Weapons Locker – Modern firearms – Chapter #1 – Handguns, part 2

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Context

This article follows after the Weapons Locker – Modern firearms – Chapter #1 – Handguns article.

Whereas chapter #1 covered common types of handgun, the longer chapter #2 covers special-purpose ones.

There are more elements of context about realism, stats, etc. on our ever-so-handy guide to Weapons Locker articles. The main bit being that all our Weapons Locker article are about modelling stories, rather than real-world ordnance.

Table of content

 

Special applications concealed handguns

Special applications medium handguns

Special applications large handguns

Special applications weapons machine pistols

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Special applications concealed handguns

Magnum Derringer

A derringer – but chambered in a much more powerful round. Such as .22 Winchester Magnum or even .357 magnum.

These are not pleasant to fire. But this is the sort of gun a trained professional (such as the Punisher) carries as a last-resort weapon. Other users in fiction include assassins shooting at point-blank and by surprise.

The repliquant Leon also uses one to kill a police officer in the original Blade Runner movie.

DCH Magnum Derringer [BODY 02, Projectile weapons (Diminishing): 04, Ammo: 04, Miniaturisation: 02, R#03, Drawback: Long Reload]

M&M Magnum Derringer [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Diminished Range 3, Feature 1 (Tiny size)]

The four-shots COP .357 Magnum remains the exemplar of this category of weapons. Because it has four barrels, which looks scary despite the weapon being tiny.

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Credit Card Gun

This is a sound-bite name for a type of derringer – extra-flat and compact, and holding one powerful bullet. It has the height and length of a credit card – hence the name.

DCH Credit Card Gun [BODY 02, Projectile weapons (Diminishing): 04, Ammo: 01, Miniaturisation: 04, R#03, Drawback: Long Reload]

M&M Credit Card Gun [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Diminished Range 3, Feature 1 (Tiny size), Limited 1 (One-shot)]

This fictional weapon is an exaggerated version of the .357 Magnum WSP Downsizer. The real Downsizer was 3.25” (8.25 cm.) long, and most of them were in .45 ACP rather than .357.
Like many weapons that catch the interest of TTRPG gamers, the real-world Downsizer was produced in tiny quantities. Perhaps a hundred were made.
The picture below is a spoof of the original advertisement for the Downsizer. We’ve photoshopped in a credit card instead of the playing card used in the original photo.

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Black Widow Mini-Revolver

A derringer-sized revolver with five shots, shooting a .22 Magnum round.

It is a single action revolver, meaning you have to cock back the hammer with your thumb before you can fire a new round. But action heroes can do that very quickly and will fire it like a semi-auto.

.22 Magnum is a nasty round doing remarkable damage for its size. It flies way faster than .22 Long Rifle does, even with the tiny barrel.

Between the magnum powder charge and the small barrel, a revolver of this type produces a huge, deafening muzzle flash with a strong intimidation value.

In fiction this gun is almost always associated with female shooters, for the usual Freudian reasons. Hence the “Black Widow” name, I guess.

Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft uses a gun of this type in the second Tomb Raider movie. And it would be odd if the Black Widow (Natalia Romanova) never used one.

DCH Black Widow [BODY 02, Projectile weapons (Diminishing): 03, Ammo: 05, Miniaturisation: 02, R#03, Drawback: Long Reload]. This gun will usually shoot anti-personnel rounds, see the ammunition section.

M&M Black Widow [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Diminished Range 3, Feature 1 (Tiny size), Limited Penetration 1]

Several revolvers in this category are made by North American Arms. The Black Widow is an actual commercial model, and well-regarded.

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Badass Holdout Pistol

A gun of the same dimensions as a basic Holdout Pistol, but performing like a combat-grade piece. This category encompasses two sorts of guns :

DCH Badass holdout pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 04, Range: 03, Ammo: 07, Miniaturisation: 01, Limitation: Projectile weapons has No Range, used the listed Range instead, R#03].

M&M Badass holdout pistol [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Diminished Range 1].

A classic Walther PPK. It’s the signature pistol of the embodiment of 1960s Anglo masculinity, so it cannot possibly have bad game stats. People would cry if it did.

A more modern holdout piece — a Glock 27, which fires .40 S&W — that is a common choice for law enforcement agencies. As of this writing the 27 is the holdout gun the LAPD recommends to its officers.
It looks similar to the paired 9mm Glock 26 that the Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow uses in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her 26s too would have badass stats – it was presumably picked for cinematography, to have a pistol that would look medium-sized in the hands of the 5’3″-at-most (1.60m) Johansson.

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Body Pistol

This gun looks distinctive and futuristic – which is important for story purposes. But even better, one can tell by looking at it that it is cunningly, innovatively designed and is the sort of thing modern super-spies might use.

This pistol looks sort-of melted and bent. It has no asperities and few flat surfaces. It thus fits very well along the body (waist or ankle), and is optimised for a fast and clean draw.

Being intended for short-range, self-defence engagements it has no iron sights, but comes with an integral laser sight.

It carries 6 rounds in .380, and is smartly designed to deliver them right.

DCH Body pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 02, Miniaturisation: 02, Schtick (Fast Draw), R#03].

M&M Body pistol [Ranged Ballistic Damage 2, Enhanced Advantage (Quick Draw)].

The name “Body Pistol” comes from my old boxed edition of the Traveller RPG.

The Taurus Curve is the real-world basis for this category.

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Fitzed revolver

This a series of customisations done to a revolver. This were promoted by a famous Colt demonstrateur, John Henry FitzGerald, during the 1920s and 1930s.

A “Fitz Special” features :

A typical subject for this treatment would be a .38 Special Colt Police Positive. The resulting weapon is easy to conceal, easy to fast-draw, and intended for engagements at very close ranges. Which is what usually happens in non-wartime gunfights.

Later on, holdout pistols gained rounded edges, shrouded hammers, etc. to emulate these general ideas from the get-go.

But a fitzed revolver looks more impressive and more dangerous, and that’s what counts.

DCH Fitzed revolver [BODY 02, Projectile weapons: 03, Range: 02, Ammo: 06, Miniaturisation: 01, Schtick (Fast Draw), R#03, Limitation: Projectile weapons has No Range, use the listed Range instead].

M&M Fitzed revolver [Ranged Ballistic Damage 2, Enhanced Advantage (Quick Draw), Diminished Range 1].

Photo from the auctioneer J. Julia  .

