Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Ryu Mori

What things can firearm users do then to improve their chances of hitting? I mean, I know you can Aim, but that doesn't stop the Dodge 14 character from dodging all the shots?

Use rapid fire weapons. The dodge 14 character only dodges an average of 3.5 hits, so if you get more hits than that you hit anyway.

[Exxar]

Originally Posted by Ryu Mori

Doesn't it say in the book that Dodge against a firearm isn't dodging the shots themselves? But avoiding where you -think- is going to be shot and that you need some kind of cover within range to actually dodge behind?

I think it does. But I don't remember seeing anywhere that it is impossible to dodge against a fiream when it's already pointed right at you, and the attacker only needs to pull the trigger.

[Hannes665]

Pistol. - Sig 226 or any other in that family in the .357 sig caliber with a laser sight getting +1 to hit. Nice round that does decent damage close up.
Back up I would take Walther PPk in .380 ACP only because it is a nice looking gun, easy to hide and very accurate at close range (in real life I am told :) ).

For accurate training for a "bond" type agen I would take the Fast Draw skill, then use the first turn to aim and brace the pistol getting the acc bonus +1 for bracing.

Longarm. - Some thing like the M4 or G36K would be nice all around. For medium to long range I would like some thing like the G3A4 with a scope.
Also I would like to get the Longarm with a laser sight and scope, the G36 already has one, x1.5 for export but x3.0 for the German army version.

HandToHand - Good combat knife like the Fairbairn Combat knife or KBar.

Armour - For stealth and undercover concealable Kevlar vest. In the "Open" I would get myself nice Tactical vest with plates.

On other notes... Ammo. If your GM allows it I would get both AP and HP ammo for your guns. Some guns need some tweeking to feed HP ammo or any non-conventional ammo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_ppk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G36 http://www.hkpro.com/g36c.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:G3ka4.gif
http://www.jpfo.org/kbar.jpg http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/BokerAF-01.jpg

[Icelander]

You want the weapons you choose to have some sort of theme or add something to the characterisation of the PC who selects them or the agency that issues them. Realistically speaking, the weapons used would usually be determined by what would pass unnoticed in the operating area. Witness CIA SAD agents infiltrating into Afghanistan armed with East German AK-47s.

If I had to equip a character such as you are describing in your post, I would go with the following:

Longarm for typical infantry ranges: A H&K G36K* with with an AG-36 grenade launcher, an after-market reflex sight with a tritium dot and good parallax compensation (don’t know if a EOTech HWS would fit, but if it does, it’s great) and the 3.0x scope. Attach a night vision scope (AN/PVS-22 UNS is my recommendation) to the 3.0x, try to fit a laser sight and a flashlight on there and you are golden. If it's possible to replace the standard 3.0x sight with a Horus Vision TALON 1-4x24mm, by all means do so.

Of course, with all this gear, it’s no longer a very small and concealable weapon, but at least you can assemble it AFTER you pretend to be just another backpacking tourist/ climb the cliff/swim the river. ;)

*If you want more stopping power and longer range, you want to use the full-size G36. I only put the carbine here because spies often have to put up with sacrificing performance for the ability to smuggle a weapon into places it’s not supposed to be.

For this tactical role, you might also want to look at the HK 416 and FN SCAR, both of which look interesting but have still not been used enough in the field for there to be enough data available on their performance.

Longarm for a mix of ranges: A H&K G3KA4 with Horus Vision TALON scope and a laser sight. AN/PVS-22 UNS for night operations.

Longarm for medium-to-long ranges:A H&K G3SG/1 with a Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10x40mm Tactical scope w/MilDot reticle and a Parker Hale or Harris bipod.

Longarm for CQB where overpenetration is a problem or stealth is an issue: H&K UMP chambered for .40 S&W with a HWS sight, SureFire light and a laser sight. Load it with Glaser safety rounds and aim for the head. H&K makes a pretty good surpressor for it as well.

Sidearm for CQB: H&K MP7 with integral reflex sight and laser sight. Can’t be beat for small size but decent firepower. Don’t expect one shot stops, though.

Tactical sidearm: H&K USP Tactical in .40 S&W. Threaded for a surpressor, reliable and good ammunition capacity.

Carry sidearm: H&K USP Compact in .40 S&W. See above, smaller and more concealable. If you need it to be threaded for a surpressor, go with the new USP45 CT.

Why are all the weapons H&K designs? The agency has an understanding with them, of course... ;)

There are also fine weapons for some of the roles mentioned above by SIG-SAUER, Walther, Fabrique Nationale and others.

Bonus weapons;

Backup sidearm or very concealable pistol: Walther P7M8 if you can live with a 9mm, a GLOCK 27 in .40 S&W if you cannot.

Sniper rifle, general: AR-10 chambered for .300 RSAUM with a Horus Vision 4-16x scope with H25 reticle and a Parker Hale or Harris bipod.

Sniper rifle, anti-material-light: Artic Warfare .338 Lapua Magnum w/Parker Hale or Harris bipod and the Horus Vision 4-16x scope.

Sniper rifle, anti-material-heavy: Barret M-107 (this rifle is actually semi-automatic and derived from the M82A1 and not a bolt-action copy of the Model 95 as GURPS Modern Firepower would have you believe) in .50 BMG w/Parker Hale or Harris bipod and the Horus Vision 4-16x scope.

Tactical wear;

Undercover ballistics vest: You want a vest tailored to your character if you are going to conceal it. Preferably made out of Dyneema/Spectra.

