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[[quoteright:331:[[ComicBook/StrontiumDog https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pistol_whipping.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:331:Pistol-whipping [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety with your finger on the trigger]]: DontTryThisAtHome.]]

->''"If you get a customer, or an employee, who thinks he's Creator/CharlesBronson, take the butt of your gun and smash their nose in. Drops him right to the floor. Everyone jumps. He falls down screaming, blood squirts out of his nose, freaks everybody out. Nobody says fucking shit after that."''
-->-- '''Mr. White''', ''Film/ReservoirDogs''

[[TapOnTheHead Knocking someone out by hitting them]] with the butt of a pistol. When done with a long gun (e.g. rifle or shotgun), it is referred to as a "Butt Stroke", or "Butt Stroking" (and rest assured, [[http://www.superdickery.com/its-been-a-long-time-since-i-was-butt-stroked/ some people]] have [[HaveAGayOldTime had a gay old time]] with ''that'' bit of terminology).

If you do this in Real Life — with enough force — you can actually kill someone by cracking their skull. Also, even the butt of a gun has quite a few pointy parts, which, if whacked against your face, will cause a lot of bleeding and probably leave a large and permanent scar. Pistol whipping and butt stroking are an outdated way of striking somebody with your weapon. The proper way is to thrust your barrel in a forward motion into the target. Smashing the barrel and slide of your handgun into somebody is a good way to throw off its aim and possibly damage it; it doesn't work as well with lightweight modern polymer guns. Muzzle strikes to the head are considered a lethal strike. Barrel strikes are typically used to put down a person who isn't considered a lethal threat. The point is to keep the ability to shoot at all times and always know what you're aiming at; butt stroking or pistol-whipping sweeps yourself or buddies in the line of fire, a [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety gross violation of basic gun safety]] just a few steps below [[GunTwirling twirling it around your finger]]. A proper less-lethal weapon strike can be seen in ''Film/{{Safehouse}}'' by Denzel Washington's character to Ryan Reynolds's character in the soccer stadium, though a strike of that nature would typically break the sternum in reality (a good point towards remembering that when it comes to guns, there is no such thing as "non-lethal").

One purpose of Pistol Whipping is to humiliate your captured enemy (or moronic henchman). You've got a gun, and you could kill them right there, but they're so insignificant, so pathetic, so helpless, that you can just smash them across the face and be done with it. It also causes a lot of bleeding, making a character look a lot worse than they really are.

You may be asking, WhyDontYouJustShootHim As Elliot Stabler of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' once answered, "Where'd the fun be in that?" Alternately, the weapon's wielder will be locked in close combat or will be out of ammunition, forcing them to literally use the only weapon they've got on hand. It also serves as a quick option to incapacitate a person without killing him, since pistol-whipping is ''slightly'' less likely to be lethal than shooting the guy, and offers you a quieter way to do some damage (lethal or otherwise) if a gunshot would be unhelpfully noisy.

A rare case of the EvilOverlordList ''not'' reflecting common sense as nearly all modern militaries train their troops in how to fight using their rifle as a melee weapon (although it might be that the Evil Overlord thought that it can damage the gun or not be deadly to the hero). This was also fairly common during the time periods where firearms were not very advanced and required a lot of time and effort to reload, which meant that sometimes it was more prudent to use your gun as a melee weapon rather than trying to reload it in the middle of battle. Of course, fighting with a rifle is also quite a different thing from doing so with a pistol.

May be a form of QuickMelee. For another kind of melee attack with a firearm (preferably a sharp one), see BayonetYa. To see similar attacks with ''bladed'' weapons, see HammerHilt.

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Train Hartnett of ''Manga/BlackCat'' has basically turned this into a fine art. Since he's chosen not to kill people, he's always clubbing them with his ''very hard and indestructible gun'', although since he's a former elite assassin it might explain why he's able to avoid killing with it.
* [[LampshadeHanging Acknowledged]] but advised against in the ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' manga. Revy is chastised by her gunsmith when he notices minor damage done to one of her weapon's grips caused when she smashed a guy's face in with it. Revy has no intention of stopping though.
* In ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'', [=RizeGreymon=] occasionally clubs enemies with the barrel of his massive ArmCannon.
* [[spoiler:Kaname]] hits a captured [[spoiler:Tessa]] with the handle of a gun in the ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' manga. To be fair, by that time [[spoiler:it wasn't exactly Kaname since she [[GrandTheftMe was possessed by Sophia]]]]. And not to mention, it gets worse soon. [[spoiler:Sort of.]]
* In episode 17 of Anime/FutureBoyConan when Orlo betrays the village he pulls out a gun hidden in his cast and knocks out Jimsy with it by hitting him on the head.
* In ''Anime/Golgo13: The Professional'', Duke does this to the assassins Gold and Silver. He first smashes Silver in the face with his pistol, breaking his mask in the process, then he bashes Gold over the head with it until he caves his skull in. Surprisingly, this doesn't kill him.
* ''Anime/MazinkaiserSKL'' has a [[JustifiedTrope justified]] version of this, as the guns were designed with this functionality in mind. The magazines have curved blades on the base, allowing them to be wielded as hand-axes by gripping the barrels. It can even take things a step further, with the conjoined pistols sprouting a long handle to become a battleaxe.
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', this seems to be Benn Beckman's preferred form of combat, although it probably counts more as ''rifle'' whipping.
* Mami Tomoe of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' performs this action correctly (using the butt of the rifles) during her "Unlimited Musket Works", except in her case it's meant to knock a target away so she can shoot it.
* In the first episode of ''Anime/SherlockHound'', Professor Moriarty does this to his henchman George after the gun he has given to him is out of bullets.
* Early in the second season of ''Anime/StrikeWitches'', Gertrude's two heavy machine guns run out of ammo, so she grabs them by the barrels and uses them as melee weapons.
* Some pilots in ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross''/''{{Anime/Robotech}}'' (most notably, Hikaru Ichijo / Rick Hunter) have used their Gunpods as an improvised melee weapon when they had run low on ammo or missiles.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
** The Joker does this to Jason Todd in the ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily'' as the beginning of his NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. It goes FromBadToWorse, culminating in the infamous "[[CrowbarCombatant crowbar scene]]".
** Harvey Bullock does this to a prisoner who looks like ComicBook/TheThing from the ComicBook/FantasticFour in the "ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}" saga.
