I’d argue that the way it works now creates more problems than it solves. Tarburst is correct about the underlying rationale, the max range is an attempt to model different guns having different effective ranges based on velocity loss due to aur resistance. Rifles just need to have lower dispersion, and you will ALWAYS hit better than with anything with high dispersion.

And by the time you are hitting things at the reality bubble edge with a handgun 50% of the time you would have been able to score head-shots at that distance with a rifle. But rifles would still out-range handguns (or shotguns, or whatever with higher dispersion) at the same skill level. I mean, what is the problem exactly? Sure, with a good handgun at skill level 10 you would be able to hit as far as with a good rifle with rifle skill at 5. Plus, if my experience with bows is any indicator, even at archery 10 / marksmanship 8 you can’t reliably hit things at maximum range with reflex recurve bow. And in late game the balance gets out of the window wholesale: handguns being usable at “rifle” ranges would not be a huge game-changer at all - not in the least because you already have ALL kinds of weapon available by late game anyway. I mean, anything level 10+ is pretty much late-game.

What skill level are we talking about here? 5? 10? 15? This would make sniper rifles and slug shotguns identical at higher levels. If there were no max ranges, accurate pistol in hands of accurate character would allow shooting things on the other side of reality bubble just like with a sniper rifle.

Cdda crossbow range