The first variant of the Pulse Rifle seen in Dead Space causes each of the 3 barrels to turn 90° outwards with the user pointing the gun upwards, sending a spray of bullets all around the shooter. There are four major variants of the SWS Motorised Pulse Rifle that have been seen as of yet: although all three possess identical primary modes of fire, they are differentiated by their distinctive modes of alternate fire.

When the Pulse Rifle is reloaded, the entire front end hinges forward, ejecting the spent cartridge and a new one is inserted into the magazine well. Kinetic shock absorbers are speculated to have been implemented into the weapon's stock, as Isaac/Gabe experiences little to no recoil even from protracted firing. On the other hand, this leaves the Pulse Rifle variants that have been seen so far totally inadequate for the task of piercing tough body armor as the rounds simply bounce off the mining suits still worn by some Necromorph Slashers and the chitinous armor of Brutes. As well, such low caliber rounds render the Pulse Rifle an ideal weapon for shipboard combat, as they lack the penetrative power necessary to rupture ship hulls. This effect is immediate and pronounced in unarmored targets, with impacts liquefying soft tissues and fracturing bones in the event that targets are not directly killed by fire, they will be rendered incapacitated by grievous wounds and pronounced hydrostatic shock. The Pulse Rifle discharges ultra-low caliber rounds at hypersonic speeds, each carrying tremendous amounts of kinetic energy: these rounds are designed to squash (or 'mushroom') on impact, transferring their energy to the target and causing immense localized trauma.

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