Tools of the Trade: Small Arms
By: Mr. “Money” Johnson

Typically, when ShadowLand or ShadowSea wants someone to write about firearms, they typically get a Street Samurai with some hacking skills who starts with one of two comments:

1. “The best 'Runs are when you never expend any ammo.”
2. “Happiness is a Warm Gun.”

For some reason, however, this time they asked a Mr. Johnson that keeps up with the Shadow Trade to put in his two nuyen. So, here I am, dusting off my English Writing Linguisofts, and sitting down to write in exchange for, well, let's just say that I'm being compensated and leave it at that.

^Actually, we asked you to do this because we wanted to see what the other side of the table saw Shadowrunners using and why, and because of your expertise as you showed three years ago. - Facet^

^Someday I will live that down. My wife's enemies, however... - Money^

I'm going to start this off in a different way, by looking at what firearms really are: Tools. They're intimidators, negotiators, and killers of men and beasts. “Power flows from the barrel of a gun”, as Chairman Mao put it. It's all in how you use that power.

The question always asked...

^What's the best gun to have? - Breaker-Breaker^

is what the best firearm to have is. I actually asked that question once, back when I was a green Mr. Johnson. The answer that I got was from one Street Samurai that was the very picture of a professional Shadowrunner, guy that went by the handle “Hatchetman”, he answered: “The one in your hand when everything goes wrong.” That question answered, I will get into the different types of firearms, how they're used in a Shadowrunning Environment, and why you should/should not use them in certain circumstances.

Like I said above, they are tools, and you always try to use the right tool for the right job. Also, take care of your tools, or else some Tool on the street will take care of you.

I'll stay away from talking about specific firearms, as that will get into a great big argument and I'm not being paid enough for that... I will look at weapons from the point of view of a Shadowrunner, from a Civilian (And I'll include gangs in that), and a Police and Security point of view.

Pistols: Pistols were originally intended to allow a person to use a firearm with one hand, and were typically in possession of officers in the military. Sometimes you'd have a civilian with one for self-defence, but that was back in the bad-old days of single-shot weapons, a knife or dagger was a better idea. Then came Sam Colt (Yes, Colonel Samuel Colt that went on to make the Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company), and the invention of the revolver, and, after a few design changes later, pistols became a weapon of choice for anyone that needed close-range firepower.

Modern pistols are effective for Shadowrunners because they are concealable, which allows one to walk down the street without being accosted for having a weapon, and easy to acquire. Just remember that having a “Concealed Weapon” is illegal in a number of places (Seattle included) without the proper license. This allows for Shadowrunners (And, well, anyone else that's paranoid enough to think about the dangers of the modern world!) to carry some self-defence at almost all times while waiting for whatever support that can come along to save them.

^Always assume that someone is armed in 2070, even if it is only a little pistol. Even teenagers. In fact, some pistols have been marketed at young teenagers! - Rick O'Shey^

Typically, most pistols fall into one of four categories: Holdout, Light Pistol, Heavy Pistol, and Very Heavy Pistol.

Holdout: A “Holdout” is a descendant of the “Vest Pocket Pistol” or “Derringer” of old. It's designed to be concealable first, foremost, and, well, that's about it. This typically restricts it's calibre and magazine size to being very small in both cases. For the Shadowrunner, it's typically a secondary or trimary weapon, to be pulled when everything else is empty, taken away, or otherwise unavailable.

^Hold Outs have a place in Shadowruns, and that place is not as the primary firearm, even if you're a Magician. - Naritaki^

From a civilian standpoint, they are fairly popular as they are light weight, easy to carry, and cheap. If John Q. Wageslave has a weapon, it's probably a holdout he bought at Weapon's World and stuffed into his briefcase and promptly forgot about until some gangers assaulted him on the bus/train. Speaking of gangs, low-end gangs probably only have access to these, and usually the cheapest ones at that. (Which is where the reputation for the infamous “Streetline Special” as a “Street Weapon” comes from.).

