Snub Pistol

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Generic Snub Pistol
Imperial Sunburst-Sun-IISS-Traveller.gif
Generic Snub Pistol
Group: Ranged Weapon
Tech Level TL–8
Size 100.0 mm
Weight 250.0 grams
Cost Cr150
Ammo 10mm bullet, x6 rounds
Manufacturer Various
Generic Snub Pistol

The Snub Pistol (280.0 grams loaded; Cr150; TL-8) is a small concealable weapon, which inflicts decent damage considering its size.

Description (Specifications)

"Snub Pistol:" The snub pistol is a low velocity firearm designed for use on shipboard and in a Zero-G environment. It fires 10mm, 7.0 gram bullets (depending on load) at velocities of 100 to 150 meters per second. In revolver variants, no magazine is used, six individual cartridges being inserted into the revolver separately. Reloading takes less than a minute, and around a minute if the firer is evading; automatic versions use a 10-round magazine, althought extended magazines are available. Standard rounds include a tranquilizer round, gas round, high explosive round, and a high explosive shaped charge round to defeat personal armor. The snub pistol is a standard shipboard security weapon generally loaded with five tranquilizers and one gas round. More expensive pure combat versions of the snub pistol are available, generally in the automatic pistol configuration with extended magazines holding up to twenty rounds. [1]. A regular ball round is sometimes used, but its performance is only approximate to a TL 5 5mm autopistol round.

Image Repository

No information yet available.

Weapon Characteristics

Length: 100.0 mm. Weight, unloaded: 250.0 grams (weight of six cartridges, regardless of type, is 30.0 grams). Base price for revolver: Cr150 (six cartridges, regardless of type, cost Cr10). Combat version costs Cr150. Loaded 20 round magazines weigh 125.0 grams and cost Cr40. Tech level 8. [2]

History & Background (Dossier)

As sophonts venture out of their gravity well into space, generally by the TL:7-9 epoch, they discover that conventional KEW weaponry does not function well in a vacuum environment. Lubricants tend to freeze and lose function, atmospheric air is often needed for mechanical moving parts, and many other problems are encountered. [3]

Zero-G Combat

Several solutions to Zero-G combat include:

Ammunition Types

Most snub pistol types use caseless ammunition. The bullet is propelled by a small amount of electrically-detonated low-temperature explosive; some models employ simple pressurized gas, stored inside the magazine.

  • Tranq rounds are commonly used by civilian shipboard security. However, dosage of each individual round needs to be rather low, because of possibility of an overdose, especially with traditional central nervous system depressants. More modern nanotech-based release systems do not suffer from this issue.
  • Gas rounds produce less effective radius than those of a shotgun or other major weapons, due to the small payload capacity of the gun.
  • HE and HEAP rounds are the standard military antipersonnel rounds. In some instances, HESH (High-Explosive Squash-Head) rounds are also used to inflict blunt trauma through heavy armor. Note that all explosive rounds are much more strictly controlled.
  • Regular ball ammunition is also available, however its performance is fairly poor (treat as a 5mm autopistol -1), so it is mostly used for practice.
  • On higher tech levels, electroshock rounds with a small superconducting capacitor firing a high-voltage shock through a pair of piercing needles may become available.
  • Paintball or marker rounds are often used for training and for entertainment purposes.

Selected Snub Pistol Models

  1. TL-8 Snub Pistol
    1. Automatic Snub Pistol
    2. Revolver Snub Pistol

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.
  1. Frank Chadwick. Mercenary (Game Designers Workshop, 1978), 36.
  2. Frank Chadwick. Mercenary (Game Designers Workshop, 1978), 36.
  3. Information provided to the library by Maksim-Smelchak
  4. Information provided to the library by Maksim-Smelchak