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Secret Pistol

A custom-built pistol that can be assembled from discrete components, all of which look mundane and pass as normal accessories. It is thus undetectable until assembled and fired.

The daddy of these guns is the Golden Gun used in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man With The Golden Gun. But others have since surfaced in fiction and RPGs. They are especially dear to players who want their character to always be armed.

Except in some cyberpunk settings, this sort of weapon is usually a Gadget (DCH) or a Device (DCA).

DCH Secret pistol [BODY 01, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 01, R#03, Drawback: Long Reload, Advantage: Misc. Secret pistol (5 pts)].

M&M Secret pistol [Ranged Ballistic Damage 2, Feature 2 (Secret pistol), Limited 1 (One-shot)].

The Golden Gun is assembled from :

Disassembled at left, assembled (but under different lighting) at right. I put a little golden arrow, see ?

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Vélo-dog pocket revolver

Technically, the name applies to a specific brand of French pocket revolvers from the late XIX^th century. As the name implies, these were meant as self-defence for folks on bicycles getting chased by dogs.

Bicycles (back then called a “vélocipède” in French) were only just becoming a thing, and were still pretty expensive. And nobody had quite managed to explain either concept to dogs.

Category

In practice the term covers a hazy world of cheap knockoff guns from fly-by-night manufacturers. It also overlaps with the “British bulldog” model of small revolver, also popular back then.

For our purposes, “a vélo-dog” is specifically going to :

Niche

This kind of guns is mostly going to be found in crime thrillers (as a concealed murder weapon), and in early noir and “true crime tales from the gritty and lurid streets but yeah okay we just made it up” serials. The sort that Adèle Blanc-Sec writes.

But they stuck around for decades. For instance, they can be useful as close-range varmint guns on a farm, and they’re small enough the gendarmes aren’t going to find them.

Stats and pictures

DCH Vélo-dog [BODY 01, Projectile weapons: 02, Ammo: 05, R#05, Drawbacks – Long Reload Time, and needs a Dice Action to unfold the trigger before actually firing (DEX/DEX vs 01/01 if stressed, one RAP suffices)].

M&M Vélo-dog [Ranged ballistic Damage 1, will often present Complications about unreliability, trouble with unfolding the trigger, erratic accuracy, etc.].

This page from a 1911 catalogue was republished on this Francophone shooting discussion forum  .

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Monster sleeve gun

Action stories sometimes feature subcompact handgun of impossible power – often as an assassination pistol. In most cases it can be handled by the “magnum derringer” stats, but sometimes it’s just absurd.

1988 Schwarzenegger action movie Red Heat had such a pistol, used by the main baddie. It was mounted on forearm ejector, so it’s a “sleeve gun” in that it can be hidden by sufficiently wide shirt sleeves. And gets ejected forward into the hand when needed.

This specific gun featured :

See the IMFDB page for more.

Workings, stats and photos

Here’s a not especially credible No-Prize HypothesisA made-up explanation to plug a plot hole as to how such a weapon might work. Maybe the barrel + chamber holds three shaped explosive charges in individual silos. These fire sequentially within about 1.5 second with one trigger pull, propelling a strange slug whose frontal silhouette is ⅓ of a circle.

Anyway, it’s something a cinematic super-assassin might use in a sufficiently loose action story.

DCH Monster sleeve gun [BODY 02, Projectile weapons (Diminishing): 06, Ammo: 01, Miniaturisation: 03, R#02, Rec. STR 03, Drawback: Very long reload] with optional silencer.

M&M Monster sleeve gun [Ranged ballistic Damage 5, Diminished Range 3, Feature 1 (tiny enough to be used as a sleeve gun), Limited 1 (one shot before a lengthy reload), Quirk 1 (requires Strength 1+ to maintain accuracy)].

Two photos taken by the IMFDB, with light reprocessing. The rightmost one shows the silencer (which seems to just be a piece of rubber), and the forearm-mounted in-sleeve ejection system.

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Special applications medium-sized handguns

U.N.C.L.E. Special

The P38 was one of the classic pistols of the 1940s… and the 1950s… and the 1960s… and the 1970s. You could still see it in comics during the 1980s.

It is one of the iconic weapons of the Cold War, particularly in Western Europe where 9mm Parabellum (which the P38 fires) is very popular.

Almost everybody back then had a P38, and its shape (looking like the love child of a Lüger P08 and a Walther PPK) was emblematic.

Transforming

The P38 formed the base of a famous fictional weapon used in 1960s in TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E..

This weapon received a barrel extension, a detachable stock, an extended magazine and a telescopic sight to become a marksman’s carbine.

Curiously, this “U.N.C.L.E. Special” was later copied as the design of one of the main robots in Transformers.

Similar guns were seen from time to time in fiction, arming hitmen – since the visuals of assembling a precision carbine from a spy pistol are cool.

Stats and picture

DCH U.N.C.L.E. Special [BODY 03, Projectile weapon: 04, Ammo: 08, R#02] w/ Attachments [BODY 01, Range: 06, Ammo: 15, Telescopic vision: 02, Note: the Range and Ammo replace the normal Range and Ammo of the main gun when mounted on].

M&M U.N.C.L.E. Special [Array. The first application is Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, the second is Ranged Ballistic Damage Extended Range 1, Senses 1 (Extended Visual), Quirk 2 (must be assembled first)].

This shot depicts a collectible replica – hence the display stand at the base of the magazine.

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Assassin Special

There exists a number of pistols built from the ground up to be silent assassination weapons. Integral suppressor, slide lock to prevent the scha-klick noise from the action, special firing pin, etc..

But those are speciality spook stuff, and hitmen without access to those have to make do.

Plink !

As it turns out, some ’plink pistols’ – small-calibre, easy-to-shoot pistols intended to kill varmint – are an excellent base for a suppressed weapon.

One approach uses a Ruger Mk1 or Mk2 .22 Long Rifle pistol. It is a widely-sold, high-quality, accurate pistol using an ubiquitousThat is present everywhere. varmint round. Then you modify it with an integral suppressor. “Integral” because it is permanently part of the gun – it’s not something you screw on.

This is the “Assassin’s Special”, which is what many people will picture when thinking about a hitman with a silenced pistol.

Given the incredible efficiency of sound suppressors in fiction, an assassin’s special is very quiet. Quiet enough to make the aforementioned dedicated silent assassination weapons unnecessary in most stories.

