[Adamo1618]

I think that's Device Rating being limited, not every possible rating. Otherwise you'd be stuck with pretty shit armor.

[Kiirnodel]

Technically that the limit of Rating 6 is a base rule in the core book. But, yeah it does kinda say that. Adamo might be right about it meaning Device Rating, so I would say this one is definitely another qualifier for the Missions FAQ. There aren't many items that go up to ratings higher than 6, and most of those are limited by availability higher than 12 anyway...

[Herr Brackhaus]

Yep, that's device rating, not generic "rating". Otherwise you'd be hard pressed to start with any kind of explosive...

[kyoto kid]

Technically that the limit of Rating 6 is a base rule in the core book. But, yeah it does kinda say that. Adamo might be right about it meaning Device Rating, so I would say this one is definitely another qualifier for the Missions FAQ. There aren't many items that go up to ratings higher than 6, and most of those are limited by availability higher than 12 anyway...

...I put  the question up on the FAQ thread.

Also FWIW I checked the Errata thread for Hard Targets and there is  a comment which mentioned maybe the stats for Montip arrows and Seeker Shafts might have been transposed.  Makes sense as that affects the entire arrow shaft (like static shafts), so I quoted the post adding my support to the idea as well.

----------

ETA

...received clarification from GMs in my Missions group, and the bow/arrow ratings are not Gear ratings.

[Dwagonzhan]

Given my experience with archery (and the bow hunters I keep company with), I'd say most arrows of any feasible type would blunt, contort (irreversibly bend) or shatter on impact with anything harder than arid soil.
Factoring in the advancements in personal armor that Shadowrun has pushed, I'd call it a certainty.

In the long run, it'd probably be more financially beneficial for a dedicated archer character to be able to manufacture his/her own arrows; though at this time, I'm unsure how SR5 RAW handles that, if at all.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Considering there are rules for hand loaded rounds in Hard Targets, hand crafted arrows is an easy extrapolation for any GM that isn't running Missions. Of course, it is up to the GM as no hard rules exist for this.

[KarmaInferno]

If you really want extreme prices, play a Rigger.

 


-k

[Reaver]

Considering there are rules for hand loaded rounds in Hard Targets, hand crafted arrows is an easy extrapolation for any GM that isn't running Missions. Of course, it is up to the GM as no hard rules exist for this.

I wouldn't even know where to start TBH.

With ammo, it's easy as most is case-less nowadays. So it's just the Bullet pressed into formed powder. And it it's Cased ammo, its Cap, Brass, powder and bullet..... everything you need fits on a single bench, and a competent loader can squeeze out 50 shells an hour.

But arrows? whole different ball of wax....

you have the heads, the shafts, the notch and the fletchings.... How much of that are you making versus just assembling? If you are just assembling from purchased materials (meaning you go buy a bunch of heads, shafts and fletchings and notches) then how much are you saving?

If you are making all that, then you are probably talking more work space then just a bench.....

you have to cut metal and form for the heads, shafts are generally made from graphite or aluminum, meaning a heat forge and moulds, Fletchings and notches are usually plastic so again cutting and melting.....
AND, they have to be made to a strength to withstand the bow....

But then again, arrows are not my area of expertise.... (hand loading is)

[Jack_Spade]

I'm by no means a expert in arrow making (having glued some hundred arrows from different parts is all the hands on experience I have), but:
Arrow length can improve results as well as reduced or increased weight (a lighter arrow will fly faster and won't drop as much, but a heavier one is less prone to be influenced by wind), different arrow heads have a huge impact on penetration/wound size. There are whole philosophies around which fletching material, size and form you should use for best results.
Depending on the size and draw strength of your bow there are certainly a few ways to improve performance.

You don't need to make them from scratch. Carbonfiber rods can be cut to the right length (but should if possible have the right diameter already).

[Herr Brackhaus]

Fortunately, Reaver, SR5's Hard Targets abstracts hand loading ammunition, even exotic kinds like Stick-n-Shock and Depleted Uranium (assuming you can find the raw materials, of course) into a single extended test with a fixed difficulty. Thus, you don't really need to think about real-world implications of what you're trying to accomplish, which, once again, you seem to get hung up on a lot, and just roll the dice until you hit the threshold (or not).

Let's take an example from Hard Targets. To craft ammo you need an Extended Armorer test, with the threshold and interval to craft 10 rounds listed on page 189. The table breaks ALL ammunition types into 4 simple categories; regular and special firearms ammo, and regular and special heavy weapons ammo. The threshold for the two former is 4 and 6 respectively with an interval of 30 minutes, while for the two latter it's 8 and 10 respectively with an interval of 1 hour. You need a Hand Loading tool kit and crafting materials costing the normal value of the ammunition +10%.

