From: jacobus@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Subject: Re: Guns, Guns, Questions.
Organization: Purdue University
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 02:58:43 GMT

In article <1992Sep26.173949.22257@u.washington.edu> rrn@milton.u.washington.edu (H++ Visser) writes:
>1) Why MOT make all your weapons binary-propellant? It seems like they are
>   better than other convetinal weapons, and can do things that others can't,
>   in addition.


This depends on a few things:

Is your GM insane enough to allow the players to use 3G3 like some sort of
Christmas Catalog to design their own weapons to their whim? 

Weapon design is a balancing act, which has to take SEVERAL things into 
account which may or may not be "important" depending on how intelligently
run your campaign is.  Binary-propellant weapons would be, in any sane GM's
campaign, restricted to military hands by the law of the land.  I cannot see
any country which has not broken down into anarchy allowing such weapons to
be owned by civilians.  This would make it difficult to hold onto these
weapons.  Using them would probably be a one or two-time affair, after which
the powers that be would see just how flat they could squash the characters
(shot while resisting arrest, and all that).

Binary propellant design is an advanced technique, not all that practical
until the modern day (and still not all that used).

Do some real-world research to find out why this sort of weapon has not 
replaced the more conventional ammunitioned weapons.  There is cost of
production, tooling up for the new kind of ammo, etc., to consider.  Remember,
guns in a technological society are not hand-made works of art, by and large,
and those which are are monstrously expensive to maintain, especially if
they use non-standard ammunition.


>2) No 10:1 rounds can be fired from a gun directly. What about, say, 7:1? Or is
>   3:1 the limit?


I believe that this was a simplification.  Greg would know the effective 
practical limit for ratios.
One thing I do know is that 10:1 is not the most efficient l/w ratio for
APFSDS ammunition.  I calculated it out as something a wider than this (I 
need to look up the numbers).


>3) Do 2mm railgun rounds have to observe the 4000 m/s limit? I mean, if they
>   do, then most guas rifles can't be 2mm (unless I've badly misinterpreted
>   the velocity rules). 

All weapons which fire in an atmosphere have to abide by this, or risk
melting their projectiles.  Accelerators can have 2mm projectiles,
they just have to restrict their energies.  Remember, 3G3 tries to model
weapons with some measure of realism, so there will be design limits.


>5) Just how much energy does a 12G 00 buckshot shell have? How many shots?

You could look it up in any number of reference works:  The Shooter's Bible,
etc.  

>6) What is a pistol? If I make, say, a caseless 3mm 3:1 round, and put it in
>   a gun with a 10-shot magazine and a 12cm barrel, do I have to pay double?
>   In short, what are the criteria for the increased cost?


Actually, 3G3 sort of makes the point that there is no very good explanation
for doubling costs for handguns vs. longarms--especially when technology
makes one about as easy to make as the other.  It just turns out that way.
However, I'd say that if it's got a 12cm barrel and a 10 shot magazine it
qualifies as a pistol, whatever the ammunition (and whoever buys it should
get a free wrist brace thrown in).
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