Making special ammunition

[Anders]

I assume you use Armoury to make special ammunition, but how difficult would it be? I can't find any rules for it - -1 or -2 per Cost Factor (rounded up)? For a quick-and-dirty system.

Also, why does Steve Jackson use the English spelling of Armoury?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Anders

I assume you use Armoury to make special ammunition, but how difficult would it be? I can't find any rules for it - -1 or -2 per Cost Factor (rounded up)? For a quick-and-dirty system.

From accounts of doing this with silver you can't make bullets out of pure silver at all without special equipment. You ahve to ahve a hotter fire and special molds. That's probably not a thing you can make up with higher expertise and/or a little Luck.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Anders

I assume you use Armoury to make special ammunition, but how difficult would it be? I can't find any rules for it - -1 or -2 per Cost Factor (rounded up)? For a quick-and-dirty system.

Also, why does Steve Jackson use the English spelling of Armoury?

I would actually suggest using Jeweler or whatever skill silversmiths have to make the actual slug, while Armoury would be what you use to mount it in the case (if it's cased ammo).

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Anders

I assume you use Armoury to make special ammunition, but how difficult would it be?

Not that hard, given correct tools and familiarity. See Horror, p.52, and High-Tech, p. 174.

[The Colonel]

I would also suspect that, given access to a CNC machine and the right model files, you could probably knock the bullets out without Armoury at all. Probably still need it to hand load them, but that shouldn't be any harder than loading any other kind of round.

[Refplace]

It recall depends on the round your making.
Solid slugs (or shot) would likely require Smith or Jeweler depending on the metal. Artist or carpentry for wooden slugs.
But I would require Armoury (yeah that spelling bugs me too) for complicated slugs like sabot APEP, HEI, APT, rounds and such.
Armoury to put the pieces together, you need to know the right amount of powder, how to use the tools, crimping machine, insert the primer without setting it off, etc. And of course gauging the whole thing so it fits properly.


So I would go with Armoury (firearms) and either buy or make the components with another skill as needed.

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by Anders

Also, why does Steve Jackson use the English spelling of Armoury?

Kromm has opined:

"Armoury" is the only word in standard GURPS jargon that, when checking spelling with Word, is absent from the English (United States) lexicon but present in the English (United Kingdom) lexicon. I know of no formal reason to use "armoury" in American English, so I would suppose that it was someone's preferred spelling back in the 1980s, left alone to avoid correcting dozens of documents.

[lwcamp]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

From accounts of doing this with silver you can't make bullets out of pure silver at all without special equipment. You ahve to ahve a hotter fire and special molds. That's probably not a thing you can make up with higher expertise and/or a little Luck.

Apparently you can lathe silver bullets as well - if you are willing to tolerate the loss of some silver to the shavings.

Luke

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by lwcamp

Apparently you can lathe silver bullets as well - if you are willing to tolerate the loss of some silver to the shavings.

Luke

You'd need some bullion of greater thickness than the desired diameter. Some silver (and gold) bars are not very thick.

I have to wonder every time this comes up "Why are people not simply loading chunks of silver into shotgun shells?".

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

You'd need some bullion of greater thickness than the desired diameter. Some silver (and gold) bars are not very thick.

I have to wonder every time this comes up "Why are people not simply loading chunks of silver into shotgun shells?".

Ballistics would be pretty bad if you didnt turn them into small chunks and preferably round ones.