DESCRIPTION
One thing that's always bothered me about the basic Gauss rifle in the game is that it uses Microfusion cells but doesn't consume any actual projectiles. They're just there, and you never run out, which isn't very realistic. So, with this redesign, I basically wanted to make a more realistic Gauss weapon which assumes a power source is built into the stock, so all you have to do is load the projectiles.

This gun is a custom mesh I made by mashing together the scope and barrel of the YCS/186 Gauss rifle with the receiver and stock assembly from the Bozar light machine gun. Its stats are more or less cloned directly from the YCS/186, but it uses a custom ammo type - ferromagnetic bolts. These can be crafted at any reloading bench using scrap metal and scrap electronics, provided you have the schematics. As of Version 1.2, there are five different ammo types: standard, armor-piercing, incendiary, explosive and multipurpose (combines the effects of AP, incendiary and explosive into a single cartridge, like the real-life Raufoss Mk 211 round). Each specialty ammo type requires more skills and components to craft. This archive includes the meshes for the weapon and the ammo's world object, as well as custom PipBoy icons for both.

Lore-wise, I imagine this gun was a rejected entry in a U.S. Army procurement trial looking to replace the M72 Gauss rifle that we see in Fallout 2. In my head-canon, the German-made M72 was excellent but expensive, and the Army was looking to replace it with something cheaper and domestically-produced to outfit its troops during the build-up to the liberation of Anchorage. Ultimately, they ended up adopting the Gauss rifle that we see in the Operation: Anchorage DLC and New Vegas, whereas this rejected bid sample prototype was sent back to the manufacturer. The Courier then stumbles across it in their travels and takes it for themselves. All this can be explored in more detail by reading the notes and accessing the terminals in the associated mini-dungeon.


LOCATION
The weapon has been hidden somewhere in the Wasteland inside a new mini-dungeon that's been designed to test your skills. If you're stuck and want a hint,
If the hint isn't enough and you just want to know exactly where it is,

Of course, if you're feeling lazy, you can always use the following console command (Substitute ## with the number of the mod in your load order):

player.AddItem ##000ADE 1 (Gives you the weapon)
player.AddItem ##000ADD 50 (Gives you 50 ferromagnetic bolts)


INSTALLATION
Extract all the files in the archive to your New Vegas data folder (which is the same folder where FalloutNV.esm is located) and then enable the ESP either in your mod manager of choice, or under "Data Files" in the launcher that runs when you start up New Vegas.


OPTIONAL FILES
(Optional Mesh) 15-Coil Extended Barrel Version

• This is simply a replacement mesh for the 15-coil version, making the muzzle brake extend out past the coils. Requested by herbo343
  

(Optional Plugin) Gauss Rifle Replacer

• This is an optional replacer for the vanilla Gauss rifle and YCS/186, requested by PikaSalt. It contains the following plugins:
  

FNV Project Boltcaster (Gauss Rifle Replacer).esp

• This version replaces the mesh for the Gauss rifle and YCS/186 while maintaining the original stats, but changes the ammo type to a custom one - Gauss Electromagnetic Cartridge. These are craftable at any reloading bench using four microfusion cells, one scrap metal and one scrap electronics. They have also been added to the proper levelled lists and should drop in a Gauss rifle user's inventory on death, assuming you've installed the mod on a new game. Inventorys that have already been generated may not be affected. Also note that I made a new mesh for the Gauss EC ammo type, so be sure to extract that file as well.
  

FNV Project Boltcaster (Gauss Rifle Replacer) (No Custom Ammo).esp

• This version simply replaces the Gauss rifle and YCS/186's mesh without touching anything else. The weapon will still use microfusion cells (four to five per shot).
  

Any comments and constructive criticism are welcome. If you spot any glaring bugs, please let me know and I'll do my best to fix them. Feel free to use the mesh in your own mods, but please give me a credit if you do! Thanks!