History Main / HandGuns

** Less so in "tactical shooters," where they tend to be more defensive/backup weapons. For example, drawing your pistol in ''CallOfDuty 4'' is faster than reloading a primary weapon, but you get only the iron sights for aiming. (''Rainbow Six: Vegas 2'' allows a laser aiming module attachment.) Still typically played straight in regard to power though (for example, in CallOfDuty 4, the 9mm M9 handgun gets better damage stats than the 5.56x45 M4A1, a carbine with a 14.5 in. barrel).

* BurnNotice features pistols carried by practically every member of the team, with various models showing (justified, given Fi is an arms smuggler). Generally, Fi prefers compact pistols, while Michael, Sam and Jesse prefer full-sized / military-issue pistols, such as the Sig P226. Having said that, whenever they have a chance to outfit themselves with heavier weaponry, [[CombatPragmatist they take it]].

* ''{{Gungrave}}'': Beyond the Grave is an undead gunslinger who, in both the anime and video game series, wields the "Left Head and Right Head of Cerberus", two [[HandCannon Really Big Pistols]] GunsAkimbo-style. He also carries a coffin on his back stocked with heavy weapons, but the handguns are his main method of fighting. He starts with these weapons and ends the game with them.

* Subverted in the ''{{Jak}}'' series of games- the hero's trademark morpho-gun can switch between many different modes- the basics being shotgun, rifle, gatling gun and rocket launcher in the second game, with the third one introducing upgrades for these, but the hero never once gets his hands on a pistol- which considering how his primary enemies are hideous biomechanical monstrosities that spit acid, generate their own energy fields and feed off of dark energy is pretty sensible.
* In the online MMORPG ''TabulaRasa'', the player starts with a pistol and 1000 rounds of ammunition. Soon after, the player gets more powerful weapons (completing the Basic Trinity - shotgun, rifle, and pistol). The pistol of the three can generate the highest damage-per-second of the three, due to its rapid rate of fire. Not only that, it remains useful throughout the game. Surprisingly, the weapons in ''TR'' require reloading, require crouching in place (beading) to fire at their most accurate and do the most damage, and otherwise behave like their real-world counterparts. This, from a ''science fantasy'' MMO.

* The main crew of [[CowboyBebop the Bebop]] usually use handguns. Possibly justified by the crew being too poor to afford anything else, and by ridiculously powerful weapons being a bad idea when you need to bring in your target alive to get paid, as well as both dangerous and conspicuous in the populated areas they often have to fight in.

* Dante of the ''DevilMayCry'' series goes GunsAkimbo with two customized handguns as his signature firearms. Admittedly, he does gain better firepower, including but not limited to shotguns, a grenade launcher and a sniper rifle. Nevertheless, his pistols remain useful even in the endgame.

* In DigitalDevilSaga, ([[SilentProtagonist mute]]) Main Character Serph uses a pistol when in human form, and is shown in cut-scenes to have a deadly aim. [[spoiler: MUCH later on, the local MysteriousWaif Sera becomes a playable character, with a pistol also becoming her WeaponOfChoice while in human form.]]

* Subverted in ''[[FateZero Fate/Zero]]'', where the protagonist Kiritsugu Emiya and his assistant use Assault Rifles, compact Sniper Rifles, Submachine Guns and High-explosives to get the job done. In the one part where he uses a handgun, he uses a Thompson Contender, a handgun designed to fire rifle bullets that are about 3-4 times more powerful than even the Calibre .50Action Express used by the Desert Eagle.

* The other real problem is power, especially in military contexts where armor is common and only full metal jacketed ammunition is legal(, but even in civilian contexts there is little comparing common long guns to common handguns in the so-called "stopping power"). All things being equal, a longer barrel will give far more room for powder to burn, allowing rifles to achieve much greater muzzle velocities and use more powerful ammunition to take advantage of this, as well as the far more stable platform a rifle's stock and staggered grip offer. For example, [[http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/05/chris-dumm/lever-action-ballistics-30-30-vs-357-magnum/ even when fired from a carbine]] or rifle barrel, the powerful (in terms of handgun rounds) .357 magnum round will have less energy than even the diminutive (in terms of military rifle rounds) 5.56x45mm fired from the same sized barrel. There is a reason armor to protect against rifle rounds is so much heavier and more expensive than those designed to protect only against handgun fire.

* [[BloodKnight Serge]] of ZokushoComics seems to prefer these. He has a pair of handguns that he channels his Phantom Shot ability through to get unlimited ammunition, but when he needs more serious firepower he uses his Lucky 7 Revolver. Lucky 7 fires magical bullets with a wide range of effects from trapping people ice, to creating enormous fireballs.

* In ''HidanNoAria'', the dress code at Tokyo Butei High School includes a gun and a blade of some kind. Nearly every student carries a pistol for their gun, which makes sense, if you were carrying a bag of books, you wouldn't want to lug around an AK-47 or shotgun as well.

* In ''FinalFantasy: DirgeOfCerberus'', Vincent's three-barreled handgun ("Cerberus") is a very nice weapon to have and is very customizable, even capable of being reconfigured into an assault or sniper rifle.

* Treated with an in-universe sensibility in "Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest". Although Frank uses a rifle to perform his transgression (which introduces his gang and supposedly bids farewell to the McBain family), this use is hidden in the bushes, and he hands the rifle to a waiting henchman immediately upon emerging. This must have been an in-film character requirement, as Henry Fonda certainly had no reluctance to appear in films handling a rifle. In the same film, Woody Strode's anonymous character has a rifle that has been chopped short and is carried in the manner of a handgun. (Recursive reference: Chopped short sounds cooler and more badass than bobbed).

