Post-Apocalypse Firearms

[Sam Baughn]

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.22 LR

Not really suitable for reloading, so probably only going to be encountered as pre-collapse ammunition. Was originally a black powder cartridge so if you did reload it with BP, not much difference (around a 15% drop in velocity, which is barely -1 damage).

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.223 Remington

Probably not a good candidate for loading with BP. Suffers from failure to tumble and fragment even just shooting it from a short barrel. Probably -1 dice of damage and reduce damage type to pi-.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.30-30 Winchester
.30-06
.303
.308

All standard SP rounds. Reduce damage by about 30% - the -1 damage per dice formula works fine here (lump 4 points together to form 1 dice, 7 points to form 2 dice), giving 2 dice less damage for most of these.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.38 Special

Originally a BP round, doesn't suffer much from going back to it; -1 damage maybe.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.357 Magnum

This loading effectively doesn't exist without modern propellants; it's just a .38 special fully loaded with smokeless powder.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.40 S&W

Not much spare space in this cartridge; at least -3 to damage if loaded with BP.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.44 Magnum

-1 damage per dice works fine for this.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.44-40

Originally a black powder round, didn't really get much more powerful with smokeless powder (they just used a lot less), so probably little change in stats; -1 damage at most. Any write up of pre-1895 guns probably used the BP round anyway.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.45 ACP

Probably ends up somewhere around 1d+2 pi.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

.455 Webley

Originally a BP round, but the cordite version had a slightly smaller case volume. Probably -1 damage overall.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

9x19mm

Probably reduced to around 2d-1.

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

Edit: and what would be negative impact be for those guns using post ammo?

Probably drop the Malf. numbers to TL 5 levels as a general rule.

[Minuteman37]

Originally Posted by Perfect Organism

Not really suitable for reloading, so probably only going to be encountered as pre-collapse ammunition. Was originally a black powder cartridge so if you did reload it with BP, not much difference (around a 15% drop in velocity, which is barely -1 damage).

Probably not a good candidate for loading with BP. Suffers from failure to tumble and fragment even just shooting it from a short barrel. Probably -1 dice of damage and reduce damage type to pi-.

All standard SP rounds. Reduce damage by about 30% - the -1 damage per dice formula works fine here (lump 4 points together to form 1 dice, 7 points to form 2 dice), giving 2 dice less damage for most of these.

Originally a BP round, doesn't suffer much from going back to it; -1 damage maybe.

This loading effectively doesn't exist without modern propellants; it's just a .38 special fully loaded with smokeless powder.

Not much spare space in this cartridge; at least -3 to damage if loaded with BP.

-1 damage per dice works fine for this.

Originally a black powder round, didn't really get much more powerful with smokeless powder (they just used a lot less), so probably little change in stats; -1 damage at most. Any write up of pre-1895 guns probably used the BP round anyway.

Probably ends up somewhere around 1d+2 pi.

Originally a BP round, but the cordite version had a slightly smaller case volume. Probably -1 damage overall.

Probably reduced to around 2d-1.

Probably drop the Malf. numbers to TL 5 levels as a general rule.

Thanks for the breakdown perfect, I've change the weapon stats around to mimic what you and the others have suggested and added the difference to the pre ammo to reinforces the idea that pre-ammo is a luxury and should be used carefully. Now all I have to do is ajust the item prices and add some armor and misc goods.

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

Originally Posted by pzachary

. . . The S+W model 1917 was a stopgap revolver used by the allies during WWI. It used standard .45ACP ammo in a clip so it went in and came out as one lump. This made it about as powerful and fast to use as a 1911, the DA trigger will detract from accuracy a bit at longer ranges . . . http://poconoshooting.com/blackpowderballistics.html

I knew a guy who let me fire a Brazilian model (made c. 1937) S&W 1917.

Good double action pull (often hand fitted parts); very good single action pull if you worry about long range accuracy.

[Minuteman37]

Hay sense this come back to the first page I mine as well ask Perfect Organism what the effects of loading 7.62x39mm with black power would be.