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<blockquote data-quote="Goobermunch" data-source="post: 835985" data-attributes="member: 10516">Really, the combination of the heavy, large diameter slug was what made the musket so deadly.&nbsp; If you were hit by a musket ball, you were done as was your career as a soldier.There are a couple reasons for this.&nbsp; In the case of a hit to a limb, the musket ball not only broke the bone it hit, but it also took out a substantial chunk of the bone above and below the point of impact.&nbsp; This, more than gangrene, was responsible for the frequent amputations in pre-20th century military hospitals.In addition to ripping between 1 and 3 inches of bone from your body, you'd often get sharp bone splinters into blood vessels.&nbsp; Thus, even a wound that was not immediately fatal could result in death as bone shards made their way into the heart and brain.Finally, there was (and still is) the problem of hydrostatic shock.&nbsp; The explanation is a little complex, but in a nutshell, hydrostatic shock describes the massive shockwave that moves through the body when struck by a bullet.&nbsp; It is highly debilitating and often results in blood vessels rupturing throughout the body (like in the brain).As a result, I'd say that trying for a realistic system for firearms is impractical.&nbsp; Therefore the existing systems are probably adequate.--Goobermunch</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Goobermunch, post: 835985, member: 10516"] Really, the combination of the heavy, large diameter slug was what made the musket so deadly. If you were hit by a musket ball, you were done as was your career as a soldier. There are a couple reasons for this. In the case of a hit to a limb, the musket ball not only broke the bone it hit, but it also took out a substantial chunk of the bone above and below the point of impact. This, more than gangrene, was responsible for the frequent amputations in pre-20th century military hospitals. In addition to ripping between 1 and 3 inches of bone from your body, you'd often get sharp bone splinters into blood vessels. Thus, even a wound that was not immediately fatal could result in death as bone shards made their way into the heart and brain. Finally, there was (and still is) the problem of hydrostatic shock. The explanation is a little complex, but in a nutshell, hydrostatic shock describes the massive shockwave that moves through the body when struck by a bullet. It is highly debilitating and often results in blood vessels rupturing throughout the body (like in the brain). As a result, I'd say that trying for a realistic system for firearms is impractical. Therefore the existing systems are probably adequate. --Goobermunch [/QUOTE]

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