Red Dead Redemption 2: The Ultimate Handgun Showdown – From Worst to best!
RDR2 Handguns: A Wild West Weapon Ranking
Howdy, partners! In Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2), your handgun is your trusty sidearm; capable of everything. From blazing quick draws to precise headshots; it makes those close-quarters shootouts an awesomely thrilling, and potentially deadly experience. Yet, not all handguns in RDR2 are created equal. Some are pure garbage; others transform Arthur Morgan into an absolute gunslinging legend. This detailed guide ranks every pistol and revolver available in RDR2; from pure bottom-of-the-barrel to top-tier awesomeness. Get ready to discover just which guns are going to give you a significant edge when things get really tough! This isn't about pure strength or speed–we look at those additional features for creating the ultimate gun.
Before starting, know that handguns are less powerful than rifles and shotguns. Yet that doesn't imply that these kinds of sidearms are inherently inferior, those differences actually present an advantage! Rifles focus on distance; shotguns focus on brutal power! But handguns? A lethal blend of speed and precision! Perfect for gunning down large groups – even awesome for dual-wielding mayhem (it feels incredibly theatrical and adds a totally unexpected yet greatly welcome boost to your overall kill rate!)
The Bottom of the Barrel: Handguns to Avoid!
17. Double-Action Revolver: All Speed, No Substance
This thing’s dead last due to that low damage. It's quick, but everything else is so bad; it just lacks that necessary damage, its accuracy suffers; making that high rate of fire almost entirely worthless when comparing this with several other better pistols with better overall effectiveness. This handgun simply lacks anything really of note – low damage, average reload. It becomes available in Chapter 3 at gunsmiths ($65) or at Lonnie's Shack (free). There are literally far better options.
16. High Roller Revolver: Style Over Substance
Just a fancy Double-Action! Same stats. This flashy gambler-themed design, complete with fancy engravings and expensive pricing; might cost twice as much ($190) but there are no actual functional improvements that justifies its existence in terms of function, compared to several other guns in this particular ranking.
15. Micah's Revolver: A Dark and Useless Design
Micah's gun is that “enhanced Double-Action”: a fancy red/black skull grip with an engraving (“Vengeance is hereby mine”). It’s a seriously cool-looking but otherwise completely worthless, seriously suffering the same limitations of this previous Double-Action model.
Mid-Range Mayhem: Handguns That'll Get the Job Done (Sort Of…)
14. Cattleman Revolver: Your Starter Gun
The Cattleman’s your very first gun. Its surprising versatility is good; considering this is the default, an early acquisition made without much additional difficulty, it actually competes well with many other expensive guns with limited or other production issues! However there are more than many far better choices; especially if this doesn't need to be your very first pistol and there is no absolute demand in immediately beginning the game using only this.
13. Granger's Revolver: The Cattleman's Stylish Cousin
A snazzier Cattleman (dark metal, custom engravings)! Same stats. Beat Emmet Granger in a duel for this dueler’s weapon, though that actually lacks overall significance since he only really uses throwing knives during the encounter! This emphasizes that appearance has some merit, but its stats remain underwhelming.
12. Flaco's Revolver: Another Custom Cattleman
Like Granger's, this another cool Cattleman variation; having slightly different engravings that enhance this design. Its skull engravings and ivory grip give it great style–another excellent gun for dual wielding! This has nothing particularly of value other than appearances, emphasizing that aesthetic design sometimes has merit alone!
11. John's Cattleman Revolver: The Sentimental Favorite
From the legend himself, John Marston! This Cattleman has some sentimental value only in that it can be found at John’s location (blackened steel and bone grip); but the functional advantages, it actually offers is identical to the baseline Cattleman, emphasizing that it lacks specific overall value that would easily place it among those stronger, higher ranked pistols, compared to those with actually far superior weapons, compared to the other better handguns, yet sentimental value remains an aspect for many people!
