GURPS Guns: Trailblazer Lifecard

Trailblazer Lifecard, .22 WMR (USA, 2019-)

A single-shot derringer, which can be folded into a rectangular block roughly the length and width of a credit card (Holdout +0). It cannot be cocked or fired while folded (or folded while cocked) and has no extractor. A groove in the top surface serves as a rudimentary sight. A small compartment in the grip holds three spare rounds of ammunition (weight of these not included in the listed weights on the table).

A version in .22 LR is also available, and the grip compartment can hold four of the smaller rounds. A barrel to convert between the two is $70.

GUNS (SPECIALITY) (DX-4 or most other Guns at -2)

Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
Trailblazer Lifecard, .22 WMR	1d+1 pi−	0	100/1,300	0.45/0.012	1	1(3)	6	−1	2
Trailblazer Lifecard, .22 LR	1d pi−	0	80/1,100	0.45/0.008	1	1(3)	5	−1	2

A Trailblazer Lifecard is TL 8, LC 3, and costs $250.

Cartridge	WPS	CPS
.22 WMR	0.012	$0.2

GURPS Guns: Luty 9mm SMG

A more unusual gun this time, ideal for an After the End game. Information about this weapon is hard to find, so more guesswork than usual went into the numbers. Don't try to build one of these things yourself; they are not only illegal almost everywhere, but also probably unsafe to both build and shoot.

Luty 9mm SMG, 9×19mm (UK, 1998-)

Philip Luty designed this extremely simple weapon as an act of protest against restrictive gun laws in the UK. Unsurprisingly, the protest resulted in him spending much of the rest of his life in prison, but the instruction manual he wrote for constructing it was published and distributed widely enough that copies have been made around the world, mostly by criminal groups. The design was intended to be built from commonly available materials with only an angle grinder, blowtorch, electric drill, and some hand tools.

It is a straight blowback operated smoothbore weapon, firing from an open bolt, with neither sights or stock, so accuracy is poor. It also lacks any form of safety. The single-stack magazines are also hand-made.

As an illegal (LC 2) item made in small workshops, price is hard to estimate. For the purposes of crafting and invention rules, $200 for the gun and $50 for the magazine seem reasonable, but actual examples are said to be sold at around five or six times that price due to the danger of trading in them. Quality will also vary considerably, with many being entirely unsafe to use, while others may be relatively reliable. A typical example is probably 'Very Unreliable', malfunctioning on a 15+. Although designed at TL 8, it needs no technology which wouldn’t be available at TL 7, so could be treated as a TL 7 device for crafting and invention rules.

GUNS (SMG) (DX-4 or most other Guns at -2)

Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
Luty 9mm SMG, 9×19mm	3d-1 pi	1	170/1,900	8.2/1	18!	18(3)	9†	−4	2

GURPS Guns: Kel-Tec SU16 and PLR16

Kel-Tec SU16, 5.56×45mm NATO (USA, 2003-)

The original Sport Utility rifle (later named SU16A) uses an AR-15 (GURPS High-Tech, p. 117) derived upper (with an 18.5″ barrel and piston mechanism) on a ‘take-down’ lower, allowing it to be folded into a compact package (about 2′ long; −3 Holdout) and quickly turned back into a functional rifle by folding it out again. It can not be fired or loaded while folded, as the trigger goes into the magazine well. The hand-guard can be folded out into a bipod (GURPS High-Tech, p. 160), the upper receiver has a Picatinny accessory rail (GURPS High-Tech, p. 161), and the stock can hold two of the standard 10 round magazines or one metal 20 or 30 round AR-15 style one (polymer magazines are too wide to fit). It can use any AR-15 style STANAG magazine, but the magazines it comes with will not work in other AR-15 style weapons.

The SU16B is similar, but has a light-weight 16″ barrel. Treat it as ‘unreliable’ for the purposes of Sustained Fire (GURPS High-Tech, pp. 85-86) only.

