Moroz Rifle AM

"It's a great rifle. It works in the snow, in the vacuum, in the corrosive atmosphere that will kill you with an unfiltered breath. It sheds mud like a dog shakes off water. A soldier can't ask for a better companion."

- Major Alexander Konovolov, Siberia Prime CDF

The Moroz AM is a select-fire assault rifle historically issued by the Siberia Prime Civil Defense Force. First designed and manufactured in the years before the Decision War, the Moroz would become an icon of the coalition government that emerged from that conflict. Within fifty years, tens of millions of the rifles would be exported, landing in the hands of government militias, security forces, and insurrection cells throughout UEG territory.

Design
A quirk of the Koalitziya battle doctrine was that riflemen should not be expected to make accurate shots beyond 200 meters. Any shots beyond that range were to be taken for suppressive fire effect only, pinning enemy infantry down long enough for heavy support weapons and artillery to flatten their position. This doctrine was disdained by both the UNSC and the CMA, who adopted an "Every Marine a rifleman" ethos, but it made sense for the battles that the Koalitziya found itself fighting. Firefights often took place within arcologies, most often within 75 meters. Engagements beyond 200 meters took place outside the arcologies, where infantry could rely on fire support.

As such, the Moroz was never designed for precision fire. Although the rifle can be accurized, the upper receiver is not fixed to the barrel and cannot effectively mount a scope. The Moroz rifle was designed to mount a 1.5 minutes of angle (MOA) holosight with a magnifier over the trunnion, and does not adapt well to a scope.

This was rectified with the light machine gun variant. The heavier lower receiver was ideal for mounting a side-rail, allowing heavier optics to be added to the weapon. The Siberia Prime CDF was reluctant to adopt an ICWS, and that final development would have to wait until the Human-Covenant War.