were cut from the game: a bayonet and a reflex sight.
- As of patch 1.3.0.452, the weapon fires at a much greater rate with increased accuracy.
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[]
- 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]
- 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]
- 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[]
A service rifle model with the reflex sight modification
A service rifle model with the bayonet modification
A service rifle model with all the modifications, including cut content
References[]
- ↑ Weapon appearance and mechanics.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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 - ↑ 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 - ↑ Question: "Is the service rifle a mish-mash of an AR-15 and an original AR-10?"
Joshua Sawyer: "Yeah sorta."
(JESawyer on Formspring)
