Dear Reader,
With my Carrion series now finished, I’ve decided to discuss my decision-making process. Be advised this will contain spoilers for the series. Also, you might not find this very interesting you don’t take any interest in firearms.
Kane’s Sidearm – The M1911A1
The 1911 may come across as an antiquated sidearm compared to more modern handguns that are lighter, hold more rounds per magazine and are easier to maintain. The higher capacity certainly could have been very helpful during some moments in the story.
That said, I do have a few reasons for picking this handgun. First of all, the 1911 has a lot of similarities to the Colt Single Action Army, which is the most common revolver used in Western movies. Both handguns were both manufactured by Colt, use .45 caliber ammunition (albeit different cartridges), are single action (the hammer must be cocked before firing) and both were in service with the US Military.
I also felt that having a plastic fantastic such as a Glock would somewhat go against the dystopian/improvised feel I was going for. I wanted to avoid having too many modern firearms in the story.
Finally, one of the inspirations for Kane’s character: Mr. Longbaugh from The Way of the Gun also uses a 1911.
As for the customization, Kane had put on his 1911, I was going to have the bones be of the first man/animal Kane had ever killed but decided against that. The XS sights are known for being optimized for close quarters shooting, which I felt was appropriate for the disregardful way Kane fights, and the bobbed hammer and ambidextrous safety were added to show Kane had invested a fair amount in his pistol.
Silas’ Rifle – The M1 Garand
Much like the 1911, the M1 Garand is a rather old rifle. I felt giving Silas a modern rifle would again go against the dystopian/improvised feel. It also shows that Silas doesn’t really have a need for a high capacity weapon anymore.
Another reason I picked the M1 Garand over a more modern weapon is it gave him a bit of a handicap. I could see the gunfight in Part Five becoming a lot easier for him if he had thirty or so rounds ready to rock.
Various Snub Nose Revolvers
During the series, Eric, Kane, and Silas make use of snub nose revolvers, similar to the Taurus Model 605 pictured above. To me this was the best way to include revolvers in the story, as they are easy to conceal, making them suited to the surprise attacks they are used.
The Cultist Submachine Gun – Uzi
The Uzi is wielded by one of the cultists and then Mary Beth during Part 2. The only automatic portrayed in the series, I decided to go with the Uzi as it’s a widespread and affordable submachine gun. It’s also a rather iconic weapon that is well known, so I didn’t have to spend time describing it as the action went down.
The AR-15 – Kane’s Rifle Of Choice
The AR-15 first features in Part One of Carrion, where Silas finds one in Vincent’s car. Later Kane acquires one from Lucius for the gunfight at the caravan park, which has a shorter barrel like the rifle on the bottom.
AR-15 made sense to me as it’s probably the most common 5.56×45 rifle in the USA. Although both rifles had a variety of attachments I do have my reasoning. For the first rifle in the car, I assume Kane lives as a gun for hire, so it’d make sense he either spent a lot of money on his rifle or acquired one during a job. Obviously, someone like Kane didn’t get his skills overnight, and he is an experienced gunfighter. For the rifle Lucius gave him, I assume that it’s either a Pre-Collapse rifle Lucius had or it’s rifle Lucius found and kept for himself.
Mossberg Shotguns
Shotguns prove to be the most common long guns, having been used in Part 3, Part 5 by Lucius and Part 6 by Greyson’s Security team. Both Lucius and Greyson use Mossberg shotguns which is an American brand. Although Lucius’ shotgun model is not specified, the guards in Greyson use the cheaper Maverick 88 shotgun, although, in hindsight, it may have been better to give them a more expensive shotgun to show off Mr. Greyson’s wealth.
I hope this provides insight into a part of the creative process for Carrion. I plan on further discussing other aspects of the series soon.
Regards
Your Writer
Dear Reader Your Writer 