I’m a nerd, a giant nerd. Not like an “I Love the MCU” nerd, but like a DnD nerd. Most hardcore gun guys are total nerds. Part of my nerdery expands into cyberpunk, and of all the nerdoms, cyberpunk tends to blend guns in the best way. This combines my two nerdoms in a blissful fashion. Cyberpunk guns are typically over-the-top fun, and while real life isn’t as cool, there are plenty of guns that would fit in with the cyberpunk genre. Since I love the two, let’s look at some of the best real-life cyberpunk guns.
All the Cyberpunk You Can Shake a Gun At
KelTec CP33
Most of KelTec’s firearms could qualify as cyberpunk guns. The P50, the KS7, the KSG, the RDB, and more would all look perfect in your favorite cyberpunk setting. I’m settling on the massive, affordable, and ultimately awesome CP33. Not only is the CP33 affordable, but it fires .22LR, which is the most affordable ammo option.
It looks like something out of the future, and it’s a total blast to shoot. We have a nice, long optics rail, and the gun doesn’t have a traditional slide. This means the optics and sights are fixed and don’t move, so tracking the sight picture is quick and easy. Plus, you can use any-sized optic you want. The aftermarket has found easy ways to add braces, which turn this into a micro-sized PDW. It’s silly, but a ton of fun!
FN PS90
What’s best about the FN P90 is that it was designed in 1990, and it still looks and functions like something out of the future. The PS90 is the semi-auto version with the 16-inch barrel, but it’s commonly converted into an SBR (Short-Barreled Rifle). The PS90 is a bullpup platform that uses a top-mounted magazine. The top-mounted mag holds fifty rounds and even has to rotate the round into position to fire it.
The FN PS90 has this odd frame design that’s made primarily from polymer. If it premiered today, I’d assume it was a KelTec design. It fires the 5.7x28mm, which is a fairly modern cartridge that’s a little longer than your average pistol round but looks like a micro-sized rifle round. Everything about this gun looks like it belongs in the hands of Takeshi Kovacs.
Chiappa Rhino
The Chiappa Rhino is so cyberpunk that it’s been featured in numerous dystopian and sci-fi films and media. The live-action version of the cyberpunk masterpiece, Ghost in the Shell, even replaced the Mateba autorevolver with the Chiappa Rhino. The Rhino’s unique feature is the fact that the barrel aligns with the bottom chamber of the cylinder.
This positions the barrel much lower than your standard revolver, which creates less upward recoil. The Chiappa Rhino models feature varying rails for optics and lights. The Rhino series comes in a variety of calibers, including .357, .44 Magnum, and 10mm. Cyberpunk guns include revolvers, even if they are seemingly old school. It just needs a modern touch, and the Chiappa Rhino has an uppercut’s worth of modern touch.
Laugo Alien
You rarely see a gun named so perfectly. The folks at Laugo designed a gun that looks like a xenomorph’s head and named it appropriately. The Laugo Alien pulls the low bore axis trick and aligns the barrel with the shooter’s wrist. This creates a gun with less muzzle rise and provides quicker follow-up shots. The slide doesn’t include the topmost portion of the gun, which means fixed sights that are easier to track.
The Laugo Alien also packs a ton of modularity into a single platform. You can swap top rails, grip panels, backstraps, and magwells. The Alien series are extremely modern guns, arguably one of the most modern on the market. It would be perfect to defend yourself from aliens, Yakuza hitmen, and cyborgs from the near future.
IWI Tavor TS12
Shotguns are typically traditional-looking firearms that are far from cyberpunk. Most are, but not all. The IWI TS12 embraces the cyberpunk look and feel effortlessly. Its weird looks are due to its innovative design. It’s a bullpup shotgun that uses a magazine made up of three five-round magazine tubes. The magazine rotates to allow you to rapidly swap tubes. The TS12 makes it easy to pack a ton of ammo in a very small platform.
You can even load the three tubes with different ammo types: buckshot for the bugs, slugs for the droids, and “net cartridges” for the drones. If Kyle Reese had the TS12, that damn Terminator wouldn’t have stood a chance! The gun offers a ton of firepower in a platform unlike any other. Toss an optic and light on, and you can defend your home from every cyberpunk threat in the ‘verse.
Going Cyberpunk
I’ve always loved reading cyberpunk and seeing often nonsensical guns pop up. In real life, the guns make a little more sense, but can still keep things weird. The good news is that we are living in a cyberpunk dystopia! Just a boring one. Luckily, we are getting a few cyberpunk guns to enjoy alongside our corporatocracy.
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