The development of regenerative phasers which can also operate within energy-hostile environments made the TR-116 obsolete, and Starfleet dropped the program as soon as they were confident of its replacement. For some years the design remained merely a forgotten replicator pattern, but in 2375 a modified TR-116 was used to commit three murders on board Deep Space Nine.

The altered weapon included two major changes. First, it was fitted with a microtransporter; when the bullet was fired the transporter beamed it to within less than 10 centimetres of the target. By using an exographic targeting sensor the killer was able to scan through many layers of bulkheads, allowing the TR-116 to be fired through walls or flooring. Chief O'Brien reproduced these alterations on another TR-116, which Lieutenant Dax subsequently used to find and capture the murderer. Operating the weapon is simplicity itself; the targeting scanner is located on the rifle, transmitting its viewpoint to a headset worn by the user. A simple thumb control moves the viewpoint forwards and backwards, allowing it to pass through walls as needed. The targeting graphic cues the user to fire whenever a target is in the line of fire.

Some thought has been given to producing the modified TR-116 as a field weapon, but while the displaced targeting system is ingenious the basic limitations of a projectile weapon remain. Since phaser beams can be transported on the way to the target much as bullets can, displaced firing is likely to become a feature of phaser weapons in the future.