** A crook smacks down the original Robin, Dick Grayson, with a gun in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} story "The Case of the Honest Crook", leaving him bloodied and almost dead. [[PapaWolf Bats]] was [[ItsPersonal not pleased when he found out.]] Leaving Robin with a doctor, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge he went after the criminals responsible]], taking them all down and [[PostVictoryCollapse only passing out from the injuries they inflicted after returning to the doctor]].
* The Joker does this to Barbara Gordon during his assault on her in ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' #124. In response, she hits him in the face with her baton, [[TheToothHurts breaking most of his teeth]].
* As one article pointed out this happened a lot to the original ''ComicBook/BlackCanary''.
* ''ComicBook/CodeNameGravedigger'': In ''Men of War'' #19, Gravedigger is given a dud rifle, which he discovers as a German soldier is bearing down on him. He resorts to using the rifle as a club after diverting the German by ThrowingTheDistraction.
* ''ComicBook/TheF1rstHero'':
** In Issue #1, [[TheProtagonist Jake Roth]] is knocked unconscious when smacked in the face by the butt of an enemy's rifle.
** In a later issue, during the "Fight For Your Life" storyline, Cooper tries to shoot Jake with his revolver, only to discover it's empty. Undeterred, he hits Jake over the head with the gun to give himself time to reload it.
* In Year Five of ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'', Batwoman smacks around a group of armed mooks with one of their own assault rifles.
* In ''ComicBook/LoriLovecraft: My Favorite Redhead'', director and occultist Dick Van Von knocks out actor Allen Roberts by cracking him over the back of the skull with a pistol when he abducts Lori to use as a HumanSacrifice.
* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'': Joe Dalton gets to utilise his gun this way a few times, once against a merchant who asked for his payment when the purchase got complicated by fake money, giving a simple solution to the equation.
* In ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' (specifically issue #362 of the original run), Skurge the Executioner makes a LastStand at the bridge Gjallerbru against an army of the dead wielding a pair of M-16 rifles. The last image shows him wielding one of them as a club after running out of ammunition.
* In ''ComicBook/QuantumAndWoody'', Woody butt strokes an armored goon after discovering his rifle has been loaded with rubber bullets.
* ''ComicBook/SinCity''
** In the original comic (though not in the film), Marv actually criticises Wendy's technique while she's pistol-whipping him in case she harms the ''gun''! But then, he is crazy. [[MadeOfIron And unkillable.]]
** After Marv and his parole officer Lucille escape from her cell, he is about to attack some cops. Lucille hits him in the back of the head with a gun and knocks him out in order to protect him from them.
* ''[[Franchise/MonsterVerse Skull Island: The Birth of Kong]]'': Riccio butt-strokes [[WouldHurtAChild the Iwi boy Ato]] for trying to talk him out of endangering the Iwi.
* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'':
** Tintin knocks out two criminals with this in ''[[Recap/TintinTheBlackIsland The Black Island]]'' to shut them up when he realizes that the gun he obtained from them is empty.
** In ''[[Recap/TintinTheCrabWithTheGoldenClaws The Crab with the Golden Claws]]'', an enraged Captain Haddock shouts at the retreating enemy, "...and if you come back you'll feel my rifle-butt!..." He proceeds to hit himself in the head with the gun he's twirling.
* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise'': When the Decepticons are sent out, unarmed, to control the Neutral Riot, one of the first things Blitzwing does is grab a rifle and smash half of Tappet's face with it, [[EyeScream crushing an eye]].
* In ''ComicBook/WeaponX1991'', this is what knocks Logan unconscious after being ambushed and drugged by his abductors.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': The bad guys have often knocked Wonder Woman out by [[TapOnTheHead hitting her in the back of the head]] with many different objects, among them a pistol butt.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/TheGoodHunter'': Occasionally done by the eponymous Good Hunter, should he be unable to reload fast enough. His SuperStrength means that this is pretty effective, as an unfortunate monster and an Order soldier can attest to, both of whom have their skulls cracked like an egg in Chapter 3 and 6 respectively.
* In ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'', the Good Hunter bludgeons his prey with his pistol and blunderbuss just as often as he shoots them. This is necessary because his firearms need to be reloaded after firing a shot. Thanks to his [[SuperStrength very strength]], a strike from his firearm used as a blunt instrument can kill as well.
* ''Fanfic/TheSecretReturnOfAlexMack'': Terawatt has a tendency to pull guns out of people's hands with her telekinesis and then club them. Probably justified since she fights at range, so [[UseTheirOwnWeaponAgainstThem the targets' own guns]] are the weapon she has available, and she prefers nonlethal solutions so she won't [[JustShootHim just pull the trigger]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film — Animated]]
* Dimitri in ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' is on the receiving end of a rifle butt to the temple after he helps Anastasia and her grandmother escape the [[HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection implied Bolsheviks]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica'' when the government agents break into the school to try and arrest Beavis and Butthead because they have a chip that contains a deadly virus inside, when Mr. Van Driessen tries to plead with them, one of them gets irritated and knocks him out by hitting him in the stomach with his rifle butt.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* ''Film/FiveCardStud'': When Van Morgan rides up and tries to stop the lynching, Nick Evers coldcocks him with a pistol to stop him.
* In ''Film/SixtyEightKill'', Chip hits Liza in he head with the butt of his pistol when he tries to free Violet and escape. Interestingly, TapOnTheHead is averted, with Lisa not being knocked out but continuing to attack Chip only to pass out several minutes. She is later shown to have been concussed and been in the hospital.
* In a sickening scene in the movie ''Film/EightMM'', Nicholas Cage's character beats James Gandolfini's character ''to death'' with a pistol butt. Gandolfini's character had just pointed out that [[YouWouldntShootMe he's hardly going to murder him with his own legally registered firearm]].
* In ''Film/NinthCompany'', Chugainov does this to a mujaheddin fighter when the PKM he is wielding malfunctions by grasping the barrel with both hands and swinging it like a club. It decks the fighter right away. Chugainov burns his hands black because the barrel is burning hot due to having just been used to put out a heavy sustained fire. He fittingly drops the weapon immediately afterwards and looks at his hands while screaming in pain.
* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension''. While John Parker is infiltrating Buckaroo's estate a Blue Blaze Irregular clocks him on the back of the head with a pistol butt and knocks him out.
