Special Munitions for the Rifle Cannons

[DarthMetool]

Here's a few ideas to make the rifle cannons more effective in the field.

Armor Piercing Ammo
  This idea comes from the high explosive squash head round that flattens against armor upon impact and detonates, causing pieces of armor to spall off the inside to do damage to crew, components or spark fuel or ammo to explode.  I'd say that actual damage is less than the regular ammo, but doesn't have the -3 damage modifier, perhaps doing 2/3rds actual damage since this is explosive ammo.  The +1 to-hit modifier should be kept as well.

Light Rifle       Damage: 2, -4 critical hit modifier
Medium Rifle   Damage: 4, -3 critical hit modifier
Heavy Rifle     Damage: 6, -2 critical hit modifier

Flechette Ammo
  I'd say that this could be unchanged from the autocannon version, except that the -3 modifier should be taken off before halving damage against armored targets with BAR 8 or higher.

Precision Ammo
  This could be possible by using fin-stabilization instead of gyrojets to increase accuracy.  Maybe this could be a -1 modifier on the target movement modifier (minimum 0) instead of -2 for the autocannon version.  Ammo is still halved per ton, and the -3 damage modifier against BAR 8 & higher armor still applies.

There we go.  Some ideas to expand on the rifle cannons that give extra flexibility, but still leaves the autocannons as the better option.

Questions?  Comments?  Opinions?

[evilauthor]

How about alternate ammo designed with modern armor in mind? Possibly something explosive instead of a kinetic slug.

Yes, I AM looking for alternative ammo options to remove that stupid -3 damage penalty.

[majesticmoose]

How about alternate ammo designed with modern armor in mind? Possibly something explosive instead of a kinetic slug.

Yes, I AM looking for alternative ammo options to remove that stupid -3 damage penalty.

Testify Brother!!!! [notworthy]

[XaosGorilla]

       The Depleted Uranium round jumps to mind as armor penetrating critical seeking/inducing projectile.  Also, I think there is a modern anti personnel round that explodes on impact, saturating an area on impact.  Could also have a shaped charge warhead type round that focuses the impact blast more effectively..

       You did ask for ideas....  you didn't demand good ones...  ;D

[DarthMetool]

How about alternate ammo designed with modern armor in mind? Possibly something explosive instead of a kinetic slug.

Yes, I AM looking for alternative ammo options to remove that stupid -3 damage penalty.

The armor piercing ammo I came up with is supposed to be designed with modern armor in mind.  As for the -3 damage penalty being removed?   Eh, just use autocannons.  I like the idea of the rifle cannons a lot, but they are supposed to be a retrotech weapon compared to everything else.

       The Depleted Uranium round jumps to mind as armor penetrating critical seeking/inducing projectile.  Also, I think there is a modern anti personnel round that explodes on impact, saturating an area on impact.  Could also have a shaped charge warhead type round that focuses the impact blast more effectively..

I think that as written, the rifle cannons are probably using DU rounds already, and that armor has advanced past that point.  The flechette ammo idea I posted is the anti personnel round, it doesn't need to explode.  As for your shaped-charge warhead idea....  That would almost be the armor piercing ammo idea I posted, but not quite.  Hmmm...  Have to think about that one.

[XaosGorilla]

       Few more ideas for you.  1.  in place of a traditional explosive round, a material that compresses on impact and via the heat of compression turns into a plasma. (this principle is used in some modern day anti tank weapons.)  2.  instead of placing explosives in the projectile, use an armor dissolving acid or gel(inferno?).  3. perhaps improving the weapon might be an alternative to reach higher damage....    Remember the Iraq super gun?   The concept for that one was to fire a projectile down a ported barrel and as the projectile passed each port additional propellant was detonated/ignited and allowed into the barrel through each port in succession keeping the projectile at peak acceleration.  Whether the higher muzzle velocity translates into more damage, or greater range is debatable though...

         hopefully some better ideas....

[greatsarcasmo]

If the Cappies could make nuclear hand grenades...

[XaosGorilla]

       Then the Taurians would be using them....  ;D

[evilauthor]

The armor piercing ammo I came up with is supposed to be designed with modern armor in mind.  As for the -3 damage penalty being removed?   Eh, just use autocannons.  I like the idea of the rifle cannons a lot, but they are supposed to be a retrotech weapon compared to everything else.

I think that as written, the rifle cannons are probably using DU rounds already, and that armor has advanced past that point.  The flechette ammo idea I posted is the anti personnel round, it doesn't need to explode.  As for your shaped-charge warhead idea....  That would almost be the armor piercing ammo idea I posted, but not quite.  Hmmm...  Have to think about that one.

Exactly. If the round is too slow to penetrate or even knock off armor, then the Rifle needs to switch to an ammo type that doesn't rely on pure inertia to do damage. Hence the obvious switch to an explosive warhead, perhaps one similar to what's put in modern BT missiles.

[tomaddamz]

Exactly. If the round is too slow to penetrate or even knock off armor, then the Rifle needs to switch to an ammo type that doesn't rely on pure inertia to do damage. Hence the obvious switch to an explosive warhead, perhaps one similar to what's put in modern BT missiles.

One could go for evil and go with an inferno round  ;D  I would think a Apers round would be high on the list, using HE on structures in and PBIs in the open is a time tested use of a tank main gun.  I would be tempted to say leave the rest of the Rifled Cannon alone, it is supposed to be low-tech and obsolete compared to autocannon, let it be the Direct Fire version of the Mech Mortar, but give it one or two rounds that actually can do something useful.