[Icelander]

On the subject of loading pistols similar to muzzleloading wheelock, flintlock or percussion cap military and naval pistols with a heavier charge than one which yields 300-700 fps* velocity, I wondered whether I could use higher tech firearms as a guide to MinST and Rcl.

After all, x grains of projectile accelerated at velocity y is the same no matter what your propellant is and I don't know that the shape of your projectile should affect Newton's equal and opposite reaction.

On the other hand, I don't know if propellant burn rate, projectile shape or the design of the gun have a major impact on the felt recoil that I should be factoring in. I know that the GURPS stats for semi-automatic firearms often assign a lower MinST and Rcl than for revolvers or single shot weapons of the same chambering and weight, as the working of the action reduces the felt recoil.

So, should muzzeloading single-shot pistols have the same MinST and Rcl as black powder revolvers with similar weights firing loads of the same weight and velocity? Can I use Frontier Colts, Lancaster Howdahs and Tranters as a benchmarks for the recoil impulse of heavily charged muzzleloading pistols firing round balls, assigning the same MinST and Rcl as long as the momentum and energy are similar?

What about semi-automatics? Does the Desert Eagle .50 AE have lower MinST and Rcl than a similarly powered chambering would have in a single-shot muzzleloader, because of the gas-powered action?

*The velocities that I got for the examples in High-Tech and Low-Tech when I plugged them into Doug Cole's spreadsheet and got the listed damage. Most were around 350-500 fps.