Reality Check is a new, irregularly appearing column dedicated to giving you what you need to make your games more realistic. We'll try to dispel myths, and give you the lowdown on everything from armor-piercing rounds, to castle construction, to superluminal travel… because someone has to set the record straight. If there's a topic you'd like us to cover, drop us a line at shadis2@aol.com or send us some snail mail. This month, our resident shootist (Matt Staroscik) takes a long hard look at heaters.
It's time to set the record straight on more than a few things, which is why we're running Reality Check. The first topic we'll put our sights on is the wide, wide world of guns. We can't cover everything in one page but we'll try to give you the basics and then give you some ideas on what it all means to your games.
How They Work
All modern firearms operates on the same basic principle. A cylindrical case (usually brass) holds a quantity of gunpowder. A bullet is crammed into the top of the case, where it makes a tight seal. The other end of the case has a small hole, where a primer is inserted. This assembly of powder, case, bullet, and primer — called a cartridge, not a bullet — is what is loaded into the firing chamber of a weapon. (We'll talk about caseless ammo and energy weapons some other time, I promise.)
The user pulls the trigger, which causes a firing pin to sharply strike the primer. The primer is a tiny metal button filled with a shock-sensitive explosive, like mercury fulminate. When the firing pin hits it, it cases a tiny explosion, and the gasses are vented up into the case, where the gunpowder is. The gunpowder ignites, and because it's confined, another explosion results. The gases from the burning gunpowder expand rapidly and the bullet is forced out of the barrel at a very high speed.
Once the bullet is on its merry way, things start to get complicated. If the recoil or gases from firing are used to work a mechanism that kicks out the empty case and loads another one, you've got a semiautomatic weapon. It'll fire each time you pull the trigger. When it's out of ammo, you put in a fresh magazine. A fully automatic weapon will not only load a new cartridge for you, it'll fire it too if you keep the trigger down. Most states will not let you own a fully-automatic weapon. Weapons that can switch from semiauto to fully auto are called select-fire. Some even have a 2 or 3-round burst option.
Simpler firearms will require the user to work a pump or lever to pop out the spent cartridge and chamber a fresh one — you've seen Arnie in Terminator 2 do this. Most shotguns work this way, though there are semi- and fully-automatic ones. Someone with a good semi-auto shotgun can empty the magazine before the first empty shell has hit the ground! Pistols work the same way. Some are semi-automatic, with 10-30 round detachable magazines, like Bruce Willis' Beretta 9mm in the Die Hard movies. (There are fully-automatic versions of some pistols, too.) Others are revolvers, which hold about 5-9 shots (depending on the caliber). Each time you squeeze the trigger, the cylinder rotates to bring another cartridge into firing position. Revolvers are unique in that the "magazine" (the cylinder) is also the firing chamber.
Let's Kill Off Some Myths
Movies and TV shows are rife with things that simply Don't Happen, or Don't Happen Often. Let's look at some.
1. Guns go off when you drop them. Well, OK, it can happen. It is in fact quite possible with shotguns, old bolt-action rifles, revolvers, and older semiauto pistols – if there's a round chambered. However, most modern semiauto pistols, like S&Ws, Glocks, HKs, and SIG-Sauers don't have this problem. Due to how they're constructed, unless you've pulled the trigger, they simply can't discharge. These kind of weapons are called "drop-safe." If you're playing a sci-fi game, its safe to assume that virtually all firearms (except revolvers) are drop-safe. If you're playing a modern-day game, well, carry your revolver with an empty chamber under the hammer. You have been warned.
2. Your gun is gonna jam. Again, it can happen. But as the years march on, guns get more reliable. If your players have cheap guns, let 'em jam like it says in whatever rules you use. But if they go out of their way to buy really nice guns, jams should be extremely rare, unless the gun is dirty, damaged, or firing questionable ammo. Incidently, bad technique, like they're holding their guns sideways like you see on TV today or not keeping your wrist stiff, can also cause jams in semiautomatic pistols.
In the old days, jams were a lot more common. The Call of Cthulhu 1920s rules have it about right. But cut 'em some slack nowadays.
3. Firing while underwater is a really good idea. It's a really bad idea. Water is almost incompressible. When all that water tries to get out of the way of a bullet coming down the barrel, you get problems. The barrel can get a bulge and it might even explode. Best case: damaged gun. Worst case: damaged or dead user.
4. This Honda will provide excellent conver! Wrong. The thin sheet metal and plastic car doors are made of today offers little protection against gunfire. The same goes for most interior walls and office furniture. They'll help soak up small-caliber pistol fire, but if anyone's shotgun slugs or assault rifle rounds head your way, you better get behind the engine.
5. Gunshot wounds fling you across the room. Another Hollywood-ism, this. You can get knocked down or spun around from a hit, but you won't get launched through the air.
6. Bulletproof vests. Inexpensive Kevlar vests are only good at stopping handgun and light rifle rounds and the impact will take you down gasping. Anything beyond a .44mag. will punch through cheap armor...You have been warned. Until next time, good gaming…
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