Weapon's Details

[CoffeeCrisp]

I thought I’d do a little research on some of the weaponry our BR characters have been given, and I thought it would be nice to share some of the information with ya’ll.
Most of the information provided is courtesy of Wikipedia, available there for your own perusal.
I’ll start with the guns.

By and by? I DO like things which go ‘BANG!’ but I’m not a genuine enthusiast, so if anyone stumbles across a detail they find questionable, please let me know.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Winchester Model 21: DOUBLE BARRELLED SHOTGUN
The Winchester Model 21 is a Double-barreled shotgun. It is not semi-automatic or pump-action. It is loaded manually by lifting up the barrel and loading the shells at the breech.
The early doubles used two triggers, one for each barrel. These were located front to back inside the trigger guard, and generally the index finger operated the front trigger and the middle finger the rear trigger. In double trigger designs, it is often possible to pull both triggers at once, firing both barrels simultaneously, though this is generally not recommended as it doubles the recoil, battering both shooter and shotgun.
The wide spread of shot produced by the gun makes it easier to aim and to be used by inexperienced marksmen. A typical self-defense load of buckshot contains 8-27 large lead pellets, resulting in many wound tracks in the target. Also, unlike a rifle bullet, each pellet of shot is less likely to penetrate walls and hit bystanders. (That is to say, it has low penetration).
Shotguns are known for their incredible stopping power over short distances. The typical home defense shot is seldom over ten or fifteen feet. At these relatively short ranges, the shot charge never expands to more than a few inches. At extremely close ranges, the pellets and wad will strike the target as a single mass.

Justine's Notes:
12-gage shot is prone to MASSIVE recoil. It’s a manly man’s kind of shot, with impressive spray. A fourteen year-old child would suffer considerable bruising from firing this weapon... we're talking shoulder-dislocation. It's undoubtably the single most awkward gun a student could be given.
The gun is approximately 56 inches in length, and half of that is 28" of heavy steel double barrels. That would make it intensely difficult to travel with-- FORGET firing.
Personally, I pity boy #13 (NPC) Akira Nagai. This weapon is practically useless, in the hands of a child.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Remington Model 870-- PUMP ACTION SHOTGUN
A pump-action rifle or shotgun is one in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order to eject and chamber a round of ammunition. It is much faster than a bolt-action and somewhat faster than a lever-action, as it does not require the trigger hand to be removed from the trigger whilst reloading. Nearly all pump-actions use a back-and-forward motion of the forend to cycle the action.
The 870 features a bottom-loading, side ejecting receiver, tubular magazine under the barrel, dual action bars, internal hammer, and a bolt which locks into an extension in the barrel. This is a sturdy, sturdy gun. You could potentially use the butt-end of it to crack skulls open, without worrying about damaging the weapon itself.
The Remington weighs in at 7.73 lbs MAX, making it quite comfortable to carry. The barrel is 10-18 inches in length, although the 18-inch varieties are uncommon.
The EFFECTIVE RANGE of the Model 870 is limited to 40 m. Beyond that, the firepower is not worth mentioning.

Justine's Notes: At close range, this gun is famous for blowing off heads. Seriously. Entire heads.
To cite an example, this variety of shotgun was used by police on December 8, 2004 to shoot Nathan Gale in the face. As shown in unedited footage of the incident, Gale's head was literally blown off by the shotgun blast.
Obviously, I'm very fond of this shotgun. It still has the potential firepower to seriously injure a child who might be firing it (much like the Winchester) but since the weapon would be easier to weild because of its much smaller size, the risk of dislocation is much lessened.
Speaking of the Winchester, The Remington ALSO uses 12 Gauge shot. This means, of course...
The cartridges are interchangable. A genius scheme.