From a police point of view, holdouts have two positions: Back-up weapon (Just like Shadowrunners), and a “Drop Piece” to lay next to a body Officer Friendly just shot dead when said dead (and unarmed) person moved the wrong way. Security guards are less likely than police to have holdouts, but those that do have them for the same reasons as police.

^Mr. Johnson here may seem a bit cynical about the “Drop Piece” bit, but back in my days with Lone Star, I saw this happen more than once. I've seen it since, too. It still disgusts me. - Dirk^

Light Pistol: A step up from a holdout, and a definitive one, light pistols are the most common weapons seen in an urban environment (Heavy pistols typically going to military personnel.). They typically have decent stopping power with a good sized magazine capacity, with the possibility of some rounds that are sub-sonic that help with the use of sound suppressive devices.

^”Silencers” in non-Gun Nut Speak. - Rick O'Shey^

For Shadowrunners light pistols are typically the primary “carry piece” for non-combative persons while “off duty”, and as primary back-ups for the more militant minded. A lot of Shadowrunners, however, have stated the lack of stopping power in light pistols give them limited use in their field.

^Lessin' yer an Elf an can't handle no recoil! - Tuskmasta^

^My wife was an Elf. And I remember what she did to you. In fact, so does anyone that sees you with your shirt off. Let's keep the anti-Meta comments to the Humanis. - Money^

For civilians and gangs, this is usually the upgrade they get if holdouts are not up to what they need, and they can afford better. Legally, these are probably the easiest firearms to purchase and own as they don't suffer the “concealment” problem that holdouts have, and the high stopping power that heavy pistols have.

For Police Officers and Security Guards, light pistols are their typical primary weapons. They're light weight for long-term carrying, have good magazine capacity, and typically get the job done. A good number are also well built, reliable, and have good solid iron sights which make them perfect for semi-trained people to use.

^Semi-Trained is right. A Finchetti Security 600 holds 30-rounds. I had one Security Guard empty his magazine at me, and only four rounds hit. That would be impressive, considering the single week of training he got, except that I'm a rather large Troll. - Tiny Trog^

Heavy Pistol: Military-grade pistol ammunition makes heavy pistols the meta-human stoppers that have been around since 1911. Large framed, they lack easy concealment, and often have to have complex recoil systems to handle the high-powered caseless rounds that they use, which limits their use to professionals who know their equipment and can take care of them.

Shadowrunners almost universally love heavy pistols. High power in a compact size. They are often the primary weapon of non-combative 'Runners, and primary back-up weapons of the more militant.

^And why is this? Two words: Ares Predator. Sure, it's a huge chunk of gunmetal, but that's entirely the point. “Power flows from the barrel of a gun”, as Mr. Johnson said earlier, well, this baby pours power out without even needing to pull the trigger! - Rick O'Shey^

Civilians typically don't get heavy pistols as they are too complex and require extensive training to maintain properly, something that most people don't want to bother putting the time into. Ex-military personnel, however, often keep their sidearm when leaving the military and do have that training, along with experience with their particular firearm, which makes for a very dangerous combo. Dangerous to the target, that is. Gang members with military experience (rare) are in the same boat, but ones without (in other words, most of them) typically have more gun than they know what to do with. I've had more than one ganger try to intimidate me with a heavy pistol that still had it's safety on, and was in such disgusting condition that it would probably blow up in his hands rather than fire safely. Don't rely on that, however, these are military-designed weapons, and we all know how Grunts are in the field with, well, anything.

Police officers and security guards fall in the same category as civilians, with the ex-military members (which are more commonly found in the police and security forces than with gangers) having the skill and ability to keep their weapons working just fine. Watch out for these types that carry heavy pistols, they are either very good with them, or have something to prove. Either one of those things can be very, very dangerous.

