TEXT: Although weapons of various sorts do not appear frequently in the works
  of Lovecraft, they are generally considered indispensible for the average 1920s
  occult investigator. This article will look at most of the important historical
  weapons of the 1920s and their use in Cthulhoid situations. The second part
  of this article will look more specifically at the tricky question of the use of
  weapons in CTHULHU LIVES.
  To begin with, historically, the ‘Twenties came right in the aftermath of
  World War I. The military discovered new and horrible ways of destroying
  enemies. The Great War saw the first important use of tanks, airplanes,
  flamethrowers, dropped bombs, and poisonous gases. However, effective as
  these may be against a Spawn of Cthulhu, they are quite beyond the grasp of
  the average gumshoe or professor. The war also saw the advent of many new
  makes and types of firearms, which were largely unavailable in America. The
  specifics of these weapons generally will have little influence on Cthulhoid sit-
  uations, but here is a look at the most important weapons of the period.
  The single most important sidearm was the Colt M1911A1 automatic pis-
  tol. It is the classic pistol used by the military, the mob, and other malice mak-
  ers. It fires .45 caliber bullets (the largest standard type of pistol ammuni-
  tion), and although it is terribly powerful, it is also grossly inaccurate. It holds
  up to seven rounds and can fire roughly two rounds per second. It has been the
  indispensible high power pistol for the last sixty years. It won’t stop a
  Shoggoth, but it’ll certainly give a Deep One pause.
  Another classic weapon commonly associated with the 1920s was the
  gangster’s friend, the Thompson .45 submachine gun, or Tommy Gun. It is
  fairly small and light and could shoot more larger bullets faster than nearly
  any personal firearm of the era. The Tommy Gun is usually fitted with a ver-
  tical grip toward the end of the barrel to facilitate hip shooting rather than
  aiming. In this manner, the Tommy Gun could be used to “spray” rounds at
  targets. The 100-round drum clip frequently seen on the Tommy Gun in mafia
  movies was seldom used because it added nearly fifteen pounds of weight to the
  gun. It comes highly recommended for scattering cultists by Professor
  Nathaniel Ward.
  Many makes of pistols, especially revolvers, were available in the
  ‘Twenties. The general citizenry tended towards smaller calibers for firearms
  due to cost of ammunition and ease of use. The .22 was considered appropri-
  ate for women (although ladies would have no need for such weapons). The .38,
  .44, and .45 caliber revolvers were among the most common “pieces” of the
  time. The revolver was known to be slightly more dependable than the auto-
  matic. However, the sound of an empty revolver cylinder clicking is among the
  most horrible ever heard in the catacombs of San Francisco.
  Similarly, there were numerous makes and styles of rifles available. Rifles
  tended to be either military or for hunting purposes. Again, the most “clas-
  sic” rifles of the period were: the bolt action .30-06 (thirty-aught-six), the
  lever action Winchester .3030 (the cowboy’s rifle), and the .22 varmint hunt-
  ing rifle. While they don’t fire quickly and are nearly impossible to hide, rifles
  pack a strong punch at long ranges. Certain investigators have been known to
  hit targets all the way across the necropolis at Gizeh.
  Shotguns were also fairly common, as gentlemen used them for hunting
  fowl. Shotguns fire a large cartridge filled with BB-like projectiles called shot.
  Despite their tremendous force, shotguns have a range problem. A 12-gauge
  that would blow a large hole in a wooden door at 10 feet would only scratch
  it from 100 feet. The highly effective and illegal sawed-off shotgun epitomized
  this problem with range. Shotgun blasts spray in a conical shape away from the
  barrel, so chances of hitting something are far better than they are with rifles
  and pistols. Unlike bullet calibers, shotgun gauges have more power as they
  decrease in number, from 410 to 12. Sam Buchannan was the all-time great
  proponent of shotguns against the servants of the Mythos.
  Other weapons were available in the ‘Twenties, some highly dangerous,
  some illegal. Crude versions of flamethrowers existed in the military and could
  potentially be procured, although using one would normally attract the atten-
  tion of the authorities. Likewise, the first grenades were also being used in the
  military and they occasionally found their way into the private sector. Most
  conveniently, however, dynamite could be legally purchased for mining use in
  the 1920s. TNT is remarkably effective, generally stable enough for trans-
  portation, and small enough to find its way into numerous non-industrial situ-
  ations. Numerous Cthulhoid investigators have used this handy explosive to
  curtail unwholesome activities.
  Those are most of the common weapons of the ‘Twenties, excluding obvi-
  ous ones such as knives, axes, clubs, potato peelers, etc.… In part two, I will
  examine the replication and safe use of these weapon types in the game of
  CTHULHU LIVES.
  ≥
  Reprinted from Strange Eons, Vol. 1, Issue 4. © 1987 by the HPLHS. All rights reserved.
  An E-Z Guide to Cthulhu Weaponry
  BY LEONARD SNEED
  ≥
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Call of Cthulhu (CoC) (BRP) [multi]/EXTRA/Resources/Cthulhu Live - An E-Z Guide To Cthulhu Weaponry.pdf