Anti-Materiel Rifle: Damage?

[AnotherDilbert]

Anti-Materiel Rifle is way to good!

Anti-Materiel Rifle: The anti-materiel rifle is a single-shot super-heavy rifle firing long cartridges at high velocity.
TL7, 1km, 15kg, 1DD, AP5.

Cannon: A large calibre gun used to arm the heavy tanks and armoured vehicles of mid-Tech Level armies.
TL8, 2km, 2500kg, 1DD, AP0.

The rules say that an Anti-Materiel Rifle is a better anti-tank weapon than dedicated anti-tank guns. This is clearly ridiculous.
It fires a .50 cal HMG round in a bolt-action rifle. It should be better vs armour than an HMG, say 4D AP5 or 5D, definitely not 1DD.

 

[arcador]

I agree, it is way too "OP" atm, especially in the light of the comparison you provided.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Anti-tank rifles were deployed at the end of WW1 (TL4) as an immediate response to tanks. They were widely used by everyone at the start of WW2 (TL5).

German Mauser 13.2mm Tankgewehr M1918

The Anti-Materiel Rifle should probably be a TL4 or TL5 weapon.

 

[MongooseMatt]

It is a specific (modern) rifle we want to represent, hence the TL. Damage, however, has been reduced.

 

[collins355]

The damage should be no better than an HMG - if it is a modern AMR firing .50cal bullets.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Agreed that it's the same ammo.

But a bolt-action rifle with a longer barrel (?) should have larger muzzle energy and better penetration?

 

[Nerhesi]

Possibly...

Not all Anti-Material Rifles are similar. Some of them leave an HMG looking like a pellet gun.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT-20_(rifle)

The above is a relevant example of a TL8ish Anti-Materiel Rifle having better penetration than some TL6/7 Cannon (again not all)

 

[Condottiere]

The most important question would be, do you want it to be effective against combat armour and battle dress?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Possibly...

Not all Anti-Material Rifles are similar. Some of them leave an HMG looking like a pellet gun.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT-20_(rifle)

The above is a relevant example of a TL8ish Anti-Materiel Rifle having better penetration than some TL6/7 Cannon (again not all)

I'm not convinced. A TL5 20mm cannon, say a KwK38 L/55, fires a longer round (more propellant) and has a longer heavier barrel, giving it a muzzle velocity up to 1100 m/s, much higher than the "hand cannon's" 850 m/s.

Modern AP ammunition is, I assume, much better than what was available in the late thirties, but the vehicle cannon could benefit from that just as well if supplied with modern ammunition.

None of them even approaches the armour penetration of a light secondary naval cannon of WW1 (TL4).

But I think Condottiere ends this discussion:

The most important question would be, do you want it to be effective against combat armour and battle dress?

 

[-Daniel-]

The most important question would be, do you want it to be effective against combat armour and battle dress?

Yes, yes I do. :mrgreen:

On a more serious note: I would think it should be at or slightly better than a HMG.