The Box O' Truth, An interesting study in shot penetration Options

[Austere Emancipa...]

Lucky for the author that the article's not supposed to be scientific. ;)

[Edit]Although...M-W.Com: "Main Entry: 2quantum
Function: adjective
: LARGE, SIGNIFICANT <a quantum improvement>"[/Edit]

This post has been edited by Austere Emancipator: Feb 1 2005, 07:12 AM

[Crusher Bob]

Bird shot starts at 'BB" (.18 inches in diameter) and goes up to 12 (.05 inches in diameter).

(Please note that there are both #4 bird and #4 buckshot, they are two different things...)

Buckshot starts at #4 (.24 inches in diameter) and goes up to 000 .36 inches in diameter (though 000 is quite rare, it's slightly smaller cousin 00 buck is used instead).

In general 'birdshot' is used to hunt birds, rabits, and other small game. The larger sizes are used for larger game (say, wild turkeys) of for 'ground bound' game that may be among thick scrub or brush (turkeys are a fine example here two). The smaller birdshots (8, etc) are used for shooting small bird (like doves).

Buckshot is used on deer (hence it's name) and similar sized stuff.

And quantum is probably the right word, being a 'sudden and significant' step up in accuracy...

I was recommending the use of birdshot 'inside the house', since in very close ranges, a birdshot load will still penetrate a human body quite well, but will not penetrate walls and furniture as well as buckshot.

Note that steel shot will penetrate much better, but has a different flight pattern, as the steel shot is lighter (i.e. you need to use bigger shot to get the same range, that's why the 'average size' of the steel shot is bigger)

[Austere Emancipa...]

[Crusher Bob]

Yes, with birdshot it's mildly desireable to have overpenetration, as then you will not have to either bite down on the shot when eating (ouch!) or clean the shot out of the dead animal.

With much larger animals like deer, the cleaning process is much more detailed, so removing the shot or bullet is no big deal.

[Austere Emancipa...]

Not that overpenetration would be economic (or ergonomic for that matter) to get in a shoulder arm when hunting larger animals. ;)

[Crusher Bob]

Well, the extra angry soild bronze core1111 AV ammo they have in SR would certainly overpenetrate a poor unarmored, body 4 whitetail...

[Austere Emancipa...]

...and still blow up the Ares Citymaster behind it.

[Kagetenshi]

Nope. Shadowrun AV ammo won't overpenetrate a dragonfly :)

~J

[Austere Emancipa...]

Does it say that somewhere, or does it simply not mention the fact that overpenetration might occur? Because it makes total sense to me that if an Ares Citymaster were hiding behind a whitetail buck to allow a character to attack the Citymaster through the deer using the Firing Through Barriers rules.

[Tarantula]

You sure could. Barrier rating of the deers body, and done.