Medium Pistols & Ammo Options in Delta Green (Patreon)

Excerpted and adapted from "Feds in the Nineties," a new appendix in Delta Green: The Conspiracy. By Shane Ivey, © 2021.

THE REIGN OF THE MEDIUM PISTOL

Police and federal agents train for self-defense and the risk of deadly attacks. In Delta Green terms, every law enforcement agency and military branch issues medium pistols. Why not use heavy pistols that inflict more damage?

Heavy pistols and their ammunition cost much more than medium pistols. The FBI buys new pistol models by the thousands, sometimes the tens of thousands. Pistols and ammunition cost more than twice as much in .44 Magnum than in 9 mm Parabellum.

And heavy pistols are harder to fire. Even medium pistols firing .45 ACP and .40 S&W are usually too large for many to hold and fire comfortably. And size means weight and bulk, making heavy pistols less comfortable to wear. More powerful rounds mean recoil that makes the pistol hard to control. 

The FBI settled on the compact SIG Sauer P228 in the early 1990s as a compromise between stopping power and utility. But only after a costly attempt to issue a heavier gun.

The FBI's image and agents' morale were battered by an infamous Miami shootout in 1986. One agent in the battle fired a shotgun. Three agents fired 9 mm pistols. Four fired .357 Magnum revolvers loaded with .38 Special ammunition. That is a common practice to reduce recoil, the .38 Special being substantially weaker than the .357 Magnum. One of the two suspects died only after being shot twelve times. The other died after being shot six times. Two FBI agents died and five were wounded by rifle and shotgun fire. 

Detailed analysis of the suspects’ wounds determined that the battle would have ended sooner had the agents used more powerful ammunition. In response, the Bureau adopted the Smith & Wesson Model 1076 in 1990. 

"BRAND NEW ISSUE. MORE ACCURATE AND EFFICIENT. SMITH AND WESSON, TEN MILLIMETER. MODEL 1076. ALL STAINLESS STEEL. IT'S QUITE A BEAUTIFUL WEAPON." —Gordon Cole sometimes gets it wrong in Twin Peaks

Based on the heavy frame of the Colt M1911A1 and designed to the FBI’s specifications, the 1076 was chambered for the 10 mm Auto cartridge. Unfortunately, the powerful round made the newly designed pistol prone to malfunction and inaccurate for many agents. The FBI designed and issued a  less powerful 10 mm cartridge and still spent years recalling and repairing the 1076. Within a few years, the 1076 had been withdrawn altogether except as a personally-owned weapon. The FBI returned to 9 mm pistols as standard issue with the SIG Sauer P228. Beginning in late 1997, agents could opt instead for the Glock 22 or Glock 23 chambered in slightly heavier .40 Smith & Wesson.

OPTIONAL RULE: HIGH STR REQUIRED

As an optional rule to reflect the difficulties in firing powerful pistols, an Agent with Strength 12 or lower suffers a −10% penalty with any heavy pistol or with a medium pistol firing .357 Magnum, .45 ACP, or .40 S&W. Taking the Aim action removes this penalty.

OPTIONAL RULE: OVERPRESSURE AMMO

Heavy pistols and a few medium pistols can use cartridges loaded with more powder and heavier bullets, adding +1 damage. The bonus combines with modifiers for hollow point or armor piercing ammo.

Medium pistols that can tolerate such powerful rounds are usually those based on the sturdy M1911 pistol frame: the 1911 itself, the S&W 1076, the Colt Delta Elite, and .40 S&W pistols like the Glock 22 and Glock 23.

Such a hot load used in any other pistol tends to cause wear and malfunctions. The pistol jams on a roll of 96–98 and can’t fire again until the Agent takes a turn to clear it.