This variant was used as far back as 2495 and remains the core variant. Both are referred to as 'assault rifles' but the latter may be a scaled down version of the former. The C-14 should not be confused with the AGR-14 rifle. The C-14 has been used as automatic base defense weapon, mounted on a tower. The armor can also supplement the rifle's power supply.
Due to this, the C-14 rifle has high recoil CMC armor is designed to suppress this. A capacitor system is used to fire the weapon in short bursts, conserving ammunition and minimizing power requirements. The Impaler is fully automatic with a fire rate of 30 rounds per second, although fully automatic fire is discouraged under most circumstances.
The magnetic induction that gives the gauss rifle its name is achieved via a magnetic accelerator pack within the gun. While the rifle is gauss-assisted, it still utilizes traditional means to firing projectiles such as gunpowder, which is known to cause issues with the rifle when the ammunition becomes wet. The rounds themselves are encased in steel. In use by 2478, the C-14 usually fires hypersonic 8 mm armor-piercing metal 'spikes' which can penetrate up to two inches of steel plating. A Dominion marine in regards to C-14 information ( src)
