My RL background includes a lot of target shooting, hand loading and gun collecting. I thought that maybe some people on here would be interested in some discussion of Firearm reality vs what we see in the den. Since the RP rules largely limit us to Handguns and Shotguns, I'll start with Handguns.

In the den I've seen quite a few odd calibers- like the .50AE Desert Eagle. in RL, you probably won't see one on the street.

I'm going to start with Cartridges. A note on Bullet weights- they are in Grains. 437 grains = 1ounce. 7000 grains=1pound.

Common Calibers in RL

Semi-Autos
.22 Long Rifle- one of the most common rounds out there in RL. Its small, low noise, low recoil, cheap, and for what it is, powerful. Mostly seen in hunting and target shooting. Bullets are in the 32 to 40 grain range.

.25 Auto- a small defense round. not powerful at all. Most commonly seen in "purse guns". the .22 actually delivers more energy. Bullet tops at 50Grains.

.32 Auto - a slightly more powerful round. most commonly seen in small handguns- like the Walther PPK. Bullets top out around 70 to 80 grains.

.380 Auto- a short 9mm. In RL, its the absolute minimum in stopping power in an auto. Found in small and mid-sized semi-autos. Bullets top out at 90 Grains or so.

9mm Luger (AKA 9mm Parabellum, 9x19) - very common in RL and SL. Decent stopping power- with decent performing hollowpoints-, modest recoil. Is noted for penetrating. its a round that can shoot through a car door.

.38SuperAuto- a semi-rimmed auto round, most commonly seen in high-end 1911s like the Kimber. It fires fairly heavy rounds up to 147 Grain bullets. Power is comparable to the .45Auto, but with less recoil.

.40 S&W - a slightly bigger round, a superb manstopper. Recoil is a bit more than the 9mm, but is considered one of the best combat rounds. It was developed from the 10mm Auto. Bullets max out at 180Grains

.45Auto (aka .45ACP)- an old standby, dating from 1911, used by the US military as a service round from 1911 to th eearly 1980s. It can have recoil to deal with, but it depends on the weight of the gun. Bullet weights run from 185 to 230 Grains.

.50AE- a monster cartidge. it, -almost alone in the cartridge world- has a rebated rim. Its a very powerful round, but has recoil that is described as Fierce.

Revolver Rounds.

.32 S&W Long- an old round. Low powered, kinda like the .32Auto. Bullets top out at 115Grains.

.32H&R Magnum- an up grade of the above. Bullet weight is the same, but at higher speeds. Energy is comparable to the .38Spcl.

.38Special- another ancient Wonder. Originally introduced in 1902 in the Smith & Wesson Military & Police Model Revolver- probably one of the revolutionary guns of all time. Its a proven round. Performance largely depends on the bullet used. For most of its life it was loaded mostly with the 158Gr Lead Round Nose bullets which had Poor performance in armed confrontations- it penetrated well, but didn't deliver stopping power. When loaded with expanding bullets it is a good stopper. Its usually loaded to 2 pressure standards- .38 & .38+P. .38 maxes aout at 17,000psi, +p tops out at 20,000psi. Bullet weights run from 110 Grains to 158 Grains. Despite the name, its true bullet diameter is .357.

.357Magnum- introduced in 1935. This has one of the best track records for stopping, bar none. It was originally an upgrade of the .38Spcl, being about 1/8th inch longer in case than the .38, so it won't acidentally chamber in a .38. Prior the .357Magnum casing there was a hot loading of the .38 called the .38/44HV, designed for heavy frame S&W Revolvers called the .38/44 Heavy Duty and the .38/44 Outdoorsman. The Problem with that loading is that it could be chambered in a gun that couldn't handle the pressures. Pressures are much higher, max is 35,000psi. Bullets run from 110 to 180Grains. it has another advantage in that a .357 can fire any .38Spcl round. Recoil is considerably greater than the .38

Part II is coming,.