Very Heavy Pistols: These are rare, and typically revolvers or custom made automatics. Almost always, they are made for “Pistol Hunting”. The infamous .44 Magnum, for example, was designed for hunting lions and bears (and possibly tigers), and was used against elephants to some effectiveness. Due to the size of round used, they typically have small magazine sizes in the few automatics that are in this category, or are revolvers that hold 5 or 6 rounds in the cylinder. They are also almost always cased rounds, which makes for even heavier reloads to carry around (Almost the same weight as a magazine for a heavy pistol, with only a fraction of the rounds.).

For Shadowrunners, they are the weapon of choice for those that want something that will end a conflict quickly against limited numbers of opponents. The fact that they are typically cased rounds means that a Shadowrunner will inevitably have to “Police” his brass after a fight. This makes revolvers the most popular, as that can be done during reloading.

^I carry one of these myself. But, then again, I typically am trying to make a car stop chasing me rather than a meta-human. - RRW^

For the few civilians that own these, they are probably left at home with the rest of the hunting supplies. Gang members might try to use these as well, hunting “the most dangerous game”, but trying to get ammunition for these weapons is hard in the Black Market, and are typically reloaded brass whose reliability can be questionable.

Police officers and security guards almost never carry these. They are too heavy, awkward, and are often seen as proof that they are trying to compensate for something. Those that are trying to compensate for something, or wish to emulate “Dirty” Harry Callahan, might carry them around if they get special permission (Typically only done for detectives and above in rank. Or Trolls.).

^I thought we were going to keep the racist comments down? - Tiny Trog^

^This is a case of “It's not racist if it's true.” I have a few memos from various security companies, including Lone Star, that state outright that only Trolls will get permission to carry these kind of firearms unless they reach a certain rank or are on special teams. Like SWAT, who pretty much can name whatever they want and have the budget for. - Money^

Automatics: Burst-capable and fully-automatic weapons first made their appearance with the US Civil War-era Gatling Gun, primitive though it may be.

^Primitive, but effective. Modern Gatling guns are based on a prototype that was a historical Gatling with an electric engine on it. - Tiny Trog^

Their primary purpose is to act like a “Lead Hose”, spraying an area with as much firepower as possible to deny the enemy access to it. The machine gun (Which I will actually address in “Heavy Weapons” part of this) started it's heyday in World War I where they were used to stop Bayonet Rushes.

^Bayonet whats? - WhizBang^

^DataSearch Programs are your friend. But, I'll explain: Back in the Bad Old Days, the idea of how a military took territory from the opposing side was to put big knives onto their single-shot or bolt-action rifles, line up in huge numbers, and run forwards while trying to stay in formation. And you thought the Desert Wars Championships chewed up lives. - Money^

The idea of automatic weapons in easily portable means (Machine guns were quite big and heavy back then, and there was a distinct lack of Trolls) also came about in World War I, with the German invention of the “Machine Pistol” and the US invention of the “Sub-Machine Gun” (Basically the same idea, different designs and names.). In modern parlance, Machine Pistols are smaller and lighter calibre than SMGs. Later on, in World War II, the Germans invented the Sturmgewehr, which translates into English as “Assault Rifle”, and needs no further explanation. Automatic weapons are very popular choices with Shadowrunners as they allow a lot of firepower to be had in a small package. They're also very common, which makes them easy to dispose of, if need be. And, if you're going to “Spray and Pray” in a large crowd, disposing of them is going to be quite frequent.

^And a good reason to dispose of a 'Runner that does this. The heat just ain't worth it. - Rick O'Shey^

Machine Pistols: The original name for the German pistol-calibre, fully-automatic weapon, machine pistols are now classed as any burst- or fully-automatic weapon that uses a light pistol calibre round. They tend to be only a little larger than heavy pistols (a rare number are the same size) and can be found in either burst-capable, or full-auto, or a combination thereof.