* In ''Film/{{Apache}}'', Sieber captures Massai when he tries to disrupt the surrender by slamming him with a rifle while he is attempting to kill Weddle. Later, Massai uses his empty rifle as a club when he makes a desperate charge in the soldiers attempting to capture him.
* In the western film ''Film/{{Appaloosa}}'', Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are sheriffs-for-hire of the titular town. They ride up a hill on the outskirts of town to investigate some cowboys hanging around, suspecting they work for a local bandit boss. When one of the cowboys refuses to say who they're spying for, Virgil unleashes a particularly nasty pistol whip on the unsuspecting fellow. It gets him talking pretty quickly, right after he spits the blood out.
-->'''Cowboy''': Ow! You knocked my tooth out!\\
'''Cole''': Well, a Colt makes a heavy firearm and that's a fact!
* A martial arts film called ''Film/TheAnonymousHeroes'', set in the Chinese Revolution, have it's main characters using rifles throughout, and when they run out of bullets they'll alternate between smashing heads with their weapon's butts or pull a BayonetYa.
* ''Film/ArmyOfFrankensteins'': During their first encounter, Igor hits Swanson with a rifle butt. Later, during the battle with the Confederates, Alan uses his rifle as a club after it fails to fire.
* In ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', [[spoiler:Trudi Chacon]] does this to a guard before [[spoiler:breaking Jake, Grace, and Norm out of jail.]]
* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'': In 1985-A, Marty is [[BigNo screaming his head off]] when he learns that [[GuessWhoImMarrying his mother Lorraine is married to Biff Tannen in this timeline]], only to bump into Biff's gangmembers from 1955, still his henchmen by this time. They tell him that he'll be taken by them either in "The easy way or the hard way." The "easy way" is pistol-whipping, [[TapOnTheHead as the screen immediately turns to black upon Marty getting hit]].
* ''Film/Batman1989''. When the family is walking through the back alleys of Gotham a mugger knocks out the father with his pistol.
* ''Film/TheBatman2022'': Batman may refuse to fire guns, but that doesn't stop him from stealing a mook's rifle and using it to club them into submission.
* A Somali in ''Film/BlackHawkDown'' uses his AK-47 as a makeshift club and smacks the pilot of one of the titular choppers across the face with it.
* ''Film/TheBoondockSaints II''. Romeo has an ImagineSpot of using a HandCannon to knock out a forklift driver to steal his forklift. However he's given a LittleUselessGun so the forklift driver isn't knocked out by the TapOnTheHead; ending up injured, pissed off, and pointing out that [[BoringButPractical they could've just held him with their guns]].
* ''Film/ColdPursuit'': While interrogating Limbo, Coxman knocks out his teeth with his sawn-off rifle.
* ''Film/ConAir'': After Cyrus' failed attempt to ShootOutTheLock, he drops the empty rifle. Sally picks it up and calls out "Cyrus!" He turns around with an angry "What?", and she [[HeyYouHaymaker slams him in the head with the rifle butt]].
* In the Mel Gibson film ''Film/ConspiracyTheory'', both the protagonist and his female friend are pretty liberal with the PistolWhipping of the InspectorJavert that's chasing them. It happens so much that at one stage Mel Gibson asks if he's really knocked out, finds out he was faking, and so pistol whips him ''again''.
* ''Film/CowboysAndAliens''. Early in the film, Jake is on the receiving end of one.
* ''Film/TheCriminal'': After [[VulnerableConvoy forcing the prison van off the road]], Ted whacks the driver over the head several times with his pistol to knock him out.
* In ''Film/CurseOfTheHeadlessHorseman'', John snatches the shotgun off the cowboy guarding him and bashes him on the base of the skull as he attempts to escape.
* ''Film/DarkAugust'': [[spoiler:Arianna is performing a ritual in an attempt to dispel the demon [=McDermott=] has summoned to haunt Sal. Suddenly [=McDermott=] bursts into the ritual, shoots Arianna, and hits Theo with the butt of the rifle.]]
* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
** ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'': Batman bashes several of Superman's soldiers with his assault rifle when he doesn't shoot them before being subdued in the BadFuture scene.
** ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'': In Wonder Woman's BatmanColdOpen she's buttstroked in the back of the head by WesternTerrorists. [[MadeOfIron Her only reaction]] is to punch her attacker across the room. This moment was left out of ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', where the terrorists can't even touch her.
* In ''Film/TheDemoniacs'', Bosco slugs one of the girls from the shipwreck quite brutally over the head with the butt of pistol, more than once.
* ''Film/Derailed2002'': When Jacques is wrestling with Henry, Cole knocks him out by cracking a pistol against the base of his skull.
* In ''Film/Destroyer2018'', Erin uses her pistol to [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique beat information out of [=DiFranco=]]], and later uses it to subdue Petra, knocking out several of her teeth in the process.
* ''Film/DieHard''. Towards the end of the film the hero, John [=McClane=] uses the butt of his machine gun to knock out one of the terrorists. It makes perfect sense because the gun was out of bullets, and the terrorist was running right at the (hiding) [=McClane=], who used the thug's momentum and his own muscle power to deliver a pretty vicious blow.
* In ''Film/{{Dobermann}}'', Mosquito hits the Captain over the head repeatedly during the bank job; so hard that he breaks his gun. Later Christini smacks Oliver's wife over the head with his gun when she tries to stop him throwing her baby across the room.
* ''Film/DoctorZhivago'': When the Russian soldiers mutiny, they beat their colonel to death with the butts of their rifles (thankfully his body is not onscreen when it happens).
* ''Film/{{Draw}}'': After they drive of the {{Bandito}} gang, Wally [[TapOnTheHead knocks Sam out]] by rapping on the head with his pistol to keep him unconscious for the rest of the trip to Bell City.
* ''Film/{{Dreamscape}}''. Alex does this to one of Bob Blair's agents.
* John Preston in ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}'' does away with a number of FacelessGoons using the pistol-assisted melee techniques of the GunKata in one scene. His guns have small retractable metal studs that come out of the grips for better use against helmets, allowing it to be wielded like a hammer.
* In ''Film/TheFinal'', Parker knocks Kurtis out by butt stroking him with his rifle. When Kurtis wakes up, he is tied to a chair in Parker's house.
* Happens twice in ''Film/TheFinalCountdown''; first when a captured Japanese pilot smacks a Marine in the gut with the butt of his own M16 rifle, then later on when [[JerkAss Samuel Chapman]] clubs a helicopter crewman over the head with a flare pistol.
* ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}''. Dale Arden takes out several of Ming's guards by hitting them on the head with a stolen energy weapon.
* ''Film/FortyGuns'': When Brockie starts shooting up the town, Griff strides out to meet him. Griff's DeathGlare is so intense, that Brockie freezes, allowing Griff to walk right up to him and knock him out with his pistol butt.
* ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}''
** Ray Liotta's character whips the hell out of his girlfriend's neighbor early in the movie in response to her story that he sexually assaulted her. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xG3UGetZro&t=74s Ouch.]] After receiving the bloody gun to hide, his girlfriend admits that [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys the whole thing turned her on]].
** Tommy also does this to Billy Batts after he's pushed his BerserkButton so hard that the gun ends up breaking.
* In ''Film/HannieCaulder'', Price takes Hannie's rifle off her, unloads it, and tosses it back to her. She responds by slamming the empty rifle down on his head, knocking him out.
* ''Film/HardTimes'' starring Creator/CharlesBronson has his character, a bare-knuckle boxer named Chaney, demonstrate "more than one way" to use a gun to a sleazy bar owner who bullied him and his manager out of their fight money before. Way one: shoot the place silly. Way two: whack the owner on the noggin'.
* In ''Film/{{Heat}}'', PsychoForHire Waingro does this to one of the three guards in frustration during the armored car heist when he orders them to step back. As the guards were deafened by the shaped charge explosion devised by Neil [=McCauley's=] crew, one of Neil's henchmen, Cheritto, advises Waingro to cool off and understand that their eardrums were shot by the blast earlier. Waingro, however, lets his impulsive ruthlessness get the better of him and starts gunning down one of the officers; this in turn forced the crew to finish off the remaining two officers in order to leave no witnesses behind, eventually complicating matters with Waingro later.
* ''Film/HenrysCrime'': When Eddie double-crosses the crew and tries to steal all the loot, he clouts Max over the back of his neck with his pistol. He underestimates how tough an old man who has spent most of his life in prison can be, however.
* Morgan slugs Sgt. Brennan over the head with a .45 automatic during their struggle in Reaves' factory in ''Film/HeWalkedByNight''.
* In ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes2006'', Lizard stops Pluto from raping Brenda by bashing him about the head with Big Bob's pistol. [[spoiler:He then rapes Brenda himself.]]
* In ''Film/TheHoodlum'', Vincent uses his pistol to knock out his brother Johnny to prevent him from interfering in the robbery. Later Marty uses his his gun to knock out Vincent when the gang are divvying up the loot.
* Threatened at least once in ''Film/HorrorExpress'' and performed at least twice, against Dr. Wells's (Creator/PeterCushing) back and Dr. Saxton's (Creator/ChristopherLee) stomach courtesy of some rather cruel Cossacks to whom they dared to backtalk.
* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''. While Marcus Brody is waiting at the entrance to the catacombs, a member of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword sneaks up behind him and knocks him out with the butt of a pistol to the back of his head. Of course he's fine when he wakes up later.
* In ''Film/InvisibleAvenger'', Victor knocks out his niece Felecia by [[TapOnTheHead rapping her on the back of the head with his pistol]].
* In ''Film/JohnnyReno'', Joe knocks Reno out with a pistol when he attempts to hand himself over to Yates' mob.
* ''Film/{{Kopps}}'' has Benny daydream a comically unique example of this: he takes his pistol, throws it up into the air, and then ''[[ImprobableUseOfAWeapon kicks]]'' it at someone's head.
* In ''Film/LadyInCement'', a cop slugs Gronski [[HardHead six or seven times over the back of the head]] with his pistol before he finally passes out.
* ''Film/LiveAndLetDie''. One of Mr. Big's thugs knocks out Sheriff Pepper's brother-in-law Billy Bob with a pistol in order to steal his boat.
* ''Film/LoneHero'': When Smokey tries to reach for [[TwoShotsFromBehindTheBar the shotgun under the bar]] during the robbery, Bart delivers a savage pistol whipping with the butt of the nickel plated "1895 Commemorative" Single Action Army with pearl grips he was stealing. Later, in the mine, John knocks Bart out by slamming a shotgun butt into Bart's nose.
* In ''Film/TheManFromColorado'', Carson's men catch one of the returned miners attempting to work his old claim, and pistol whip him till he is unable to walk as lesson to the others.
* ''Film/TheManWhoCameBack'': During the fight in the plantation store, Billy Duke cold cocks Paxton with his pistol.
* ''Film/MarsAttacks!''. During the annihilation of Congress, Donald Kessler is knocked out by a blow on the back of the head from the butt of a skeleton beam rifle wielded by a Martian soldier.
* In ''Film/TheMask'' Stanley Ipkiss does it twice: he knocks out the cop guarding his jail cell with his own gun in order to escape and takes out a {{mook}} offscreen by hitting him with the cop's gun while infiltrating the Coco Bongo club.
* In ''Film/MistressOfTheApes'', Thurston knocks out Cory by butt stroking him with his rifle.
* In ''Film/MollysGame'', TheMafiya thug who assaults Molly in her apartment slams the side of her head with his pistol.
* ''Film/MoneyMovers'': During the counting house robbery, Eric slams Conroy on the back of head, knocking out, and then locking him in the vault. A little later, he knocks out the chief clerk and stuffs him into a cupboard.
* In ''Film/TheMountie'', Nikolai knocks out Grayling by butt-stroking him with a rifle as Grayling is trying to sneak up on the Cossack camp.
* ''Film/MrMajestyk'': When Bobby refuses to get off his land, Majestyk [[GroinAttack slams him the balls]] with the butt of his own shotgun.
* In ''Film/MurderAtTheBaskervilles'', Price knocks Watson out by rapping him over the back of the head with a pistol.
* ''Film/MurderOnTheOrientExpress2017''. Hercule Poirot is confronted by one of the suspects at gunpoint, who loses his pistol in the subsequent struggle. The detective is at the point of being strangled to death when [[BigDamnHeroes Bouc appears and knocks out Poirot's attacker]] using the butt of the pistol, which Bouc has just picked up from the floor.
* ''Film/NineDead'': The flashback where Leon describes his occupation has him beating the householder he is robbing with the man's own gun.
