[Tomsdad]

Right given my last post was long one I thought I'd split few things off.

.22LR really isn't good execution round through the skull. Your cold war era KGB executer is more likely to be using something like the Izhmekh PM, 9x18mm Makarov at 2d pi and an average hit on the dissident's skull is a HT roll vs. instant death. It has roughly the same velocity but more mass and is a more energetic round then the .22LR.


Skull hits and through and though. Right OK yes obviously a fast/energetic enough round will go all the way through a skull and out the other side.

However skull hits is one of the few areas were hydrostatic pressure is actually a significant aspect of damage in the human body. Soft tissue contained within a hard, rigid case. Any bullet that has enough energy to go in through and out a skull will also put a lot of energy into the brain. The brain is not very resistant to that energy, and we are not very resistant to damage to our brains. So yes larger more energetic bullet going all the way through (and not fragmenting or rebounding around) is very capable of scrambling the brain due to this, and thus killing us. The softness of brain tissue and lack of hard objects within the brain also reduce chances for fragmentation


But obviously in same cases bullet travel through and out the body having failed to leave all their energy inside. This is covered by over penetration rules*. These rules don't apply to vitals, skull, veins & arteries and neck hits. Generally because damage to these areas are pretty serious and not just about wound channel size. But again the actual game effects are a mix of different knockdown penalties, location wound multipliers and penalties to bleeding. for instance as above the skull/brain comes with x4 injury multiplier that replaced the attacks injury mod. Veins & arteries add another 0.5 to weapons injury mod, but come with an extra -3 or -4 on bleeding, etc, etc.


Your basic point about larger bullets don't do more damage then smaller ones, is really too abstract to accept. It's subject to so many variables. Yes a .22 through the eye will do more damage than .45 through the hand, but which is the deciding factor the bullet diameter or wound location? (this is obviously an extreme comparison, but really you'll find variables in most comparisons).

Out of roughly similar hand guns the faster but smaller 9mm (2d+2 pi) will penetrate further but leave a smaller wound channel (pi) than the larger slower .45 (2d pi+)

Just on those ratings on average they are pretty equal the 9mm will do average a 9pt injury, the .45 will do 10pt.

But which is better will depend on the specific situation more than just those ratings. (EDIT: Just to quickly point out I consider the 9mm vs .45 to be closer comparison than the .22 to either of these)
*and by reducing injury mods, having an armour divisor etc.