From:	"Bruce H. Nagel" <NAGELBH@******.ACS.MUOHIO.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Heavy pistol damage
Date:	Tue, 8 Jul 1997 21:02:13 -0500

You wrote:
> Yeah, but since in SR anyone can pick up and use a heavy pistol, I don't
> figure them as being _too_ powerful. My wife didn't like 9mm, but was
> able to shoot it and .45 without difficulty: she had real trouble with
> .357 and heavier rounds.
I've had char's who refused to pack heavies (or even any firearm at all)
because their player didn't figure they could handle shooting much. But not
everyone is gifted with such characters. Ever ask a STR3 PC how they handle
the kick from their Ares Predator? Do we *need* a rule to tell people 'hey,
don't use this unless you have a STR of X.'? I didn't think so, but I may be
outvoted in this. Some common sense is better than more rules.

> I see the "light pistols" as being the .32s and .380s of this world (of
> which there are a surprising number, as a flip through Gun Digest will
> show) while the heavies are 9mm, .40cal, .45ACP and maybe .357 Magnum.
> The heavier calibres are speciality items, the 10M rounds like the Ruger
> Super Warhawk.

> Having fired a .44 Desert Eagle, I'd say it was neither readily
> concealable, nor particularly well-suited to most shooters: at 6' 2" and
> 160lb, I found it quite a handful.
And where do you fall in the SR strength scale?

> High velocity with a well-designed hollowpoint, on the other hand, will
> do a hell of a lot more damage than a low-velocity round. .357 Magnum
> presents as more effective as a stopper than .45ACP, according to a
> study I read a summary of a while back (might have been Marshall and
> Sanow?)
Yup. Look at 1st ed Cyberpunk, I like their take on damage categories (the 2nd
ed of that game less so).

> .45ACP and 9mm are about even in effectiveness, with proper bullet
> selection: a lot of complaints about ineffective 9mm are due to using
> FMJ ammo or poorly-designed hollowpoints, at which point the round
> overpenetrates badly.

> Wound ballistics is an extremely complex, and rather gruesome,
> subject...
Yeah, but some of us like that sort of thing in our games. Remember my
fascination with good old-fashined gritty SR games in the cyberpunk flavor.

losthalo