The
PCs in
my game are trapped in an isolated hunting cabin. There are a lot of guns around, but most of them are hunting weapons meant for predator hunting of coyotes or foxes.
Now, the PCs have been attacked by some very scary creatures; among them what might have been a man, but one impervious to pain or fear, as well as ravenous, emaciated coyotes, wolves and monstrous bear-like figures. They've managed to put down the first wave of attackers, but two PCs are seriously wounded and one of them is almost dead on her feet from exhaustion and self-inflicted bleeding during a protective ritual. Add to that several wounded NPCs and one who might be bleeding to death.
In the course of two firefights, the PCs have used up a lot of their law enforcement issue ammunition. They have some 9x19mm, .357 Magnum and .38 Special rounds remaining for pistols, but they've learned that pistols are a poor choice against foes that seem to continue attacking until decisively stopped with massive trauma. Heart-lung or brain shots
do seem to work, but on anything bigger than coyotes, a rifle round placed there is more reliable than a pistol shot.
Unfortunately, the PCs didn't bring a huge supply* of MILSPEC M193 5.56x45mm FMJ ammunition for the Colt Commando that Special Agent Ledoux carried in his trunk. They also have some buckshot for their Remington 870 and 16 slugs, 6 of them of whatever brand that the FBI was most likely to issue in 1988 and 10 of them whatever brand was most commonly commercially available for deerhunters.
Most of the copious ammunition supply available to the PCs and the various NPCs in the cabin is meant for predator hunting, i.e. shooting foxes, bobcats and coyotes. There is a limited supply of ammunition meant for a chance at the occasional wolf and some odds and ends remaining from deer season.**
The vast majority of the weapons and ammunition, however, are meant to take down targets weighing 30 lbs. or less without damaging the pelt too much. As such, most of the shotgun ammunition is turkey shot or similar and there are a lot of guns in the following calibers:
.22 LR (32 grain CCI Stinger: Dmg 1d+2 pi- (0.7 WCM))
.22 WMR (40 grain HP: Dmg 2d+2 pi- (0.7 WCM))
.22 Hornet (40 grain JSP: Dmg 3d+2 pi- (0.7 WCM); 40 grain JHP: 3d-1 pi)
.223 Remington, 20-inch barrel (40 grain JHP: Dmg 3d+2(0.5) pi; 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip or JSP: Dmg 4d+1 pi)
.243 Winchester (80 grain JSP: Dmg 4d+2 pi+ (1.2 WCM))
There are also speciality weapons chambered for the following:
.17 Remington (25 grain JHP: Dmg 3d+2 pi- (0.7 WCM))
.22-250 Remington (55 grain JSP: Dmg 5d+1 pi)
.221 Remington Fireball, 14-inch barrel (45 grain JSP: Dmg 3d+2 pi)
The .223 Remington loads mostly consist of 40-55 grain bullets, generally hollow-point, soft-point or otherwise designed to expand rather than fragment and tumble. This would probably mean lower Dmg than military or deer loads.
I haven't had much success in researching what varmint/fur-friendly loads were commercially available in 1988, but I expect that absent various high-tech, low-drag bonded bullet designs, the most practical designs would have been low weight JSP and JHP bullets.
I know that Nosler Ballistic Tip 40 grain bullets date to the mid-1980s and so would be available.
For calibers and loads which haven't been statted in GURPS, I'm using Douglas Cole's spreadsheet to model the penetration and wound channel modifier. I'd like to model the different performance of Jacketed Hollow Point and Jacketed Soft Point loads from typical FMJ rounds, even if I have to use different Dmg numbers for the same weapon.
Now, what stats ought I assign those above calibers?
And how should I modify Dmg and Wound Channel Modifier for light, expanding rifle bullets of around .22 caliber?
It seems that .223 Remington loads in 40-45 grains often penetrate only 6 inches or so in flesh, which is good for sparing fur an exit wound, but bad for PCs hoping to use this ammunition against monstrous bear-things.
Would it be unreasonable to give the lightest, best expanding .223 Remington loads stats like Dmg 3d pi+? Or are all .223 Remington loads more powerful than that and this performance should be benchmarked for .22 Hornet rounds instead?
*Though he does have 4 20-rd magazines of it.
**There is a decent amount of .270 Winchester ammunition and some .30-06, two high quality hunting rifles in .270 Weatherby Magnum and .300 Weatherby Magnum are stored there with a box of expanding hunting ammunition for each, and someone brought his Marlin 336 in .35 Remington and a half-full box of soft point ammunition.