Kig-Yar Boarding Pistol

Original canon proposal (c) Kuran 2014. Permission given to AlphaWolf to add to the Wiki.

Description
The Kig-Yar boarding pistol fires flechette rounds, which are on occasion fitted with alternative substances, ranging from dirt to the occasional radioactive material. In general however, the flechettes are standard metal projectiles. The weapon's barrel fits a single large cartridge containing these flechettes, create a conical 'kill-zone' in front of the weapon, that only heavy armor will defend against. Soft targets, such as flesh, are shredded as the flechettes disintegrate and tumble upon striking a target. Importantly, the projectiles lack the penetrating power to pierce a hull. This was a modification made after initially being loaded with high penetration rounds, a practice that ended after several raids that ended with the entire boarding party being spaced upon firing one of these weapons. Importantly, the weapon's main drawback is that the complexity of reloading flechettes by hand means that each pistol is useful for only one salvo, or shot, per action. As such, it is not uncommon for pirates to carry as many as four of these into battle. The famed Kig-yar Pirate Mix was reputed to have carried eight such pistols on each raid.

History
Historically, this weapon has been around in several variants for at least a hundred years. Kig-yar pirates are not big on record keeping, and so nobody is quite sure who designed this weapon or indeed how old it is, though it is commonly accepted that some form of weapon such as this has been in use almost as long as there have been pirates. While it's reloading system and one-shot use is certainly outdated by any standards, including those of the Kig-yar themselves, it is still commonly used in close range situations, both due to the Kig-yar nostalgia for their traditional ways and the fact than when fired, whatever stands before the barrel certainly isn't going to laugh at an antiquated weapon.