Regularized Roscoe Rules:

Following up on my first post, I've revamped the cartridge firearms stats (the shooting rules are fine). This replaces the relevant tables in the book for my game and please feel free to use these for your games. Permission is granted to republish this information as desired. To my mind the rules for guns were nonsensical with some calibers being merged together while others that are similar having different stats and a complete lack of definition of difference for SMGs and pistol caliber longarms. Using these rules players and GMs should be able to develop pretty much any gun of the Wild West and later eras. I've also created an even further simplified version that I'll be posting separately.

Classification of Firearms Technology Levels:

I first had to divide the eras of firearms to make space for a later addition I'll want to make with Accessories and to provide for the development of ammunition over time. 

• Black Powder: State of firearms from the beginning of gunpowder to about 1850’s technology. These rules are unchanged from the book. 
• Classic: The Classic period is the 1850s to the beginning of WWI Semi-auto firearms and machineguns are unavailable. 
• Mid-Century: Includes WWI through WWII. Fully automatic and semi-auto guns are available, but less common. Accessories are mostly limited to Classic.
• Modern: Post WWII guns to the current day, with an emphasis on post 1980 designs and accessories. 
• Future: Guns and accessories that are not available yet.

Ammunition:

I've created a better and more simplified ammunition chart, keeping with the ideas of Savage Worlds. A gun’s damage (and armor penetration) relies entirely on its ammunition, not the firearm itself. A weapon's effective range is mostly a factor of it's ammunition, but is practically influenced by the type of gun as well. It is easier to shoot a longarm accurately than a handgun. For pistol ammo, this means that effective range is increased when fired from a rifle or SMG as opposed to a revolver or pistol. While gun enthusiasts will brawl to the flaming internet death over the different damage, ranges and penetration of various calibers, they generally can be boiled down to a couple of categories. These categories may even be too narrow and the simplified rules coming in a future post may be even more realistic.

The Savage Worlds rules are not granular enough to distinguish different sub-types of ammunition like hollowpoint, armor piercing or others, so I’ve not written about them. Older ammunition didn’t have the penetrating power that modern ammo has. Thus Classic period ammunition has less armor piercing capability then Mid-Century and later ammunition. The higher pressures required for magnum handguns and ammo require technology that wasn’t available until the Mid-Century period.

GMs should still feel free to specify the actual caliber of a firearm or found ammunition, especially if they are trying to impress upon the characters that they can't loot bodies to replenish their stockpile. These rules should not be taken to mean that a character can reload their Thomson SMG with 45 Colt rounds from a Single Action Army revolver. But all of that is merely description and fluff. I've written these rules to help GMs and players who may not be gun enthusiasts to have a simple set of numbers to apply fairly. And to allow gun enthusiasts playing characters with custom firearms to build (with GM approval) unique and interesting guns in the pulp style.

Handguns have no stocks and short barrels. Longarms have stocks and longer barrels and includes SMGs. With rare exception, carbine and rifle ammo are only found in longarms. I've listed range tables for the odd handguns like the T/C Encore and Contender and stockless rifles that fire Carbine and Rifle ammo. The handgun chart would also apply to Classic firearms at the GMs option as these were lower velocity and harder to shoot well.

• Light Pistol ammo is low pressure and often found in target and training firearms as well as derringers, inexpensive "Pocket pistols" or novelty guns. All varieties of firearms are chambered in this type of ammunition. Example calibers include: .22LR, .25ACP, and .32 pocket guns.
• Light pistol calibers are 2d4 damage, AP 1. 
• Light pistol ammo range, handgun, 5/10/20
• Light pistol ammo range, longarm, 10/20/40
• Medium Pistol ammunition is the standard for sidearms and sub-machineguns. it is the type of ammo every police officer, security guard and soldiers pistol is chambered in, as well as nearly all SMGs deployed. The most popular calibers in the world are Medium Pistol. Calibers include: 9mm, 40S&W, 38special and Super, etc
• Medium pistol calibers are 2d6 damage, AP 2.
• Classic Medium Pistol Ammo is only AP 1.
• Medium Pistol ammo range, handgun, 10/20/40
• Medium Pistol ammo range, longarm, 12/24/48
• Heavy Pistol ammo is large caliber rounds, often designed before Magnum cartridges for additional terminal effectiveness. Often preferred but more traditional shooters and very common in the Classic period and firearms. Mostly found in pistols and revolvers, lever action rifles and a few SMGs. Example real-world calibers include: .44 Special, 10mm, 45ACP and 'Long Colt', 357 Magnum
• Heavy pistol calibers are 2d6+1 damage, AP 1. 
• Heavy Pistol ammo range, handgun, 10/20/40
• Heavy Pistol ammo range, longarm, 12/24/48
• Magnum ammunition is where the calibers that try to be the biggest and best in a handgun sized package. Often found in revolvers and only rarely adapted to Semi-autos. No Magnum SMG has ever been mass produced. There are some custom rifles in these calibers and SMGs Example calibers include .50 Action Express, .44 Magnum, .500 S&W.
• Magnum Pistol calibers are 2d8 damage, AP 1, limited to an ROF 1. 
• Magnum cartridges and firearms do not exist in Classic settings.
• Magnum Pistol ammo range, handgun, 10/20/40
• Magnum Pistol ammo range, longarm, 12/24/48
• Carbine ammo is also called "intermediate cartridges," and are typical of assault rifles like the AK and M16-style rifles. There are many manually operated longarms in carbine cartridges as well, like the classic 30-30 lever rifles. Handguns in this caliber are often single shot or cut down rifles.
• Carbine ammo is 2d8 damage AP 3, 
• Semiauto Carbines have a ROF of 2.
• Classic Carbine ammo is only AP 2
• Carbine ammo range, handgun, 20/40/80
• Carbine ammo range, longarm, 24/48/96
• Rifle ammo is the full power horse-stopping round exemplified by the .308, 30-06 or 8mm Mauser. Usually found in bolt action rifles, many belt fed medium machine guns and even autoloading combat rifles are built in these calibers as well. There are only a few handguns in these calibers due to their huge size, heavy recoil and weight. They are mostly target and hunting single shot pistols.
• Rifle ammo is 2d8+1 damage, AP4, 
• Semiauto rifles have a ROF of 1.
• Classic Rifle ammo is only AP 3
• Rifle ammo range, handgun, 24/48/96
• Rifle ammo range, longarm, 30/60/120

Rate of Fire Modifications.

Rate of fire is going to be a feature of the firearm. The system has a side rule for semi-auto guns to “Doubletap” to increase damage against a single target, but the trained use of a semi-auto can easily support attacking 2 targets inside of 6 seconds without a penalty. The obvious exclusion of guns with an ROF of 2 and the rules defining ROF 3 as full auto show to me that this was a consideration when they were designing the game. If a character uses both ROF against a single target, use the Doubletap rule. If they split them between targets, use the ROF rules. The Customization mentioned is an optional rule that I'll post later. GMs should feel free to ignore it as it is very much a specialist and cinematic addition.

• Single shot, single action and manually operated firearms have a ROF of 1.
• Pump action, lever action, bolt action firearms are all included.
• All single action revolvers and Derringers are ROF 1. 
• Double action revolvers are ROF 1, except when customized. 
• Magnum caliber semiauto pistols, heavy semiauto rifles and semiauto shotguns (except when customized) are also ROF1.
• Semiauto firearms are typically ROF 2. Pistols, rifles etc.
• Machineguns are ROF 3 and 4. The highest rate of fire guns are 4. 
• Miniguns and futuristic hyper rate of file guns are ROF 5.

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