Poll - Favorite Small Arm

[chico20854]

What type of small arm (.50 and under, man-portable) do you like to equip your PC with as his primary weapon? (I know folks like to keep a GPMG, a shotgun, a Barret .50 and a PPSH in the HMMWV for those special situations, but on an everyday basis)

A shotgun for really cleaning rooms up and for the occasional fresh fowl for dinner?
A SMG for carrying in and out of armored vehicles and handy CQB work?
An assault rifle that does a pretty good job from 15 to 300m for every soldier?
A 7.62mm battle rifle that can stop somebody at more than 200m?
A sniper rifle so you can take down that Marauder leader when he crosses the far ridge?
Only a pistol, because that's how officers show their status?
A light machinegun (SAW, RPK, L-86 or the like) so you have more firepower than the average joe but can still move a bit?
A medium machinegun to really lay down some firepower?
Or something else????

I understand, of course, that what your PC carries also depends on the rest of the party... if your group all had sniper rifles it might be tough to storm a building....

[fightingflamingo]

M14 or M1A hands down. Mostly because I'm a 7.62 fanatic, and secondly because I am very, very familiar with the operation, and employment of this platform, both on and off of the range. I like the ability to put down without question those I shoot at, which goes well with the 7.62's ability to defeat most personal body armor. I might favor the L1A1 or the G3 but I really lack significant experience with either of those platforms, so I can't say I'd prefer, even if in some aspects they may be superior. Regardless, my first and final choice would always be a 7.62 semi auto or select fire battle rifle...

[Targan]

Battle rifle. Both for me personally and for any PC. G3, FN-FAL/SLR, M14, all good. In the words of my very first Army range instructor "7.62 f**ks things".

[Raellus]

I'd like to cheat and pick the H&K G8. It can be used as both a SAW/LSW/LMG and as a marksman's rifle. I saw some pics of it being carried by German KSK commandos and fell in love with it. It's a wee bit munchkinish but I built a PC around the gun.

The following is an excerpt from Wikepedia:

"The German Army, German Navy and the Federal Police use a variant of the HK11 designated the Gewehr-8 (or G8). It is tapped for telescopic sights and has a quick-change barrel with a bipod that uses either a heavy match-grade bull-barrel or a heavy barrel for automatic fire. It was designed to use G3-type 10- or 20-round box magazines in the designated marksman role, but could also use a special 50-round drum magazine for sustained supporting or suppressing fire. The modified G8A1 adopted the improvements of the HK11A1 series and was only able to feed from magazines and drums."

It's listed as the HK 11E under German machineguns on Paul's site.

Sweet.

[pmulcahy11b]

I had to vote Medium Machinegun; what can I say? I love The Pig!

[jester]

I went with light machinegun! You can do almost as much with it as you can with a medium. And you can also do most of what you can do with an assault rifle. And a good gunner can get off single shots as well.

[Mohoender]

I went for the SMG as I really liked it. Like Jester said about the LMG, single shots are possible too. I used to drive my instructor crazy doing that.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

I went for the SMG as I really liked it. Like Jester said about the LMG, single shots are possible too. I used to drive my instructor crazy doing that.

I used to drive ROTC cadets crazy using an M-60 as an ad-hoc sniper rifle. Easy to squeeze off single shots using an M-60.

[Haven]

Battle rifle 1) cause they're cool 2) cause the v2.2 sucks for autofire so you might as well have a rifle that packs some serious semi-auto punch.

[Legbreaker]

Automatic weapons are usually not intended to be accurate although there are a few which are (I've heard old soldiers complaining that the Bren gun for example was too accurate and therefore not much good for suppressive fire).

I do believe though that the autofire rules in V2.0 and 2.2 are a bit harsh. As Paul can attest, anyone with a little experience firing proper automatic weapons (that is, anything with a bipood or tripod and actually intended for burst fire), should be able to get most of their rounds on target, most of the time.

Perhaps bursts should be allowed to take advantage of an action spent Aiming before squeezing the trigger, but only from a supported position (not standing from the hip or shoulder but with the weapon resting on something solid).
Assault rifles, SMGs and other lighter weapons would continue to use the existing rule...

Another way of approaching it is using the recoil attribute. If the total recoil is less than say 6, Aiming will have some benefit. Exceed this total recoil and it's basically back to "spray and pray".

Thoughts anyone?

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Thoughts anyone?

Use a better combat rules system. I do

Its ok, I've got my mouthguard in and I know I deserve a beating for that one.

[Ursus Maior]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I used to drive ROTC cadets crazy using an M-60 as an ad-hoc sniper rifle. Easy to squeeze off single shots using an M-60.

Works great with the MG3 as well. We even were trained in that technique by our instructors.

[Ursus Maior]

For me, this depends on what the group carries. Personally, I'd go with a G3. Know it, good weapon, reliable and hefty punch. If the group is fire-team sized or above, it needs a main support weapon system with high rate of fire. I was good with a MG3, but a small group benefits more from a LMG I thin than a GPMG. I'd go with a RPD over the RPK, because I think it's cooler. In case the group gets about squad-sized, I'd go with a MG3.

