*Chain Republic gangers with Stub Cannons*

„Stub Cannons are heavy and cumbersome pistol-grade weapons. They have unforgiving recoil, requiring a degree of training and physical resilience to wield. However, they do reward their users with the ability to kill even resilient to damage opponents.”

This is the description of this weapon, which we can find at https://www.killershrike.com.

These few sentences describe it perfectly.

Many consider it a poor choice for a Goliath ganger due to its lack of upgradeability (unlike many other weapons, such as autoguns, shotguns, etc.) and poor effectiveness or accuracy. Let's take a closer look at this gun, analyze it, and see if it really is as poor as is often heard.

Key features

*Great Stub Cannon illustration from the Necromunda books*

Let's start by compiling all the information about this weapon that we can find in various sources. Then, on this basis, I will collect its most essential features.

"A heavier version of the stub gun, hand cannons or stub cannons are popular with those who have the arm strength to wield them. They fire massive slugs that can turn unfortunates into chunks of meat, but generally have a low rate of fire and small ammo capacity. These deadly weapons kick with a strong recoil and are mostly used by enforcers or bounty hunters who aren't picky on the state of their quarry."

and also

"Often called "stub-blasters" or more simply "stubbies", the stub cannon is an oversized handgun that fires massive, high-calibre rounds. Most gangers in the underhive could barely lift such a weapon, let alone take the grievous recoil from firing one without breaking multiple bones, which makes this a weapon perfect for a ganger of Clan Goliath. Carrying such a gun is more a show of strength than it is a practical weapon, but that just adds to the appeal for your average Goliath ganger..."

Such a description can be found at https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/, among other sites.

What follows from the above description? Let's list the most important features of this weapon:

Heavy, it requires considerable strength to carry it; most mound dwellers can barely lift it
Has tremendous recoil
Requires training to master it
Strong, deals a lot of damage
Shoots massive slugs, high-caliber bullets
Low rate of fire
Low ammunition capacity

Let's move on, then.

*"Necromunda : Hired Gun" - quite an interesting game, by the way, sometimes just a little too easy.*

In May 2021, the game "Necromunda : Hired Gun" was released on Steam. This is the latest production where you can see this weapon and learn how it works. It is difficult to say how much the concept of this weapon created by the developers from GW is consistent with the concept implemented in this game, in which its special modified variant - “The M'Ma Stub Cannon”. So, let's take a closer look at this improved version.

From the description of the weapon in this game, we can learn a few new things about it:

“The M'Ma Stub Cannon is a very powerful large revolver that needs to be handled with two hands to be usable for a normal sized Human.”

and

„has a decent rate of fire at 200BPM and without alterations, it has extremely high accuracy, range and handling stats. Plus with the ability to penetrate through multiple targets as well as armor, the Stub Cannon is a strong sidearm to bring along.

*Stub Cannon with a modified barrel, and an additional gun sight*

The above description talks about such new features as:

Decent rate of fire (200 bullets per minute)
High accuracy
High range
High handling stats
Can penetrate multiple targets (including the ability to penetrate armor)

In addition, several modifications to this weapon are available in this game that obviously affect its performance, often on the basis of improving a particular characteristic and worsening another. These include:

Magnetic Barrel - The Magnetic Barrel is quite expensive attachment but offers a significant increase in damage, range, and penetration at the cost of handling and stability
Reinforced Cylinder - Increases range and penetration at the cost of fire rate for long-range weapon configurations.
Firing Mechanism - Increases fire rate at the cost of accuracy. Turning the M'Ma into a weapon more suitable for close encounters.
Precision Mechanism —This increases accuracy and range at the cost of fire rate. It is a useful module for everyone who likes to use the M'Ma at long ranges.

So, we have pretty detailed descriptions of the basic version and the highly modified Stub Cannon variant. Now, let's try to imagine what traits and statistics this weapon could have if the description of its features were taken seriously.