OH! I forgot to mention. The tubular magazine is capable of carrying 8 cartridges at once, plus one ready to fire.
Most pump-action firearms do not have any positive indication that they are out of ammunition, so it is possible to complete a cycle and have an empty chamber. The risk of running out of ammunition unexpectedly can be minimized in a tubular magazine firearm by topping off the magazine by loading new rounds to replace the rounds that have just been fired.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Uzi-- SUBMACHINE GUN

The Uzi weighs 7.7 pounds, making it just as heavy as the Remington shotgun. The uzi is fairly compact. It is 18 inches long, and almost half of it is the stock (butt-end).
It fires 9 mm. parabellum rounds-- the single most common pistol cartridge in the world. Its main disadvantages are its tendency to overpenetrate (the bullet commonly exits the body, instead of remaining within to do further damage) and the small wound cavity size (when nonexpanding bullets are used) tend to inflict non-lethal wounds, when striking extremities. There are many anecdotal reports of soldiers being shot with 9 mm full metal jacket (nonexpanding) bullets in the extremities and not even realizing it, or at least not being slowed down.
However, the uzi is quite capable of firing 600 of those buggering little rounds in one minute. That's 10 rounds PER SECOND. It's hard not to miss your target, if you simply 'squeeze [the trigger] and sweep'.
The uzi's most popular magazine holds 32 rounds.
The fact that the magazine is housed within the pistol grip allows for intuitive and easy reloading in dark or difficult conditions, but the same fact also makes it difficult to fire (VERY awkward) when lying down. It's hard to sneak-attack with an uzi, as a result.
The weapon also features a grip safety, making it difficult to fire accidentally. Despite the grip safety, the Uzi is notorious for slam-firing when dropped or exposed to sudden shocks.

Justine's Notes: Yes, it IS possible (and possibly comfortable) to fire an uzi one-handed. Personally, I don't reccomend it. It's easy to DROP a one-handed uzi, and then, of course, you've got that slam-firing problem... potentially takin' out your own feet.
The Glock also takes 9 mm. rounds, as does the Beretta 92. There's gonna be a LOT of 9 mm. rounds floating about, folks. Chances are, the girlie with the Uzi won't run out any time soon, if she plays smart, follows the sounds of gunfire, and picks off the students with hand-guns first.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Beretta 92 (92SB-F)-- SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL

The Beretta 92 weighs 900 grams, and its total length is approx. 21.7 cm. It fires the ever-popular 9mm parabellum rounds, which it totes about in a 15-17 capacity detachable box magazine.
The detachable box magazine is self-contained, capable of being loaded or unloaded while detached from the host firearm. They are attached via a slot in the receiver of the firearm, usually below the action.
The beretta 92's barrel cools very, very quickly-- good news to the inexperienced user.


Justine's Notes: Since the gun does NOT come with a spare magazine, its user will not be able to tape two together, as the police to quicken their reload-time. That's a damn shame.

This is THE STANDARD Beretta, with an ambidextrous slide-mounted safety. Those of you who have ever fired a gun probably know how stiff those buggers are. Personally, I've never been able to flick the safety off one-handed-- it takes a certain amount of professionalism to do so.

This is a fairly light weapon, with a low recoil. It's very accurate, and beginner-friendly. This is a dangerous weapon, all things considered.
Girl #5 (Michiko, user unknown) will probably have a high kill score, if she ever gets to use it.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Glock 26-- SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL

First off, it's worth mentioning the fact that the glock is tiny-- practically BUILT for a child's hand. It's only 16 cm. long, and is commonly considered to be a sub-compact. (That is to say, the frame is very small)
It carries 10 rounds of 9mm parabellum, and weighs a piddly 560 grams.
It is interesting to note that the Glock does not have a safety-- it is ready to fire 24/7 (provided it is properly loaded!) Unfortunately, the design of the glock has not yet compensated for the fact that the trigger is prone to accidental manipulation.
I don't reccomend storing this sucker in your beltline, boys.

