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Gorgon Pistol Production information Manufacturer Locust Horde Type Varues Automatic Submachine-Gun Burst-Fire Submachine-Gun Technical specifications Size Small Damage Per Hit Medium Magazine Size 32 rounds Maximum Ammunition Varies 256 rounds (GOW3 & GOWJ) 544 rounds (GOW2) Rate of Fire 700/M Accuracy Low-Medium Range Medium Usage Era(s) Locust War Lambent Pandemic Counterpart Boltok Pistol Snub Pistol Affiliation Locust Horde

The Gorgon SMG was a pistol capable of fully-automatic and burst fire, boasting phenomenal close-range punch. It features dual magazines and a hydraulic burst limiter system designed to prevent the weapon from jamming due to its high rate of fire; with one burst, the Gorgon spits out 8 rounds in under half a second. Designed primarily for close-combat situations, the Gorgon maintains its lethality even out to medium ranges and was extremely deadly in capable hands.

HistoryEdit

While the Hammerburst II Assault Rifle showed considerable promise in its initial tests by the Locust Horde, numerous veterans, including Therons and the Locust Priesthood, were quite fond of the burst-firing and compact size of the original Hammerburst. Loathing to part with a tried-and-true design, Locust Engineers began working on a method to create a compact, burst-firing weapon to equip Locust elites that had favored the earlier Hammerburst. The end result of this attempt was a dual magazined weapon designed to lay down an impressive amount of firepower in a very short period of time - especially at close-to-medium range. The weapon was an instant success with the Kantus priesthood, where it became their de-facto weapon of choice. Several other Locust units also managed to secure them - most notably Theron Guards, Theron Sentinels, and Palace Guards. 

The Gorgon's ancestry from the earlier Hammerburst was readily apparent, as it shares numerous components with its predecessor, including the grip, part of the receiver, and magazines. The internals, however, are strengthened, and the gun was chambered in a larger-bore round than the Hammerburst. The overall design was considerably more compact than the Hammerburst, but was also purportedly extremely heavy and bulky for what was supposed to be, which was a pistol; in practice, it was closer in definition to a submachine gun than it is a pistol.

While many parts of the Gorgon are old, the internal system is entirely new and quite revolutionary - it uses a hydraulically-loaded spike to work the action. Each trigger pull from the Gorgon discharges one loaded round, using the recoil from that round to fire the other rounds on the backswing - the spike continues this back-and-forth pass until it has completely fired 8 rounds in succession, at which point the hydraulic spike locks and cuts off the action until the next time the trigger is pulled. The entire cycling happens in a split second - when observed, the spike on the Gorgon almost seems to vibrate as the shots fired from it blur together into a loud cluster of muzzle flashes. The dual magazines of the Gorgon fold downward for ease of reloading, but must be folded back upwards and locked into place to enable the hydraulic feed system to work correctly; the gun thus cannot fire if the magazines are folded downward. The Gorgon cannot fire on semiautomatic or on full-auto - it only supports burst firing. The Savage Locust seemed to remove this feature though, allowing it to go full auto.

Post-Operation: Hollow StormEdit

After the Sinking of Jacinto, the Locust jettisoned the original design of the Gorgon and modified it to be an automatic submachine-gun. Despite its naming, the Gorgon remains in the pistol category. It is still used primarily by the Kantus, and is effectively dual-wielded by their highly armored subclass, the Armored Kantus. The Gorgon Pistol's biggest change from Gears of War 2 to Gears of War 3 is that it is now fully automatic,^[1] although its appearance is just like that of the original Gorgon Pistol. It also has gained an execution, where the person stomps on the enemy's arm, then hits him/her in the head with the spike on the fore-end of the gun.

FunctionalityEdit

Designed around putting out an enormous amount of ammo in a very little time, the Gorgon's firepower at close range is beyond reproach - a single burst deals considerable damage, and as a pistol, the Gorgon is capable of a low-powered zoom sighting mode. It is also possible to score instantly-fatal headshots with this weapon, though this is likely only if multiple rounds strike the target's head or if an Active Reload has been performed. The weapon's burst-firing means it is best-used at closer ranges, as at longer ranges, the rounds scatter too wildly to maintain the high damage that the burst allows, though luck and moxie (or at least volume) can frequently enable the firer to drop targets even at longer ranges. With this in mind, the Gorgon makes an amicable alternative to the Gnasher Shotgun, with the added bonuses of being easier to aim and having a notably longer effective range. Unfortunately, the Gorgon has less sustainability - it holds only enough ammo for 4 bursts - and it has a nearly one-second delay between bursts on top of this, making the user vulnerable between shots.

The firepower of the Gorgon is its greatest asset; at close range, it is by far the most lethal of the three pistols, and only the Boltok Pistol under an Active Reload can crank out anywhere near as much damage at close range in the same timeframe. While rather difficult to find and employ in Single-Player (it is dropped, along with the Ink Grenade, by Kantus, which are somewhat uncommon until well into Chapter 2 of Gears of War 2; much later you can find Theron Guards, Sentinels, and Palace Guards with the weapon, but these are rare). However, the large COG ammo boxes will also give it ammo, as well as the Locust boxes. Drones can be taken down in 2 bursts at close-range with the burst, and often one if under an Active Reload. Outside of its primary area of specialization (close combat), the Boltok and Snub Pistol are both patently better choices for marksmanship and faster in melee combat to boot.

Even with its limitations in mind, the Gorgon is a vicious beast of a weapon, particularly on maps featuring both it and the Boomshield, such as Pavilion and Hail. It also is devastating when used with Meatshields, as this enables the firer to take more accurate bursts out to medium range from behind (temporary) cover. Note that unlike Boomshields, Meatshields will eventually degrade and ultimately be destroyed by enemy fire, so you may very well need to make a break for it if your erstwhile shield takes too many rounds.

ExecutionEdit

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ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k86rf5osUWY at 1:02