Shadowrunners will often forgo a Machine Pistol for a SMG, as the size difference is not that great, and the heavier calibre makes a good deal of difference. Some 'Runners, however, prefer the smaller size and ease of getting ammunition. They are also popular with smugglers and T-Bird pilots and crew, who often find themselves with severely restricted space, and still in need of an automatic weapon. (Ironically, this is the reason the weapons were designed for the military and high-level security companies.).

Civilians rarely have these weapons, as they require special permits and other writs of “Mother-May-I” and such. Low-Medium level gangs, on the other hand, often use them, finding them reliable and easy to use. The light recoil makes them popular in drive-bys.

Police officers rarely equip any units with these weapons, as they don't need to worry about concealment, and often have more room than military units for equipment. Low-level security companies, however, might have a team of “High Threat Units” that have a rack of these stowed away for when they need something more impressive than a guy in a funny outfit with a light pistol.

Sub-Machine Guns: The original name for the U.S. pistol-calibre, fully-automatic weapon, SMGs are now classed as any burst- or fully-automatic weapon that uses a heavy pistol calibre round. Ranging in size from barely larger than a machine pistol to carbine-sized, there is a dramatic variety of these weapons, with a large number of options available for the end-user. Which, in this case, is military units that operate in “Close Quarters Combat Situations” (Which is the politically correct way of saying “Shooting at each other in cities”.).

Shadowrunners often utilize SMGs as they provide what is probably the best combination of concealability and brute firepower. The number of options available for them also make them popular, as they can be purchased or modified for the combat style that the 'Runner prefers. The commonality of the weapons also make them easier to dispose of and replace than some other types of weapons.

^Out tame Johnson nailed it on the head with this one. SMGs are the bread-and-butter of most Street Samurais, and have been for a long time for exactly these reasons. - Night Cutter^

^One thing “Money” Johnson is not, is tame. - Facet^

Civilians, again, are about as likely to get an SMG as World Peace and a Fridge Full of Beer for every Citizen from the President of the UCAS. OK, I exaggerate, but still. Gangs are less likely to get their hands on military-grade SMGs because they're often out of the price ranges of any but the high-level gangs, but there are a number of cheap SMGs that are infamous as “Gang Guns”, particularly as hot topic items on the news.

Police officers sometimes have SMGs in their squad cars as back-up weapons for situations that require something more than a pistol. They've slowly been replacing shotguns with SMGs due to the prevalence of affordable body armour that defeats a shotgun's ability to put a target down. Security forces will sometimes have SMGs as their primary weapons in high-security areas, as they are in close quarters, and assault rifles tend to be just a tad bit too large. Also, mid-level security firms will have a brace of SMGs available for their “High Threat Units”.

Assault Rifles: Originally designed as a compromise between bolt-action rifles and Machine Guns of the World War II-era, it caught on and became the standard issue weapon of every military in the world. They are typically classed as two different types, light and heavy, which has to do with their purpose rather than the calibre they use. Light Assault Rifles are designed as “Rifles First-Machine Guns Second”, and are typically more accurate in semi-automatic fire. Heavy Assault Rifles are designed as “Machine Guns First-Rifles Second” and are better at suppressive fire.

Shadowrunners often get their hands on assault rifles, but have found that they are just too large to easily conceal on a person while moving (Or even standing still), and bring about too much attention.

^Another “It's not racist if it's true” moment here. Assault Rifles are about the same size for Trolls as the larger SMGs are to Humans. - Tiny Trog^

That said, they are common “Defence” weapons for bolt holes, or when concealed in vehicles, and are very useful in areas where you don't need to worry about concealing weapons. One popular way to get an assault rifle into a situation is to have it broken down (Some are designed to do this, or can be modified by gunsmiths), which will allow a 'Runner to get one into action without the problems of having it assembled. When properly used, assault rifles are often the heaviest weapons available on a Shadowrun.

