Rusty
Purveyor of Fine Weaponry
Image Source: N/A
Intent: To create a round with the capability of piercing personal armor that can be fired from a 12 gauge shotgun.
Development Thread: http://starwarsrp.net/topic/66157-rcfc-rd/?p=1019632
Manufacturer: Rusty's Custom Firearms and Cutlery
Model: AP12
Affiliation: Open Market
Modularity: No.
Production: Production: Limited
Classification: Shotgun Round
Size: Handheld
Length: 76.2 mm
Weight: 75 grams (weight of the projectile itself)
Ammunition Type: 12 gauge shotgun shell
Ammunition Capacity: Depends on the weapon
Effective Range: 10-50 meters. Too close and the shooter risks being hit by flying pieces. Too far and the target can easily counter.
Rate of Fire: Depends on the weapon
Special Features: Personal armor piercing capability in a tiny package. Not good for vehicles, but it should crack a suit of armor just fine.
Description: Basically, the AP12 round is a miniaturized RPG. Downsized to fit in a shotgun shell, the smaller warhead has reduced range and penetrative power compared to its full sized brethren, but is sufficient for the task of penetrating personal armor not made of exotic materials.
Once the trigger is pulled, the hammer strikes the primer, which in turn ingnites a boosting charge of gunpowder that propels the projectile out of the barrel. A mechanical fuse is lit by the powder, which in turn with kick off a rocket motor once the round is clear. In order to compensate for the mass of the round, I've reduced the powder charge, and thus the muzzle velocity, to about a third of what you would expect from a high performance shotgun slug. Given that the projectile weighs three times as much, this equals out to about the same amount of recoil.
For those of you that haven't fired a shotgun before, slugs are solid chunks of lead rather than the traditional shot, and they can do a number on your shoulder if you aren't careful. There's a reason I prefer lighter shot for my personal weapons.
Once the round strikes the target, the shaped charge is ignited. This sends a molten stream of copper screaming into and through the armor beneath, which is pretty much exactly what a full sized RPG does. Only instead of being able to crack anything this side of a main battle tank, the AP12 round is only effective against personal armor. In reality it could probably do light vehicles too, but for the sake of simplicity and fairness, we're gonna say it doesn't.
The round is not without its drawbacks.
First and foremost, it has to hit the target dead on. A glancing blow will not always set off the warhead, and even if it does, too severe an angle will prevent it from penetrating. The spalling copper might still wreak havoc, but it likely won't be fatal.
In the event of penetration, the chances of an instant kill are somewhat lower than one might expect. Though the copper has a tendency to loose penetrative power after punching through and tends to bounce around inside the object it hits, it's still freaking molten copper. It ain't good for you, but it'll cauterize as it goes, reducing the chances of a fatal bleedout. The chance for shock is still high, but a sufficiently skilled Force User or a sufficiently drugged NFU might still be able to fight, even after taking a gut shot. A shot to the heart, lungs, brain, or spinal column will still be either instantly fatal or debilitating, however.
Using wholly mechanical detonators means that the weapon is safer than one relying on more advanced means, but that also increases the possibility of failure, even if it hits squarely. For now, about 1 in 30 rounds won't go off when it strikes the target. With further research and funding, I hope to decrease this number.
And finally, the round generates less gas pressure than a traditional shotgun slug. Though it's still sufficient to cycle the bolt on a gas operated weapon, it's at the low end of the tolerances for most. If the weapon becomes excessively dirty, the chances of a jam increase dramatically.
Intent: To create a round with the capability of piercing personal armor that can be fired from a 12 gauge shotgun.
Development Thread: http://starwarsrp.net/topic/66157-rcfc-rd/?p=1019632
Manufacturer: Rusty's Custom Firearms and Cutlery
Model: AP12
Affiliation: Open Market
Modularity: No.
Production: Production: Limited
Classification: Shotgun Round
Size: Handheld
Length: 76.2 mm
Weight: 75 grams (weight of the projectile itself)
Ammunition Type: 12 gauge shotgun shell
Ammunition Capacity: Depends on the weapon
Effective Range: 10-50 meters. Too close and the shooter risks being hit by flying pieces. Too far and the target can easily counter.
Rate of Fire: Depends on the weapon
Special Features: Personal armor piercing capability in a tiny package. Not good for vehicles, but it should crack a suit of armor just fine.
Description: Basically, the AP12 round is a miniaturized RPG. Downsized to fit in a shotgun shell, the smaller warhead has reduced range and penetrative power compared to its full sized brethren, but is sufficient for the task of penetrating personal armor not made of exotic materials.
Once the trigger is pulled, the hammer strikes the primer, which in turn ingnites a boosting charge of gunpowder that propels the projectile out of the barrel. A mechanical fuse is lit by the powder, which in turn with kick off a rocket motor once the round is clear. In order to compensate for the mass of the round, I've reduced the powder charge, and thus the muzzle velocity, to about a third of what you would expect from a high performance shotgun slug. Given that the projectile weighs three times as much, this equals out to about the same amount of recoil.
For those of you that haven't fired a shotgun before, slugs are solid chunks of lead rather than the traditional shot, and they can do a number on your shoulder if you aren't careful. There's a reason I prefer lighter shot for my personal weapons.
Once the round strikes the target, the shaped charge is ignited. This sends a molten stream of copper screaming into and through the armor beneath, which is pretty much exactly what a full sized RPG does. Only instead of being able to crack anything this side of a main battle tank, the AP12 round is only effective against personal armor. In reality it could probably do light vehicles too, but for the sake of simplicity and fairness, we're gonna say it doesn't.
The round is not without its drawbacks.
First and foremost, it has to hit the target dead on. A glancing blow will not always set off the warhead, and even if it does, too severe an angle will prevent it from penetrating. The spalling copper might still wreak havoc, but it likely won't be fatal.
In the event of penetration, the chances of an instant kill are somewhat lower than one might expect. Though the copper has a tendency to loose penetrative power after punching through and tends to bounce around inside the object it hits, it's still freaking molten copper. It ain't good for you, but it'll cauterize as it goes, reducing the chances of a fatal bleedout. The chance for shock is still high, but a sufficiently skilled Force User or a sufficiently drugged NFU might still be able to fight, even after taking a gut shot. A shot to the heart, lungs, brain, or spinal column will still be either instantly fatal or debilitating, however.
Using wholly mechanical detonators means that the weapon is safer than one relying on more advanced means, but that also increases the possibility of failure, even if it hits squarely. For now, about 1 in 30 rounds won't go off when it strikes the target. With further research and funding, I hope to decrease this number.
And finally, the round generates less gas pressure than a traditional shotgun slug. Though it's still sufficient to cycle the bolt on a gas operated weapon, it's at the low end of the tolerances for most. If the weapon becomes excessively dirty, the chances of a jam increase dramatically.
