Game in the Brain

Is there a bias against ak? Scientific damage

Ok GURPS calculates damage based on barrel length, diameter and mass of the bullet. The ak101 is an ak that uses the same rounds as an M4/m16.

In GURPS high tech ak101’s 410mm barrel deals a little less damage than the m16 508mm and more than the m4’s 370mm barrel. At least 5d-1 (average of 16.5), vs 17.5 of m16 or 16 of the m4. Just a .5 better damage.

Anyway it seems that GURPS is not using joules or kinetic energy for damage so I hope I can claim this and make it open – meaning anyone can use joules * area of impact/effect * mechanical efficiency as an open method of calculating damage.

By this method an ak47 does more damage at 2100 joules. I don’t know where that bias is coming from, although I’ve never touched a real ak I can from thinking about it see how 2100 joules will screw you with recoil.

Waiting for my dad to get back from south Africa so he can transfer his gun to me, so I can learn to shoot real steel. Mulling the grey area of Philippine gun ownership, regarding assault weapons – sigh- some weapons are cheaper than the airsoft version.

3 responses to “Is there a bias against ak? Scientific damage”

  1. DeadGod Avatar
    DeadGod

    As I understand it, an extremely fast-moving bullet actually expends less energy in the target, disrupting less tissue. In other words, past a certain velocity, you actually lose damage capacity. I believe this is the concept seen in hollow point bullets–where the projectile is designed to slow itself down and spend more energy inside the target.

  2. Granger44 Avatar
    Granger44

    @Justin: do you have muzzle velocities for the rifles in question? Since kinetic energy varies by velocity, I think that would be a good tell if GURPS is close.

    @DeadGod: GURPS models that with the optional rule capping the damage you can do to a certain body part. But you still need to account for the kinetic energy change so other things (armor and 1/2D to name two) work out consistently.

  3. justin aquino Avatar
    justin aquino

    @deadgood XKCD's thought experiment on that subject http://what-if.xkcd.com/18/ found via Dan Eastwood.

    @Granger
    I use that rule. my problem is that when i do some back of the envelop calculations GURPS tends to be bias regarding other guns. I'm also a fan of the G3A3, (sorry can't find the current producer, i remember seeing a subcontractor selling it far below the GURPS pice; you can say TL8 price for TL7) and it tends to be more disadvantaged.

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