^Minus a magician. - Naritaki^

Civilians will almost never have access to an assault rifle. Even ex-military civilians, as the military makes sure to get their fully-automatic weaponry back pretty well (Although a few do slip through the cracks.). Gang members often get old assault rifles from various black market sources, particularly Eurowar-era assault rifles. Unless the gang is well trained and disciplined, however, these rifles usually become useless in a matter of time due to lack of maintenance.

Police Officers typically have an assault rifle in the trunk of their squad car, and special teams are sometimes completely equipped with them. Security guards almost never have assault rifles, except for extraterritorial companies in places where they don't need to worry about public image. Or at times when it will help the public image (Such as when Ares helped out during the “Bug City” incident.).

Long Arms: Hunting Rifles, Sniper Rifles, and Shotguns fall into “Long Arms”. Long arms used to be the standard issue weapon of armies when firearms became cheap and reliable enough to field in large numbers, starting with Smoothbore Muskets in the 18th century and ending with Bolt-Action Rifles in, well, they're still using Bolt-Action Rifles in some special units.

^They are? - Rick O'Shey^

^Yes. The Trans-Polar Aleut Arctic Rangers use Bolt-Action Rifles, for example. The Short-Magazine Lee-Enfield No. 4 to be exact. They were made in World War II, and were considered to be the third-best “Battle Rifle” of the age (The first being semi-automatic, and the second being it's predecessor, the SMLE Mk.3/No. 1). I own a SMLE No. 4 myself, and use it quite often for hunting. Oh, and for those thinking that using a bolt-action rifle is backward, they train at 500-metres with iron sights, and most of the terrain is tundra. Most Assault Rifles sights are designed to be accurate to 300-metres. That's 200-metres where they're shooting at you, accurately, while you're just trying to get into range. - Money^

^Actually, the Arctic Rangers are looking to replace their old SMLEs, Mr. Johnson. The weapons are finally wearing out from training. Problem is, they can't find a bolt-action that's able to handle the arctic conditions. - Ice Queen^

Hunting Rifles: “The Poor 'Runner's Sniper Rifle” in shadow parlance, hunting rifles are bolt-action or semi-automatic rifle designed for, you guessed it, hunting. They often use cased ammunition, with the rare exceptions that use caseless ammo being de-militarized assault rifles. Not very common on the Black Market (Due to lack of demand), they are found in almost any legitimate gun store. Except for the caseless models, getting special ammunition types for these rifles is next to impossible, but an armourer can reload brass with whatever they want to.

Shadowrunners will sometimes make use of hunting rifles as sniper rifles at ranges that don't require the extensive manufacturing quality that those rifles demand. They're also easier to explain to Officer Friendly if you have a hunting license, “I'm going out to hunt New Boar, officer.” Typically, 'Runners will only have these around as “Special Purpose” weapons, with the exception being those Shadowrunners that go hunting (A great way to get out of town while the heat is on, BTW.).

Civilians are the most likely to have hunting rifles, mainly because they're the ones most likely to be going out hunting. Gang members almost never hunt anything larger than Devil Rat, and typically only have a hunting rifle for the same reasons that a Shadowrunner will.

Police officers and security guards will never have a hunting rifle on duty, and will only have one if they hunt.

Sniper Rifles: Military-grade rifles that are either Semi-Automatic or Bolt-Action, and range from assault rifle calibre to heavy machine gun calibre. They are broken down by those calibres into Anti-Personnel (Assault rifle calibre) to Anti-Material (Heavy machine gun calibre.). “Material”, in this case, means anything armour that is lighter than an armoured car or light T-Bird. Soft-shelled vehicles in particular. Sniper Rifles suffer from being very highly designed and built, requiring extensive care and maintenance to keep them accurate or even functioning.

^I was transporting, well, we didn't use names, when I noticed a tail in an SUV that thought it was subtly armoured. My “Package” opens up this huge hooped briefcase, and assembles an Anti-Material Sniper Rifle without the scope or smartgun link. One shot, and a busted ear drum later, he disassembles it and puts it away. The tail? Yeah, the round went though the engine block, the body, and out the other side, and into the car behind it. - RRW^

Shadowrunners that are trained in them (or think they are, as is too often the case) will utilize sniper rifles as over-watch of situations. Then they will perform the same task as military snipers, targeting high-threat targets and making them no-threat targets.