The SU16C has a 16″ barrel and a folding stock, which still allows the rifle to be folded into a non-functional package as well, but doesn’t hold spare magazines. Full-sized polymer magazines can prevent the stock folding properly. The SU16CA is the same gun with the SU16A stock (Bulk −4). The hand-guard functions like the SU16 one.

The SU16D9 and SU16D12 are short-barreled (9.2″ and 12″ respectively) rifles with SU16C style stocks and a hand-guard which has an additional accessory rail on the underside rather than folding out into a bipod. In the USA such guns are regulated under the National Firearms Act (treat as LC 2).

The SU16E has ergonomics more like an M4 carbine (GURPS High-Tech, p. 160), with a 16″ barrel, adjustable non-folding stock, pistol grip, and the same hand guard as the SU16D guns.

Kel-Tec PLR16, 5.56×45mm NATO (USA, 2006-)

The Pistol, Long Range is essentially an SU16E rifle with the SU16D9’s barrel and no stock or hand-guard (although it can mount the SU16D/E hand-guard; 0.2 lbs, $50).

GUNS (RIFLE) (DX−4 or most other Guns at −2)

Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
Kel-Tec SU16, 5.56×45mm	5d pi	5	600/2,500	5.5/0.5	3	10+1(3)	9†	−4	2
Kel-Tec SU16B, 5.56×45mm	5d−1 pi	5	600/2,500	5/0.5	3	10+1(3)	9†	−4	2
Kel-Tec SU16C, 5.56×45mm	5d−1 pi	5	600/2,500	5.2/0.5	3	10+1(3)	9†	−4*	2
Kel-Tec SU16D9, 5.56×45mm	4d+1 pi	4	600/2,500	5/0.5	3	10+1(3)	9†	−4*	2
Kel-Tec SU16D12, 5.56×45mm	4d+2 pi	4	600/2,500	5/0.5	3	10+1(3)	9†	−4*	2
Kel-Tec SU16E, 5.56×45mm	5d−1 pi	5	600/2,500	5.2/0.5	3	10+1(3)	9†	−4	2

All Kel-Tec SU16 variants are TL 8, LC 3, and cost (approximately) $500. Spare 10 round magazines are $12. None of them have swing swivels (GURPS High-Tech, p. 154).

GUNS (PISTOL) (DX−4 or most other Guns at −2)

Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
Kel-Tec PLR16, 5.56×45mm	4d+1 pi	3	600/2,500	3.9/0.5	3	10+1(3)	11	−3	3

The Kel-Tec PLR16 is TL 8, LC 3, and costs $430. Spare 10 round magazines are $12. It has no lanyard ring (GURPS High-Tech, p. 154).

GURPS Guns: Smith & Wesson Model 500

"He's an outlaw loose and running"
Came the whisper from each lip
"And he's here to do some business,
with the big iron on his hip"

Marty Robbins
Big Iron

Continuing the theme of impractically large pistols.

Smith & Wesson Model 500, .500 Magnum (USA, 2003-)

Apparently built just so that S&W could once again claim to produce ‘the most powerful handgun in the world’, this huge SA/DA revolver has rubber grips and a built-in compensator (GURPS Gun-Fu, p. 41) to try and tame the ridiculous recoil of the .500 Magnum round. It also shoots the slightly less crazy .500 Special (Dmg 3d+2 pi+, Rcl 4).

A long-barrel performance center version with a muzzle brake, accessory rail for mounting a scope, and swing swivels is also available (with .500 Special; Dmg. 4d−1 pi+, Rcl 3). The Model 500ES (2003-2009) is an ‘emergency survival’ version with orange grips and a 2.75″ barrel (with .500 Special; Dmg 3d−1 pi+, Rcl 4).

