Ninsheart said:
I only just noticed, but what an enormous dust cloud comes from that pistol.
Unfortunately, such thing only happens in anime and movies. Modern guns don't show much smoke no more.
Smokeless gunpowder has been standard fuel for cartridges for a few decades now. Smoke seeping out of the nozzle after a shot may look cool and shit, but it's impractical because like you said, it obscures vision. It also means that you might end up giving away your position if you are, say, a sniper who needs to remain concealed at all times.
Now everyone is rather catching up on muzzle flash. You don't want to look like a lighthouse if you're gunning someone from a distance with the intention of not being found. As such, flash suppressors have been developed, and they're still perfecting gunpowders that doesn't produce light when combusted.
And, more than ANYTHING, you don't wanna be heard shooting your grandma if she doesn't wanna give you cash to buy that crack. Unfortunately, even the most silent suppressor can still sound like someone slapping something SO HARD...
However, even with all these flaws, a gun is still better than a sword. If I'm in a dead or alive situation, I'll use anything I can find, but if I can get away with it, I'd rather punch that guy's lights out if I run out of ammo(or use the stock to hit him).