* In Sam Fuller's ''Film/PickupOnSouthStreet'', the villain does this to a cop blocking his escape route. The cop dies of the head wound, while the woman he actually shot with the pistol earlier survives the shooting.
* When the pistols get wet in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'' Ragetti says "We can still use them... as clubs!" Later in the movie, Jack actually puts it to use, swiping a pistol from an enemy's belt and promptly whacking him on the forehead with it.
* In ''Film/Posse1975'', Wesley pistol whips Mrs. Cooper when she tries to stop him from taking the money from the cafe.
* In ''Film/{{Primal}}'', Loffel slams Frank repeatedly with the butt and barrel of his rifle during their fight in the deck house.
* In ''Film/PublicEnemies'', John Dillinger does this to the president of the first bank they rob, because he's taking too long to open the vault.
* In ''Film/PulpFiction'', the redneck gun store owner holds Butch at gunpoint, then quickly butt-strokes him, causing Butch to drop like a bag of hammers.
* In ''Film/TheQuickAndTheDead'', Ratsy is very fond of bashing Cort with the handle of his pistol.
* ''Film/TheRaid1954'': While escaping the stockade, Lt. Keating slams the commanding officer repeatedly in the head with a rifle butt.
* In ''Film/RanchoNotorious'', the ex-sheriff of Gunsight tricks his former deputy into bending over, then knocks him out with his pistol before breaking his cronies out of jail.
* ''Film/ResidentEvilTheFinalChapter''. Alice is CaughtInASnare so FacelessGoons for the Umbrella Corporation can beat on her with rifle butts. She wrests a rifle off one and uses it to kill the others, [[WithMyHandsTied while hanging upside down by one leg]].
* ''Film/Revenge2017'': After Jen walks into his trap, Dimi smashes his rifle butt down on her head. When she awakes, he is attempting to drown her in the lake.
* ''Film/TheRevengers'': Benedict smashes Tarp's chief henchman across the face while interrogating him:
-->Those were your teeth! Want to try for your eyes?
* In ''Film/Revolver1973'', the guard who tails the kidnappers from the foundry is on the phone to Vito telling him their location when the kidnappers sneak up on him and [[DisconnectedByDeath pistol whip him into unconsciousness]] before murdering him.
* ''Film/RockyMountain'': In their final battle against the Shoshones, the Confederates are reduced to using their rifles as clubs after they run out of ammunition.
* In ''Film/{{Rovdyr}}'', one of the hunters snatches the SawnOffShotgun off Camilla and then smashes the butt into her face.
* ''Film/TheSadist'': After taking his wallet from him, Charlie viciously clubs Carl over the head with his pistol.
* ''Film/SchindlersList'': Commander Goeth takes a Jewish worker in the factory out back to execute him, but the pistol keeps jamming, then another one as well. Eventually, he gives up and hits the man with the butt of the gun before storming off in a huff.
* ''Film/ShandraTheJungleGirl'': After Travis hands Shandra over to Ian, Ian casually knocks him out with his automatic; commenting that he didn't have the budget for the money Travis wanted.
* In ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'', Ed tosses a Winchester rifle to Shaun near the start of the climactic showdown in the Winchester Pub. However, under the impression that the rifle is only a prop rifle made to hang over the bar, he uses it to bash a zombie's head in before learning that it actually ''does'' fire bullets.
* ''Film/SherlockHolmesAndTheCaseOfTheSilkStocking'': During their final confrontation, Holmes goads Charles into dropping his HumanShield Roberta by fondling Roberta's stolen ballet shoes, which sends foot fetishist Charles into a fury. He lunges at Holmes and Holmes smacks him in the head with his revolver.
* ''Film/ShootEmUp''. Smith is holding TheDragon Hertz at gunpoint with his own weapon, but Hertz just taunts him by reciting a limerick, then pointing out that his weapon has [[NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont an electronic safety that only responds to his thumbprint]]. Smith slams the gun (a Desert Eagle, so it's very heavy) across Hertz's head and runs for it.
* In ''Film/Shotgun1955'', Ben Thompson knocks out the elderly waiter with his shotgun butt when he sneaks into the saloon. Later he uses his pistol butt to knock out one of the men manning the stage station.
* ''[[Film/TheSilence2019 The Silence]]'' (2019). Hugh [[PapaWolf beats the cult leader to death]] with the butt of his shotgun, because firing it would draw the monsters to him.
* In ''Film/SixReasonsWhy'', The Nomad knocks out The Entrepreneur and The Sherpa with his rifle butt when he thinks they have stolen his horse. Later, in a flashback, The Entrepreneur is shown using his pistol butt to beat The Zeppelin Scout's face to a bloody pulp.
* One of the terrorists from ''Film/SkyRiders'' used to believe that peaceful protest was the way to go. One day a cop smashed the butt of a rifle into his face with little provocation, leaving him with a scar. That was when he realized that there can be no dialogue between the haves and the have nots, and so he became a terrorist.
* In ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', Vinny attempts to pistol-whip Bullet-Tooth Tony, but Tony catches his wrist and notices that the gun has "Replica" written down the side of the barrel.
* ''Film/{{Sneakers}}'':
** Creator/RobertRedford's character is incapacitated this way not once, but twice by one of the BigBad's {{Mook}}s. Nicely tied in near the end when, rather than simply shooting him in the face, Redford's character sneers sarcastically and knocks the guy out with another bad guy's gun in a fit of vengeance.
** Crease (Sidney Poitier) knocks out two {{Mook}}s with a shotgun.
* In ''Film/{{Starkweather}}'', Caril Ann [[WouldHurtAChild smashes her kid sister]] in the face with a shotgun butt.
* In ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', Worf kills two Borg drones by smashing them with his phaser rifle. Turns out the Borg can't adapt to ''melee attacks''.
* Captain Picard does this in ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'', which unfortunately leaves him with no objects intended for use as weapons with which to defend himself from Schinzon or destroy his doomsday device later.
* ''Film/{{Stiletto}}'': When a transvestite prostitute pulls a gun on Beck and tries to rob him, Beck takes it off him and savagely beats him about the head with this until he coughs up the information Beck is looking for.
* In ''Film/TheSuckers'', Carl knocks George out by slamming his rifle butt down on his head. Interestingly, TapOnTheHead is averted, as George suffers a serious concussion from this.
