The boiler rifle was a type of short-range blaster rifle. It could be modified with an illicit underbarrel spin-sealed tibanna gas bottle, which doubled the weapon's firepower. In 1 BBY, Rebel Alliance Special Forces commando Paodok'Draba'Takat Sap'De'Rekti Nik'Linke'Ti' Ki'Vef'Nik'NeSevef'Li'Kek utilized a boiler rifle purchased on the black market during the Battle of Scarif.
A group of hunters employed such a rifle in 9 ABY when they ambushed the Mandalorian Din Djarin on the planet Tatooine. Later, the Kanjiklub criminal group used the weapon, with Lieutenant Razoo Qin-Fee maintaining and modifying the rifles. During the boarding of smuggler Han Solo's freighter, the Eravana, in 34 ABY, two gang members carried boiler rifles.
The boiler rifles were a kind of short-range blaster rifle. The body, the grip, and the trigger were black, as was the stock, which was connected to the body by a long, recoil-absorbing stalk. The barrel was silver and had a spin-sealed bottle of explosive tibanna gas attached to the underside of it. This modification doubled the weapon's firepower, but it was dangerous and against the law. This kind of modification would quickly burn out the weapon's galven barrel circuitry, so the weapon needed to be maintained all the time. The rifles also had a scope attached above the body, but these were mostly for looks because the rifle had a short range. When the rifle was being readied to fire, it would make a whirring sound.
Back in 1 BBY, the Drabatan Special Forces commando known as Paodok'Draba'Takat Sap'De'Rekti Nik'Linke'Ti' Ki'Vef'Nik'NeSevef'Li'Kek made use of a black market boiler rifle that had been modified with tibanna gas during the Battle of Scarif. This battle involved a group from the Alliance to Restore the Republic going to the planet of Scarif to steal the plans for the Death Star superweapon from the Imperial Citadel Tower.
During the mission, Pao was wearing four replacement galven barrels on each wrist. The Drabatan showed how good he was with the blaster during the mission, but he died while fighting stormtroopers on the beaches of Scarif. He did this to distract the rebels who had gone into the tower to steal the plans. An artist who was putting together a journal of notes and sketches made a sketch of Pao carrying his boiler rifle in the book. The book was restored, made bigger, and put on display at the Graf Archive at some point after 34 ABY.
Back in 9 ABY, a group of four hunters who had a boiler rifle ambushed the Mandalorian Din Djarin and the foundling Grogu on the planet of Tatooine. The group used a trip wire to destroy the speeder bike that their targets were riding on, and then they attacked them with other blasters. The boiler rifle was left in a big case off to the side.
After the Mandalorian managed to beat one of his attackers and take the weapon away from another, the hunter who had been disarmed ran to the case and picked up the boiler rifle. He aimed it at Djarin while the Mandalorian was grappling with two other attackers. Before the rifle could be fired, Djarin used a fibercord whip from his gauntlet to pull the boiler rifle out of the wielder's hands and whip it into the heads of the two grapplers, knocking them out. Djarin then beat the last attacker and left safely with Grogu.
During the Cold War between the Resistance and the First Order, boiler rifles were used by members of the Kanjiklub criminal group. Lieutenant Razoo Qin-Fee took care of the boiler rifles that the members used, and he was always changing and upgrading them.
In the year 34 ABY, Kanjiklub members Tolomar Reez and Volzang Li-Thrull carried boiler rifles that had been modified with tibanna gas when they boarded the Baleen-class heavy freighter Eravana to get back a debt from the smuggler Han Solo. However, the rifles were not able to get through the skin of the deadly rathtars that the gang members ran into on board.
Boiler rifles made their first appearance in the 2015 sequel trilogy movie, Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. They were first given a name in Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary, which is a reference book that Pablo Hidalgo wrote along with the movie.