The Heavy Hitters: High-Performance Handguns for Expert Gunslingers
10. Algernon's Revolver: The Speed Demon (With a Low Damage Penalty)
This one’s incredibly fast! The trade-off is damage. Use against swarms of weaker foes. A very situational gun, yet incredibly fun; but it can’t stand up to tougher enemies. Unlock it from completing a long series of side quests involved with saving this specific gunslinger; emphasizing just how long some quests may require from players, particularly with higher levels that require more effort from those wishing to accomplish them all; making the completion that much more valuable.
9. LeMat Revolver: The Shotgun Surprise
A bit slow, but totally unique–that shotgun option; useful in a tight situation. It really does a massive number of hits against targets from fairly up close. A powerful but rather slow-firing weapon with a neat trick up its sleeve.
8. M1899 Pistol: Semi-Automatic Fury!
This semi-automatic beauty is technologically superior – yet suffers a lot. That firing speed really shines against large swarms; creating a massive effect in some close quarters combat which requires multiple hits very quickly; this makes it very desirable for situations involving lots of targets at once!
7. Semi-Automatic Pistol: Blistering Speed, Poor Accuracy
The semi-automatic pistols pack the power to really gun down weaker enemies, and excels at high speed which is excellent at short range! Low accuracy limits its effectiveness; it makes for awesome close-quarters combat for dealing multiple damage points fast. Accuracy hurts overall range; and lacks consistency beyond short-range.
6. Mauser Pistol: High Capacity and Speedy Shots!
That speedy firing rate and large ammo count? Amazing for those who love suppressing fire against multiple foes; but the downsides also affect this particular weapon. It seriously lacks that stopping power; creating additional weaknesses. Its effective range is limited and isn’t appropriate for some kinds of use unless facing multiple enemies at short to medium range at once, for this particular application.
5. Midnight Pistol: A Gilded Mauser, but Same Weaknesses
Same stats as the Mauser. It’s gold-plated and awesome looking; adding that incredible, visual upgrade to enhance those aesthetic aspects in RDR2! Those looking for aesthetic appeal would value this. Otherwise there’s little overall differences.
4. Volcanic Pistol: Damage Above All Else
Highest damage? Yep. That's why its popularity isn't completely absurd! However there’s that downside which significantly restricts what it can easily do. That low fire rate hurts its usability against multiple enemies, yet remains a decent sidearm for ranged sharpshooters. And this is relatively simple to obtain, early in the game!
3. Calloway's Revolver: Dual-Wielding Masterclass
This awesome customized Schofield (silver-plated with fancy engravings!) excels at multiple attributes – this awesome weapon has excellent stats which make dual wielding an awesome idea, this remains incredibly effective for generating high damage output in short to mid-range scenarios. Beat Jim "Boy" Calloway in a duel to earn it!
2. Otis Miller's Revolver: Rare Beauty, But High-Class Style
A gold-and-ivory Schofield – pure class, absolutely gorgeous! Amazing accuracy makes it wildly popular; this truly demonstrates its merit for those preferring highly consistent hit chances.
The Top-Tier Champion: The King of Handguns!
1. Schofield Revolver: The Unrivaled Champion!
It is truly the top. A highly versatile, extremely well-rounded weapon – easily obtainable and highly customizable; with an amazingly powerful capacity for those needing to bring down the truly toughest foes, this weapon is easily usable throughout almost the entire game without serious limitations. That slight slowdown compared to others? This totally insignificant limitation gets entirely overlooked by the superior power it offers when trying to get those extremely high damage, and incredibly satisfying headshots, easily dispatching tougher, and heavily armed opponents!
Conclusion: The Best Handgun is What Fits Your Playstyle
We've shown everything: this extremely thorough look into RDR2's handguns; demonstrating how wildly different the power and usefulness of various weapons might just be. That “best gun” depends entirely on YOUR style. While The Schofield generally reigns supreme (versatile, powerful and easy access), the others fulfill specific needs; whether you need that insane speed, larger capacity, or pure damage, and all of those choices create this sense of realism and authenticity which enhances those aspects associated with roleplaying in RDR2, which make many aspects of this incredibly popular game really unforgettable and worthwhile.