If all weapon categories are already covered, I'd go with an assault rifle and probably be the squad leader.

[Nyrond24]

I have done the matchstick trick, it does work but i can say its a very, very bad idea and would never do it again, but I've allowed players to use the trick but with the penalties i dont think anyone ever hit the broad side of a barn.🤣

[General Pain]

It basically depends if your'e on foot, in a car, beeing airdropped, how strong the character is, if it's a stealthy mission etc...

My usual weapons of choice usually is:

2 x 10g Sawed of shotguns (double barreled) (with buck and slug in each shotgun)
2 x .666 PainTek Knucklebusters (oversized deserrt eagle design)
1 x VSK-94 fullauto-sniperrifle with long range and good penetration dam 2 1-1-1
Apart from that I'd like to have a carbine able to shoot RAW-HE or RAW HEAT

or

(depends on situation) a autorifle of same calibre as enemies (cuz of the ammo)

[TiggerCCW UK]

I only get to GM Twilight these days, but when I was a PC it was usually an SLR with an HK69 for me

[Matt Wiser]

Assault rifle for day-to-day work. The trusty FNC.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by TiggerCCW UK

I only get to GM Twilight these days, but when I was a PC it was usually an SLR with an HK69 for me

Bless you my son

[jester]

You FAL lovers,

I have a question, how often are they in a carbine variant? I saw it once in the movie "Wild Geese" and that is it. However, they would be a cool system for gamming if your PCs operated in vehicles or close in areas or wanted the full firepower of the heavier weapon but needed concealability. I am thinking, a short barrel of about 12 inches and a folding stock. Would it work? Granted range would be highly reduced, but still a bada$$ system, at least I think.

[pmulcahy11b]

I've never fired a FAL, but I'm guessing a 12-inch-barrel FAL would have huge muzzle flash and possibly recoil (a regular FAL already has high recoil on automatic). Mounting a good muzzle brake would help, though muzzle brakes tend to re-direct the actual muzzle flash rather than reducing it much. I wouldn't want to shoot such a weapon at night -- instant night blindness.

[Medic]

Depending on the character concept, most characters would probably use an assault rifle, unless the requirements of the group placed them in support weapon duty. A more sniper-style inclined character would most probably use a 7.62 or .338LM sniper rifle as primary with a smg, pdw or a pisto, as a secondary. And should the nation of origin be using M203 or similar system, shotgun can easily be replaced by an APERS round (a canister round, similar but larger than a single shell from a shotgun).

[B.T.]

I'd use a battle rifle, if I could lay my hands on one. The stopping ability of the larger projectile is the main argument.

The G3 is a weapon, I'm familiar with. Some were used as DMRs. A scope was added, that can easily be removed. The rifle is not as accurate as a sniper rifle, but I think it would be a good compromise. The G3/SG1 even has a bipod on it. If you like, you can attach a grenade launcher underneath the barrel.

If I were serving with an armoured unit, I might use a G3 carbine. Never shot one IRL, so I don't know, if the recoil would be problematic.

I had no trouble entering or leaving the M113 with a G3. A shorter version might be handier, but I never had any trouble with the G3, even in build-up areas or in woods. I think, it all depends a lot on the practice, you had with your weapon.

The differences between G3 and FN FAL/SLR are significant, but I'd still pick one up, if I could not get a G3. The SLR would not be my first choice, though - no automatic fire! It is an option, that is not allways so important, but I'd like the possibility, to do bursts, if the need arises!

[Badbru]

Had to go with sniper rifle as the poll asks what is your characters favourite small arm and I prefer to play snipers. Specificly an M21 usually gets my vote.

It was a tough choice though as I've allways felt an RPK (7.62x39) would be ideal. Only a kilo heavier than it's more popular brother the AK. Out ranges it and still has single shot fire but also a higher ROF auto fire, and in Poland in 2000, ammo would be almost, if not the most, common available.

[B.T.]

Originally Posted by Badbru

... the poll asks what is your characters favourite small arm ...

Darn, I've overread this
But still: If I had a character to play, I'd let him use a battle rifle. In game terms the differences are not that big, so I could easily add the M14 or M21 to my list.

[LBraden]

Originally Posted by B.T.

The differences between G3 and FN FAL/SLR are significant, but I'd still pick one up, if I could not get a G3. The SLR would not be my first choice, though - no automatic fire! It is an option, that is not allways so important, but I'd like the possibility, to do bursts, if the need arises!

I take it you did not learn the "matchstick trick" that practically half the serving squaddies knew to make the gun automatic fire.

[B.T.]

Originally Posted by LBraden

I take it you did not learn the "matchstick trick" that practically half the serving squaddies knew to make the gun automatic fire.

My PC would have learned the trick, if I was ever to portray a Brit (or Aussie or New Zealander)