[jerryme]

Hoi!

So: I have this character idea and I really want to give him two (probably light) pistols for style. However - please excuse my crazy - the rather limited range is a turn-off. One of my former chars used to use pistols, too, and I remember his opponents to be out of range most of the time, requiring movement while more heavily equipped party members were happily shooting.
I realize it is much to ask from such a tiny apparatus, but, surely, in the world of Shadowrun, were anything can be augmented, there ought to be a way, like some kind of high-pressure firing chamber or heavy/specially shaped ammo? I would gladly accept penalties in accuracy or damage. I was however unsuccessfull in my search in books and on the internet.

Do you know any tricks? Thank you for your time.

jerryme

Foreign language disclaimer: Sorry for any mistakes .

[Jack_Spade]

First of all: Use heavy pistols. There is no reason to use light pistols if you aren't trying to smuggle your gun somewhere.

Secondly, there is the long barrel mod from Hard Targets. Increases accuracy and range. Having glasses with zoom allows you to decrease the penalties from extreme to long range.

[Mirikon]

Only weapon mod that could be used to extend pistol ranges would be the longbarrel mod, I believe.

On the other hand, I'm questioning just how you always seem to be getting into fights outside of a pistol's maximum range. Most of the fights I've gotten into in Shadowrun have been in/around buildings, with the only times I've been out of pistol range from an enemy being a couple times when Mr. J pulled a doublecross, or we were having to go across open terrain, or so on. Does your group simply start shooting when they get into range? Or do they properly set ambushes and the like? When you're in a sprawl, the only times you really got to worry about being outside a pistol's range are when someone's shooting at you from across a warehouse, or from a block away, or the like. And in those situations, there's usually cover you can grab while making your way into range, or getting out of dodge.

[Ghost Rigger]

Unless something came out in errata, long barrel does not increase range. Also, if you've got the money for it, Improved Range Finder from Run&Gun is a superior option to zoom glasses, as it doesn't require any aim actions to come into play. It also has the advantage of stacking with the Hawk Eye quality from Run Faster, another way to increase your effective range. But yeah, if you're not satisfied with a weapon's range the easiest solution is to switch to one with a higher range.

[Glonthein]

Err...
"This modiication involves replacing the stock barrel with a longer one thereby increasing bullet velocity. Increase Accuracy by 1, while increasing the Concealability modiier by +1."

And that's all. How does this increase range ? Unless I'm missing some other text somewhere in the book (in which case I'd very much like to know where it is)

Damn Ghost Rigger beat me to it. Still leaving the post for the exact quote from the book.

[Ghost Rigger]

I'd have to check to make sure, but I'd bet that in at least one previous edition it increased range. In fact, now that I have checked, in 4e barrel extension increased range by 10% and barrel reduction decreased it by 20%.

[Jack_Spade]

Damn it. Seems like I was thinking of 4e rules 

[Quatar]

Pistol ranges are perfectly fine for fights inside buildings, narrow streets and that kinda stuff.

You'll not be able to kill that sniper drone that flies 700m in the air and takes shots at you, and you'll have problems during chase combat too.

If your GM constantly puts the enemies outside your range, you should talk to him.

[Reaver]

Hoi!

So: I have this character idea and I really want to give him two (probably light) pistols for style. However - please excuse my crazy - the rather limited range is a turn-off. One of my former chars used to use pistols, too, and I remember his opponents to be out of range most of the time, requiring movement while more heavily equipped party members were happily shooting.
I realize it is much to ask from such a tiny apparatus, but, surely, in the world of Shadowrun, were anything can be augmented, there ought to be a way, like some kind of high-pressure firing chamber or heavy/specially shaped ammo? I would gladly accept penalties in accuracy or damage. I was however unsuccessfull in my search in books and on the internet.

Do you know any tricks? Thank you for your time.

jerryme

Foreign language disclaimer: Sorry for any mistakes .

Ok....

To put this simply, guns are just directional bombs, designed to exploded a particluar way.... Regardless of how they look, there is actually a LOT of science into a firearm and a bullet...

But if we ignore all the fun science, cause this isn't a science blog, I'll leave you with my $1200 mistake:

A few years ago I purchase a .357 magnium revolver, a stainless steel King Cobra. I was eager to get out shooting but didn't have any .357 brass. But I DID have loads of .38 brass laying about, so I started hand loading a few dozen rounds for the next day following my manual for .38 loads.
<For those that don't know, a .38 special and a .357 mag are the exact same size, only the .357 brass is 3mm longer. So you can safely fire .38 rounds from a .357 mag gun>

So the next day I at the range, I sight in on the target and squeeze the trigger.... BOOM!!!

The explodes into a fireball in my hands!! The cylinder is pealed open into a 'U' shape, the barrel completely comes off, the top of the gun is blown into a thousand pieces, and I have to get the rear sight removed from my collar bone surgically...

Turns out I mixed up my powders, and used the amount of powder required for a .44 magnium round! In the confines of the small .38 brass, I effectively made a bomb that exploded outward instead of directionally like a regular firearm!


Now changing out barrels of a longer one will improve your range, but this is rather nominal.... the change is accuracy.... the longer the barrel, the more spin, the less 'wiggle' to the bullet....

But to get the range increase I think you're talking about, you'd have to leave pistols behind and move to longarms.... cause it gets hard to hold a 20" barrel up straight from just the back end

[welldressedgent]

That is quite a story. I'm glad you didn't get disfigured or worse.

g

[Reaver]

I was lucky it didn't take my hand!

As it stands, just a little scar on my collar bone from where they had to remove the back site. No biggie considering my collection of war zone construction scars.

[jerryme]

@Ghost Rigger
Nice find with the Improved Range Finder - Hawk Eye - Combo!

@Reaver
Dude!
I am glad you are ok (it seems) and that thing from your collar bone did not hit your eye or something.
Your post actually gave me a lot of insight. I know that I know nothing about guns, but somehow that is enough for me. I respect guns, but they do not fascinate me. In RL that is. In SR, well, I want to be an action hero


cheers

[Ghost Rigger]

@Ghost Rigger
Nice find with the Improved Range Finder - Hawk Eye - Combo!

Oh you think that's good? Wait until you realize that by RAW (and possibly RAI as well) the combo stacks with zoom taken as the Improved Sense Adept power, allowing you to shoot from the maximum of the weapon's range without taking any range penalties so long as you aim first.

[Novocrane]

Also, if you've got the money for it, Improved Range Finder from Run&Gun is a superior option to zoom glasses, as it doesn't require any aim actions to come into play. It also has the advantage of stacking with the Hawk Eye quality from Run Faster, another way to increase your effective range.

The problem with this is that Smartlink is incompatible with Hawk Eye whether you get it in external 'electronic vision enhancement' or cyber form.

[Rooks]

except suppressors in real life are essentially barrel extenders and also increase the distance and speed of bullets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtPdjGa0VB8