Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

[The_Patriot]

Something odd I've found in my years of playing Hero System is that there is mechanically no difference between semi-auto and bolt action weapons. A semi-auto weapon cycles a round in tenths of a second while a bolt action requires a minimum of a second to chamber a round (provided the shooter is well trained with the weapon). Anyone else find this odd that the weapon write ups fail to reflect this?

[director13]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

Something odd I've found in my years of playing Hero System is that there is mechanically no difference between semi-auto and bolt action weapons. A semi-auto weapon cycles a round in tenths of a second while a bolt action requires a minimum of a second to chamber a round (provided the shooter is well trained with the weapon). Anyone else find this odd that the weapon write ups fail to reflect this?

 

 

Dark Champions?

Edit: Page 95

[The_Patriot]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

Dark Champions?

 

All of the bolt action rifles from Dark Champions and the Equipment Guide fire at the same rate of fire as the semi-autos. A typical semi-auto can conceivably fire up to 10 rounds per second for one that has a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. Taking into account that the human finger can't pull the trigger that fast 1 round per phase is pretty reasonable. Compare this with the Remington Model 700 bolt action rifle. The rate of fire is determined by how fast the firer can work the action. For someone that is well trained on the weapon they could cycle 1 round in a second, so the firing pattern would be fire, cycle bolt, fire, cycle bolt for a normal human with a Speed of 4.

 

It's just something I noticed when designing firearms for my book. How would people build a bolt action rifle to reflect the firing pattern?

[Beast]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

there is taking in to account accurate fire

3 seconds to fire ,cycle action aim, fire

semi auto should be able to do at least double that

easist way to simulate this would be to buy extra speed only to shoot

[Dino]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

How would people build a bolt action rifle to reflect the firing pattern?

 

Give bolt action rifles a limitation that they can't use the Rapid Fire manoeuvre. That way a SPD 4 character using one is limited to a max of four shots in a 12 second turn, but characters using autofire can squeeze off multiple rounds per phase (with a corresponding loss of accuracy).

[director13]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

All of the bolt action rifles from Dark Champions and the Equipment Guide fire at the same rate of fire as the semi-autos. A typical semi-auto can conceivably fire up to 10 rounds per second for one that has a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. Taking into account that the human finger can't pull the trigger that fast 1 round per phase is pretty reasonable. Compare this with the Remington Model 700 bolt action rifle. The rate of fire is determined by how fast the firer can work the action. For someone that is well trained on the weapon they could cycle 1 round in a second, so the firing pattern would be fire, cycle bolt, fire, cycle bolt for a normal human with a Speed of 4.

 

It's just something I noticed when designing firearms for my book. How would people build a bolt action rifle to reflect the firing pattern?

 

Add Extra Phase to the Ranged KA (the way they suggest in Dark Champions), or set the Charges to 1 (with "extra clips" to simulate the magazine, clip, or well).

[The_Patriot]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

there is taking in to account accurate fire

3 seconds to fire ,cycle action aim, fire

semi auto should be able to do at least double that

easist way to simulate this would be to buy extra speed only to shoot

 

That would be good for characters and to simulate them being well trained with the weapon. Thank ya for the idea.

 

Give bolt action rifles a limitation that they can't use the Rapid Fire manoeuvre. That way a SPD 4 character using one is limited to a max of four shots in a 12 second turn' date=' but characters using autofire can squeeze off multiple rounds per phase (with a corresponding loss of accuracy).[/quote']

 

An interesting way of doing it. I could do that or make it a campaign rule for the book on how bolt actions work in respect to that particular skill. Thank ya for posting that since I forgot about the Rapid Fire skill.

 

Add Extra Phase to the Ranged KA (the way they suggest in Dark Champions)' date=' or set the Charges to 1 (with "extra clips" to simulate the magazine, clip, or well).[/quote']

 

I think I'll do it with Extra Time (Extra Phase, Only to cycle the bolt and reload) limitation. Thank ya for the help on this.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

Or do it the other way around, perhaps. Give semi-automatic weapons 2-point CSLs with the Multiple Attack maneuver. Then call it good enough, since hopefully we're not worried too much about exact simulation.

[tarragon]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

I'd go with Bolt Action not being able to use the Blazing Away maneuver myself (for -0). I wouldn't limit the uses per turn, a super speedster should be able to work the bolt faster.

[Zeropoint]

Re: Firing rates of semi-auto&bolt action

 

Actually, with a little practice, a shooter can work the bolt on rifle in the time it takes to bring it back down from the recoil. I wouldn't require anyone to take a separate action for that, but forbidding the use of Rapid Fire seems reasonable to me.