Stub Cannon - stock version

Heavy

The weapon is quite large and undoubtedly heavy. Fighters without significant strength may struggle to use it effectively. It is certainly a weapon suited for strong individuals.

This weapon definitely looks heavier than other basic weapons. So I wondered if the fact that it is heavy should translate into trait Unwieldy or -1 to hit at long range. In size and weight, it somewhat resembles the larger weapons we know from the Special category. As we know, despite their size, these weapons usually do not have such traits or modifiers.
Or maybe a special rule that says that when used by gangers with S3 or lower, it acquires the Unwieldy trait.

*I got the idea from the first edition of Necromunda. The rule was that fighters only with an S5 or higher could use Scaly heavy weapons.*

Enormous recoil

Its weight and the fact that it fires huge bullets certainly translate into enormous recoil. A one-handed revolver can pack quite a punch, let alone a revolver the size of a hand cannon.

That's probably why this weapon has no positive modifiers for close-range hits.
It's a good thing there is no negative modifier for long-range.
More powerful ammunition would certainly reduce accuracy, which could cause a -1 modifier for long range.

It requires training to master it

This may have to do with its earlier characteristic - heavy. It certainly requires strength training, but I doubt it's about training in use because it seems to me that the mechanism seems as simple as in a typical revolver.

So, it's probably only about physical ability (strength) to operate such a weapon. In that case, it probably has little to do with what I wrote above in "Heavy."

Strong and large-caliber bullets

Without a doubt, it is strong due to the size of the caliber. And additional bullets, such as Dum-Dum, could make it even stronger, turning it into an absolute monster.

That is probably the reason for the default strength 5 (highest strength of all basic weapons) and Knockback.

Low rate of fire

Due to the revolver mechanism, which is non-automatic, it will never be as fast as an automatic weapon.

Obviously, there is no rapid fire.

Low ammunition capacity

The weapon's drum usually holds fewer bullets than a standard magazine and requires more frequent reloading.

Ammo Roll 3+ - surprisingly good stats for a weapon with a fairly limited ammo capacity. A large proportion of Basic weapons have a higher ammo roll of 4+. Without a doubt, one of the significant advantages of this weapon is that

Stub Cannon - upgraded version

Decent rate of fire

This must mean some serious modification of the Firing Mechanism. Something that certainly does not exist in the standard version.

Rapid Fire (1) but -1 to effectiveness at long range

Or

+1 to effectiveness at close range.
In both cases, the ammo roll is changed from 3+ to 4+, due to the fact that the drum only holds a few bullets and empties quickly.
We have a case in Necromund that could fit this modification. We are talking about Djangar "Gunfists"' Custom stub cannons and the Storm of Fire rule: “If Djanger doesn’t move during his activation, his custom stub cannon gain the Rapid Fire (1) trait.”

High accuracy

With a precision mechanism modification, something like this would be possible.

+1 effectiveness at close range.

High range

The use of a Reinforced Cylinder modification could increase its range.

The long range extended from 16 "to 20".
Additionally, it can have -1 effectiveness at close range and -1 AP.

High handling stats

It is difficult to say which modification could affect this feature. It is difficult to find any information on this. It is likely about improving the pistol grip or simplicity in design.

I think this could translate to a pretty good default ammo roll (3+) and maybe +1 to hit on short range(?)

Penetration capability

Maybe it's about using special penetrating ammunition.

This could mean adding -1 AP.

The Stub Cannons of Djangar Gunfists' bounty hunters are an example of modified variants which, probably thanks to the belts shown in the illustration or a modified reloading mechanism, continuously supply ammunition to the weapon, allowing the opponent to be showered with a hail of bullets (-> Storm of Fire).

Heavy, cumbersome, with enormous force to knock down a manual cannon, that's how this weapon can be described in a nutshell.

I will end the introduction to this weapon at this stage.In the next part, I will discuss my personal thoughts on this weapon's characteristics and the experiences I have gained from many games.

Part two coming soon!

Dud or Stud? Stub Cannon