This weapon is easy to conceal, and easy to fire. The kickback is probably tolerable for a 14-year old boy to manage comfortably.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Colt M1911-- SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL

A little break from the 'norm, here. The colt uses .45 ACP cartridge, not that 9mm junk. It has fantastic stopping-power against human targets. The bullet creates a deep and substantial permanent wound channel in the body, making for disabling or lethal shots. This cartridge is known for its relatively low muzzle blast and flash, as well as moderate recoil. The colt has the capacity to carry 7 cartridges at a time, plus one in the firing chamber.
The colt is a heavy handgun, weighing 2.5 lbs, and sizing up at 8 inches, or so. It is effective at 65 meters (72 yards), accuracy and firepower undiminished.
A problem for some shooters is that they have trouble deactivating the grip safety when they hold the gun. This primarily affects shooters who have small hands. It can also occur when a shooter places their thumb on top of the thumb safety, which tends to reduce pressure on the grip safety. To rectify this problem, a number of grip safety manufacturers have designed safeties with extended ridges, so that when a shooter grips the gun, their hand will come into contact with the ridges and deactivate the safety (i.e., allowing the gun to fire). This, fortunately, IS the case with the Colt 1911.

Justine's Notes: Fortunately, the rather hefty Mugito (Boy #17) will be weilding this gun, at first, so the recoil won't bother him enough to make firing it unbearable. A 14-year old girl, on the other hand, would suffer for firing it, just as the shotgun-shooters undoubtably will.
Having personally fired a .45 handgun, I would like to comment on the absolutely DEAFENING noise these cartridges make. Honestly. Firing these suckers without proper earmuffs does semi-permanent damage to your hearing, after the third or fourth shot. That's a disadvantage.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Smith & Wesson M19-- REVOLVER

You had all better know the difference between a semi-automatic and a revolver.

It weighs 2.25 lbs, measures in at 10 inches, is effective at 50 yards or less, and carries 6 bullets at a time, max, in the cyllinder.
The K-frame is apparently very comfortable for adult hands, but it will certainly prove to be on the awkward and heavy side to fire one-handed for a 14-year old. Additionally, the recoil on these suckers is absolutely BRUTAL.
This is actually a fairly powerful gun to carry, packing .357 Magnum cartridges. This stuff is quite capable of taking out deer at short range in one shot-- nothing to snort at. This stuff has been known to pierce steel armor plates, so it has no trouble firing through wooden doors, wood planks, bathroom stalls, etc. It has stopping power almost equivalent to that of the .45.
Having said that, I should mention the use of ear-muffs, again, for the sake of one's own hearing. Revolvers are not known to be quiet.

The S&W M19 is effective at a range of 46 m. or less (150 ft.) but is not known to be incredibly accurate.

Justine: It is nessicary to thingy the hammer of this gun before firing, and let me tell you-- that hammer will be STIFF. The user will be most comfortable thingying the hammer in advance, which will probably require the use of both hands. As a result, this won't be a FAST weapon to use, but if you hit something, it's not going to go anywhere very quickly.


EDIT: ACTUALLY, I lied. The S&W M19 is a DOUBLE ACTION handgun, so it is not nessicary to thumb the hammer at all. In fact, the S&W M19 is well-known for it's fabulously light hammer, so I'm completely wrong.
Aren't we glad I double-checked?

[CoffeeCrisp]

So. That's that, so far as guns go. Next up-- Almost Guns.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Stun Gun -- Electroshock Weapon

An electroshock weapon is an incapacitant weapon used for subduing a person by administering electric shock that may disrupt superficial muscle functions. An electroshock gun or taser fires projectiles that administer an electric shock. Stun guns (despite their name) administer an electric shock by direct contact.

What boy #20 (Harou Yama, of MoroiiAngel) has been given, is in fact an electric shock prod.
This type is similar to basic design to an electric cattle prod. It has a metal end split into two parts electrically insulated from each other, or two thin projecting metal electrodes about an inch apart, at an end of a shaft containing the batteries and mechanism. At the other end of the shaft are a handle and a switch. Both electrodes must touch the subject.
Anything which touches the electric current receives a high-voltage low-current shock.

In some types the sides of the baton can be electrified to stop the subject from grasping the baton above the electrodes. Sometimes they have an option to make a noisy visible electric arc between the electrodes, to warn suspects.

