|
|
Post by madmorgan on Jul 9, 2018 8:57:16 GMT
Okay, so the Sten has a very different POW compared to the Thompson. The drum Thompson is the one most often depicted in various war and gangster movies - interestingly, Combat! used the box style magazines which I suspect was more accurate for the war as you could carry a lot more around in that format than the more awkward drums. I suppose in a fixed position, the drum would have been used. As all the AQ figures with these (Marines) use drums, its really not that important.
|
|
|
|
Post by Quendil on Jul 9, 2018 10:04:47 GMT
Okay, so the Sten has a very different POW compared to the Thompson. The drum Thompson is the one most often depicted in various war and gangster movies - interestingly, Combat! used the box style magazines which I suspect was more accurate for the war as you could carry a lot more around in that format than the more awkward drums. I suppose in a fixed position, the drum would have been used. As all the AQ figures with these (Marines) use drums, its really not that important. The British Army use the box magazine as they were less likely to Jam. |
|
|
|
Post by boxholder on Jul 9, 2018 12:29:42 GMT
Precisely, Q. If you have ever seen the internals of the drum, you would see that it was pretty complex and that is the enemy of reliability. The 50 rounds made several laps around a spiral ramp inside the drum, powered by a windup spring. Oh yes, if you forgot to wind up the spring or don't wind it tight enough, well...no feed. And if you tried to store the thing fully wound-up, the spring would lose tension, well...no feed again. Or if you over-tighten it, the spring breaks, so..no feed again. Go down to the library and take a look at the book Small Arms of the World to see just how complex it is.
The 20 round stick magazine was way better for combat use. Plus it was "handier" by not weighing so much, nor being so wide.
|
|
|
|
Post by scottwashburn on Jul 9, 2018 14:24:55 GMT
You are probably thinking of the 'Grease Gun". A cheaper replacement for the Thompson which also used the .45 cartridge.
|
|
|
|
Post by scottwashburn on Jul 9, 2018 14:29:03 GMT
We might also want to look at rifle grenades. These were first thought of prior to WWI and developed more fully during the war. They were just fragmentation grenades, of course, but by WWII they had anti-tank rifle grenades using warheads similar to a bazooka round. Of course they weren't terribly accurate.
|
|
|
|
Post by madmorgan on Jul 9, 2018 14:47:00 GMT
I think i worked stats for those - will have to check. Need to get that book - thanks!
Yep - here's what I have in my Infantry Weapons thread on the rifle grenade...
Rifle Grenades @10 pts Assault +3 Power Spec: roll of a natural "1" = mishap, unit takes a +3 Powered explosive attack.
It could be argued that the Pow should be +2 like other grenades, but, I felt the addition of range vs throwing on the thing made it better for Assaults.
|
|
|
|
Post by hardlec on Jul 14, 2018 23:58:13 GMT
The Grease Gun M2 machine pistol and the Thompson used the same stick magazines. The stick magazines were more reliable and lighter. They were more cost effective in terms of weight and treasure than the drum magazines. We tend to forget that any automatic weapon tends to develop a trend to jam when too many rounds are fired in a single burst. The 50 round drum would almost always cause a jam unless you used good fire discipline. The Drum magazines were mainly used in movies and on miniatures.
Drum magazines made a comeback with the new SAW. The twin drum allows the SAW to have 100 rounds in a full mag. The internal mechanism of the 100 round drum is totally different from the drum used for the Chicago Violin. No springs.
I think that rifle grenades should get the stats Morgan depicts because a rifle grenade can get to the head and other more vulnerable points on the Tripod. Getting a grenade 60 feet up is quite a throw. Is Cy Young out there tossing pineapples?
|
|
