So I've started running an game in SR5 (will post summary in another thread) and some clarifying questions have arisen:

Bursts and FA no longer stage up damage (aka. narrow burst), only provide defensive modifiers (aka wide burst)? Or to ask it a different way: All bursts and FA are now wide and narrow no longer exists?

that is correct, wide bursts only.

So, then automatic rifles are pretty much worthless against most vehicles...?

You could always use burst fire with the called shot option for additional damage and call it a narrow burst

Which brings up the question: Can you combine multiple called shot effects (or the same effect multiple times for that matter)? (Each incurring the usual -4 DP of course.)

Not really. Most vehicles don't have armor greater than 12, which is what you'd need to shrug off most one-net-hit assault rifles. APDS would really help here.

The vehicles that will really be hard to take down with an assault rifle are:

Mitsubishi Nightsky (armor 15) -- this one can be damaged, but most small arms will bounce off, which is what the vehicle is designed for.
Ares Roadmaster (armor 18) -- still not invulnerable, but pretty secure.
Nissan Hound (armor 16)
Ares Venture (armor 14)
GMC Banshee (armor 18)

These all require really good shots (or APDS rounds) to damage. Everything else is pretty vulnerable.

wide bursts have always been better for damaging high armour vehicles. they reduce the enemy's ability to dodge, which means you'll get more net hits, which actually increases your chance to get through armour. the added DV from narrow bursts merely meant that you either bounce more bullets off the target, or if you get through, you deal more damage, it explicitly did not count for getting through armour.

Hmm. That seems viable, unless the dice pool is too small.

Fair point.

I should have mentioned that the vehicle in question was stopped, so wide burst had not effect because it could not dodge. Range and visibility conditions affected dice pool so that 1-2 hits was the high end yielding a DV of 11-12. In reviewing my notes, I forgot that the vehicle in question for my example was a Roadmaster... so I with draw my snark about rifles affecting vehicles.

Thanks for all the replies to my original question about narrow.

Yes, assault rifle cant do much to armored vehicule... That is why anti-vehicular weaponnary and heavy machinegun exist... Go figure.

Cleaner note from the game would have helped.