Service Rifle

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

Background
The New California Republic service rifle is a pre-War lightweight, air-cooled, magazine-fed, gas-operated rifle that uses the direct impingement gas principle with a rotary bolt locking mechanism. It has a capacity of 20 5.56mm rounds per magazine, giving NCR troopers good firepower in the field, despite the absence of automatic firing modes. The key here is its conventional layout, with excellent ergonomics, gas operation, and straight recoil combining to create a very accurate rifle, even in the hands of untrained conscripts. The service rifle can also be easily broken down for cleaning or replaced with a new unit manufactured by the Gun Runners. 

Characteristics
A semi-automatic medium power rifle, this rifle is chambered in the common 5.56mm cartridge and has a magazine capacity of 20 rounds. The rifle is simple yet well made, and since it requires relatively low strength and Guns skill to use accurately, it makes a very reliable weapon often used by New California Republic troopers.

As of patch 1.3.0.452, the weapon fires at a much greater rate with increased accuracy. This makes it a much more viable weapon for low level players with its high DPS. Likewise, this also means NCR troopers are far more effective in combat, with a squad able to project a greater amount of firepower.

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. Two other modifications that were cut from the game, a bayonet and a reflex sight, were to be available but were left as unfinished models before the release.

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.

Modifications

 * Service rifle upgraded springs - Adds +30% rate of fire.
 * Service rifle forged receiver - Adds +50% condition.


 * Service rifle reflex sight - Cut from the game.
 * Service rifle bayonet - Cut from the game.

Variants

 * Survivalist's rifle - A unique service rifle which uses 12.7mm rounds.

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.
 * Klamath Bob carries one.
 * 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 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.
 * 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 Boone's quest, 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 End.

Behind the scenes
The service rifle is based on a cross between the AR-15 and the AR-10.

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.
 * 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.
 * 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.