See the “Accessories” weapons locker article for more about silencers.

Stats and picture

DCH Assassin special [BODY 02, Projectile weapon: 03, Ammo: 09, Thief (Stealth – only to muffle the shot): 03, R#03].

M&M Assassin special [Ranged Ballistic Damage 2, Feature 1 (Silenced)].

Ruger MkII target with an integral Gem Tech Class III/NFA Suppressor.

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Plastic Gun

Decades ago, Austrian manufacturer Glock innovated by using a lot of plastics for its pistol, including the frame.

While this wasn’t unprecedented (the H&K VP70s, for instance, had a synthetic frame) it triggered a puzzling buzz in US and European media about a “plastic gun” that could defeat metal detectors. It would therefore allow all sorts of bad guys to hijack airplanes willy-nilly.

While this was a complete misunderstanding of just about everything, this created the fictional niche of the “plastic gun”.

Since even in fictional worlds the majority of passenger flights do not get hijacked, it will usually be portrayed as a very special, hush-hush technology. One only available to top-drawer spies and leading international terrorism agencies.

In comic books those also could be issued to agents trying to arrest mutant masters of magnetism, and fire special ceramic bullets.

DCH Plastic gun [BODY 02, Projectile weapon: 04, Ammo: 12, Invisibility (Metal detectors): 04, R#03].

M&M Plastic gun [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Concealment 1 (Metal detection)].

A first generation Glock 17 from the early 1980s, which launched the media myth. Later iterations of this design have since become ubiquitous in the US, completely killing the dangerously exotic aura that launched the “plastic gun” tall tale.

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Armour-Defeating Semi-Automatic

The more recent trend in high-end military handguns is high-capacity, medium-calibre pistols firing ammunition specially designed to defeat body armour. Those usually classify as APHC bullets – see the chapter about accessories and ammunition.

Niches for these weapons include defence against military and paramilitary organisations fielding well-equipped soldiers, and high-intensity tactical operations in confined quarters.

An armour-defeating ammunition is the last thing one would want in most law-enforcement operations, but it has a clear place in some SWAT operations.

DCH APHC Pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 04, Sharpness (Projectile weapon): 02, Ammo: 20, R#03].

M&M APHC Pistol [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Armour-Piercing 2].

The most famous example in this category is the FN Five-seveN, firing the same round as the P90 PDW we’ll cover in the small arms article. Sam Fisher uses one in the Splinter Cell video games. Marvel character Fantomex also seems to use a pair.

The SPS (Samozaryadniy Pistolet Serdyukova) uses a 9x21mm Gyurza steel core round (a “gyurza” is a Russian type of viper). It is also sold as the SR-1 Vektor, and was called early on the TsNIITochMash SPS. Its career was chaotic but it’s used by various Russian security services as a handgun capable of defeating lighter armoured vests.

The fictional 5mm Seburo M5 features in the Ghost In The Shell manga and animé. It is often used by Major Kusanagi and other Section 9 agents. This toy model was found on this rather detailed Japanese blog about toy guns  .

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Target Pistol

These are specially-built pistols used in high-level competitive precision shooting, such as the Olympics.

These are very accurate, and can be adjusted in numerous ways to better fit the hand and preferences of the marksperson.

Almost all target pistols fire light, small rounds like .22 Short or .32 Wad Cutter. While these rounds have excellent ballistics, allow for rapidly engaging multiple targets, have lower noise and recoil, etc. they have very little stopping power. They are not fit for combat use.

Target pistols are sometimes used as movie props (a Hammerli is used in Point of No Return – and a Walther GSP in the original version of the movie, Nikita).

They can easily be used as props for near-future handguns, or even for light blaster pistols. Princess Leia’s gun in Star Wars is based on a target pistol.

A cinematic or comic book marksman might rechamber and reengineer one for a combat-grade ammunition, but that would be a Gadget (DCH) or a Device (DCA) with unique statistics.

Stats and photos

DCH Target pistol [BODY 01, Projectile weapons: 02, Range: 05, Ammo: 05, Drawback: Long Reload].

M&M Target Pistol [Ranged Ballistic Damage 1, Extended Range 3, Accurate 2].

Here are three models in .22 LR. These are therefore able to wound (or kill under certain circumstances) as per the stats above.

A Hammerli SP22.

The Pardini SP22 is broadly similar, but here it’s shot from another angle. To show the trigger and the sculpted handle. This on also has a scope on.

And a Walther GSP, since that was mentioned.

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Badass .45

There are decades of mythology around the “Colt .45” (meaning here the M1911 model and variants thereof, not the Old West revolvers). In this view it is the most reliable, most robust, most man-stopping, most virile, most patriotic weapon known to man.

In stories, many master gunfighters contribute to this aura. The Shadow, the Spider, the Punisher, Barb Wire, and many others with the Colt .45 as their signature handgun.

The following stats reflect the exaggerated, mythologised version of the weapon :
DCH Badass .45 [BODY 05, Projectile weapon: 04, Ammo: 14, Advantage: Edge (Projectile weapons)].

M&M Badass .45 [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Enhanced Advantage (Power Attack)].

The stock M1911A1 .45s dual-wielded by Bruce Willis’ character in the movie Last Man Standing have an Ammo score of *at least* 18. So them’s a good example.

The Para-Ordnance Black Ops 14 is the inspiration for giving our stock “badass .45” an Ammunition score of 14. This weapon would be a typical pistol pick for the Punisher, as a high-end high-capacity .45 ACP.

Another way to convey the “badass .45” mystique was used in the version of The Shadow starring Alec Baldwin. The cinematography relied on two elaborately customised pistols that look like a much larger version of the Colt M1911, comparable to Desert Eagles and other oversized handguns. See the IMFDB’s movie profile  for more about the “Silver Heat” custom movie pistols.

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Quadruple-stack Pistol

Originally, magazines for semi-automatic pistols had the ammunition stacked atop each other. By contrast the high-capacity handguns, usually firing 9mm rounds, had two stacks.

For this niche we went with an exaggerated version of the real-world Kel-Tec CP33. The real version is a plink gun chambered in .22 LR. The made-up version here uses 9mm, or a similar combat round.

The CP33 was picked since :

DCH [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 04, Ammo: 33, R#03]. As discussed in the Ammo Drawback rules, the capacity is high enough to not bother counting.

M&M In DCA it’s an ordinary medium pistol, since there’s no ammunition count.

