I'm looking at this thing and trying to figure out how it is meant to be assembled. The baseline is an Assault Rifle with and Underbarrel Grenade Launcher. Then I can buy an Underbarrel Shotgun. No problem. This obviously replaces the grenade launcher. I can also buy a carbine. Does this replace the grenade launcher as well? OK. Weird but what ever.
Now for the head scratcher. Sniper Rifle and LMG additions. Are these supposed to be underbarrel? If so how does that work? Or do they replace the Assault Rifle like in the Steyr AUG? If not how does a scoped Sniper rifle fit under an assault rifle?
Or should I stop trying to apply logic to this gun and just wave my hands and go 'It's maaaagic."
I guess this thing is supposed to be based off the failed HK XM-8 project.

The Sniper, LMG, and Carbine kits all replace the Assault Rifle component.

Basically, pick one from List A, and one from List B:

LIST A
Assault Rifle
Carbine
Sniper Rifle
Light Machinegun

LIST B
Underbarrel Grenade Rifle
Underbarrel Shotgun

it also sounds like they are all interchangeable with a few actions so you could have all of them & swap the peices for what you need as you go.

Kind of like THIS.

Basically the XM30 has a bunch of adjustable parts - its not just underbarrel stuff, you actually rebuild the gun on the fly.

So basically a Steyr AUG with an option to mount an underbarrel shotgun or grenade launcher. Wish they had made that a bit clearer in the description or from the picture. Repeated readings left me unsure whether the options were all meant to be underbarrel (illogical) or if it was supposed to all be modular. Thanks for clearing that up.

Depends on which picture we're talking about. The picture in the SR4A core book isn't any good (like most of the gun pictures there IMHO). The "pre-anniversary" SR4 book had a picture that actually showed several configurations. And It looked pretty much like the XM8, too, except for having the magwell in the shoulder stock. So you're right in that regard. That picture isn't ideal, either. The LMG configuration is drawn with an ammo belt going vertically into the magwell, which strikes me as rather odd in general and especially weird in a bullpup weapon.

Going from that picture, you apparently don't need to have an underbarrel weapon mounted. The sniper rifle and LMG configurations seem to have only a bipod instead.

I would have thought that you're not even allowed to have the UB stuff with the sniper rifle or LMG. You have exactly 5 options:

AR + GL
AR + Shotgun
Carbine
Sniper
LMG

These are not the only logically possible options (esp. 'carbine' underbarrel stuff), but they're the only ones listed. You don't get the whole set of parts combinations (including the imaging scope, the bipod, etc.)

Yep, this is how I interpreted it as well...

EXBT81, I was referring to the picture in SR4A. I don't have the SR4 book.

Tymeaus Jalynsfein, Yerameyahu, that is yet another interpretation of what they have written. It makes as much sense as anything else, especially with regards to using bipods and underbarrel weapons at the same time. I guess if there is a better picture in the SR4 book, perhaps the writers figured they didn't need to explain how the parts fit together. Of course that picture didn't make it into the SR4A book.

It depends on your perspective, of course. Rules-wise, the pictures are always wrong, and have no meaning; what it actually says is form A, B, C, D, or E. Fluff-wise, I see no particular reason that you're not buying something that can be (AR, Carbine, Rifle, or LMG) + (UBGL, UBSG, Bipod, and/or Scope)… and mix-n-match within the limits of reason. It *is* possible, I assume, for the manufacturer to actually build the gun so that you literally can't mix and match like that, but it seems silly.

It's built out of gunmetal, high-impact futuristic plastics, and a few other composite materials.

Here's the pic on the artist's deviantArt account:

+ HK xM30 Weapons Platform + by ~Br0uHaHa

That is just... confusing.

Thanks for the pic. Yeah that looks a lot like the xm-8 project. And yeah, belt feeding into a bulpup like that looks weird to say the least. How would you feed that when inserting a new belt? So sort of pseudo magazine attachment that isn't shown? A pointy stick maybe?

Hold it upside down?

What? Gangsta style? All one handed and sideways? Cuz that will work. Yup, for sure.

Hold it upside down, dangle the belt in, work the action (Hope it catches the first round), ensure a good load, turn rightside up, rock'n'roll Chummer!

Perhaps there is a "clip-tip" that connects to the end of the belt and then locks into the clip attachment on the weapon. Of course that's not pictured as it is currently secured inside the weapon.

Just another option.

-D

Don't forget the unicorn magic and ghoul blood.

Oh, every firearm in Shadowrun has THOSE in them. Not to mention the soul of an orphaned child if you get something from Aztechnology or one of their weapon subsidiaries.

I believe that Mitsuhama uses the dying breath of a technomancer for extra oomph.

Suddenly I don't want to use a gun in SR. Maybe a wooden club I found in the forest. Makes sense why magicians want virgin telesma for their foci.

Watch out for the trees that try to eat you!

Especially the virgin trees.

You mean Dryads?

Since they're all pornomancer sluts, no, I don't.

You misinterpreted the art on the LMG. The belt isn't feeding in from below, it's feeding into the right side and hanging down. (Since you're viewing it from the left)

While that is the sane interpretation, I would not be surprised if an artist drew it as belt fed from below.

Well, it still doesn't explain where the belt goes and I hope it only fires caseless ammo in either interpretation.

Maybe, maybe not. I'll concede that your interpretation is also possible. Even then I'd contend that it isn't a very good design because you run the risk of the belt catching on the shooter's arm.
And either way I believe that even if the individual rounds are caseless you'd still have to eject the belt links from the gun. Where do those go?
Ejecting them to the left would throw them into the shooter's face. Ejecting them to the bottom seems unsuited to the prone firing position. Ejecting them to the top means you'll have at least some of them fall back down on the shooter's body.

Although I'm not a gunsmith or firearms engineer, a belt-fed bullpup in general just seems like a plain bad concept to me.

The MG42 (and its clones) ejects the casings to the bottom. Also, if you use non-disintegrating belts, the belt-parts won't fly around ^^

Yes, but the MG42 isn't a bullpup design. With the MG42 the ejection happens a fair distance in front of the shooter, not right next to his face.

The "fair distance" is about 15cm ^^ - but this does not matter if we talk about caseless ammo with non-disintegrating belts which leave the gun downwards ^^

PN-90 also ejects casings to the bottom.

Pretty nice when your team members are standing right next to you.

Maybe something like this, at 0:34-42 and again at 5:06-18. As an added bonus, at 2:48 there's a direct hit with a rocket launcher still missing because of scatter.