This is a bit of a straw-man argument. There doesn't seem to be any shortage of clan weaponry as of 3145, I could just as easily say "there could be a lack of IS ER PPCs because they're so much less popular now that everyone can readily buy or build Clan spec versions." And there's also no actual cost difference between Clan and IS spec ER PPCs per the techmanual.
That does not make my statement any less of a valid point (to me).
If Clan spec gear is so abundant, why even design anything with inferior IS spec equipment in the first place? According to Techmanual there is no price difference between
any IS and Clan gear of the same name, so point me to the idiot who is selling Clan spec that cheap so my PCs may fleece them to the fullest extent.
If you're out in the field, you're not likely to have any IS weapon merchants on hand either, you're relying on salvage or what you brought (or stockpiles you have if you're defending) - as a result, you could just as easily end up with a shortage of anything if your procurement office didn't do their jobs or if the enemy doesn't have the weapons you happen to need to salvage.
But as you said, I do have my own stockpiles, and if I did not prepare properly, it will be me who suffers, deservedly so. IMO, anybody who is relying that heavily on salvaging what they need is either the luckiest person ever or just setting themselves up for disappointment if they never get it at all, or in the amounts they need.
Also, a potential lack of Clan weapons hasn't had any real impact on the designs in the TROs for the era we're discussing.
No offense to the OP, but if that is the case, why did this topic even come up? Obviously there is an impact on the designs if Clan spec stuff is so easily accessed, but anything is still designed with clearly inferior IS tech.