Plasma rifle
A plasma rifle was the rifle version of a hand-held plasma weapon used by many species. These weapons were used by Humans during the mid-22nd century. They were carried on Earth starships even after the advent of phase weapons. While not particularly high-yield, they were capable of killing a target. ()

Coridanite rebels likewise used plasma rifles during the mid-22nd century. () The Andorians also made use of hand-held plasma rifles. The Andorian rifles utilized by the Andorian Imperial Guard in the 22nd century fired plasma bursts and had no stun setting. () The Jem'Hadar and the Na'kuhl made use of more advanced high-yield plasma rifles several centuries later. (; )

Civilian plasma rifle

Shotgun-style plasma rifles were used by Human civilians in the mid-22nd century. A farmer named  owned one, which he carried to defend his property in Broken Bow, Oklahoma during a shootout between a Klingon and two Suliban. In the fracas, Moore used the weapon to incapacitate, and severely wound, the Klingon courier Klaang. This was the first recorded contact between a Human and a Klingon. ()

Coridan plasma rifle
In the mid-22nd century, Coridanite rebels on the planet Coridan used plasma rifles. They fired red-colored bolts. ()

ECS/Starfleet plasma rifle

Plasma rifles, also known as pulse rifles, were the standard-issue carbine weapons on Starfleet and Earth Cargo Authority starships, and carried by personnel of the Earth Sciences Institute in the mid-22nd century.  and the  were equipped with these weapons. The pulse rifles had the capability of firing both plasma bullets, essentially bolt or pulses of energy () and a beam with an adjustable level from stun to kill. () The rifle was powered by a rechargeable sarium microcell. ()

In 2151, a Starfleet security officer stood watch in sickbay with a plasma rifle when wounded Klingon courier Klaang was abducted by the . Captain Archer managed to kill one of the invading Suliban with plasma bullets. ()

By 2151, Ensign Hoshi Sato had cleared training on the class-3 pulse rifles. () Starfleet security officers on Enterprise, including Lieutenant Reed, carried pulse rifles on several occasions from 2151 to 2154. A selection of rifles was stored in the ship's armory. ()

In 2151, a Starfleet security officer with a pulse rifle investigated the presence of a symbiotic lifeform in Cargo Bay 2 with Captain Archer and Commander Tucker aboard Enterprise. The security officer attempted to use his rifle, set on stun, to fend off the creature when it began to attack them, but was distressed to find out that the weapon had no measurable effect on it. ()

In 2152, pulse rifles were used by a team of three Starfleet security officers who prepared to prevent a Tholian invasion of Enterprise that never happened. As a result of the Tholians instead departing, the weapons weren't fired. ()

In 2153, two security officers accompanying Lieutenant Reed attempted to use pulse rifles to fend off two Tarkaleans who had been assimilated by the Borg, but were unable to penetrate the Tarkaleans' personal force fields. Before intercepting the Borg-assimilated ship, Reed upgraded several rifles to emit a beam with the particle yield of ten megajoules. ()

The rifles were stored in weapons lockers inside the armory. ()

Later in 2153, a case of plasma rifles were stolen from Enterprise by Osaarian pirates. () Later the same year, an EV team was able to dislodge and retrieve a sample of nucleonic particles accumulating on the hull with multiple hits from a plasma rifle. ()

In 2154, Reed attempted to destroy a defense armature inside a Delphic Expanse sphere with a plasma rifle on a mission to retrieve the redundant memory core of the sphere. The armature appeared to be impervious to the plasma bullets fired by Reed. It required the more powerful ship-mounted weapons of a  to destroy the armature. ()

When Captain James T. Kirk recreated his old house from 2284, inside the Nexus, a wall display of weapons and memorabilia there included a plasma rifle among other weapons. ( )

Jem'Hadar plasma rifle

In addition to a pistol variant, the Jem'Hadar of the Dominion used plasma rifles in the 24th century. Upgraded rifles were distributed in 2375. () The rifle was capable of firing lethal disruptor bursts with anti-coagulants that were designed to slowly kill their enemies if the burst itself did not. The weapons had at least two other settings: they were able to stun, and fire a more powerful burst capable of vaporizing a humanoid target. ()

Na'kuhl plasma rifle
In an alternate 1944, Vosk planned to deploy the soldiers of the Na'kuhl / Nazi alliance with plasma rifles based on their 29th century technology. 

The weapons fired a powerful modulating plasma pulse capable of devastating buildings and destroying an American tank with a single shot. Although they were powerful, they were also somewhat difficult to maneuver and required considerable amounts of energy. ()

Tandaran plasma rifle
Tandaran guards at Detention Complex 26 were armed with plasma rifles that fired light green streaks of energy. Three of the facility's guards used these weapons during a prison break in circa 2152. ()

Tessic's species' plasma-rifles
In the colony of Tessic's species, several colonists were armed with plasma-rifles. They fired blue streaks of energy. ()

External links

de:Plasmagewehr
it:Fucile al plasma
Hand-held weapons
Directed energy weapons