^Money, yer chip went and gone poh-lit-ack-ly currect on uz agin. - Murphy^

^Frag it all to hell. I thought I edited this better. - Money^

Civilians will have even less access to sniper rifles than assault rifles. Gangs will also lack the funds or ability to get such high-ticket items as well, but some high-end gangs might have access when they are flush for cash.

Police forces will have access to some types of sniper rifles depending on their relations with arms manufacturers (and, to a lesser extent, military forces.). Typically, they are used as part of special units, such as SWAT, and are not available to Officer Friendly. Security forces rarely have sniper rifles, and those that do, well, 'Runners typically find out only after the bullet has connected with it's target.

Shotguns: The world's first firearm (Historical references have been found showing a bamboo pole, a firecracker, and some stones being used to hunt ducks that are eating rice), shotguns are starting to wane in use due to the proliferation of body armour. Most shotguns that are used in a combat method now utilize slugs as a norm, as buckshot is becoming less and less useful in combat situations. As hunting weapons, they are still common and popular against most non-paranormal animals, and the lesser armoured paranormal animals. Military shotguns utilize either cased shells or caseless rounds, with cased rounds actually being more common (Due to reliability), while all civilian designs use cased shells.

Shadowrunners still find a good deal of use with Shotguns due to the fact that there are a large variety of different loads one can put into a shotgun shell. The ability to special load shells keeps shotguns popular with 'Runners that deal with paranormal animals and people, as well as having special loads for use against spirits that manifest on the material plane.

^Had a Wolf Shapechanger Bounty Hunter on my tail once. I gave her a load of silver birdshot that I had made up for just such an occasion. I tell you, her screams still haunt me. - RocketRabbit^

^Once? I'm still on your tail. And you made it personal with that shot. - Urban Huntress^

^They have tear-gas canister rounds for police riot work, which are useful as well, but I had a gunsmith load in some insecticide in the same design for a trip to Chicago. Expensive, but it saved my life, and the life of my target. - Rick O'Shey^

Civilians will have Shotguns for the same reason they'll have hunting rifles. However, shotguns are also popular in various countries as home defence weapons, as they are intimidating and very loud. A shotgun blast will usually step up a police response time even if the PANICBUTTON! has already been pressed. Gangs will sometimes have shotguns for use in gunfights and drive-bys, but these are being phased out for more machine pistols, SMGs, and assault rifles.

Police officers still typically have a shotgun in the front of a squad car, but this is starting to be replaced with an SMG. The large numbers of low-lethality load options for shotgun shells make them popular weapons with riot police, however. Security officers will sometimes have a low-lethality loaded shotgun with their brace of machine pistols/SMGs for their “High Threat Units”. These are rarely taken out, due to the threatening image shotguns provide to the urban public.

^That's what they say at least. Sure, Ares issues their LightFire 70 as the standard sidearm for Knight Errant, but the boys resort to automatics more often than not. - Hickory^


^That is not completely true for the Star: as the corp earned royalties on every Ruger Thunderbolt sold, they started to issue it to the force in wider quantities to make it THE Lone Star signature. Beware if you ever find yourself in the vicinity of a newbie sporting one of those: the cop aims for the first burst, the gun aims for the second. - Hickory^


^Whatever those peasants could do, gangs can do too. Watch out for jury-rigged street sweepers. They might not be as powerful as the good old Franky, but the tearing wounds they incur are a doc's nightmare to sew. - Hickory^


^This is a common misconception, sadly supported by action trids. Shell-loaded shotguns actually have better armor penetration ability than any automatics, and single shots are much safer than bursts in crowded environments. We have gone a long way since the old time blunderbuss... - Hickory^

