How many times more powerful a shotgun is than a pistol?

In fps games, pistol is so weak that once you get shotgun, you never use pistol any longer.

So you would say they exegarette the difference between a pistol and a shotgun?

 

x10^9

 

The tables are a few posts up.
I don't know what an fps game is so you'll have to compare your experience to the numbers.
My experience is real world. No time here for those kinda games.

 

FPS = First Person Shooter

To the OP. Why are you asking the same question...again? The numbers have been provided for you in regards to the "power" differences between a shotgun and various handguns.

Which FPS are you referencing? As I'd mentioned earlier...don't take your experience in a FPS, or with movies or TV, and try to equate it to the real world. If you play one of the air combat video games, and you shoot down hundreds or thousands of enemy aircraft...it does NOT mean that you would be capable of a similar feat in real life. Neither are you going to ever learn the actual combat skills necessary to survive on a battlefield, or in a survival situation...by playing any FPS.

FWIW...in several of the more recent video games, there is *some* attempt at an accurate representation of the differences between a handgun and a shotgun, if you pay attention to what's happening. If you're confronted with an enemy at close range, the shotgun will generally dispatch your enemy more quickly than will a handgun. But if an enemy then appears at some distance, and you continue to fire at them with the "more powerful" shotgun...you should observe that you aren't doing much damage. If you then switch to the handgun, you should note that each hit with it will now be doing more damage than with the shotgun, because of the shotguns diminishing effectiveness over range. Of course, getting hits with the handgun at that range will not be simple...so you switch to a rifle, to deliver more powerful hits accurately on target. And some games will even show the disadvantage of a long gun (rifle or shotgun) at extreme nose-to-nose distances...by making it almost impossible to achieve hits at these ranges with a long gun, due to the longer barrel. At these times a handgun will usually be the answer, but sometimes it's even too close for that, at which point your most effective weapon may be a knife, or even just fists. They build this into the game to illustrate that weapons and individual combat is a multi-layered endeavor, with each weapon having it's strengths and weaknesses, and no one weapon being truly "does-it-all". Also, of course...they do it to continue to challenge the player, making them carry a large number of weapons to deal with various circumstances.

So, in the games, as in real life...the answer to the question, "Is a shotgun more powerful than a handgun" is yes, sometimes...at certain ranges, against specific targets. But...is "power" the only reliable method by which to measure the effectiveness of a firearm? What about accuracy? Reliability? Penetration/over-penetration? Ease of carry? Ease of concealment? Magazine capacity? Ease/speed of reloading? Recoil, recoil management, and shot-to-shot times? Muzzle flash, and how it relates to low-light encounters, and momentary loss of vision? There are so many more considerations, in the real world, than just "power".

 

If I were King for a day, this would be part of middle school / jr high school curriculum, including field practice (lab) and disassembly/cleaning/assembly.

Those sound like some sophisticated games. I shouldn't be surprised; I haven't seen them since the super Nintendo days. But another important distinction is that in real life you get one death; there's no do-overs.

 

Well, I rather hoped that the OP was aware of the finality of real life.

Well, it seems that the game designers have merely realized that shotguns lose power/effectiveness over range. Of course, all cartridges do...but shotguns (especially with bird shot, and to a lesser extent with buckshot) exhibit a more significant reduction in power, as range increases. From what I've seen, the game designers are aware of the reduction in velocity, and the great spread of pellets, at range.

However, it doesn't appear that they give the slightest consideration to any loss of power in any other cartridge, at range. Also, unfortunately...very few games seem interested in even attempting to introduce the concept of "zeroing", or bullet drop. Neither do they give any concern to the wind. I believe that a few games *do* address these topics, usually they are "Sniper" games. I can understand that trying to deal with wind drift in many FPS would be a PITA for the developers, but I would think that bullet drop could be included without TOO much extra difficulty. I sure would like to see that.

What I'd *love* to see is a game where, upon picking up any firearm...the sights are set completely randomly. So, pick up a gun off of a dead opponent, and turn it quickly against another foe...you might have some difficulty in getting hits. As soon as possible, you would need to fire some rounds, and adjust the sights. Some firearms, such as shotguns, and Colt SAA style of revolvers, will have very limited (to non-existent) ability to adjust sights. I really despise in movies where anyone can pick up any gun (especially scoped firearms) and fire them accurately, as if the firearm was zeroed especially for them!

 

Ok...what about it?

 

True. I'm not interested in games but it would be easy to program in vertical trajectory with a simple parabolic equation. Windage would require assumptions for wind velocity vector (speed and direction) and distribution (as it varies along the path). It could get complicated quick for both the programmer and the player.

A while ago I picked up my .22 Ruger for some varmints, and missed twice. I thought I was losing it! So I set up a target and the shots were to the side. Then I realized the rear sight must have been whacked sideways somehow transporting in a soft case. It was easy to tap it back into alignment but I'm awakened to the susceptibility now (first time that's happened to me in decades).

 

Uh...what?

