> From: jpb [email removed]
> Subject: (2817) Standardized guns and ammo
>
> Recntly someone mentioned (I forgot to keep the message around, and
> don't recall who it was) that rounds would not be interchangable
> between tech levels. I always assumed that there was some sort of
> standard "Imperial 7mm" or "Imperial Marine 9mm long" like we have
> today with such things as 7.62 NATO or .45 ACP. Sure, you can
> occasionally find non-standard stuff, but it seems to me that it'd be
> much cheaper to produce rounds locally (maybe 1 world in the subsector
> gets the contract and ships them to the bases).
The reason why it is very hard to do a round that is compatible with weapons
from all TLs (or at least 4 and up:) is that the energy of the powder increases
rather drastically. For the round to physically fit in the weapons, it will
have to be the same shape and size, and that means that the amount of powder
cannot be changed (except in very special circumstances, like the 5.56mm sub-
sonic for supressed weapons).
And since the volume of powder is the same, but the energy increase, you
would get all kinds of interesting effects if you put a TL15 7.62 N in an
TL4 7.62 bolt action rifle. The hitech weapons would also have to be designed
for a greater than nessesary energy, with would make them heavier and more
expensive, and the lowtech weapons would become *much* heavier if their
designers had to prepare them for someone using hitech rounds in them.
(The Swedish military standard 9mm is a Husquarna brand modified version of
the old German Luger (ie a TL5 construction). There have been many cases where
old Husquarnas have cracked because the shooter had carelessly loaded it with
(TL 7) 9mm rounds intended for the M/45 SMG, and we are only talking about a
difference of 2 TL's here)
> As far as guns go, they are probably produced under contract from a
> standard design so that troops do not need to be retrained when they
> are stationed in different subsectors.
Standardization:
Advantages:
No development costs.
Standardization (but remember the TL effects!).
Disadvantages:
Royalties.
Not adapted to local conditions.
Is it really nessesary for a planetbound force?
Local development and production:
Advantages:
Export potential (if you have lo-tech neighbours)
Helps technical development on own planet.
Adapted to local conditions.
Disadvantages:
Noncompatibility.
Development costs.
This question is highly dependant on how many people that really travel
extensively in the Imperium. I've always been under the impression that a
majority of the travels are done by a small minority consisting of those whose
work carry them between systems, nobles and adventurers. The majority of the
population of a certain planet couln't care less if their brands of ammunition
wasn't available 1pc away because they won't leave their planet.
This is of course not true for organizations that span an area larger than
a system, like the IMC and the MegaCorps. I suspect that that is why
Interstellarms have had such a hit with their standard line of weapons.
> Joe
- -bertil-
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"Det a"r en Svensk grej. Du skulle inte fo"rsta^..."