While any cyberpunk future would be awash in old firearms and ammunition in a variety of calibers, new firearm chamberings would move in three directions:
Small calibers allowed for pocket pistol sized guns with 10rnd+ magazines or tiny revolvers with 6 or more rounds in the cylinder and Medium Pistol damage. Alternatively, for security, police, and other uniformed use; Service pistols with 20rd+ magazines, or 10 round (or more) capacity revolvers. Users no longer have to choose between effective stopping power, concealability and magazine capacity.
People choosing the highest quality personal defense handguns, either for duty use or concealed carry typically choose firearms from this category. The traditional calibers of 9mm, .45ACP .357 Magnum and the like are largely supplanted by the newer chamberings. The older calibers are usually found in surplus, used and inexpensive guns, or bespoke models for the tradition-bound consumers.
There are also lower power Light Pistol calibers with similar case sizes for those with recoil or price sensitivity. These have replaced .32ACP and .380 calibers in new production for the same advantages. The Light Pistol chambered guns are typically straight blowback and don’t require the higher-quality metallurgy that the higher pressure rounds do, and thus can be less expensive. Guns that are expected to be less expensive often have rougher quality standards.
The larger calibers are inevitably tied to larger guns. Large revolvers, heavy autoloaders the size and weight of bricks built to contain the massive pressure and power of these cartridges. For the most part, Heavy Pistols and Revolvers are large and difficult to conceal. However they have damage and penetration that approaches the power of rifles with a portability that is compatible with everyday life. These guns are especially formidable in balancing unaugmented humans against bots, cyborgs or vehicles.
Heavy Revolvers are renowned for their mechanical reliability and capacity to handle the most powerful cartridges. They are generally limited to only 5 or 6 shots and cannot be suppressed. The favorite of traditionalists and those who prefer the mechanical reliability of a revolver's manual action.
Heavy Pistols typically are limited to the standard heavy pistol rounds because they have to fit into the pistol grip However, Heavy Pistols have more capacity for modular features and accessories. These accessories give the Heavy Pistol more versatility over the revolver. They also have greater magazine capacity and are often easier to carry and conceal, as much as any Heavy firearm can be at least.
There is also the Cyborg Special, a handgun developed for augmented humans and light power armor. These pistols use alternate magazine locations to allow for interchangeable grips adaptable to various hand sizes. They fire the heaviest calibers, and are always rated for High-Velocity and other advanced cartridges. These firearms are awkward or even impossible for unaugmented people to use effectively, being heavy and large in comparison to any other handgun.
In addition to handguns, there are also “Thumper” SMGs that fire Heavy Handgun rounds but are designed to make the caliber controllable in full-auto fire. This increases bulk and weight, and are not firearms that can be simply holstered and carried. Thumpers have limited capacity and are harder to control then standard SMGs and have less range then rifles, but for blowing large holes in tough targets at close range they are unparalleled.
Cased Telescoping ammo is able to pack more propellant and shell into a smaller and lighter formfactor. This is an established competitor to Caseless ammunition, with 1 foot in the established technology and the other in the high velocity future. This ironically works against the caliber, as it’s too new for traditionalists and not advanced enough for organizations that are looking forward to setting the next standard.
Cased Telescoping ammunition can safely and reliably fire all varieties of projectiles, but the plastic casings cannot be reloaded or recycled, and the system cannot be easily retrofitted into existing guns. A few large mega-corporations are in the process of adopting it, but the market penetration is lacking.
Caseless AmmunitionThe long time goal of many designers, Caseless ammunition has finally matured to a useable technology, only to disappoint on technicalities. Caseless ammunition doesn’t have a casing to eject and relies on a fully sealed breach to keep the gasses going where it needs to.
The rounds themselves appear as slightly tapered plastic cylinders, with a colored mark on the base marking the priming spot and a molded in arrow to mark the front of the cartridge. The plastic is actually the propellant and is robust, impermeable and burns completely away when ignited. The rounds are ignited by an electric firing system, improving trigger and allowing for some unorthodox grip placement since there doesn't need to be a mechanical connection from the trigger to the firing mechanism.
Caseless Ammunition is only available in Regular and HV, with High-Velocity being the standard issue round and regular being for training.The basic science was completed when HV was the only ammunition that was expected to matter as armor and robotics were increasing. This limitation has contributed to the lukewarm adoption of the the ammunition system.
New technologies in chemistry and materials science have led to improvements in projectiles and speeds. Different advances have created a couple standard pathways to high penetration, high damage, and combination high penetration/high damage ammunition. While the technical specifics vary among brands and manufacturers, these enhanced ammunition types fall into a few distinct categories.
This ammunition is made for most calibers but is most effective in modern small caliber rounds. High-Velocity ammo is loaded with a hardened penetrator and a high-pressure propellant mixture to maximize velocity. This ammunition is especially effective at penetrating armor and damaging mechanical targets, extends the effective range of the caliber and typically has slightly less wounding potential in living creatures.
The biggest downside to HV Ammo is that the higher pressures are destructive to older designs and 3d-printed firearms. These firearms must make a Quality Check for each magazine fired, a failure is a jam and a Botch results in a destroyed gun. Modern designs are designed with HV Ammo in mind and do not need to make a Quality Check.
Special geometry saboted bullets 3D printed from a hardened ceramic that have a cavity that, once accelerated, creates a ramjet effect doubling velocity. The incredible speed and hardened ceramic creates a long-ranged, high penetration shell. Due to peculiarities of the ramjet shape, this design only works on rifle rounds larger then .30 caliber and loses effectiveness in bores larger than .50 caliber.
Taking a different path, this ammo improves the projectile rather than the propellant. While these are available for all calibers, they are most effective on larger calibers with room for Improved Chemistry explosives and other payloads. Explosive Ammo is the typical damage enhancement, equipped with an impact fuse that calculates penetration for effective damage. Explosive Ammo works best against soft targets to obtain the necessary penetration to be effective.
Specially shaped projectiles with control surfaces and a seeker based on Heat, laser or radar. This allows for projectiles to correct for minor aiming flaws, or even to attack targets behind cover by curving around it. This technology limits velocity and takes up space in the bore, thus these rounds do less damage. They are also incredibly expensive. However, only hits end fights, for some the tradeoff is worth it.
The latest and greatest in ammunition and chamberings give the best equipped players a chance against the high technology and low-lifes that they will encounter. High- tech opponents will have access to this technology as well. The world is still awash in war-surplus, criminally acquired, relic, legacy, 3D printed and craft-made firearms as well. Standard ammunition and calibers are widespread and can kill someone just as dead as a cased-telescoping Heavy Pistol Damage Enhanced round shot from a Thumper.
Less-affluent organizations and individuals will also rebuild and modernize older used guns with better sights, bolted on smartgun integrations and other modifications. The street finds its own uses for things, and 3d printing better grips and holsters from obsolete firearms is a common activity. These are often refurbished and offered at Cheaper prices then more Standard arms. While these firearms are widely available, even at the cheaper prices are often too expensive, or too restricted for many people. Many of these guns are secreted away for a bad day rather than carried proudly on the street.
A classic image of the genre is the old, imperfect firearm that is out of date and costs our heroes far more than it is worth because it’s available. Consider the cost and controls that cutting edge weapons and cartridges would have. Consider how most criminals get by on a handful of mixed ammunition in whatever gun they can steal. There is narrative value in the low lifes as well as the high tech. Having characters that are scraping credits together for a rusty Chief’s Special advance to the latest cyborg machine blaster can be a powerful sign of the divide between the have and have-nots.
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