Dud or Stud? Stub Cannon
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 its relatively poor accuracy and effectiveness. Let's take a closer look at this gun, analyze it, and see if it's really as bad as people say.
Key features
Great Stub Cannon illustration from the Necromunda books.
Let’s begin by compiling all the information we can find about this weapon from various sources. Based on that, I’ll summarize 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..."
This kind of description can be found on https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/, among other sites.
So, what can we take from these descriptions? Here's a quick list of key traits:
Heavy; requires considerable strength to carry – most hive 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 this weapon appears and can be seen in action. It is difficult to say how much the concept of this weapon created by the developers at 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)
M’Ma stats
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
This weapon is large and undoubtedly heavy. Fighters without significant strength may struggle to use it effectively — it's clearly suited for strong individuals.
It definitely looks bulkier than most basic weapons. This made me wonder: should its weight be represented by the Unwieldy trait, or perhaps a -1 to hit at long range? In terms of size and heft, it resembles some of the larger weapons from the Special category. However, as we know, those weapons typically don’t carry such traits or modifiers — so I’m left wondering whether it makes sense here.
Alternatively, perhaps it could have a special rule: when used by fighters with Strength 3 or lower, the weapon gains the Unwieldy trait.
I was inspired to give it the Unwieldy trait by the old Scaly Weapons rule in 1st edition Necromunda — only S5+ fighters could wield them.
Enormous recoil
Its weight and the fact that it fires massive bullets certainly translate into enormous recoil. A one-handed revolver can already pack quite a punch — let alone one the size of a hand cannon.
That’s probably why this weapon has no positive modifiers for close-range shooting.
Good thing it doesn’t come with a negative modifier at long range, either.
More powerful ammo would likely reduce accuracy, which could justify a -1 modifier at long range.
It requires training to master it
This may tie back to the earlier point about its weight. It definitely demands strength training — though I doubt it requires special skill to operate, as its mechanism seems as simple as a standard revolver.
So it’s probably less about weapon proficiency and more about physical ability. In that sense, it overlaps with what I wrote earlier under Heavy.
Strong and large-caliber bullets
There’s no doubt it packs a punch, thanks to its large caliber. And with special ammo like Dum-Dum rounds, it could become an absolute monster.
That likely explains its base Strength of 5 — the highest among all Basic weapons — and the inclusion of the Knockback trait.
Low rate of fire
Because it’s a revolver and not an automatic weapon, it will never reach the same firing speed as something like an autogun.
Unsurprisingly, it lacks the Rapid Fire trait.
Low ammunition capacity
Revolvers typically hold fewer rounds than standard magazines and require more frequent reloading.
Still, the Ammo Roll of 3+ is surprisingly good for a weapon with such limited capacity. In fact, many Basic weapons have a worse roll (4+), making this one of the Stubcannon’s few clear advantages.
Stub Cannon - upgraded version
Decent rate of fire
This likely implies a serious modification to the firing mechanism — something definitely not present in the standard version.
Possible gameplay translation:
Rapid Fire (1), but with a -1 to hit at long range.
or+1 to hit at close range.
In both cases, the Ammo Roll should be reduced from 3+ to 4+, reflecting how quickly the drum empties.
We actually have a precedent for this in Necromunda: Djangar "Gunfists" and his custom stub cannons. The Storm of Fire rule states: “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, this becomes plausible.
This could translate into:
+1 to hit at close range.
High range
A Reinforced Cylinder mod could extend its effective range.
Potential gameplay effects:
Increase long range from 16" to 20"
Possibly -1 to hit at close range (?)
Maybe also -1 AP (?)
High handling stats
It’s unclear what kind of modification might influence this stat. There’s little direct info available, but it could relate to improved grip design or simplified mechanics.
Possible game reflection:
A solid default Ammo Roll (3+)
Maybe +1 to hit at short range (?)
Penetration capability
This likely comes from using specialized armor-piercing rounds.
Game-wise, this could mean:
Adding -1 AP.
Djangar Gunfists' bounty hunters wield modified Stub Cannons that, likely thanks to the ammo belts shown in the illustration or a custom reloading mechanism, can continuously feed rounds into the weapon — allowing them to unleash a hail of bullets (→ Storm of Fire).
Heavy, cumbersome, and packing the force of a handheld cannon — that’s the Stub Cannon in a nutshell.
I’ll wrap up this introduction here. In the next part, I’ll share my personal take on the weapon’s characteristics, compare its effectiveness to other Basic weapons, and reflect on what I’ve learned from using it across many games.
Part Two coming soon!