Re: [HOE] S&W Series 500 Sidearm

[Jason Young <jason_d_young@yahoo.com>]

--- Stephan Elsner <schnabul@yahoo.de> wrote:
> by the way: I never understood the damage values of handguns in the main
> rulebook. I once opened this topic on the listserv. Its strange that 9mm
> and
> .45 are both 3d6 and .38 only 2d6 (its nearly impossible to kill a
> brainer
> with one shot). .44 magnum and .50 are 4d6. I tried to get a system
> behind
> it for making new weapons, but I couldnīt get it. I made a few new stats
> of
> my own, but I feared they werenīnt balanced enough.

Disclaimer: I am not a ballistics expert.

The tricky thing about damage from firearms is that caliber doesn't tell
the whole story. The speed of the round has a big effect on its energy,
too, and the transfer of energy is what causes damage. Which is why AP
rounds striking a soft target don't do as much damage -- they tend to go
right through, carrying some of their energy with them.

(The energy of a flying piece of lead is 1/2mv^2, right? If the v's are
even a little different, the energy available to be transferred can vary
quite a bit.)

I honestly don't know about the muzzle velocities of 9mm vs. .45 vs. .38,
but that might tell you the rest of the story.

HTH,

Jason

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