The real-world Kel-Tec CP33.

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Folding stock Pistol

Handguns, under most circumstances, have poor accuracy at medium range. But with modern calibres, this is more a matter of aiming ergonomics than ballistics. Adding a stock therefore markedly improves performance.

Pistols with removable stocks have therefore been a thing for more than a century. Frex, Manhunter (Paul Kirk) sometimes used his Mauser C96 with a removable wooden stock, and Misty Knight sometimes uses a distinctive Luger Artillerie.

This was especially true of burst-capable pistols and machine pistols, though we discuss these separately.

In more recent years, chassis in which you slot your pistol to turn it into a carbine have been a thing. This is more intended for recreational shooting, though in some countries it is more intended to make do with laws restricting available calibres for private security guards.

Specific model

But here we’ll use as our example a late 2010s stab at the concept. The B&T USW is a robust 9mm pistol with :

It was primarily marketed for police tactical response in Europe, after a number of terror attacks. This didn’t take, though. Instead, most countries went toward further militarization of their police and thus assault weaponry. A reaction that was an explicitly stated terrorist goal – but I digress.

In a curious coincidence, this pistol also is used by Chris Redfield in Resident Evil 8 Village.

Stats and photo

DCH Folding stock pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapon: 04, Range: 05, Ammo: 19, Flash: 04 (Steady illumination only, but will act as normal Flash in nocturnal conditions ; Flash has no AV, use the Weaponry score for the arm it’s mounted on), R#02, Limitation: Projectile Weapons has No Range, use the listed Range instead]. Using this mostly makes sense in games where optional accuracy-at-range rules are in play.

M&M Folding stock pistol [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Extended Range 1, Feature 1 (built-in flashlight)].

Our example -the B&T Universal Service Weapon, with bells and whistles. But the core of the stats is a +1 AP Range (DCH) or one Rank of Extended Range (DCA), simply enough.

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Special applications large handguns

Humongous Hand Cannon

Weapons in this class are enormous hand cannons, with a huge barrel, and generally weigh more than two kilos apiece.

They fire a special-purpose, niche round such as .500 S&W, .454 Casull, or .480 Ruger. Some even fire a rifle round like .30 carbine or 5.56mm.

These are chiefly collector’s pieces, though they can actually be useful in some extreme circumstances. Maybe as protection in an area with undead mutant bears. Or if attempting to hunt huge animals with a handgun.

Fictional niches

Howbeit, such justifications do not really matter in fiction. And we have the niche of gunmen with superhuman strength (such as the typical cyberpunk operator with a full cybernetic arm) or who are cinematically insane (like Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Batman).

Vash the Stampede’s revolver in Trigun can also be considered a Humongous Revolver. But it has other peculiarities.

Some video games feature an Humongous Revolver as a Magnum pistol that is more powerful than most rifles, can kill most enemies in one shot and for which you can never find more than a handful of ammunition. Resident Evil games in particular feature this sort of absurdly powerful pistol.

Stats and photos

DCH Humongous Hand Cannon [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 05, Range: 04, Ammo: 05, Rec. STR 03, R#02, Advantage: Edge (Projectile Weapons)].

M&M Humongous Hand Cannon [Ranged Ballistic Damage 4 Linked w/ Ranged Ballistic Affliction 5 (Limited Degree Dazed/Prone, resisted by Fortitude), Quirk 1 (Requires STR 1+ to be used)].

The Taurus Raging Bull, from Brazil, is a fine example of this category – in appearance, name and available calibres.

The Smith & Wesson Model 500 is another solid choice, as it looks huge. As the name implies it fires .400 S&W Magnum rounds.

A good example of a gun used by a superhumanly strong marksman is Alucard’s original pistol, in Hellsing. While it’s a semi-auto, it uses the exact same stats. It is chambered in the aforementioned .454 Casull. Alucard later used an even more powerful pistol.

As it happens there’s concept art of Alucard’s .454 Casull, so here goes.

The Wildey pistol in .475 Wildey and at least a 10″ (25cm) barrel is also a possibility. This wildly Freudian hand cannon prominently features in power fantasy movie Death Wish 3. This model “only” has the ten-inches barrel – I’d have preferred a shot of the older models with an absurdly long barrel, but the image quality is too poor.

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Sniper Pistol

A huge, long-barrelled handgun shooting a rifle round and sporting a large, precise-looking scope.

This pistol holds only one round. It’s thus not a combat piece, but more of a one-shot-one-kill affair, hence the “sniper pistol” monicker.

Most models are reloaded by break-open breech-loading action, like old-school hunting shotguns. You manually insert a new round in the barrel.

In the real world this is a very specialised hunting weapon. In fiction it gets used by badass assassins.

Stats and photos

DCH Sniper handgun [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 06, Range: 05, Ammo: 01, Rec. STR 03, R#02, Drawback: Long Reload].

M&M Sniper handgun [Ranged Ballistic Damage 5, Limited 1 (One-shot), Senses 1 (Extended visual)].

The best example is probably the Thompson Contender G2 chambered for the 30/30 Winchester rifle round. It’s huge, has a long barrel, and offers distinctive and stylish visuals. Among others, it was used by two villains in classic John Woo movies (Hard Boiled and Hard Target).

A Magnum Research Lone Eagle, chambered in .30-06. Same basic idea.

An EAA Thor from Tanfoglio. Liquid Ocelot uses one in Metal Gear Solid : Guns of the Patriots.

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Shotgun Revolver

A large revolver-action smoothbore handgun that fires shotgun rounds. A revolver that is a shotgun. A buckshot magnum !

The idea is to have a close-quarter handgun with superior firepower and that can use speciality rounds (such as armour-piercing slugs) when needed. It uses modified 32 gauge shells (12.5x40mm, in metric). Between that and the short barrel it is only useful at close ranges.

A loaded shotgun revolver weights about 1.2Kg.

DCH Gnom [BODY 03, Shotgun blast (Range 02): 06, Ammo: 05, R#03, Recommended STR: 03, Limitation: Shotgun Blast is Diminishing (on top of the normal Limitation for Shotgun Blast, so it loses 2 EV per AP of Range), Drawback: Long Reload].

M&M Gnom [Shotgun Blast 4, Diminished Range 2].

