"Duello" dueling pistol

[sabredog]

Norge-Dynamics “Duello” Dueling Pistol TL-12

Dueling between gentlemen has never simpler or more accurate than with today’s firearms, and the finest dueling pistol on the market is the “Duello” by Norge-Dynamics. The Duello is a bespoke weapon crafted to fit in your hand as if you were born with it there. The balance and sit is precise and tuned to your individual style and preferences so that you have an effortless and precise sight picture, and can hold the weapon steady for as long as you need to without strain. Available in over 500 color and materials combinations.

“Duello” – when your honor is on the line, so is ours.

Laser accurate to 50m the Duello delivers a 10mm jacketed hollow-point slug at 1200fps using a single-shot, self-contained gauss cartridge. The cartridge contains sufficient power to cycle the weapon’s system once in order to fire the bullet. To reload and eject the cartridge the barrel swivels forward to reveal the breech when the ambidextrous release lever forward of the trigger guard is depressed. The cartridge resembles a necked rifle cartridge but is composed of high-impact polymers and is factory sealed. Once expended the cartridges can be returned at the point of purchase for 50% credit towards new rounds. The only bullet type available is the standard licensed dueling round in order to comply with civil dueling regulations.

The factory-sealed cartridge with a licensed imprint ensures Seconds and Officiates alike that there has been no tampering with the cartridge prior to use. A quick scan using a pocket computer loaded with the current licensing app will confirm the round’s validity and provide a convenient timestamp with dual printouts for use by each of the combatants should any litigation arise from the duel. Upon scanning the cartridge, registration with the legal authorities is conveniently made automatically provided the computer is linked to the planetary Net at the time of the duel. Norge-Dynamics provides all licensing at time of purchase for each cartridge, and updates are free, but no liabilities are assumed by the manufacturer (other than manufacturing defects and warranty issues) for injuries incurred by improper use of the ammunition or weapon.

Single shot gauss pistol (10mm)

Weight= 850grams
Length= 350mm

Price= 1500+ Cr. Depending on materials used for furniture and engraving

Ammunition= 100Cr. Per cartridge.


Required Dexterity & <required dex DM= 8/ -3
Advantageous Dexterity & DM= 11/ +2


Damage= 3D6+4

Range Modifiers
C S M L VL

-2 +2 +2 0 -3

Armor Modifiers
None Jack Mesh Cloth Ablat Battle

+3 +2 0 -2 +1 -6

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Nice!

 

[Carlobrand]

A bit nose-heavy, no?

 

[sabredog]

A bit nose-heavy, no?

Maybe, but it looks right considering the role: form follows inspiration this time. Given that it is manufactured at TL-12 and is a single-shot gauss gun not designed for rapid repeated firing I assume the barrel can be made of lighter (but just as strong as needed) materials than the usual weapon. The weight can be then shifted towards the grip, centering in the palm for balance. A counterweight under the barrel provides weight where needed to help reduce muzzle flip and is far enough back to keep the weapon's center of gravity closer to the shooter's hand. And I wanted it to look like a dueling pistol updated to a high-tech era.

So while it looks long and heavy, like a lot of well-made tools it really doesn't feel that way when you hold it. If you have ever fired one of the larger caliber and extended barrel Thompson Contenders you would see that even conventional single-shot slug-throwers built for extreme accuracy with a high velocity round look nose-heavy but really aren't at all. But overall, they are pretty heavy - they just don't feel like it because of the design and balance.

And in the end it only has to be fired once and in a very short period of time. In fact, the Code Duello in the United States stipulated that the duelist had a maximum time of 3 seconds from the command to fire his weapon.

 

[Dragoner]

If you have ever fired one of the larger caliber and extended barrel Thompson Contenders you would see that even conventional single-shot slug-throwers built for extreme accuracy with a high velocity round look nose-heavy but really aren't at all.

That is the first thing I thought of seeing it, nice job bringing it to Traveller.