GUNS (PISTOL) (DX−4 or most other Guns at −2)

Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
S&W Model 500, .500 Magnum	5d+2 pi+	2	320/2,500	4.9/0.5	3	5(3i)	13	−3	5
S&W Model 500 PC LB, .500 Magnum	6d−1 pi+	3	320/2,500	5.6/0.5	3	5(3i)	13	−4	4
S&W Model 500ES, .500 Magnum	4d+2 pi+	1	320/2,500	3.9/0.5	3	5(3i)	13	−3	6

All variants of the Smith & Wesson Model 500 are TL 8, and LC 3. None of them have lanyard rings. The Model 500 and 500ES cost $1,300, the Model 500 Performance Center Long Barrel version costs $1,600.

Cartridge	WPS	CPS
.500 Magnum	0.09	$1
.500 Special	0.075	$1

GURPS Guns: Auto Mag Pistols

Here's another set of hand-cannons.

Auto Mag Model 180, .44 AMP (USA, 1971-1972)

The original Auto Mag Pistol is an over-engineered beauty, mostly cast from stainless steel. It is single action and uses a rotating-bolt short-recoil mechanism to manage the power of its unique cartridge. The barrel has a large rib running along the top, which combined with the guide rods running along the sides and an elegantly curved trigger-guard, gives the pistol a very distinctive appearance.

With a cost of manufacture well below the retail price, the Auto Mag Corporation was only able to build around 3,000 before declaring bankruptcy, six months after shipping the first one. Owner Harry Sanford went on to produce it under several different brands (TDE, OMC, Thomas Oil Company, High Standard, and AMT) between 1973 and 1984, raising the price to $6,000 to actually turn a profit. Despite the cost, he managed to sell around 6,000 more guns. Since 2018 AutoMag Ltd. has sold a copy for $2,500.

Auto Mag magazines cause feed issues (−1 to Malfunction) when fully loaded. See GURPS Tactical Shooting, p. 20.

The .44 AMP round was always difficult to find and expensive, even more so once the guns were no longer produced. Many owners make their own by cutting down .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield casings.

The Model 280 changed the Model 180's 6.5″ barrel for an 8″ one. The very rare Model 160 (1972) uses the .357 AMP cartridge, which is a .44 AMP case necked-down to take a smaller bullet. The even rarer Model 260 (1972) shoots .357 AMP from a long barrel. Conversion between any of the variants is simply a barrel-swap (a spare short barrel is $500, a long one $600).

GUNS (PISTOL) (DX−4 or most other Guns at −2)

Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
Auto Mag Model 180, .44 AMP	4d−1 pi+	2	240/2,100	4.1/0.5	3	7+1(3)	12	−3	4
Auto Mag Model 280, .44 AMP	4d pi+	3	240/2,100	4.4/0.5	3	7+1(3)	12	−3	4
Auto Mag Model 160, .357 AMP	4d pi	2	310/2,400	4/0.4	3	7+1(3)	12	−3	4
Auto Mag Model 260, .357 AMP	4d pi	3	310/2,400	4.2/0.4	3	7+1(3)	12	−3	4

All variants of the Auto Mag Pistol are TL 7, and LC 3. None of them have lanyard rings. The Model 180 and 160 cost $1,100, the Model 280 and 260 cost $1,200. Spare magazines are $100.

Cartridge	WPS	CPS
.357 AMP	0.04	$2
.44 AMP	0.055	$2

GURPS Guns: Ruger Blackhawk

As you may have guessed from recent posts, I've been statting up some guns for GURPS. I've also switched theme, so hopefully large tables should display reasonably well on most devices. Here's the first one:

Ruger Blackhawk, .44 Magnum (USA, 1956-1962)

Thanks to some corporate espionage (the apocryphal story says a Ruger employee found a spent case in a dumpster) Sturm, Ruger & Co. were able to bring a version of their popular single-action Blackhawk revolver chambered in the new .44 Magnum round to market at almost the same time as the Smith & Wesson Model 29 (GURPS High-Tech, p. 96) for two-thirds the price. The Blackhawk was essentially a modernized version of the Colt M1873 Single-Action Army (GURPS High-Tech, p. 95) and suffered similar safety issues to early revolvers when the hammer was left over a loaded chamber (See "Unsafe" Revolvers, GURPS High-Tech, p. 93).