This category is based on a Russian weapon, the OTs-20 Gnom. Like many weapons beloved by tabletop role-players and video games with lots of guns, it didn’t quite exist. That is, no real client picked it up and there was but a tiny production run, which is a bother when it comes to a gun that uses unique ammunition.
The Gnom comes witth an integral laser sight. Presumably it’s used when shooting slugs at vehicles, or applications along these lines.

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Dual-Use Shotgun-Revolver

An even stranger weapon, this revolver is chambered in such a way as to indifferently fire large .45 rounds or .410 shotgun shells.

The usefulness in real life is debatable. But in fiction “shotgun” and “power” are synonymous, turning this sort of weapon into a redoubtable hand cannon.

DCH Judge [BODY 03, Ammo: 05, R#03, Drawback: Long Reload. Can be loaded with either bullets (Projectile weapons: 05) or .410 3” buckshot (Shotgun Blast (Range 03): 05, Limitation: Shotgun Blast is Diminishing as with the Shotgun Revolver above].

M&M Judge [Array. Shotgun Blast 3, Diminished Range 1 — or Ranged Ballistic Damage 3].

This type of gun is based on the Taurus Judge handguns. A Judge is used by Mark Wahlberg in Max Payne, where the .410 shot performs as powerfully as the stats above imply.

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Underbarrel Single-Shot Shotgun (Handgun-Sized)

A single-shot, break-open .410 shotgun that can be fitted under a large, long-barrelled handgun.

Such a contraption is usually installed under a magnum revolver. It would also fit under a humongous revolver, but the weapon would look impossible to use.

As per the Dual-Use Shotgun-Revolver above, that .410 is a small bore mostly fit for birdshot is ignored in favour of Hollywood Shotgun depictions.

More compact, high-tech versions of this (with an electric trigger) could be used for some firearms that are depicted has having a single-shot underslung weapon. For instance when loaded with a Dragon Breath pyrotechnic round as a one-shot “underbarrel flamethrower”.

DCH USSS [BODY 01, Shotgun Blast (Range: 02): 04, Ammo: 01, R#02, Drawback: Long Reload, Limitation: Shotgun Blast is Diminishing as with the Shotgun Revolver above].

M&M USSS [Shotgun Blast 3, Diminished Range 1, Limited 1 (One-shot)].

The best-known fictional example is the contraption used in the movie adaptation of RED – which also has a tactical flashlight on the side. More about it on the IMFDB  .

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Universal Revolver

In the vast majority of stories, gun-using heroes do not have a problem with ammunition supply. However, in some environment (especially post-apocalyptic ones) ammunition can become a critical matter.

A type of weapon that could shine in such a context are multi-calibre revolvers. These have a specially engineered cylinder that can accept a startling variety of rounds.

Realistically, these rounds all have to fit the barrel and thus work with rounds around the 9mm calibre – .38 Special, 38 Long, 9mm Kurtz, .357 magnum, .380 ACP, etc. etc.

In fiction, such a weapon could be truly universal, firing all possible handgun rounds without a hitch. Perhaps the barrel uses memory metals or similar techno-babble.

Stats and photo

DCH Universal revolver [BODY 02, Projectile weapons: 03 to 05 depending on bullet, Ammo: 06, Drawback: Long Reload, Advantage: Misc.: Multi-calibre].

M&M Universal revolver [Ranged Ballistic Damage 2 to 4 depending on bullet, Feature 1 (Multi-calibre)].

The Phillips & Rodgers, Inc. Medusa M47 was the most remarkable such project. It could easily be used as a fictional universal revolver.

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High-Tech Combat Pistol

A large, intimidating, futuristic pistol full of gizmos. This “Cable gun” is imaginary. It was probably built by a some secret organisation with comic-book technology, like A.I.M..

It represents all sorts of huge pistols drawn by comic book artists without being based on any real-world weapon, and which are implied to be very powerful and sophisticated.

Some High-Tech Combat Pistols use special ammunition as a matter of course.

Stats and examples

DCH HTC Pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 05, Ammo: 15, Rec. STR 02, R#02].

M&M HTC Pistol [Ranged Ballistic Damage 4].

Concept art for the Half-Life video game mod Natural Selection  , developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. It meets nearly all the characteristics of the powerful near future handgun.

The pistol Bruce Willis used to “negotiate” as Korben Dallas in The Fifth Element also belongs to this category. This is a photo of the actual prop when it was auctioned off.

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Blade Runner Blaster

The strange pistol used by Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) in the landmark movie Blade Runner is a mystery.

Its specs remain unrevealed. But the looks of this gun are so iconic that we couldn’t resist throwing it in.

In the movie it performs much like a magnum revolver, and seems to be a heavy and powerful weapon. It can harm and kill even Replicants, which are visibly stronger and tougher than a human. But it’s hard to tell how powerful it makes the gun.

From the two triggers it’s tempting to hypothesise than the blaster has two magazines, and both presumably fire different speciality ammunition – see the ammunition chapter. A possible loadout for Deckard was four badass bullets and four anti-personnel bullets (see the ammunitions weapons locker).

The most powerful handgun in the first Fallout video game looks exactly like the blaster. And the handguns in the 2004-2009 Battlestar Galactica series deliberately resembled Deckard’s piece.

Stats and photo

DCH Blade Runner blaster [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 05, Ammo: 08, R#02, Rec. STR 02, Advantage: Ammo is two separate, swiftly selectable pools of 4, Drawback: Long Reload].

M&M Blade Runner Blaster[Ranged Ballistic Damage 4. Will often be an Array firing two different types of ammunition].

Our original illustration was a striking, faithful replica from gunsmith Nobutaka Toku  . Nowadays we can do even better – this is a hi-res shot of the actual in-movie prop, when it was auctioned off.

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SN9 WASP Revolver

Another futuristic firearm, this one from the movie Avatar. Since everybody has seen it and the SN9 WASP has a remarkable appearance and performance.

The is an autorevolver (like the Mateba) firing hypervelocity 9mm saboted rounds. Essentially of super-bullet of superior stopping power, range, penetration and accuracy.

The one used by Colonel Quaritch was huge since it had both an underbarrel laser sight/tactical flashlight and an electronic scope mounted over the receiver with magnification, computer-assisted aiming, thermal imager and movement detector (!).

DCH WASP [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 05, Range: 06, Sharpness (Projectile weapon): 01, Flash (Stdy illum.): 05, Telescopic vision: 03, Thermal vision: 06, Detect (Movement): 06, Ammo: 06, Rec. STR 02, R#02].