 

[Timerover51]

Norge-Dynamics “Duello” Dueling Pistol TL-12


Laser accurate to 50m the Duello delivers a 12mm jacketed hollow-point slug at 1200fps using a single-shot, self-contained gauss cartridge.

Single shot gauss pistol(10mm)

Is it 12mm or 10mm?

Weight= 500grams

Isn't that a bit light from the recoil standpoint? A 12mm jacket hollow-point would likely weigh around 300 or so grains (English measure) and at that velocity have a recoil greater than a .44 Magnum.

 

[sabredog]

Corrected it to 10mm in the text. Typos, typos..

 

[Epee]

Nicely thought out. I understand you were following the lines of the classic dueling pistol but the design is muzzle-heavy. If you wish your Duello to be the ultimate in high-tech you might consider moving the trigger mechanism and grip forward, about 20% the length of the weapon like the below designs.

Olympic 50 meter "free" pistol.

The nicest pointing service handgun ever made.

Likewise, 500 grams is crazy-light for such a handgun. Even if recoil absorption is not a factor given the generous grip, a handgun that size and that light will literally blow around in the wind; Olympic Free Pistols (.22LR) hover between 950g and 1300g and believe me, if lighter was better they would be lighter.

Also, based on historic pistol dueling, you might want to allow for easily interchangable sight configuration and grip form in order to confrom to local rules (sometimes sights were considered to take the random, "hand-of-fate", out of the picture). Spin stabilization of the projectile should also be selectable for the same reasons and unable to be changed on the fly (not that anyone would cheat but we want to avoid the preception that someone MIGHT cheat ). There should be a selection of projectile "deadliness" running the gamut from small explosive charges (guaranteed to maim if not kill) to simmunitions, marking the loser with paint and chastizing them with sharp pain.

A liitle personal research revealed that Guass arms are more complex than one would gather from CT sources. For example; the heat generated comes from the electrical charge rather than from friction, so in order to boost velocity forced cooling is needed to prevent the magnetic rails from melting. Likewise, the larger diameter the projectile, the more power (and subsiquent heat) is needed in order for the magnetic fields to cover the greater space. Also, the amount of lightening that can be done, versus a conventional gunbarrel, is limited because the same force which hurls the projectile is also exerted against the rails, requiring them to be braced and retained rather solidly. The only alternative to more power (and heat, and force on the rails) is slower acceleration over a longer distance; i.e. a longer "barrel".

I created a spread sheet extrapolating Gauss performance and requirements based on Marc's original Gauss Rifle and VRF. Without checking it and doing some math your design looks well within those bounds, congrats! Sign me up for a cased pair!

 

[sabredog]

OK - I modified the image to reflect some of the ideas here so lemme know how this works for you. It even looks more like an old-fashioned dueling pistol now, minus the lock. What is under the hood is entirely different but when style counts appearances take precedent. The furniture can be modified to account for materials and taste so the wooden look need not always be the case. Consider it the baseline model for 1500Cr. suitable as a "guest" pistol.

Re: Epee: My Glock has a better sit when I draw it than any gun I've shot other than perhaps a Thompson Contender, though I've never shot a Luger. But the Glock is a combat pistol and not a fancy weapon for some dandy noble who wants to blow a hole in his rival while having grass before breakfast.

My first thought was to use something like the Olympic style pistols but when I did some reflecting on the original code duello and how something like this would be updated to modern use and kept fair for all involved I thought that something simpler - at least more elegant on the surface, would be better. Granted, I would prefer a wraparound grip, but that design is more for the target shooter who is holding the gun level for some time and shooting at a 50m target for minutest precision. This dueling pistol needs to level the playing field between the combatants, look good, and is going to be used once for about 3 seconds. So once again, the old ways seem best.

