Xcordon Gauss Cannon
To second-rate states, gauss weapons weren't considered high technology. They worked on age-old principles and their performance straightforwardly scaled with their material composition and power supply.
A gauss weapon made of stronger materials was capable of withstanding much more forces. The stresses put on a gauss rifle capable of penetrating second-class armor systems was very considerable!
If a weak gauss weapon was forced to fire something more powerful than it could handle, then it would quickly blow up in the wielder's face!
Gauss weapons were considered kinetic weapons, which meant they mainly dealt damage by flinging a solid projectile at a target as fast as possible.
The mass of the projectile and the energy spent in propelling it forward determined how much damage the weapon inflicted.
There was a bit of room for flexibility due to these relationships!