* Wyatt Earp is knocked out by being rapped over the back of the head with a gun barrel while he is searching the Cadillac at the Kit Kat Club in ''Film/{{Sunset|1988}}''.
* Invoked and defied in ''Film/SuperTroopers''. After hearing the word 'shenanigans' one too many, O'Hagan threatens the team that he'll pistol-whip the next guy that says 'shenanigans'. Then Mac made [[ButtMonkey Farva]] say a restaurant's name which happens to be "Shenanigans". When offered the pistols to whip, O'Hagan tells them to put those away.
* ''Film/TerrorInATexasTown'': During the fight in the saloon, Keeno buffaloes Hanson with his revolver.
* ''Film/ThreeAmigos''. After Dusty Bottoms can't bring himself to hit a sleeping guard over the head with his pistol, Carmen takes his pistol away from him and does it herself.
* In the movie ''Film/ThreeKings'', one of the protagonists smacks an Iraqi soldier with the butt of his Beretta, accidentally firing a shot as he had his finger on the trigger at the time.
* In Film/TheThreeStooges short 'The Brideless Groom', Larry prepares to pistol-whip the would-be brides trying to disrupt Shemp's wedding; the pistol is likely unloaded, as it belongs to Emil Sitka's Justice of the Peace. Moe disagrees: 'You wouldn't hit a lady with that, would ya?' His solution: grab a longarm from the same wall display. 'Use that, it's bigger.'
* Mike slams Darryl repeatedly in the face with a shotgun while interrogating him in ''Film/TimberFalls''.
* In ''Film/TinMen'', Tilley hits BB over the head with a pistol when he catches BB in his house. Turns out BB was looking for Tilley's estranged wife Nora. Tilley then pelts BB with eggs and tomatoes, and gets charged with assault as a result.
* The eponymous ''Film/{{Traitor}}'' does this to an FBI agent in order to protect his identity and keep from killing innocent people.
* Attempted by a goon in ''Film/TroubleMan'' who tries to beat up T with a gun. T pushes the gun away and beats up the goon instead.
* In ''Film/TrueMemoirsOfAnInternationalAssassin'' someone is holding the protagonist at gunpoint, so he does a cool move to eject the magazine from the pistol. He's gloating over this when the gunman just smacks him in the face with the now-unloaded pistol.
* In ''Film/TuckEverlasting'', Mae does this with a shotgun to the man in the yellow suit and it ''does'' kill him.
* ''Film/TwoHands'': During the BankRobbery, one of the customers tries to get off the floor and Jimmy slams him in the gut with the butt of the shotgun.
* ''Film/UndercoverBrother''
** One of the security guards at the golf course knocks out the title character with a pistol. He's up and around a few seconds later.
** Conspiracy Brother does it to Mr. Elias in the island fortress communications room.
* In ''Film/UnderworldUSA'', Gus knocks Gunther out by slugging him on the back of his neck with considerable viciousness. Tolly later does the same ting to Gus before dumping him at the police station, and to Connors' bodyguard when he arrives at the penthouse.
* In ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'', during a fight with the police, Rorschach grabs one of the officer's rifles by the barrel, swings it around and smashes it into his head, sending him down a flight of stairs.
* ''Film/YoungSherlockHolmes''. While Chester Cragwitch is under the effect of a hallucinatory drug he tries to strangle Holmes. Luckily Lestrade shows up and renders Cragwitch unconscious by hitting on the head with the butt of his gun.
%%* Played with in a particularly bad Lou Diamond Philips movie, where he is pistol-whipped several times, causing him to ask, "Doesn't anybody ''shoot'' guns anymore?" Eventually, he gets the gun away from one of the people and winds up like he's going to hit her with it. "See how ''you'' like it!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse'''s ''Warrior Trilogy'', Hanse Davion uses his [[HumongousMecha Battlemaster's]] 7-ton [[LightningGun particle projector cannon]] to piston-whip a Capellan Confederation battlemech, [[SnipingTheCockpit crushing the cockpit]], before ripping off a Marauder's ArmCannon and using it to bludgeoning several other battlemechs to death.
* ''Literature/{{ByAnyOtherName|2013}}'': [[spoiler:Katya's kidnappers pistol-whipped her before they threw her from the car, causing severe brain damage. She's still in a vegetative state a year later.]]
* In V.Suvorov's book ''Literature/{{Control}},'' an elite soviet agent had to choose a handgun with the condition that it should not be made in the USSR. She got a Lahti L-35, not even for its lesser recoil, just because it's a sturdy 1.2 kg steel piece that would make a nice skullcrusher... And uses Parabellum 9 mm ammo after all. JustifiedTrope, as the need for silent action made pistol-whipping a [[{{Pun}} sound]] tactic.
* ''Literature/DaveBarrySleptHere'' has the American revolutionaries triumphantly adopting the tactic at the Battle of Concord of hitting the British troops over the head with their muskets, simply because they took forever to load. The failure of this tactic to fend off Santa Anna's troops at the Alamo serves as a lesson to Sam Houston, who orders his troops to start using their rifles as ''rifles''.
* In ''Literature/{{Gatling}}: Border War'', TheMole Towers escapes camp by hitting Gatling in the head with a well-thrown rock, which stuns him. He then finishes the job by stealing Gatling's revolver and whacking him over the head with it.
* In the ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' novels, [=McVenner=] does this frequently. He's much more effective with this than is usual since he's an expert in an obscure martial art form meant for use with a spear (Which his bayoneted rifle is a good substitute for).
* In "Gentlemen, the King!" by Creator/DamonRunyon, the king's guard is dealt with this way.
-->Izzy Cheesecake taps him on the noggin with the butt of a forty-five, and knocks him cock-eyed.
* ''Literature/TheManyHalfLivedLivesOfSamSylvester'': [[spoiler:After Sam figures out Carl was the killer, Carl knocks them out with a pistol and ties them up.]]
* ''Literature/MerkabahRider'': In "The Nightjar Women'', Sadie knocks Johnny Behan out by slamming a rifle butt against his head when she breaks the Rider out of jail.
* ''Literature/NickVelvet'': In "The Theft of the Sherlockian Slipper", Nick is being held at gunpoint by a young woman. He makes a lunge for the gun, assuming she won't actually shoot him, only to discover that the gun actually shoots mace as he cops a faceful of it. While he is blinded, she smacks him on the head with the gun, knocking him out.