Justine's Notes: While a stun-gun's ampage is not strong enough to kill a human from short-term exposure, it IS enough to cause significant pain. Long-term exposure does (surprisingly) actually have the potential to kill a subject-- especially a child-- by overtaxing the heart. Such a process would be a lengthy one, requiring several minutes. It would be more efficient to paralyze the subject with the stun-gun (applying the weapon to the spine is the easiest way to accomplish this) and beat the subject with a blunt object thereafter.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Staple Gun-- Utility Weapon

Now, there are a LOT of variables we should consider, here. There are several kinds of staple guns available on the market, after all.
Staple guns may be driven by muscle power, electricity (from batteries) or compressed air. We can probably assume the model assigned here will NOT be a compressed-air model, because that would wiegh a metric ton, and it would require an air-tank of considerable size, or a pump-- which would need to PLUG IN, to be useful.
A child would find it extremely difficult to use a hand-powered model.
If we were using an electric model, one freshly-charged battery would do a fine job of firing 40 staples.
Power staple guns can set staples at a somewhat faster rate than hand-powered models, but their main advantage is that they can be used continuously for hours with comparatively little fatigue.
Staples set with a staple gun retain their straight legs, and are held in place only by static friction of the legs against the compressed surrounding material, much like common nails.
Staple guns have a spring-like mechanism for storing mechanical energy and delivering it as a sharp powerful blow. This mechanism is necessary because of the large force needed to drive the staples through solid wood; and also because the staple must be completely inserted before the workpiece has time to move.
In layman's language, folks, that means at point-blank, the staple-gun is QUITE capable of forcing 5/8" bits of metal into bone. Long-range potential for the staple gun is limited to non-lethal damage, but the possibility for infection is high. I suppose, at a stretch, you could take out somebody's eyes, with this thing...
Then again, you can do that with a twig. So hey.

Justine's Notes: It is possible to rig a staple gun to fire nails, which could potentially do a lot more damage. For ease of use, I would reccomend box nails- a wire nail with a head; box nails are smaller in diameter than common nails. Whatever nail size you choose, the head MUST be 1/2" wide, to fit snugly in the nail gun.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Cherry Bomb-- Small Explosive

Cherry Bomb Fireworks are exploding fireworks, usually round, approximately one inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, and coloured red with a green fuse. They contain a core made of explosive flash powder, a layer of sawdust, and a coating of sodium silicate.
Flash powder is a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel which burns quickly and if confined will produce a loud report. It is widely used in theatrical pyrotechnics and fireworks (namely salutes, eg. cherry bombs, M-80s, and firecrackers), and was once used for flashes in photography.
Different varieties of flash powder are made from different compositions; most common are potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder. Sometimes, sulfur is included in the mixture to increase the sensitivity. Early formulations used potassium permanganate instead of perchlorate.
Flash powders, specifically chlorate/perchlorate ones, are unique in that they produce no gas products (all solid products), which means that they are not explosives by scientific definition. In that regard, they are similar to thermite mixtures.

They are powerful enough to cause very serious injury.
By that, I believe we're talking serious burns and missing fingers, melted-off noses and the like.

Justine's Notes: I hope this kid is carrying a lighter, or her weapon is going to be completely useless.
This weapon could be most useful as a decoy, while the user runs away-- or to damage small machinery. So far as player KILLS actually go, your best bet is to stick one of these babies in another kid's mouth, and hope they don't wet the fuse. Murdering sleeping comrades is the easiest way to accomplish this.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Hand-Grenade-- Large Explosive

A hand grenade is a small hand-held bomb designed to be thrown. Most are designed to explode, projecting shrapnel i.e. sharp pieces of the casing or serrated wire.

Hand grenades share the following four characteristics:

Their employment range is short;
Their effective casualty radius is small;
Their delay element permits safe throwing;
Their hard shell, along with their previously mentioned delay element, enables the grenade to ricochet off hard surfaces, like walls, before detonating.

A classic hand grenade has a safety handle (sometimes called by the slang term, "spoon") and a removable safety pin that prevents the handle from being released. In transit, some grenade types also have a safety clip to further prevent the handle from coming off. Before removing the pin, the soldier grips the grenade to prevent the handle being released at the same time. With the pin removed, the grenade is thrown, the handle is released, and a spring-loaded striker ignites a pyrotechnic delay element in the fuse. The delay burns for a pre-set amount of time and then activates the detonator, exploding the grenade.