^Last year, that was true. This year, I wish this were still true. Someone got some shots of a LEO (One of the ones that are still Police Officers of the State, not a Security Company) splattering buckshot onto armoured Eco-Terrorists in a rural area of the CAS. Security Company Boardmembers saw this as "Bad Publicity" and have started the switch from Shotguns to SMGs now. The joys of owning stock, you get quarterly reports, and it was in quite a number of them after the footage was released. - Money^

^Don't forget that almost all holdouts these days are made from non-metal components, so they don't set off MAD. Plus, having a holdout is practically expected in some august circles, so the guards don't usually give you crap about 'em (and sometimes let you carry them!). That might not be a big concern in the wild jungles of Seattle or Caracas, but in Manhattan, it can be a life-saver. - Caine^



^Don't be deceived by the light pistols "lack of stopping power" compared to their bigger cousins. Even a .22 bullet can hurt you enough to be a damned hard distraction, and when you've got the "Cherry Blossom Storm" emptying 40 rounds at you in less than a second, it hurts. A lot. - Nosebleed^



^Tip: two hands. Even if you're a troll, sometimes. I had a buddy break his wrist in the middle of a run, almost got us all killed. - Dr. Shocker^



^Jeeze, WhizBang, way to be out-of-the-loop. I fix bayonets to all of my guns when I'm expecting close combat. Sure, it makes the barrel a little heavier, but modern bayonets don't reduce accuracy at all, and when it comes to hand-to-hand, a spear is better than a club - TheUnsinkableCharlieBrown^



^Why machine pistols, when SMGs are just a bit bigger and so much better all around? Well, mostly 'cause you can sometimes pass a machine pistol off as a light pistol to a stupid enough guard. Good luck doing that with a Smartgun. - Caine^



^I hate SMGs because that word covers such a multitude of sins. From the Uzi to the Praetor, SMGs span weapons meant for personal defense or urban combat, with a pistol form-factor or one closer to a longarm, with stocks or no stocks (the latter sucks, by the way). Pretty much the only thing uniting them all is that they fire a pistol bullet, automatically. And, as someone said about the big pistols above, two hands. You won't break your wrist one-handing an SMG, but you won't hit anything either.- Cherry^



^If, by any chance, you manage to find yourself Up the Well (yeah, I know) and you can bring a gun with you (yeah, I know), shotguns are great! Their versatility means that you can have one weapon perform multiple rolls (you can even buy special rounds intended to propel you if your tether gets cut), their short barrels make them easy to wield in tight corridors, and even buckshot won't usually breech the hull or windows. Of course, you can always load up on solid shot or penetrators to shoot through things on purpose. I know that all of Ares' space security uses a semiauto/pump dual action 12 gauge that they make especially for the purpose. If you can snag one, they're great weapons, even on the ground. - Nosebleed^

*Edited to make the ShadowQuotes easier to read*

^I got my mentor who love to carry a sawed off Elephant Gun to start carring a Street Line. The main reason is this, If the local Star stops you and find a Hold-Out on you thost you will get is a beating for waisting his time.-Silver Fox^

^Shotguns are an indoor run's best friend, chummer. Have you ever seen seen a man try and dodge a wide-choke shotgun blast in a narrow hallway? -Seamus^

Assault Rifles: Civilians will almost never have access to an assault rifle. Even ex-military civilians, as the military makes sure to get their fully-automatic weaponry back pretty well (Although a few do slip through the cracks.). Gang members often get old assault rifles from various black market sources, particularly Eurowar-era assault rifles. Unless the gang is well trained and disciplined, however, these rifles usually become useless in a matter of time due to lack of maintenance.

^Man, Money, I came up movin hundreds of Egyptian AKs for the Turkish mob through the port of Orleans, like every other week. Let me tell you, New Orleans earned the name Chopper City for a reason, and if a gang can't find their way to that hardware, then they too small time to call themselves a gang. - 9th Ward Noonie^