* ''Literature/{{Parker}}'': In ''The Sour Lemon Score'', Parker's opening move in the bank heist is to coldcock the bank guard with his pistol hard enough to knock him out when he turns to look at the distraction.
* Both ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' and ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' have a fantasy variant. When stuck in inconvenient close-quarters combat, [[CombatPragmatist Percy]] tends to resort to more....hands-on methods. We've seen him knock people out with the butt of his sword at least three separate times.
* Literature/SherlockHolmes and Dr. Watson each get to pistol-whip a bad guy (in "The Three Garridebs" and "The Empty House," respectively). Neither of them appears to cause lasting damage, even though Holmes actually hits the guy hard enough to draw blood!
* The resident PluckyGirl of ''Literature/SienkiewiczTrilogy'', Basia, is kidnapped ([[StalkerWithACrush for nefarious purposes]]) and her kidnapper learns just why it's inadvisable to do that when she pistol-whips him with ''his own'' gun hard enough to knock the guy out and cause some pretty gruesome [[ScarsAreForever permanent damage]]. Then [[DamselOutOfDistress she escapes, taking his horse]].
* One of the later books in Creator/HarryTurtledove's ''Literature/SouthernVictory'' series has a passage mentioning that death camp guards are issued submachine guns with real wooden stocks for just this purpose, rather than the cheaper all-metal construction that apparently falls apart.
* In ''Literature/TeaWithTheBlackDragon'', Mr. Long gets pistol-whipped twice by the villain in the course of an abduction: the first time in the back of the head, which dazes him long enough to be [[PunkInTheTrunk bundled into the trunk of the villain's car]], and the second time when he tries to escape at the other end of the car journey, this time connecting with his temple and knocking him unconscious for several hours.
* Kipling's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learoyd,_Mulvaney_and_Ortheris Three Musketeers]] have a discussion on the subject of the best use for a gun in close quarters combat. While the hero favors the traditional bullet, the lancer prefers the bayonet and the big guy just uses the gun-butt to bash peoples heads in. Subverted as gun-whipping is described as equally lethal to the other two.
* ''Literature/WorldWarZ'' featured a couple of purpose-built weapons in this vein. The [=SIR=] (Standard Infantry Rifle) has a steel-backed stock for butt strokes and an integrated flip-out eight-inch spike for use as an ersatz spear. As well, the new entrenching tool became a cross between a shovel and a double-headed axe, designed to crush a zombie skull in one shot. Troops [[ICallItVera nicknamed it The Lobo]] (short for The Lobotomizer.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In the ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents''' episode "Number Twenty-two" a first-time robber did this to a shopkeeper with the toy gun he used to threaten him. [[spoiler: He doesn't realize he killed the shopkeeper, and is guilty of felony murder.]]
* Ron Speirs in ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' threatens to shoot the I-Company replacement in the head for doing the same to Grant. In the end because the war is over, and it's not his place to execute people, he resorts to pistol whipping the replacement instead.
* ''Series/TheBarrier'': Alejo uses his gun to hit Julia at a point where he has her at his mercy, right after threatening to shoot her if she wans't compliant.
* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' ("Rapture"). Tyrol to Baltar: "Welcome home, Mr. President." WHACK!
* In the Jesse James vs. Al Capone episode of ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'', pistol-whipping is tested as one of Jesse James' "weapons" against Al Capone's brass knuckles.
* ''Series/TheBionicWoman'': In one episode, Jamie is so intent on using her bionic hearing to listen to a conversation from far away, she doesn't notice a bad guy who's behind her until he knocks her out by hitting her in the back of her head with a gun butt.
* ''Series/Daredevil2015''. Frank Castle chains up Matt Murdock and duct-tapes a gun to his hand for a SadisticChoice. Matt chooses to shoot the chain instead to free himself, but that leaves him with an empty gun when a gang turns up to kill Castle, so he uses the pistol and chain as bludgeons in the obligatory HallwayFight.
* ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'': In the episode ''Los Piratas de Pittsburgh, Perdón, del Caribe'' [[note]] "The Pirates of Pittsburgh, I mean, of the Caribbean" [[/note]], the pirate Alma Sucia hits his sidekick Matalote with a gun, to show [[MadeOfIron how much he can stand]].
* ''Series/ColonelMarchOfScotlandYard'': In "The New Invisible Man", March attempts to turn the tables on a crook who has the drop on him, only for the crook to knock him unconscious with his pistol.
* ''Series/{{Decoy}}'':
** Casey is pistol-whipped in "My Brother's Killer" for refusing to have sex with the man holding her hostage.
** She's pistol-whipped again in "Across the World," this time severely enough to hospitalize her.
* ''Series/{{Endeavour}}'': A bank robber smacks Morse in the face with a pistol for standing up to him in "Coda".
* ''Series/TheFBI'': In "Image in a Cracked Mirror", an embezzler tricks a photographer into opening his door and then cracks him over the skull with pistol so he can ransack the studio.
* ''Series/FBIMostWanted'': In "[[Recap/FBIMostWantedS01E02 Defender]]", when the paralegal she takes hostage attempts to signal for help by repeatedly flicking the headlights on and off while Denise is on the phone, perp of the week Denise Tyson responds by beating her senseless with her handgun.
* Used repeatedly in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', often with ''very'' satisfying results.
* One such moment led to the evolution of a catchphrase on ''Series/GetSmart''. The Chief is being held hostage by KAOS and is just telling Max over the phone not to cooperate when he's knocked out by a mook.
-->'''Max:''' What happened?
-->'''Siegfried:''' Your Chief vos just silenced by a pistol butt.
-->'''Max:''' Well that's a bit drastic. Couldn't you have just shushed him?
-->'''Siegfried:''' Ve don't shush here!
* In the season one finale of ''Series/HumanTarget'', Chance pistol whips [[spoiler:Guerrero]] while trying to protect Katherine Walters in a flashback scene.
* In ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'', Kaito does this to Yuusuke in the Agito's World episodes to get the G3 Chip from him, though Yuusuke isn't badly injured.
* ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' Gun Form is usually TheGunslinger, but he isn't above using his firearms as melee weapons.
* ''Series/LonesomeDove''. After entering a saloon in San Antonio, Gus [=McCrae=] doesn't like the superior attitude of the bartender, so bangs his head into the bar and gives him a lecture on respect. When he still doesn't get the point, Gus cracks the bartender across the face with his Colt Walker (one of the largest handguns of the time) and knocks him out.
