The venerable Hunchback has been modifed many times in it's service life among the great houses. Few however, have bothered to change the AC/20 around which the design was built, that was until the 3rd Free Worlds Guards, now posted on a fairly hostile Capellan border in the wake of the Isis-Sun-Tsu split, began to face Capellan mechs with LB autocannons, especially Lao-Hus that provided a rude shock to the Guards on several occasions during raids on Berenson. Needless to say, the 3rd complained loudly to the LGAO, but got nowhere, that was until a consignment of advanced weaponry meant for the Gold Knights was misdirected to the 3rd...and the regimental Master Tech got an inspiration.

The Hunchback is, for most techs of some ability, an easy chassis to modify. As long as one doesn't meddle with the basic formula, the HBK can be made to fill a variety of roles.
   The 7M modification is no exception. A modification that derives from the stock 5M, the Mech's modifications are helped by the fact that the Free Worlds League is looking to modifying it's 'Mech force, easily one of the oldest (design wise) in the Inner Sphere with the technology to keep up. Therefore, many of the weapons systems come with standardized fittings and connectors to ease installation.
The ER Mediums fit into the mech with ample ease, but the Ultra AC/10 took some jury rigging, mostly of the mech's gyro-computer interface.(the lighter weapon caused some center of gravity issues) and of the targeting software (The targeting software refused to work with the "Plug and Play kits" that Impraetor said would work with 95% of the targeting software in the Inner Sphere)
   When all was said and done, the mech was an improvement over the old 5M, it could engage at longer ranges and had more ammunition (Ammuntion issues were key for most 5M pilots, and had been another major factor in the 3rd Guard's raves to the LGAO).
  

So far, the 7M's only engagement was in a raid three weeks after the first two mechs had been completed. A Liao battalion-strength raid hit the planet's southern continent looking to ransack the on-planet ore mines again. So far, the Mariks had come up second best against these Liao raids, who were well equipped with the latest designs, including the new 5L model of the Vindicator.
Thus far, the Liao VNDs had been content to pick apart the Marik Hunchbacks at range with their PPC and lasers, where there was precious little the HBK pilots could do about it.
This day, things changed, as the Liao Vindicators began to use the same tactic they always had, a curious thing happened, the Marik Hunchbacks shot back at ranges that no mere AC/20 should have been able to engage at, worse, it seemed to the Liaos that it was a virtual hail of shells was coming their way.
   By the time the pair of 7Ms were done, and the Liaos had been stopped short of the mine, they had racked up 4 kills between them, 3 of them VND-5Ls. It had been a rude awakening for the arrogant Capellans.

So far, as word of the engagement on Berenson spread, there are a dozen 7Ms, all with the 3rd Guards. But, with the news and the new notarity, several other units are clamoring to get their own 7Ms and Kali Yama is considering making the 7M a factory option for purchasers of the Hunchback.