Tactical vest: Dragon Skin is used by the Secret Service, which is a point in its favour. It was not approved for military use, however. I'd suggest using either it or a more conventional Spectra suit with ceramic plates, depending on the breaks.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Hannes665

Pistol. - Sig 226 or any other in that family in the .357 sig caliber with a laser sight getting +1 to hit. Nice round that does decent damage close up.
Back up I would take Walther PPk in .380 ACP only because it is a nice looking gun, easy to hide and very accurate at close range (in real life I am told :) ).

For accurate training for a "bond" type agen I would take the Fast Draw skill, then use the first turn to aim and brace the pistol getting the acc bonus +1 for bracing.

Longarm. - Some thing like the M4 or G36K would be nice all around. For medium to long range I would like some thing like the G3A4 with a scope.
Also I would like to get the Longarm with a laser sight and scope, the G36 already has one, x1.5 for export but x3.0 for the German army version.

HandToHand - Good combat knife like the Fairbairn Combat knife or KBar.

Armour - For stealth and undercover concealable Kevlar vest. In the "Open" I would get myself nice Tactical vest with plates.

On other notes... Ammo. If your GM allows it I would get both AP and HP ammo for your guns. Some guns need some tweeking to feed HP ammo or any non-conventional ammo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_ppk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G36 http://www.hkpro.com/g36c.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:G3ka4.gif
http://www.jpfo.org/kbar.jpg http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/BokerAF-01.jpg

Nice choices.

The Walther PPK is a bit outdated, as well as firing a tiny little round. I'd suggest Kahr Arms MK40 or maybe the S&W ASP, if you don't like my suggestions above.

I think that .357 SIG is a fine round, but GURPS stats for it are frankly a bit disappointing. You're better of using .40 S&W if your GM is unwilling to houserule a bit, because otherwise, your .357 SIG will be less effective than a normal 9mm. ;)

[ed_209a]

If you are being truly Bondish, it will be hard to beat a S&W ASP.

Come to think of it, a good facility can ASP-ize nearly any compact handgun.

If being more realistic, something dirt-common in the target area. Have your Q-Branch armorers go over it to make it the best it can be. (ie fine or VFine)

That would also work for just about anything covert. A century-series AK with the roughed up furniture of an old AKM will go unnoticed in most of the world's hotspots.

[ed_209a]

To expand a bit, I'll throw out some catagories from Spec Ops 2E...

Overt operation - Target knows the op happened, and who sponsored it.
Covert operation - Target knows the op happened, But not who sponsored it.
Clandestine operation - Target doesn't know the op happened.

I am guessing this corresponds to The Colonel's "White/Grey/Black".

Unless your org is really strapped for resources, you can probably name the loadout on a mission by mission basis. And you probably need to.

For example, clandestine urban espionage, you probably won't carry a firearm at all, and maybe not even a knife.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by ed_209a

For example, clandestine urban espionage, you probably won't carry a firearm at all, and maybe not even a knife.

THAT makes players really nervous.

Try telling them that they won't need guns. It's like telling 5-year-olds that they don't really need their toys. ;)

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

a silent weapon like a DeLisle

Or a modern custom built AR-15 type carbine, fring something like the .300 Whisper.

Personally, I would go for a heavier caliber, but is IS easier to convert this way.

The primary silent weapon in my covert operations campaign is a UMP chambered for a new cartridge designated the .45 SACP. It's designed like the 7.62x36mm, in that the firing gases are trapped inside the case.

The UMP being a blowback weapon, this necessiates putting a slide lock on it and converting it to a manual action fire-arm, but that only helps surpress noise.

Originally Posted by The Colonel

(or MP5SD, which would drag in my last suggestion)

From what I hear, there are several surpressors available which are much more effective than the integral one on this MP5SD.

Originally Posted by The Colonel

or a sniper rifle (chose bolt or semi auto, choose common & deniable over quality).

I'd say for most real world scenarios where the sniper is working alone, he would want a semi-automatic rifle.

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Handguns - why not a Sig indeed. Glocks are good as well. The M1911 and its decendants (the SOCOM pistol for example) are also quite good,

The pistol known as the SOCOM pistol is a HK Mk 23 pistol based on the USP action. You are referring to the fact that both 1st SFOD-D and MCSOCOM Det-1 use modified Colt M1911s. Delta allows operators to buy their own (most buy from Wilson Combat) and Det-1 has their own design called MEU SOC and has recently bought from Kimber to make up shortfalls.

Originally Posted by The Colonel

or if you like one handed artillery the IMI Desert Eagles are useful (or some of the Colt magnum revolvers, which have the advantage of being hard to break, especially in the stainless steel models).

I would not recommend IMI Desert Eagles for any realistic operative.

The campaign would have to be cinematic for that to make sense.

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Not good on WarPAc handguns.

Two of the most common are the PSM (in 5.45x18mm) and the Makarov PM (in 9x18mm). Both are mediocre as manstoppers (at best).

New and interesting guns include the Gyurza /Vector SR-1 (in 9x21mm) and the PYa "Pistolet Yarygina" (in 9x19mm Parabellum).

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Try telling them that they won't need guns. It's like telling 5-year-olds that they don't really need their toys. ;)

You're not telling them that they don't need guns. You're telling them that they aren't supposed to carry guns. While plenty of ops exist where guns aren't needed, most of them are boring and thus aren't actually roleplayed.