To begin with..."Kentucky Windage" is a bit of a misnomer. The actual term for altering your POA (Point Of Aim) to compensate for the wind, is "Doping" the wind. Kentucky Windage is usually suggestive of holding off to the left or right, to compensate for sights that are not properly zeroed to the shooter.

Secondly...whatever that "formula" is intended to mean, I see no variable for range. Also, the "formula" seems to suggest that the wind is a single factor, blowing in one direction, and at one velocity, only. Usually on long range shots, there may be a wind at a certain range that is blowing in one direction at a certain velocity, and then at another distance the wind may be blowing in the same direction, but faster or slower, or in a different direction, again...faster or slower. So, you can't just plug in "wind velocity" as "X"...and call it good.

Lastly, the BC (Ballistic Coefficient) and SD (Sectional Density) of the projectile will be a very large factor in how it's affected by the wind...yet there is no such variable in your "formula".

 

First clue, no units = no comprende.
Comprende?
Slight inspection reveals it's not even a formula.
I'm still laughing from the explanation of Kentucky windage! I must have heard that when I was young and forgot. Using it today could be a thought police violation.

 

i did play in a campaign of morrow project. my best luck was with grenade launchers. you don't have to hit the broad side of a barn, but its best not be inside it if you do.

still prefer psionic magic without all the demonic bullshit, or at least phasers on stunn. it IS frequently useful to be able to ask questions later.

the only time to kill anything is if you're going to eat it, or its trying to eat you.

 

We used to modify shotgun shells, open them up and alter the contents, removing the shot and replacing it with ground up glass and dogshit was great for a punishment shooting, shoot someone with one of those and it wouldn't kill them, but one in the thigh would end up with a severe infection, lots of pain and ultimately loss of the leg. Likewise, leaving the shot in and pouring in molten wax would create something that would take the front door off a house in one shot!
As for a pistol, if you cut a cross in the end of the bullet with a hacksaw the effect was quite spectacular, it would spread open on impact, a bit like a dum-dum bullet, rather than a small entry hole and a fairly big exit hole one of these things would make an entry hole you could put your fist in!
I used to know some really bad people years ago, the most frightening thing about them was how nice and normal they were, until they got upset. I remember my stepfather had been knocking my mother about, one day he hit her while they were in the pub, a mate of mine threw him out and went talking to my mother., she had known this lad as a mate of mine for years, we'll call him 'K', anyway she came to see me and told me what had happened and how 'K' had dealt with it, "he's a lovely lad, it's nice you have friends like that" she said. Anyway, a couple of weeks later she went to the pub and it started again, this time 'K' hit him, my mother was really upset as it had been going on all week, I had been over myself and given my stepdad a kicking, but it made no difference. Well I went to see her and she told me that 'k' had said he could sort my stepfather out if she wanted and he assured her he would never raise a hand to her again, she asked me how he could be sure things would stop if he got involved, "well mum, it's like this, it's a bit hard to hit anyone if you are six feet under" I replied.
I then explained to her exactly who 'K' was, yes out of 'work' he was one of the nicest blokes you'd ever meet, polite, respectful, kind to animals ( he used to walk my dog) and looked after the old people, but when he was 'working' it was a different matter, he was actually an enforcer for some well known individuals!

 

I get what you're going for but you missed a few scenarios. Animals destroying your crops (and thus your livelihood) is one such scenario. Another is when they're digging holes out in your fields or undermining the integrity of your buildings. Another is when they're killing your livestock. They could also be injuring or trying to kill people with no intention of eating them.

That's just to give you an idea of how when people who really don't know the whole picture try to make policy for everyone it ends up with unintended consequences (a clusterf*ck).

 

Judge, jury, and executioner all in one person!

I guess he pretty much always got his way.

 

He was actually a nice guy, he didn't believe in violence for the sake of it, never mugged old ladies or hurt women or kids, but if you were one of those so called hard men and went causing trouble then he'd make sure you found it, and regretted it. I knew quite a few people like that when I was younger, I remember not long after I married my second wife, a local idiot gave her a load of abuse, so naturally I had a go at him, his response was to threaten me aged about 35, with a large group of lads in their 20's. It all stopped after a mate of mine got to hear about it, he went round to this lads house and told him to behave or else, he got the same response, threats of a large gang, he just smiled and said bring it on, he didn't care, then he opened his jacket, inside was a loaded MAC10 machine pistol! The idiot used to cross the road when he saw us after that, lol.

 

We all could have used that guy at least once in our lives!

 

Best shotgun shell ever.

 

there are better solutions to all of those. that's where logic in design, policy and practice come in to it. as for direct personal dangers, i was making a euphemistic simplification.
consideration does mean taking into consideration all things. everything your life and everyone else's are affected by, doesn't begin or end at your fence line. you don't live in a universe that was created for one person or one species. and if you don't look beyond your own skin, you might as well be rolling dice.

 

Exactly. We're helping to keep the world in balance by reducing the overpopulation somewhat.
Plus, it's more humane than letting them die of starvation or fighting each other over food.
None of these pests are on the endangered species list, by any means!