McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Firearms - writers - resources
Yeratel:
Really, the best way to get a feel for what a particular gun is like, and what it can do, is to buy or borrow one and actually shoot it. In the case of something like a .357 Magnum versus a 9 millimeter Luger, firing them side by side makes it pretty clear that the Magnum has more blast and kick at the shooter's end, and firing them into a target like soft clay or firm gelatin shows pretty clearly what it's like at the receiving end. A 9 mm will penetrate deeply, particularly with military style full metal jacket bullets, while the expanding bullets used in most .357 Magnums transfer more energy to the target and blow bigger holes out the back side. With expanding bullets of comparable weights, a 9mm is more comparable to a .38 Special. I own and shoot handguns in all three calibres, and reload my own ammunition. Knowledgeable opinions are valuable, if that's all a writer has to go on, but there's still no real substitute for actual personal experience. Very few writers, for example, ever note that firing a handgun in the .357 Magnum class indoors, without serious ear protection, will leave your ears ringing for hours afterwards, and seriously affect your hearing sensitivity.
InfernoMDM:
I totally agree people should experince as much as they can. However experience doesn't always create understanding or knowledge. I am not sure if it was the Dresden files, since I have heard the story, but 3 blind men can touch a elephant. Getting experts to go hand in hand always seems to make things better. Most of your points are valid, with a few notable things.
A sub compact with 9mm +P or +P+ (self defense load) traveling at the same speed, and having nearly the same weight as a 357 magnum will do the same damage, provided barrel lengths of the firearm are comparable. 13.8(9mm)vs 14.4(357) really is negliable differnce when comparing same speed to weight rounds.
I will try to post some photos of of bare gel tests as well, if anyone asks for them. People lie about bullets to make them look better then they are. Glock created the 45 G.A.P. round to compete with 45 and 40 cal, but no noticeable usefulness came from the round. If you ask a Glock fan or look just at the GAP propaganda you get a different story.
My favorite is the 5.7 round you see in stargate weapons(P-90). If you compare the round to a armor piercing 9mm you get better results from the 9mm. However people to this day thing its the best thing because of specific tests, instead of a all around study done a few years after the round came out.
I am not saying go to a forum/resource for information on how a gun fires, if you can get hands on experience. Many people can't tell you how it feels to carry a gun day in and day out from going to the range. The majority of people know squat about ballistics, who makes subsonic ammo for a 308. Hell most people don't live in states that allow you to shoot a sub machinegun unless your LE. These things help out.
More resources from the FBI on down. I should have done this yesterday.
http://www.stoppingpower.net/ Not the best link but has case studies about cops, shootings and other such info.
http://apollo.demigod.org/~zak/firearms/fbi-pistol.php Quick list of pistol rounds and FBI gel test.
http://www.firearmstactical.com/wound.htm Great sight covers pistols to rifles, diagrams stats, and all the science. Also explains why one guy can shoot a AR-15 and get a kill with 3 rounds, and then another guy can get the same point of impacts and have to him someone 7+ times. Very Very science.
Most of this info comes in a more destilled form in the forums I provided, by the experts that wrote the science.
InfernoMDM:
Another resource I almost forgot. This is a website with manuals for lots of guns, just read the info and it tells you how to get on and see, they have the password protection to prevent hot linking.
http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/
Roaram:
So, first things first, I want to say I agree with the research/experience crowd. I will say I was surprised the one time I fired a carbon fiber or watever its called lightwieght .22 and felt it almost kick out of my hand when the heavy more powerfull pistol didn't. shocked. See, I never really thought about the wieght to kick ratio before I fired a little gun that kicked more than I thought it should. and as for reaserch on the science, if you have a character shoot a vampire with a 50 caliber machine gattling whatever gun, and the vampire heals, I think its important to know that you just had a vampire stitch most of its body mass back together all lickety split. so when he got hit by the car later he could just keep running you know?
as for acctual gun knolledge, I gotta say, other than your safty on a gun without a safty, keep it simple. everyone thinks they know something they don't, or know so much that every detail you add is just adding to the list of what you're doing wrong. so minimise it, and let joe shmoe think he knows his assault rifels, and let the experts agree you didn't give them enough ammo to shooot your story full of holes
InfernoMDM:
This info isn't for detail as much as getting the basics straight. I have read books that talk about the modern M-4 going full auto in the hands of a grunt. Grunt's don't get full auto M-4's and they are exteremly rare. The author was going back to Vietnam knowledge. Also other people have spent the time to describe a glock, and called it a HK USP.
If you know nothing, and still want to put something in, all I am saying is get your basics. Considering I have read 20+ books in 2 months well over 300-400 pages, and I am 1 airman among many, these things tend to get us reading or dumping a book. I dumped a book that was recomended because it was "like the dresden files" in the first 40 pages due to issues like this on a few different topics.
Like I said only a resource/tool to help.
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