M&M WASP [Ranged Ballistic Damage 4, Extended Range 1, Armour-Piercing 1, Feature 1 (Flashlight), Senses 11 (Extended Visual, Extended Infravision, Extended Ranged Detect (Movement), Counters All Concealment].

In most milieux such a weapon would be considered a Gadget (DCH) or a Device (DCA). Even in Avatar this wasn’t a standard issue pistol. The Colonel had bought it with his own money.

Still, it lies *just* at the outer periphery of what can be considered a modern firearm for the purposes of this article. Since some super-special agencies might equip their top agent with a weapon like this in a comic book world.

Shot from the IMFDB  , though it was reprocessed.

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18-shots, triple-barelled revolver

This improbable XX^th Italian weapon did exist, albeit in minuscule quantities.

The inner circle of chambers holds 6 rounds, and the outer one 12. The hammers can apparently be set to fire 1, 2 or all 3 chambers at once. And the weapon comes with a fast loader – a perforated metallic disc in which all 18 cartridges can be placed so they can all be loaded at once.

Realistically this large, complex weapon firing an underpowered round (.25 ACP) is probably not the greatest idea ever. But in sufficiently cinematic fiction à la Wild Wild West it could certainly be a signature weapon.

Thus, the game stats below are *particularly optimistic* as to the ballistics of .25 ACP, the reliability of the action and the ability to set the number of active hammers on the fly. As always, it’s the fantasy version of the gun.

Stats and photos

DCH 18-shot wheelgun [BODY 02, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 18, Rec. STR 02, R#04, Dart Bonus].

M&M 18-shot wheelgun [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Power Attack].

This belongs to a museum.

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Heckler & Kock P11 Underwater Operations Pistol

This specialised weapon is one of the few firearms that exist for underwater combat. Each sealed barrel holds a 10cm (4″) steel dart and a charge of propellant.

The dart has a range of about 30 metres on the surface and 10 to 15 metres underwater – depending on depth. Which is *well* beyond the underwater range of even a high-powered rifle.

It is relatively quiet, but not cinematically so.

In a fictional context, replacing the projectile by a similar one in hardwood and adding a laser sight makes for a redoubtable vampire-staking weapon.

The heavy, unusual-looking pistol could also serve as a prop for a number of imaginary weapons, such as a micro-missiles launcher.

Our Weapons Locker : Half-Life article also uses its mechanism to explain the impossible underbarrel grenade launchers in these games.

Note that one doesn’t simply reload a P11. One buys a new five-barrels block, loaded and sealed, from the factory. Not having seawater flood a barrel until it has been fired is rather important to the working of the gun, hence the necessity of only firing factory-sealed barrels.

Stats and photo

DCH P11 UOP [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 05, Range: 02, R#02, Bonus: Projectile weapons can use the listed Range when used underwater, and uses its normal Range above the surface].

M&M P11 UOP [Ranged Ballistic Damage 1, Feature 1 (Useable underwater].

This belongs to an aquarium.

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Rocket-Launching Pistol

Yes, really. Worse, those actually existed during the 1960s, and were viable combat weapons. Though the earlier models of rockets were less than reliable.

Having few moving parts, rocket-launcher pistols can operate under almost any conditions. That includes underwater and in space – they’d be great weapons for XX^th or even XXI^st century space marines.

They produce no recoil and emit a duller, less distinctive sound than a firearm. More like a fwoosh than a bang.

Usage

The Japanese commandos working with James Bond in You Only Live Twice had them.

Some 1980s science-fiction role-playing games postulated similar guns as the standard future armament before energy weapons became fully viable.

That’s about it for the footprint of this sort of weapon in contemporary fiction, though you can find a lot of advanced versions in science-fiction stories.

In a comic book environment, rockets with specialised warheads would definitely be used. There are curiously few examples of comic book characters with rocket pistols, though. Perhaps the idea of a rocket pistol sounds stupid and unrealistic, even though they actually existed.

Stats and photo

DCH Gyrojet pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 04, Ammo: 06, R#03, Drawback: Long Reload].

M&M Gyrojet pistol [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Feature 1 (Useable in space].

The aforementioned 1960s real-world example is the MBA Gyrojet 13mm pistol. It wasn’t terribly reliable or accurate, but it wasn’t horrible either, and subsequent generations of rockets and launchers would likely have eliminated the teething problem.
The stats above assume a more mature weapon than the Gyrojet was, issued by a large-ish agency like S.H.I.E.L.D. to some of its agents.

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TEC-Nine

Based on a commercially unsuccessful submachinegun, this pistol was meant to look big and intimidating. It evoked the larger, automatic weapon it was derived from – with a shrouded, perforated barrel and a big magazine.

This brought the manufacturer both commercial success (as people who wanted to have a scary gun, including many street criminals, got one) and legal troubles (as its scary looks drew attention to the fact it was easily converted back to automatic fire).

How barthesian

In the US, the TEC-9 became widely associated with gangs during the 1980s and 1990s. Its archetypal use was being fired gangsta-style (held to the side) by several men inside a powerful car in a drive-by shooting. TV series like Miami Vice reinforced this image – a large pistol facilitates cinematography, especially when having to film quickly.

A comic book gang leader at Milestone was even named after this gun, as was rap artist Tech-N9ne  .

It also featured in many Grand Theft Auto video games, for instance in the hands of C.J. Johnson or Tommy Vercetti.

The TEC-9 is usually depicted as being inaccurate and not terribly effective. Even when used by a good guy — like Kurt Russel’s Jack Burton in the classic Big Trouble in Little China — it seldom hits.

Stats and photo

DCH TEC-9 [BODY 02, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 32, R#04]. If converted to automatic fire, becomes [BODY 02, Projectile weapons: 04, Ammo: 06, R#06, Advantage: Autofire].

M&M TEC-9 [Ranged Ballistic Damage 3, Inaccurate 1. Alternate effect Ranged Ballistic Multiattack Damage 4, Inaccurate 3].

This belongs to an emporium.

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Cut-Down Rifle / Superhuman Handgun

Some fiction shows superhuman gunmen using firearms that are only workable with superhuman strength. Even in a context where human strength can go rather high and man-portable gatling guns are unremarkable.

Such weapons are essentially cut-down, one-handed rifles as far as the ammunition and receiver are concerned. Though they may look like absurdly large pistols.