Thus, crafting 100 rounds of regular ammo for your Heavy Pistol would be 10 Extended Armorer tests, each with a threshold of 4 and a duration of 30 minutes. A semi-skilled PC with Logic 4, Armorer 4, and a specialty in Hand Loading rolls 10 dice, and will average 4 hits on two tests, which means it'll usually take him 10 hours to hand load 100 rounds of regular ammunition, and each 10 can get either +1 DV or -1 AP.

Extrapolating this to arrows is dead easy as far as my table is concerned. You break arrows into the same two categories (i.e. normal and special), and use all the same rules. If you want to make it more granular you could make it so that the arrow Rating comes into play, so make the interval (Rating * 3) minutes for the same general 30 minute interval for example.

Thus, a character wanting to craft 10x Rating 10 normal arrows needs 4 hits on an Extended Logic + Armorer (4, (10*3) minutes) test. Job's a good'n, no need to make it more complicated unless you as a GM feel it's warranted...

[Reaver]

See, that makes no sense to me...

The 2 reasons I hand load myself is

1: to get a more balanced expectation out of the ammo. (Important for target shooting and hunting.)

2: to save between 40 and 60% on the cost! Lets look at my last few purchases.

5000 44mag hollow points: $775
5000 primer caps: $350
10kg of high proformance powdee: $1350
5000 44mag brass: $800
Total cost: $3250
OR, $0.65 per round

Cost of a box of 44 mag slug (as you can't buy hollow point anymore) $65. OR $1.30 a round.


You better be getting a nice bonus in Hard Targets for that +10% surcharge....

[Tym Jalynsfein]

You do get a nice bonus... Either an additional +1 DV or  an additional -1 AP. 
May not be as good of a savings as the real world, but that ain't bad.

[Herr Brackhaus]

And +1 DV is almost always the better option, as you'd need -3 AP for damage resistance rolls to average out over time.

I feel like the writers took the concept of wildcatted rounds and went with it, because as Reaver points out a lot of people hand load for the lower cost, not to make more powerful (and more dangerous to the shooter) rounds.

[Dwagonzhan]

But arrows? whole different ball of wax....

you have the heads, the shafts, the notch and the fletchings.... How much of that are you making versus just assembling? If you are just assembling from purchased materials (meaning you go buy a bunch of heads, shafts and fletchings and notches) then how much are you saving?

I know a long time bow-hunter (35 years and counting) who machines his own arrowheads, for all manner of targets and game.
They aren't the Titanium tipped, kinectic-barbed three-pronged devil heads of doom, or whatever over-engineered monstrosity your local sports stores are peddling, but he brings in healthy game with his own every autumn, and he's quite outspoken about how he isn't spending $10-$30 per head. Extrapolate that cost (with inflation) over as long as he's been doing that, and the grinder, lathe, and metal press don't seem like bad investments. (in addition to the other things you can do with them)

As for fletches and shafts, I'm a bit more familiar with in terms of commercial market, since I do target shooting and those are the things I'm most likely to break.
It's a good thing I use soft-body targets, because replacing the shafts would sting the pocketbook if I broke them more often.

Fletches are tricky, but quite doable by hand if you know how (again, the expert I know does his own; wish I saw him more often to learn how).
An especially tech savvy archer could design and 3D-print their own quite easily, and fairly cheaply. Each fletch might take time, but you can automate the process a bit with the correct model of printer.

As for making shafts yourself; uh...that'd require significant investments to say the least. 
I don't even want to contemplate how you would approach constructing graphite shafts "from scratch" knowing what (little) I do about synthesizing graphite, and you likely know far better than me about shaping metal if you hand-load ammunition.

[Coyote]

I don't even want to contemplate how you would approach constructing graphite shafts "from scratch" knowing what (little) I do about synthesizing graphite, and you likely know far better than me about shaping metal if you hand-load ammunition.

You can order graphite shafts by custom length and thickness (although maybe only in standard measurement increments). So you can definitely get shafts of some quality, probably a lot more cheaply than as part of arrows. But I don't know if you get them to the close tolerances that you would want when shooting missiles and your life depends on it. Of course, it's likely that graphite manufacturing is better in Shadorun's universe, so perhaps it is more likely to be practical there.

In the end, though, I'm with Brackhaus... Shadowrun is a very high complexity system already. It gets ridiculous if you have to start worrying about how you're sourcing all of the raw materials when you're crafting custom items.