dum dum rounds

By TomPeters2, in Dark Heresy Rules Questions

There seems to be a curious oversight on this type of ammunition. Why is it that dum-dum rounds are only available for snub-revolver, snub-automatics and hand cannons ? Bullets are bullets and there is no technical reason why an autopistol or autogun (for example) cannot use a dum-dum round. You can do it now with current technology. Deliberate ? Oversight ? Errata-bait ?

Mad Dog

TomPeters said:

There seems to be a curious oversight on this type of ammunition. Why is it that dum-dum rounds are only available for snub-revolver, snub-automatics and hand cannons ? Bullets are bullets and there is no technical reason why an autopistol or autogun (for example) cannot use a dum-dum round. You can do it now with current technology. Deliberate ? Oversight ? Errata-bait ?

Mad Dog

With the amount of weapons that have been created in Dark Heresy you have to think that the writers did at least some research in the matter of guns and ammo, so I would say that it was deliberate. Now why they did it I couldn't say. Maybe it was just a case of balance over realism.

I see no reason why they shouldn't be able to, but if one wants to keep that weapons capable of full auto can't use dum-dums you can just say that dum-dums are only made in cased versions and SP weaponswith autofire always use caseless ammo.

JacobKlunder said:

I see no reason why they shouldn't be able to, but if one wants to keep that weapons capable of full auto can't use dum-dums you can just say that dum-dums are only made in cased versions and SP weaponswith autofire always use caseless ammo.

I was going to say something like that. It sounds like it was to do with the caseless ammo distinction. That might just mean that cased ammo is easier to work with or just lends itself to it in manufacture stage. As with most things in this game I wounldn't have thought that was the end of it and there is always room for the casless version, possible harder to get / not quite as effective.

In a way the Irontalons special, tearing but primitive, explosive ammo sounds like similar.

I mean 'sounds similar' ofc.

Normally I allow all SP pistols to use Dum-Dum's, full-auto or not.

But if a player wishes to used DD's in a rifle they will have to have them specially made (the ammo) and the rifle suffers a -10m to base range and a -10% pernalty to hit as Hollow-points "act funny" when fired at high velocity.

(DD's also negate the 'Accurate' trait)

Face Eater said:

In a way the Irontalons special, tearing but primitive, explosive ammo sounds like similar.

Err, primitive?