The stats for such superhuman handguns vary enormously, but here’s a baseline :

DCH Superhuman handgun [BODY 04, Projectile weapon: 06, Range: 04, Ammo: 10, R#03, Rec. STR 06, Limitation: Projectile weapon has No Range – use the Range given next instead, Drawback: Long Reload].

M&M Superhuman handgun [Ranged Ballistic Damage 5, Quirk (requires a Strength of 5+ to use)].

An excellent example of cut-down rifle as per this category are the Garands used by vampire Luke Valentine in the anime Hellsing.

The Jackal used by Alucard in Hellsing is even more powerful, but it is a *visual* example of a gun that could fire a rifle round such as 7.62mm in a precise, fast fashion… provided there existed people with superhuman strength to wield them.

The signature guns in the Gungrave animé, the Cerberi, would also have much higher stats – but are a good visual example of a futuristic super-heavy pistol. 3D models by Chris O’Neil from his blog  .

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Lancaster pistol

A “pepperbox” pistol has several barrels, each holding a bullet. The striker rotates between the barrels.

Usually, these are small weapons in weak, early calibres. You can see an unusual example in our Guns of the Old West article, the James Reid knuckleduster.

However, there was a generation of large and powerful pepperboxes.

Howdah padnuh

That was a bit before and during the American Civil War, so the good revolver designs of the Old West were yet to come. Service sidearms were often slow, with long reloads, and loaded in so-so .36 calibres.

And since rifles were single-shot, there were plenty of opportunities to have to use a sidearm for self-defence.

Lancaster pistols were multi-barrelled affairs with a fast action, firing a big round, and reloaded with a break-open mechanism (like with a side-by-side shotgun).

This made them much better at stopping large beasts, determined melee attackers, and zombies. Wait, no, not zombies.

The bigger Lancasters qualify as “howdah pistols”. A howdah is the kind of small-hut-on-a-giant-saddle you put on an elephant to carry passengers. But if a tiger or a zombie… no, not a zombie… leaps atop the elephant, you want a powerful, fast-firing sidearm to defend the howdah point-blank.

Stats

Here we’re going to assume a well-made, well-maintained, four-barrelled gun with 6 or 7″ barrels (15 to 18 cm), chambered with a big round such as the .455 Webley MkII.

Lancaster [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 04, Ammo: 04, Recommended STR 02, R#03, Drawback: Long reload time].

Variants

Here’s a two-barrels (over/under) Lancaster built to be loaded with a *rifle* round, a .577 calibre from the regulation Martini-Henry rifle.

.577 Lancaster [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 05, Ammo: 02, Recommended STR 03, R#03, Drawback: Long reload time].

And here’s a two-barrel one built to be loaded with 20-gauge buckshot:

20ga Lancaster [BODY 03, Shotgun blast (Range 02): 05, Ammo: 02, Recommended STR 03, R#03, Drawback: Long reload time].

In a post-apocalyptic milieu, it is possible that a large pepperbox design might be easier to build and maintain than a revolver. It’ll depend on the specific metallurgy, machining and gunsmithing ressources available. But it’s good at conveying the feel of a post-apoc sidearm.

I suppose the Bride of Frankenstein could also have one. If you’ve misheard “Lanchester” as “Lancaster”.

Photo

Photo from the Royal Armouries Collections  .

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S.H.I.E.L.D. plasma handgun

(This weapon was added late since 1/ it feels a bit outside of this article’s bounds and 2/ I’ve hesitate for decades between EV 6 and EV 7 but never had time to research which is more correct. Still, I reckon rough stats and basic data are useful in many Marvel Universe campaigns. So here’s a stopgap entry.)

This is one of the most advanced S.H.I.E.L.D. small arms with a significant production run. A single power pack holds enough plasma (in a “pinch bottle” magnetic field) for 95 seconds of fire. The one-inch collimated beam has a 125 ft. (38 metres) effective range.

This weapon is deployed in high-intensity, close-quarter battle. It is also useful for covert agents who need serious firepower in a compact form. For instance because they’re expected to run into superhumans or well-armoured opposition.

The glory days of this model were the 1980s, before the Deltites conspiracy was exposed. The illustration and specs are for this generation of S.H.I.E.L.D. plasma handgun.

They popped up earlier — Sharon Carter and Valentina de la Fontaine’ Femme Force fire team had them in 1971 at the latest — but I’ve yet to study the history of S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons.

Stats and art

DCH S.H.I.E.L.D. Plasma Pistol [BODY 02, Energy blast: 07, Range: 04, R#4, Limitation: Energy blast has no Range, use the listed Range instead]. The R# is low enough that we don’t see these fail often, but high enough that a conventional handgun remains a reasonable choice for a backup weapon.

M&M S.H.I.E.L.D. Plasma Pistol [Ranged plasma Damage 6, Diminished Range 1].

OHOTMU technical art by Eliot R. Brown.

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Special applications weapons machine pistols

Burst-Capable Pistol

A pistol that can fire bursts was something of a dream weapon. Most engagements fought with handguns take place at very close range, are decided quickly, occur in poor visibility, and see the vast majority of the shots missing.

Handgun experts soon designed techniques such as double-taps or 2+1 shooting, where the idea is to quickly pump several bullets into the opponent. Clearly a pistol that fired like a machinegun would be even better.

The quest for bursts

It never quite materialised, due to problems with recoil control and other engineering issues. Past the first two bullets in a burst, the target for most such weapons would become the ceiling.

Some shooters developed specialised techniques. These weapons were one of the very few cases where firing gangsta-style actually caused fewer issues than it solved.

But these guns remained real hard to control. They were thus often used with a removable stock – see below.

On the other hand, fictional gunfighters always were able to fire Burst-Capable Pistols accurately – using just one hand if needed. And the real-world weapons slowly caught up with that, becoming increasingly robust and easy to control.

Stats and photos

DCH Burst-Capable Pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 04, Ammo: 20, Bonus : May use a burst mode increasing EV to 05 – each burst costing three Ammo (5pts), Recommended STR: 02 (03 with bursts), R#03].

M&M Burst-Capable Pistol [Ranged Multiattack Ballistic Damage 3].

The main modern example in this category is probably the Beretta 93R. It had a noticeable presence in movies and comics (including the movie Broken Arrow where it is used by John Travolta). The folding handle at the front was the trick that made it useable – a foregrip is just as useful as a stock to control burst fire.

