One of the interesting things I came across while researching rifles for my Morrow Project game was two possible chamberings for AR15 style rifles.
The .458 SOCOM and the .50 Beowulf. Both of these are extreme attempts to improve the stopping power of the M16 rifles by in effect turning the ballistic design on its head. Large heavy bullets moving at slower speeds instead of the original's small and fast bullet.
It's basically a return to old school, the .458 SOCOM for example is very much like (i.e. in effectiveness, not techology) the .45-70 used in the old Springfield Trapdoors seen back in the days of the Old West. Making it a concept over a 130 years old!
For a semi-auto rifle, I actually want one of these in real life. The sheer stopping power would be highly impressive and would remain, especially so for the 'Assault Rifle' ranges out to 400 yards. And I should be able to manage the recoil.
The drawback is a heavy reduction in amount of ammo carried. A M16 style 30-round mag for example drops to 12 rounds for the Beowulf and 15 for the SOCOM.
Also auto/burst fire with these may be something of an experience, thus I would think one should leave the selector set to semi. That may not be all that bad of a deal, because if you run into something that can take one of these and keep coming I doubt three rounds of a lesser weapon would fair any better...
The last disadvantage is that of range, while the .45-70 has proven it can be a 1000 yard rifle (these new shells have not, but have the potential from the specs given)- it is a slow reach across that 1000 yards. The arc is extreme, and the travel time long meaning that it is much more subject to changing conditions and requires better shooting skills than faster, more level traveling bullets.
The increased ammo weight and reduction in mag sizes was the final reason I passed on these for the Project, but they look to just be fun. Maybe I can fit one of them in as a specialized loadout...
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I had a big discussion about the Beowulf and Grendal rounds with a friend a few months ago. I came to basically the same conclusion as you did, though my friend was contending that you could go fully auto with the Beowulf, but I can't see it unless you've got the gun mounted to something.
It should be quite possible to fire it on full auto, after all one can manage it with a M14 using the 7.62x51mm NATO.
Do it and do it in controlled useful manner however are two different things, especially given the light weight of the AR15 style rifle.
Plus I'd have to wonder why, given the small magazine size you'd want to...
Just wondering - what do you think about a battery with maximized common ammunition?
For example - you could use a 9MM parabellum/.40 SW/.45 ACP with a pistol and pistol/caliber carbine. Or, you could use a .357 revolver, carbine, and .38 special snubbie.
Both options lack the punch of a "real" rifle but 9MM ammo is likely widely available, the rounds are very lightweight, and logistics are greatly simplified. The pistol caliber carbines are perfectly effective against two legged predators, or the .357 with a hot load is pretty good against four legged animals too.
Those are some crazy rifles, too...
That's the thing... Hardkore applies a recoil penalty cumulative for every round fired until a second is taken to steady the weapon (combat is second-by-second) so when I see a -7 or -8 recoil penalty to hit associated the weapon compared to your basic M60 which has at most a -2 I think to myself that is a weapon that you're not going to hit anything with on the third round of a fully auto burst...
@TJ: I considered that type of mix (pistol and carbine or SMG with pistol ammo) early in the mix.
With the 'smaller' ammo (9mm or .45) very little is gained from longer barrel lengths as far as the effective of the rounds although the weapon becomes easier to fire from a user's PoV.
Additionally those aren't suited for long range (100 yards or less for the most part) and would seriously lack the power needed for non-human targets (such as those left over from my background's alien invasion).
Things get better with the .357 Mag, .38 super, 10mm, or .44 Mag - but the weight gain is becoming limited, the handgun version unpleasant for many people to fire, and they still aren't as effective as rifle ammo while dealing with all that.
So I passed on the concept.
One advantage of the pistol caliber route for gaming is that it deliberately underguns the team. Say they each have a sidearm and a pistol caliber carbine; the designated "fighting types" may have something heavier, chambered in a weird caliber that ammo is hard to find.
One of the team's short to mid-term goals might be to fight their way to something better before their limited stock of hard to find ammo runs out. Whether that be taking weapons from the corpses of other slain survivors, looting a pre-war armory, or finding a project Cache. You don't want them to start with everything they need. ;)
I like the idea of tempting your players with an up-gun option, for which ammunition is difficult to find. If your players are motivated by more dakka, they will willingly turn the search for more ammo into its very own sidequest.
I know as player I have fallen for this. In my Rifts game currently a character of mine jumped all over a rare plasma-cartridge assault rifle; *made on another planet*. Ammo was a stone bitch.
Anyway if the players are quick on their feet they'll requisition reloading equipment for their FOB/command vehicle and police their brass.
One of the whole points of a 'Sleeper' Post-Apoc campaign is to turn the whole 'treasure' concept on its head. With players starting with likely the best and slowly expending it as the campaign continues.
Plus my groups don't do the whole 'treasure' seeking as much as most. Just isn't our style.
That said, there are some sci-fi elements that allow one to find weapon upgrades with limited ammo.
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