The original Blackhawk (1955-1973) is chambered in .357 Magnum. From 1962 to 1973, it is also available in .30 Carbine and .41 Magnum.

The Super Blackhawk (1959-1973) has a lengthened barrel, a strengthened all-steel frame (previous versions used aluminum alloy), unfluted cylinder, and larger grips to reduce felt recoil.

The New Model Super Blackhawk (1973-) added a transfer-bar safety mechanism, allowing it to be safely carried while fully loaded. It is also available in .41 Magnum. The New Model Blackhawk (1973-) uses the same frame, but is chambered in .30 Carbine, .357 Magnum, or .45 Long Colt, among others. The Vaquero range is similar, but with 19th century styling and fixed sights.

GUNS (PISTOL) (DX−4 or most other Guns at −2)

Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
Blackhawk, .357 Magnum	3d pi	2	190/2,100	2.7/0.2	1	6(5i)	10	−2	3
Blackhawk, .44 Magnum	3d+2 pi+	2	210/2,300	2.9/0.3	1	6(5i)	11	−3	5
Blackhawk, .41 Magnum	3d pi+	2	200/1,900	2.8/0.3	1	6(5i)	10	−2	4
Blackhawk, .30 Carbine	4d−1 pi	2	330/2,100	2.8/0.2	1	6(5i)	11	−3	4
Super Blackhawk, .44 Magnum	3d+2 pi+	2	210/2,300	3.3/0.3	1	6(5i)	11	−3	4
NM Super Blackhawk, .44 Magnum	3d+2 pi+	2	210/2,300	3.4/0.3	1	6(5i)	11	−3	4
NM Super Blackhawk, .41 Magnum	3d pi+	2	200/1,900	3.3/0.3	1	6(5i)	10	−3	3
NM Blackhawk, .30 Carbine	4d−1 pi	2	330/2,100	3.2/0.2	1	6(5i)	11	−3	3
NM Blackhawk, .357 Magnum	3d pi	2	190/2,100	3.1/0.2	1	6(5i)	10	−3	2
NM Blackhawk, .45 Colt	3d−2 pi+	2	120/1,300	3.2/0.3	1	6(5i)	11	−3	3

All variants of the Blackhawk are TL 7, LC 3, and cost $550. They are all Reliable and malfunction only on an 18. None of them have lanyard rings.

Cartridge	WPS	CPS
.41 Magnum	0.049	$0.7

A formula for estimating weight of modern ammunition.

When writing up rules for unusual firearms in GURPS, I often find that it is really difficult to get a good estimate of how much the ammunition weighs. For some reason, although people love to post numbers related to guns on the internet, they very rarely include the weight of the cartridges they fire.

Obviously different loadings vary quite a bit; the bullet is often two-thirds of the weight of a round, and the heaviest bullets might weigh twice what the lightest ones do. GURPS simplifies that into a single WPS, which leaves a bit of 'wiggle room', which is fortunate because any simple formula is only going to give a crude approximation, given the massive number of variables.

Anyway, here's the math:

A = B + ( ( C ^ (5/6) ) / 100 )

Where A is the weight of a complete round of ammunition in lbs. (i.e. WPS in GURPS), B is the weight of the bullet, also in lbs. (divide weight in grains by 7,000, or weight in grams by 454), and C is the case capacity in cubic centimeters AKA milliliters (yes, this is a weird mix of units, divide grains of water by 15.4 to get cubic cm).

This generally seems to produce results within about 10-20% of the WPS figures in GURPS High-Tech for modern brass cartridges, which is close enough for me (given that different loads in the same casing can easily vary that much in the real world). Anything old enough to have been originally loaded in black powder will cause issues, and plastic cases, caseless ammunition, and other oddities will not work at all.