* The real problem with handguns is that they demand a lot of practice to hit your target. For example using only one hand does not have enough grip to prevent your guns aim moving off target while doing something as simple as pulling the trigger. The recoil itself can twist the gun so much off your hand that when firing consecutive shots, the rest will go awfully on the side. The real example just how much skill a handgun needs is that from 25 meters you'll probably be missing your shots even if you hold guns somewhat correctly but while using a rifle even a beginner can hit target from 200-300 meters away. Long story short: no matter how easy Hollywood makes it look, real handgun marksmanship is '''not''' simply a matter of "point and shoot."

** Less so in "tactical shooters," where they tend to be more defensive/backup weapons. For example, drawing your pistol in ''CallOfDuty 4'' is faster than reloading a primary weapon, but you get only the iron sights for aiming. (''Rainbow Six: Vegas 2'' allows a laser aiming module attachment.)

* Averted and played straight, depending on the situation. In combat situations, going toe-to-toe with enemies armed with rifles and [=SMG=]s will usually put you at a disadvantage, especially at long-distances. In CQC, you might have a fighting chance however, since moving around is easier with a pistol than a full-sized weapon.

* In ''Film/DieHard'', although John [=McClane=] seeks out a machine gun (ho-ho-ho) at the first opportunity, he's still eventually reduced to his trusty pistol.
** He's able to take out a helicopter with a snub-nosed revolver. To be fair, he didn't aim directly at said helicopter...
* Although anti-hero Tony Montana in ''{{Scarface}}'' is best known for his M16+ M203, villain Alejandro Sosa uses a pistol in ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours''.
* For the house fight in the movie ''MrAndMrsSmith'', John Smith went with a simple handgun while Jane Smith dual wielded a submachine gun and a shotgun. Other than her ability to shoot through walls, he was able to keep up with her although this was partially due to the confined quarters being more beneficial for the light weight of a handgun letting him shoot around corners.

* In the war film, ''WeWereSoldiers''. [[BadAss Sergeant Major Plumley]], a RealLife BadAss no less, refused to use the new M16 during the battle, preferring to use his trusty Colt 1911 service pistol during the battle, even firing it ''[[FiringOneHanded one-handed]]'' no less.

* In ''TheExpendables'', Barney Ross's primary weapons include [[GunsAkimbo a Colt M1911 in each hand]].

* Treated with an in-universe sensibility in "Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest". Although Frank uses a rifle to perform his transgression (which introduces his gang and supposedly bids farewell to the McBain family), this use is hidden in the bushes, and he hands the rifle to a waiting henchman immediately upon remerging. This must have been an in-film character requirement, as Henry Fonda certainly had no reluctance to appear in films handling a rifle. In the same film, Woody Strode's anonymous character has a rifle that has been chopped short and is carried in the manner of a handgun. (Recursive comment: Chopped short sounds cooler and more badass than bobbed).

->-- ''TheZombieSurvivalGuide''

* The various JamesBond movies almost always arm Bond with his trusty handgun, usually a Walther PPK. This makes more sense for a spy, who would want to use a subtle, concealable weapon. Of course, since when did James Bond [[OvertOperative care about subtlety?]]
** The TV SpyFiction series ''TheManFromUNCLE'' varied the standard handgun trope in two ways. First, the standard issue U.N.C.L.E. handgun could fire either bullets or non-lethal "sleep darts" [[PlotSensitiveItems depending on the needs of the plot]]. Second, when U.N.C.L.E. agents needed a weapon that was more like a rifle than a handgun, they could simply attach a stock, telescopic sight, barrel extension, and extended magazine to the handgun and, voila, the handgun turned into [[https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/cia-museum/spy-fi-archives/item08.html a cool looking carbine]].

* While the various mercenary ne'er-do-wells of ''BlackLagoon'' use a wide variety of weapons, the most skilled tend to use either pistols or a HandCannon. Nevertheless, while chainsaw, minigun, and dual-pistol wielding maniacs are the order of the day, the most feared and effective force in the setting are Balalaika's faceless snipers and AK-wielding ex-paratroopers.

** More common for the setting are rapid-fire handheld rail guns that launch small darts at high velocity. An infiltrator trying to sneak past a guard post on a relatively low-tech world is discovered because he was carrying an old fashioned firearm rather than one of the much harder to obtain "Pulsers" that the guards in that organization happened to be equipped with.

* Justified in ''MassEffect'' where Shepard will often use a pistol in the {{cutscene}}s, in spite of carrying an assault rifle, a sniper rifle and ''and'' a shotgun. Pistols themselves are still very powerful, and perhaps more importantly, the pistol is the one weapon that ''all'' Shepard's available classes can use equally well, so it only makes sense that s/he would use it.

* In ''RainbowSix'', pistols are very useful close range weapons because their reticule closes almost instantly regardless of the assault skill of the operative. This means you can fire an accurate shot faster than someone wielding an assault rifle or a submachine gun or a shotgun (though buckshot with a shotgun would probably hit the enemy anyway even if the reticule wasn't closed). Also operatives specializing in fields other than assault (especially snipers for some odd reason) have lower assault ratings (usually) and therefore aim slower with non-pistol guns. This does not apply from Raven Shield and onwards.

* ''CounterStrike'': Handguns can actually hold their own against full-sized weapons in mid to long distances, especially the Desert Eagle, which can drop any one in one shot to the head, armored or not.

* ''{{Bayonetta}}'': Played With as the Titular character starts goes guns akimbo in the opening cutscene (and many other times as well,can use four at a time (duel wield, plus dual foot wield,) many of her weapons are handguns, but can and does use other weapons and magic as well.

* ''TheDarkTower'': Roland Deschain has a pair of pistols cast from the metal of the legendary Excalibur. He doesn't shoot with them, though. He shoots with his mind. But he kills with the heart.