Realism vs. "BFG Syndrome" in action novels.

[PMP Webmaster]

So how do people feel about what characters tote into battle with them? Do you prefer a "realistic" weapons load, or do you find it more enjoyable if the character's always packing the biggest, loudest, most rediculous armaments the author can dig up?

For example, would you prefer a special-ops type character to carry a M-9 Beretta (with silencer) and an MP-5 or M-4 SOCOM, or would you rather he runs around with a pair of .50 caliber Desert Eagle Magnums and a USAS-12 full-auto shotgun with underslung M203 grenade launcher?

[Doug]

Personally... when I write... it all depends on what I'm interested in.

Plus, there's plenty of "big" guns that are practical. The SIG P229 Sport is big and Desert Eagle-like, but it's a real-world fighting style pistol. And holds 13 shots of .357 Magnum level goodness in either .357 SIG or .40 S&W. Same goes for the P220 Sport, for those wanting big calibers.

STI's Eagle 6.0 in .45 is nice, and still based on a practical pistol.

Then again, I like the Desert Eagle Airsoft. It feels big and imposing. Maybe not one in each hand, or concealed under a t-shirt... but it'll work.

Right now, I'm trying to think of an appropriate sidearm for a 6 foot adventuress named Matilda.

[PMP Webmaster]

If you're going to be a gun-toting, globe-trotting adventurer, I'd think the best caliber of handgun to carry is 9mm. It's NATO standard and you'll find it just about anywhere that there's been any kind of European military influence or trade.

As for make and model, it all depends on the "character" of the character. Do you want a handgun that helps keep your kit light and screams reliability? Give her a Glock 19. A real nail-driver that has some old-school flair? Go with a SIG P-210. Is she English? The Browning Hi-Power combines an air of British nostalgia with a proven combat record.

[Doug]

But, .45 and .40 are growing more popular across the globe.

In all seriousness, though, if I were going to go international, I'd simply go with a SIG Sauer P220 in .45, with a conversion barrel and magazines to convert it to 9mm. It's still in use by elite Swiss special forces and in Southeast Asia by several friendly nations, so magazines are plentiful.

In fact, loaded up with Law Enforcement Only or NATO issue high velocity 9mm, I really don't see the advantage of the P220 in .45 for international work.

For something more conventional, I'd go with...

a Bowie Tactical Concepts Glock 19. Maybe a Glock 32, with a conversion to 9mm, for when I get back to where I can buy .357 SIG at Wal-Mart.

[PMP Webmaster]

Sweet looking gun, and I like the extension of the frame to protect the web of the hand. Good deal.

[Doug]

Pretty interesting addition. I'm debating its usefulness vs. concealability.

I do like the slimmed down grips, though.

Ah hell, I think the grip tang adds some character.

Some things I pick for looks. Some I pick for practicality.

Like, the Beretta 92 series. They sound nice (as a name), they look good, and practically, they're very reliable and very accurate. (So long as you avoid magazines supplied by the lowest bidder, like Checkmate).

The same applies to the Beretta Cougar family too. At least to me. And the Cougar name, like Desert Eagle, just sounds better.

Guns with names ring better for readers.

Colt Pythons will always be more popular in fiction than the Model 686, though the 686 is the better revolver, now that it has a seven-shot cylinder. Though, calling it a Smython might bring its popularity up.

Colt Commanders, Springfield Champions, and Kimber Pros will always be more attractive sounding than the Para Ordnance LXT, barring similar quality.

[PMP Webmaster]

...which brings us to two of my all-time favorite handguns, the Colt Delta Elite (come on, that name SCREAMS Bad-Ass), and the Browning High Power (A gun I am destined by the stars themselves to own one day).

[Django The Bastard]

When it comes to pulp fiction, I'm in favor of dropping a little realism here and there in favor of having a signature firearm add a little character to the protaganist...or even the villain...

If it was up to me, Mack Bolan would still be carrying "Big Thunder"...the spectacular .44 AutoMag!

What would Mark Hardin be without his .45 Colt Commander and AVA...or Bucher without his silenced P-38...or John Thomas Rourke without his twin Detonics?

A generic Sig or MP-5...nahhh...gimme a Browning Hi-power and a Barrett .50 sniper rifle anyday...

[PMP Webmaster]

I hear you. I think it should be a general rule of all real pulp badasses that they can't carry a gun made after 1970. No more "wonder-nines", just sleek, vintage-style looks and deadly accuracy.

[Doug]

But then, you have the STI Eagle and Edge.

1911 style. High capacity. And... Eagle. Edge? Cool names. And available in 9mm, 10mm (baaad asss), .40 (which means you can have it in .357 SIG... and .357 is THE vigilante caliber), and .45 auto.

Then again, after playing True Crime: Streets of LA, I'm a sucker for the Taurus Tracker. 7 shot .357? 5 shot .44?

[claemore]

I think when we're talking about the Post Modern Pulps, the BFG is almost critical. Like Doug was saying a few years ago now, there are practical BFGs. Look at the success of movies like Sudden Impact, or Death Wish 3.

One gun that really annoys me though is the Desert Eagle. I really wish that Mack Bolan would have stuck with the .44 Automag, even if it isn't made anymore. I'm a gun nut. The Exedcutioner and Death Merchant series convinced me to join the army and to become a cop later in life. I've shot many of the guns out there (not yet the .44 Automag or Wildey .45), but I have shot the Desert Eagle in many of its iterations. Everyone of them have been jam- amatics. Nobody like the character of Mack Bolan is going to utilize a piece of junk like that gun. I'd be interested in reviving this topic, as it's one that has interested me for many years.

[PMP Webmaster]

Some good points Claemore.

To me, the BFG is, like you said, a staple of the genre. Both Bolan and the Death Merchant favored BFGs, and they are very prominent in aggressor-style movies like Dirty Harry or Death Wish. But like you also said, really overblown guns like the Desert Eagle are kinda ridiculous. It's huge, it's heavy as hell, your combat reaction time with it in a gunfight is going to be much worse than if you were using a 1911 or wondernine, and there are just a huge variety of other factors to consider. For instance, what happens to your hero's sense of hearing after firing off a few thousand rounds of .50 AE without earplugs? There go those catlike senses.

Ultimately, I think if a BFG is going to be used, it needs to be vs. the Big Boss of the story or as some sort of coup de gras / signature weapon / car-killer. You whip it out of its shoulder rig and put one through the gas tank of the bad guy's car as he's trying to escape, or you use it to drop him at 200 meters as he's getting away on a speedboat. Stuff like that.

And welcome to the board! I know it doesn't get a lot of traffic these days, but feel free to keep posting.

[claemore]

I think you hit the nail on the head. I think it was John Gardner in the nineties?, or eighties? that wrote James Bond. With Gardner writing, the character of Bond got a much needed weapon's upgrade. He started carrying a S&W 9mm ASP (if you can find one these days they are VERY expensive), and in his SAAB turbo he had a Ruger .44 magnum for anti vehicle work.

There is also the idea of carrying a sniping handgun. SWAT teams have tossed this idea around and may even have adapted it. I'm talking about like the Contender pistols in rifle calibers.

There is also the .460 S&W magnum revolver that generates .300 WinMag energies at the muzzle. They have taken elk at 250 yards with that gun.