As in our world, firearms are the most reliable and effective means that most people have of changing the power dynamic in a dangerous situation. Even mages with a talent for evocation often find that a trusty gun is a handy thing to have — particularly if they only intend to intimidate an opponent, rather than actually frying him. Firearms are easy for everyone to understand, and their value as a deterrent cannot be ignored.
Caliber
The Imperial measurement system common in the USA is not used in the world of Metamor City, where the metric system has been universally adopted. This means that the American method of measuring bullet calibers, which is based on inches, is not used in Metamor. A person in Metamor will not refer to a .38, a .357, a .44, etc., because Metamor does not use these measurements.
Bullet caliber is measured in millimeters. The most common calibers, listed from weakest to strongest, are:
Pistols
Caliber | Common Applications |
---|---|
6mm Short | target shooting and ultra-concealable pocket pistols |
9mm Short | personal defense for people with small hands |
9mm Combat | personal defense, military sidearms, machine pistols |
10mm Short | law enforcement, home defense |
10mm HV | law enforcement, special forces, home defense |
12mm HV | Lothanasi, predator defense, close-range hunting |
12.7mm Ultra | Lothanasi, big game hunting, intimidation |
Rifles
Caliber | Common Applications |
---|---|
6mm Long | sport shooting, small game, submachine guns |
7.6mm Combat | sniper rifles, light machine guns, hunting rifles |
12.7mm AM | anti-materiel rifles, heavy machine guns |
NOTE: While rifle ammunition is often of a smaller caliber than pistol ammunition, the rounds are longer, heavier, and have much more powder behind them. The 6mm Long can kill people with remarkable effectiveness, and the bullet tends to fragment and bounce around inside the target's skull or ribcage, shredding everything it touches.
Police Sidearm: The Hechland Tiger 10
Manufacturer: Hechland Combat Systems |
Caliber: 10mm HV |
Type: Double Action Semi-Automatic |
Length: 193 mm (slide), 117 mm (barrel) |
Height: 139 mm (including magazine) |
Weight (with full magazine): 1.1 kg |
Magazine Capacity: 15 rounds, staggered magazine |
Trigger Pull: 2.5 kg |
The MCPD standard-issue sidearm, the Hechland Tiger 10, is a semiauto pistol with a case-hardened polymer frame, similar to the Glock 20 in our world. It is a full-sized pistol and is thus not recommended for smaller officers (under 175 cm), but it is fairly light because of its polymer construction.1 Gas ports on the top of the muzzle help compensate for the recoil from the 10mm High Velocity rounds. The safety is built into the trigger mechanism, so the gun will not fire if dropped.
This pistol is designed to be as reliable as a revolver in uncertain field conditions. It will fire and perform safely even if dropped into water, dirt or mud.
The Tiger can be holstered in a shoulder rig (under the arm), at the hip, or at the small of the back. It is only concealable with layered, loose-fitting clothing.
Subcompact Pistol: Hechland Lynx
Manufacturer: Hechland Combat Systems |
Caliber: 9mm Combat or 10mm HV |
Type: Double Action Semi-Automatic |
Length: 160 mm (slide), 88 mm (barrel) |
Height: 106 mm (including magazine) |
Weight (with full magazine): 0.765 kg |
Magazine Capacity: 10 (9mm) or 9 (10mm), staggered magazine |
Trigger Pull: 2.5 kg |
The Lynx is a shrunken-down companion to the Hechland Tiger, and it shares the same design philosophy and many of the same parts. Its intended use is as a concealable weapon for plainclothes cops, but it is also highly popular among runners, who value its durability, ease of use, and concealability.
Hechland makes the Lynx for both the 10mm HV (more powerful and harder to control after the first shot) and the 9mm Combat (lighter, higher mag capacity, but slightly less stopping power).
Holsters for the Lynx are commonly designed to carry it at the ankle, the thigh, or inside the waistband. Runners sometimes find more creative places to carry them.
Lothanasi Pistol: Woodson Model 23 "Sundowner"
Manufacturer: Woodson Armory |
Caliber: 12.7mm Ultra |
Type: Double Action Semi-Automatic with gas-powered recoil |
Length: 273 mm (slide), 152 mm (barrel) |
Height: 143 mm (including magazine) |
Weight (with full magazine): 1.98 kg |
Magazine Capacity: 9 rounds |
Trigger Pull: 2.5 kg |
The M23 Sundowner is a gun made to kill monsters. Usable only by the largest, strongest agents, this beast of a pistol most closely resembles the .50 AE Desert Eagle in our world. Like the Desert Eagle, it uses a gas-powered recoil system, which requires a lot of maintenance but is necessary in order to eject and chamber the massive 12.7mm Ultra rounds. The gun can be field-stripped and the barrel replaced in a matter of minutes by a trained agent, which is sometimes necessary because of damage done to the weapon by the heavy powder charge. An extended barrel can also be swapped in for increased range and accuracy.
The default ammunition for the M23 Sundowner is a jacketed hollow-point round, suitable for killing brown bears, wild boars, and dire wolves. The Lothanasi employ a wide variety of specialty rounds, as well, including silver-cored rounds (for lycanthropes), iron-core fragmentation rounds (for fae), incendiary rounds (for vampires), and armor-piercing depleted uranium rounds (for very tough monsters with thick natural armor).
The M23 Sundowner is not even remotely concealable. Holsters generally carry it at the hip.