RE: [DL] Gunsmithing and PC's making guns

["Ashman, Joel" <jea2@c-cor.com>]

A Ghost rock revolver (for example) would have one major advantage over a
standard revolver.  It could handle more powerful rounds, Magnums Loads, if
you like.  The major limitation of the late 1800's weapons was cylinder
strength.  If a round was loaded too 'hot,' the cylinder would rupture,
injuring the shooter.  This is still a concern today, but modern science has
this process keeping safe chamber pressures down to, well, a science.  The
Collegium has rules for Magnum loads, but I haven't really looked them over
yet.

The lightness of the GR revolver would actually hamper a shooter when using
a hotter load.  It would cause significantly more recoil, and the shooter
would suffer penalties to successive shots (if their strength wasn't high
enough?).  But, the frame of the revolver WOULD have to be made of GR or
else the frame could crack under the strain of the new loads after X number
of rounds.  This would render the gun useless.  This could manifest itself
as a -1 to reliability for every 25 rounds fired, or so.

Since the lightness of a weapon was not really a major concern at that time,
artificial weight could be added to the barrel to help alleviate the effects
of recoil.  Today's competition shooters have barrel weights for stability.
The reason weight is an issue today is for Concealed Carry.  A lighter,
smaller handgun is desired for its inconspicuous profile to both the viewer
and the wearer.  Since guns were carried openly in most areas in the west,
this wasn't an issue.  Besides, there was always the Derringer for those who
wanted to hide their guns.

Therefore, I think anyone with Blacksmithing (or Metallurgy), Gunsmithing
(and Tinkering?) could make a GR weapon, provided they could get their hands
on some premade GR Steel.  They'd also need Woodworking if they wanted to
make the handles or stock. 

As for time, it would talk a long time to make a single firearm, somewhere
like 6 months, if the person is starting from scratch, and doesn't have a
real machine shop, like Colt or Browning would have.

--Joel




-----Original Message-----
From: NsideYerHead@aol.com [mailto:NsideYerHead@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 3:11 AM
To: deadlands@gamerz.net
Subject: Re: [DL] Gunsmithing and PC's making guns


Ok wait, so if powdered ghost rock is used in making ghost steel, which 
technically gives it a possibility of being mystical *don't have S&R anymore

can't remember the whole deal* then how come a plain pistol made from ghost 
steel ala Law Dogs dosen't have any properties other than being light, and 
strong and no rel factor?


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