MSI — 3 mm Collapsed Tantalum Flechette “Tantalon” Round

Designation (House): MSI-Talon-3M
Common name: 3 mm flechette / “talon round”
Manufacturer: Maialen-Silenus, Inc. — Munitions Division (Mars, Pune Line)
Intended role: short-range collapsed tantalum ceramic coated flechette packet for use in sealed disposable magazines and drum systems (close-quarters suppression/short-range anti-personnel applications)
Legal status: Prohibited or strictly controlled in most formal jurisdictions; widely available on gray and black markets with varied quality control.

High-level Physical Data

• Nominal diameter: ~3 mm (nominal caliber)
• Average velocity: 5897 m/s
• Energy: 6088.56 J
• Nominal overall length (cartridge outline): ~10–14 mm (packaging/profile)
• Representative mass per round (story value): ~0.35 g
• Material descriptor: “Tantalon” — marketed as a dense, ceramic coated hypervelocity high-penetration alloy by MSI
• Packaging unit: polymer resealable tray / box of 1,000 rounds (standard logistic pack)
• Box dimensions (approx, fiction): 220 × 110 × 45 mm (fits in a standard courier crate)
• Box gross mass (1,000 rounds + packaging): ~0.4–0.6 kg

Bulk & Drum Logistics

• Sealed combat drum (factory drum designed for single-use feed systems): holds 195 rounds (standard Kubera drum capacity)
• Mass per full drum (estimate): ~68 g to 90 g of flechettes alone + drum housing mass (drum housing increases total to several kilograms noticeably heavy but single-handable by trained personnel)
• Standard crate: 10 × 1,000-round boxes or multiple sealed drums (configuration varies by distributor)
• Storage conditions: cool, dry, sealed; ambient heat and corrosive atmospheres degrade performance and increase dud rates

Packaging & Supply Options

• Factory sealed retail pack: 1 box = 1,000 rounds — base price: ~3,500 cr / box (legal/regulated channels; taxed and track-tagged)
• Unmarked bulk (gray market): 1,000 rounds (loose, crate) — ~4,500–7,500 cr depending on provenance and lot age
• Black-market sealed drum (single drum, hot lot): ~5,000–15,000 cr / drum (street price varies with scarcity and vendor)
• Cleaned / “sanitized” lots (forged logistics, deserialized): +20% – +100% premium

Variants & Markings

• Standard commercial lot: plain polymer tray, MSI lot stamp, two-line date/lot code (traceable)
• Security (trade) lot: tamper tape and microtag (meant for regulated distribution)
• Black-market lot: de-tagged or spray-stamped with ‘killswitch’ glyphs; often repacked into crude sleeves or drums — higher failure risk but higher buyer premium
• ‘Special’ rounds: rumor/urban myth lots marketed with altered effects (higher price; questionable authenticity)

Handling & Safety

• Shelf life: sealed factory lots — 5–10 years under proper storage; poor storage dramatically increases dud/malfunction rates.
• Field warnings (narrative cues): avoid exposure to extreme heat or corrosive agents; single-use drums are discarded after firing and will self-destruct three to five seconds after ejection from the weapon.
• Forensics note: MSI lot codes, micro-tag residues, and particulate signature (tantalon descriptor) can link a recovered sample to supply chains if authorities care to analyze.

Market, Risk & Distribution Notes

• Why prices vary: rarity of dense alloy feedstock, lot tracing removal, deserialization “cleaning” services, risk premium for smuggling across BuCol checkpoints.
• Common suppliers: small Martian foundries, recycled military lots, pirate refabbers. Large syndicates can broker cleansed lots at better rates.