Our second example is one of the pistols used by Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale) in Underworld, a fine example of fictional burst-capable pistol. This is the actual prop used when shooting (so to speak), from when it was auctioned off.

The Glock 18 is capable of select fire. This one has a protruding compensating barrel and an extended mag to better visually convey that it can shoot bursts. Since I couldn’t find a hi-res photo of this, this shot is actually a lightly photoshopped Airsoft replica.

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Extended Burst-Capable Pistol

This admittedly clumsy term is a variant of the category above. The weapon can be fitted with a rifle-like stock, has an extended barrel (or can be fitted with one, especially in fiction) and accepts extended magazines.

In the real world this was done in order to make early burst-capable pistols controllable despite their terrible recoil. In fiction, these pistols do not have recoil issues – which means that the attachments are here to make a good thing even better.

The pro

In stories this is normally a sleek professional’s weapon. The modular nature makes it look precise and technical, and the early weapons in this category were prestigious and highly sought-after.

Thus, the stats below assume that the weapon is, somehow, always in the proper configuration. Stock and barrel for the long-distance shot, extended magazine and two-handed grip for close-quarter battle, pistol configuration when carried, etc.. Such is the way of the professional.

Even if not ready, there will be just enough time for the gunperson to swiftly modify their weapon. Because it’s cool and if you use one, it means you’re cool too.

Stats and examples

DCH EBC Pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 05, Range: 06, Ammo: 15, Advantage: Autofire, Limitation: Projectile weapons has No Range, use the listed Range instead].

M&M EBC Pistol [Ranged Multiattack Ballistic Damage 3, Extended Range 1].

The most famous example of this category is the Mauser C96 Schnellfeuer (“rapid-fire”). It was particularly prized by Chinese gunfighters of its era. The hollow wooden stock doubles as a holster – and the following two designs reused that trick.

The Stechkin APS acquired a bit of a mystique during the Cold War. It was based on the same concepts as the Mauser. Elite Eastern Bloc assassins, commandos and super-spies could have one if you want to make them seem badass.

The 1970 Heckler & Koch VP70 was a cutting edge design back in its days. It was sometimes seen as the future of handguns for bodyguards, covert agents and the like.

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1930 Pistolets Union machine pistol

One of the forgotten early XX^th Century French arms makers were the Établissements Marcel Seytres, who sold their guns under the Union brand name.

One of their model was based on Browning architecture, like the über-popular FN Modèle 1900 that had its own section in the previous article. To the layman, it greatly resembled another Browning design, the Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless.

As often back then it was available in a mess of so-so calibres, though 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP) is the most significant one.

Rapid-fire

This fairly compact, well-made 1925 pistol also had… an automatic fire mode.

Now, the normal magazine was only 9 rounds, so that’s an obvious problem. But a few years later the Marcel Seytres engineers also offered a distinctive, U-shaped 35-rounds removable box magazine. Plus a loading tool, because pushing against the magazine spring without that would be a problem.

The ForgottenWeapons.com website  also suspects that it was meant to be used with the extended barrel version of the pistol. Which does seem reasonable.

This surprising 1930+ machine pistol was a rare weapon. Union pistols were used by various French authorities, and sold abroad, but the U-shaped/horseshoe-shaped magazine doesn’t seem to have been picked up by any sizable organisation.

However, it would fit be a great fit for many pulps characters. Perhaps Judex — a direct ancestor of the Shadow — wielded one during unchronicled adventures ?

Stats and image

DCH Pistolets Union Machine Pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapons: 04, Ammo: 07, R#04, Advantage: Autofire].

M&M Pistolets Union Machine Pistol [Ranged Multiattack Ballistic Damage 3, Quirk (large and U-shaped magazine)].

This comprehensive 3D model is from the Artstation page of freelance 3D artist David Sedlák  .

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Multimode medium-calibre firearm

The core part of this weapon is a modern medium-calibre (prolly 9mm para) machine pistol. However, it can quickly be equipped with :

It can therefore be used as a semi-auto pistol, a machine pistol, a submachinegun, an assault-rifle-length submachinegun, or a semi-auto carbine.

Stories

This weapon system is a bit like an actually existing, more modern and more… tactical-looking version of the U.N.C.L.E. Special of yore.

This is interesting for a story that features a cinematic gunman who always has the right weapon at hand. Especially since we’re going to assume that the ammunition inexplicably becomes more powerful once the longer barrel is on. Because the weapon now *looks* like a rifle-calibre one.

The concept is based on a MPA300DMG machine pistol that was used in the first season of the Peacemaker TV show, starring John Cena. Beyond the real-world options for the weapon, it featured a modified, enshortened SMG-style barrel.

Stats and photos

This weapon uses different stats depending upon the fire selector and the attachments. The simplest approach for this is to borrow from Mutants & Masterminds arrays. So the cost of the Gadget is for the most expensive “mode”, and each additional mode merely add one point to the Gadget’s final cost.

In this case, switching “modes” takes some time, and all “modes” draw from the same Ammunition score. Further justifying this generous costing approach.

DCH

M&M Just do an Array between stock weapons type. And it’s Equipment rather than a Device — since it’s commercially-available in the real world — so it’s gonna end up real cheap, Character Points-wise.

The “core” of the system.

With stock and the fullest barrel added on.

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S.H.I.E.L.D. .30 APDU Machine Pistol

This weapon, as you probably guessed, is encountered in the Marvel Universe.

It was a feature of certain S.H.I.E.L.D. stories in the 1980s, though it doesn’t appear to be a standard piece of equipment. It is possible that even S.H.I.E.L.D. has but a dozen such weapons in its armouries.

Like the WASP pistol above, they are at the outer limit of the scope of this article. But they are used by extraordinary agents in comic book worlds.

Workings

This .30 machine pistol is fed by clips holding 60 rounds on a disintegrating link belt.

There are several rates of fire (from semi-auto to 600rpm) presumably selectable by a three- or four-positions switch.

It has a floating bolt/receiver and can be fired with one hand by a strong person.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Machine Pistol is engineered to fire rounds with a spent uranium, high density core that is larger than that of APHC, APSC, etc. bullets. This allows this exceptional weapon to :

Stats and art

DCH S.H.I.E.L.D MP [BODY 04, Projectile weapons: 06, Sharpness (Projectile weapon): 02, Ammo: 08, R#03, Advantage : Autofire].

M&M S.H.I.E.L.D. MP [Ranged Multiattack Ballistic Damage 5 Armour-Piercing 2].

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