Quote:
Originally Posted by ZaltysZ
Bullet isn't missile, which propels itself and its characteristics do not depend on launcher.
Bullet accelerates only when it is in the barrel of the gun, so barrel length directly effects muzzle velocity. Higher velocity allows the bullet to fly in less curved trajectory and do more damage (penetration). Guns with different length of barrel will have different effects on target and will have to be aimed differently, despite the same ammunition.
Difference between guns increases even more when they are fired in bursts. The higher muzzle velocity is, the higher recoil will be and the more subsequent shots will be thrown away from aim point, so higher muzzle velocity (longer barrel) will result in larger spread when burst time (or shots count) increases.
The last thing is RPM of the gun. It mostly depends on how strong are the materials from which the gun is made. Basically designers trade between high RPM and high muzzle velocity, so the gun will not be destroyed just by firing it. Higher RPM is desirable when firing from unstable platforms such as aircraft, because it decreases spread which occurs because of platform instability. However, high RPM coupled with high recoil can give very very high spread.
So, to sum up: different guns with the same ammunition will fire differently.
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Zaltys,
Well said and agreed, in principle. But my point is that the "different" is way too much so in game, especially for HE rounds where the amount of HE is the same, and penetration is a second order factor. In particular, if true, the 4 cm vs. 15 cm damage radius for two different .50 guns (that is a 14x in effectiveness factor as far as affected area, and 50x as far as affected volume ...) is not "realistic".
Also, I believe that even for ordinary AP shells the penetration effect on thin aluminum surfaces is *approximately* the same, independently from the bullet energy, since the aluminum foil resistance is again a second order factor.
Going to a more subjective talk, I'm ready to accept a penalization for using weaker planes/guns, but not ready to pepper a Tomahawk with hundreds of .50 well aimed rounds from convergence distance, only to see him loosing some small debris and flying home with a large "bras d'honneur" popping out of the cockpit ... You know what I mean, if you don't, just try ...
Regards,
Insuber