Regarding the velocity and barrel length, I didn't do any math - just best guess based on using ordinary handguns of 10mm caliber and while the recoil would be high, it would only be fired once (other than practice) and anything can be done once. For example I have a S&W Bodyguard .380 and Glock 26 for my CC weapons. Neither is any fun to shoot when at the range putting 50+ rounds through them for practice by virtue of weight more than grip size. The Bodyguard is especially awkward and painful when using the high velocity defensive loads I use. But in both of those instances I know that A) when the time comes to use them in combat I won't even notice the recoil, and B) I usually practice with lighter, cheaper loads anyway to save on the wear and tear on me and my wallet. I would imagine it is reasonable to think anyone in a society where dueling with single-shot gauss pistols exist would have the same feelings about the weapon.

I do like the spin thing, though the stamp registration of the factory sealed cartridges with their pre-metered charges and rounds seems a reasonable way to keep things honest while not having to require the combatants to know more about guns than two average duelists would likely know. There is always going to be the 'professional' duelist (probably a player-character) who will have more technical knowledge, but most of the time I imagine the duel will be fought by a couple of nobles who may have a set of these guns but probably haven't fired them more than a couple of times - and most likely those were the night before the fight.

I originally thought the weapon should have a smoothbore barrel and fin-stabilized round that would have a lower velocity (700fps) so that the drop would be faster. That would sharply decrease accuracy beyond the 25m range and make it more "duel-y" but decided the combatants might as well use caplocks, then. I also wanted enough penetration to make it potentially lethal, but on average just something that would all but guarantee that you'd be seriously wounded. That makes it, even in an era with advanced medical resources theoretically reducing duels to fistfights in lethal potential, something that would give players pause. Although IMTU the rules say 'first blood' I always thought think that the potential for death is what should make a duel a little more serious than just a beating.

Glad you all seem to like the concept! Any thoughts on how these would be used in various TU's?

 

[sabredog]

Made one more change to the image after fancying it up a bit to make it look like something some stylish young hothead (or PC) would get himself killed with over a game of cards gone bad.

 

[Epee]

I understand your reasoning an concur.

BTW, I'm a Glock man myself. Uncle Gaston borrowed from many past designs (some obscure to American shooters) without preconcieved notions when he first designed his tactical tupperware. He held as close to the Luger grip angle as he could while still using a conventional box magazine. A Luger basically shoots like a muzzle-light Glock.

 

[sabredog]

OK, I bumped the weight up to 850gms - close to the weight of a fully loaded Glock 20SF in 10mm with Federal Hydra-Shok JHP. I've fired that with one in the chamber and nothing in the magazine (around 780gms) and while it has a lot of muzzle flip the gun was easily controllable. I think that's a good comparison since I don't have access or the maths to figure out what a real gauss gun will recoil like when firing the same caliber and weight at a similar velocity.

The Olympic pistols also have the extra weight to absorb the recoil of the .22 target round. When I was in High School in L.A. I was on an NRA rifle team (yeah, back in the day HS kids where on rifle teams!) and my match rifle weighed a lot more than even my current Ruger 10/22 does, yet it fired an even lower power .22 round. That was so the thing didn't move at all. And the zoomy Anschutz jobs weigh as much as 7-8kg or more for the same caliber.

So I think I'm on target now and am putting this baby to bed.

 

[Epee]

Well done. The pimpmygun.com site is interesting too! I briefly glanced at it and all it sems to offer is modern tactical stuff. Where did you get the tommygun-style grip?

 

[sabredog]

The splash page has the option to 'play the old version' - that one has all the pistol parts and a few other things (like a tommygun) that are not offered in the new version.

I like the old version for the majority of my custom scifi builds since the weapons and parts are more diversified. Less rails and skeletonized stocks on everything. So I used a pistol frame, added the rescaled (up) tommy gun grip on top with some white 'shapes' under it to smooth out the contours and hide bits. A handguard from a Walther 2000 flipped over for the action cover, and the fluted barrel reduced a bit for from the same weapon. A couple of sights moved around make the release lever and swivel point. Photoshop for the rest.