When using an antipersonnel grenade, the objective is to have the grenade explode so that the target is within its effective radius. For the M67 fragmentation grenade used by several NATO nations, the effective kill zone has a five meter radius, while the casualty-inducing radius is approximately fifteen meters. Some fragments can disperse as far out as 230 meters.
That's bad news, since the average trained SOLDIER can only toss these suckers 40 meters or less, and they only have a 3 to 5 second fuse.


Justine's Notes: Five grenades is quite enough to do a great deal of damage. Fortunately, the pin might prove difficult for a child to pull quickly, and the grenade itself will be hard to lob more than twenty feet away. The user should find cover BEFORE he tosses the grenade.
In order to pull the safety pin, it takes a pull force of 10–35 pounds. Good luck, Jr.
By the way? It is ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE for an adult to pull a grenade pin with his teeth. It's a hollywood thing.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Bear Trap: Snapping Device

Probably most commonly associated with trapping, the leghold/foothold trap is made up of two jaws, a spring of some sort, and a trigger in the middle. When the animal steps on the trigger the trap closes around the foot, preventing the animal from escaping. Usually some kind of lure is used to position the animal, or the trap is set on an animal trail.
Humane organizations criticize leghold traps for breaking animals' legs and leaving them in pain often for prolonged periods of time.

Bear traps are classically known for being massive, heavy iron things, with serrated 'teeth' and clamping power sufficient enough to hold a struggling bear.
The bear trap is typically not the chain-and-stake variety, since a wounded bear is likely to go wherever he pleases.

Justine's Notes: Without help, this weapon is limited to one-time use, since the clamping mechanism will likely be too strong for a fourteen year old child to re-open on his own. Two children would find this weapon easier to use, together.
A bear-trap has the potential to break a child's leg. Infection is highly probable. A child trapped in a bear-trap should have the strength to force the jaws open, bit by bit, worming their damaged leg out... but travelling, after that, would be a painful process.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Garden Shears-- Snipping Weapon

Shears are doubled-bladed cutting implements with straight blades of between 200mm and 300mm. For pruning (garden) shears, the blades are in line with the handles. They are strong enough to prune hard branches of trees and shrubs, sometimes up to two centimetres thick.
Garden shears are handy to snip off tongues, fingers, noses and toes, but it would be difficult to inflict deadly damage on a foe. Vein and artery cutting would be awkward, as well.

Justine's Notes: I would reccomend using a pair of garden shears as a blunt object, in a close fight. They're usually heavy enough to deal painful damage in blunt-force trama.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Butterfly Knife-- Folding Blade

A butterfly knife, called a balisong in the Philippines, and sometimes known as a Batangas knife, is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. In the hands of a trained user, the knife blade can be brought to bear quickly using one hand. Manipulations, called flipping, are performed for art or amusement.
The blade is typically under five inches long-- useful for stabbing or slashing. It is easy to carry and store, and handy to carry as a utility tool, as well.
The folded weapon can be used to deal blunt-force trauma, so it can be used as a non-lethal weapon.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Cleaver-- Bone-Cutting Blade

A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a square-bladed hatchet. It is used mostly for cutting through bones as a kitchen utensil.
Potential uses for the cleaver? Throat-slicing, limb-removing, finger-chopping, body mutiliating madness.
The cleaver can also be used as a utility tool-- for cooking, or can-opening.

[rabidusfossor]

I have a note, BEAR TRAPS have been known to break an adult's leg. A child's twig-like leg might actually snap right off. These things are ment to hold BEARS. A child doesn't stand a chance.

[CoffeeCrisp]

Actually.
There are no documented cases of such a thing actually occuring, so I can't claim it's at all possible. I don't have the education to claim anything beyond what I have experienced, and what I have read-- so I won't.

It's not that it's impossible, Alicia-- it's just highly improbable. 'Highly improbable' damages the integrity of our RP.

[pleadingvirtue]

Yeah, I don't really see a child being able to pull a bear trap off their own leg. I see them painfully bleeding to death first. So I'm with Alicia: a kid doesn't really stand a chance. I'm sure it wouldn't snap off, but I get what Alicia is saying. I see crushed bones. Although children's bones are more bendy... But they wouldn't be strong enough to pull it off.
<3