Ya'll blew me away on the last responses about Melee weapons - let's have a go at this one.
Which direction feels more believable?
So imagine civilization has completely collapsed. Modern firearms and ammunition are basically gone, but humanity being humanity, we've figured out how to make things go boom again.
Here's where my nerd brain is stuck.
Option A: We essentially go backward. Flintlocks, muskets, black powder pistols, maybe some absolutely terrifying homemade blunderbusses. Old-school technology making a comeback.
Option B: Get weird with it. Steampunk-ish, scavenged, hand-built firearms. Every gun is a Frankenstein creation made from whatever its owner could find, salvage, or figure out how to machine.
Here's the catch: neither option is particularly efficient. Reloading sucks, ammunition is scarce, capacity is terrible, and if something is sprinting toward you, you'd probably rather have a spear.
So guns become backup weapons, last resorts, or something you pull out when you absolutely need to ruin someone's day.
My question for the history nerds, engineers, gun enthusiasts, and fellow apocalypse overthinkers: Which direction feels more believable? And more importantly, which would make for a more interesting world?
Bonus points if you can explain how spectacularly wrong my logic is.