* Someone on ''Series/{{Lost}}'' gets hit in the head/face with a gun roughly every other episode. For example:
** In the episode "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1," [[spoiler:Keamy, apparently precluded from killing Ben, hits him with his gun instead.]]
** Kate also hits a guard with the butt of a rifle in "Not in Portland."
* ''Series/MacGyver1985'': In "The Assassin", Pete uses the butt of his pistol to knock out Piedra as he is about to stab the prone [=MacGyver=].
* ''Series/TheMagician'': A hitman knocks Blake out by rapping him over the back of the head with a pistol in "Illusion in Terror".
* ''Series/TheMagnificentSeven'': In the pilot episode, when an enemy attacks Buck, [[YoungGun JD]] bashes the foe on the head with his pistol. Buck, who's significantly more experienced at fighting, immediately calls him out on it and tells him that hitting someone with your pistol is a good way to ruin your pistol beyond repair.
* One of the ways (along with a couple of versions of InstantSedation) in which characters in the 60s spy series ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'' could be incapacitated without being killed.
* Archvillain Fox hits one of the cops with his gun in the second episode of ''Series/TheMeetingPlaceCannotBeChanged''.
* One episode of ''Series/{{Monk}}'' had the VillainOfTheWeek pistol-whip a victim to death after the gun jammed. Later, [[spoiler:he poses as Monk's friend and "finds" the gun, noting the crack caused by the pistol-whipping. This ends up being his undoing as he hasn't seen the body yet and should have assumed the victim was shot.]]
* ''Series/MurderInCowetaCounty'': How John Wallace killed simple-minded sharecropper Wilson Turner after he accused him of stealing a cow.
* In the ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' episode "Cloak" Tony gets knocked out with the butt of a rifle courtesy of an army security guard. Ziva [[NoHoldsBarredBeatDown does not take kindly to the assault on her partner.]] She tears through soldiers like paper before he hits the ground and it takes four military personnel to force her into submission.
** SerialKiller Jonas Cobb takes Trent Kort, EJ Barrett, and Jimmy Palmer hostage and hits Kort with the butt of his gun as punishment for trying to kill him.
* Brought up in ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' after [[ActionGirl Kensi]] uses a GroinAttack on a foreign operative that [[ShareTheMalePain shocks her male teammates]]:
--> '''Kensi:''' So what? It would've been better if I'd pistol-whipped him across the face?\\
'''Everyone else:''' YES!
* ''Series/{{Nikita}}'' pistol-whipped a division agent she captured in the pilot episode to cover up the fact that she placed a wireless transmitter in the cap of one of his molars.
* In the 1999 TV series of ''Literature/OliverTwist'', Bill Sikes used this technique to land two very bloody blows on [[spoiler:Nancy, before he finished her off with a club]].
* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'' episode "Demon with a Glass Hand". Trent knocks out one of the Kyben by hitting him on the head with the butt of his pistol.
* An episode of ''Series/{{Psych}}'' featured Shawn being held a gunpoint by the bad guy. When Shawn starts up with his characteristic goofiness in the face of danger, the bad guy responded by hitting him in the back of the head with the gun. Painfully. But it makes no sense when you realize he was planning to kill Shawn ''anyway'', so [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim why didn't he just shoot him?]]
* ''Series/SilkStalkings'': In "Pilot", Rita drops an ex-CIA assassin who has just floored Chris by slamming him over the back of the head with her pistol.
* Extremely subverted in ''Series/SledgeHammer'' when in one episode Sledge sneaks behind a bad guy and pistol whips him on the head with his revolver and the bad guy just grabs his head and starts shouting in pain, Sledge follows it up with a bottle to the head and the bad guy still doesn't go down. Then Sledge jumps on the bad guy's back, piggy-backs him, gets him in a headlock, rams his head into a wall and yup, he's still conscious.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'''s Lex Luthor is pistol-whipped on a ridiculously regular basis.
* In the short-lived UPN show ''Series/SpecialUnit2'', the CowboyCop wound up pistol-whipping a parody of Barney on live television. Twice.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E5TheEnemyWithin The Enemy Within]]", Spock was supposed to sneak up behind an enemy and use this attack. Leonard Nimoy balked at that cliche, feeling that it was out of character for Spock, and proposed a different idea — and created Spock's famous Vulcan Nerve Pinch on the spot.
** Somewhat ironically, it was Creator/WilliamShatner playing the pinchee, so it was one of the [[LargeHam largest of hams]] who established how a victim of a VNP reacts.
* Awesomely done to reveal Sam is evil/possessed in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' - "Born Under A Bad Sign". Sam has just killed a hunter and is acting even more [[TheWoobie woobified]] than usual, he asks Dean to kill him (getting all emotional for effect) who obviously can't. Five seconds later, all the emotion is gone and Dean winds up unconscious for hours while he goes to completely torment Jo in another state.
* ''Series/WantedDeadOrAlive'': In "The Bounty", a rival bounty hunter clubs Josh into unconsciousness with his own mare's leg.
* In ''Series/{{Weeds}}'', Nancy delivers a particularly vicious one to Celia. Knocking out one of her teeth.
* ''Series/{{Whiplash}}'': In "Convict Town", Big Tom Ledward clouts his runaway son Dan over the head with his pistol to knock him out and drag him back to the OutlawTown.
* ''Series/TheWildWildWest'' episode "The Night Of The Double-Edged Knife". A man working on the protagonist's railroad engine is knocked out by the barrel of a gun wielded by one of the bad guys.
* In an episode of ''Series/WillAndGrace'', Jack has difficulty practicing for a scene in a TV show, where he needs to pistol whip someone. Karen agrees that such a scene is difficult to play seriously. "Because after the first couple of times, you get the giggles."
* ''Series/TheWire'':
** Prez does this to a kid in the first season. The kid loses an eye; Prez loses his gun. For a season.
** In the fourth season, after being told that Michael Lee's stepfather is a pedophile who used to abuse Michael, and that Michael fears the stepfather will now do the same to Michael's little brother, [[ProfessionalKiller Chris Partlow]] beats the man to death with nothing but his hands and the butt of a pistol. Even [[AxCrazy Snoop]] is taken aback at the sight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* During a Monday Night Raw [[GimmickMatches wet wild water "contest"]], in which the goal is to make you opponent(s) wet, Wrestling/JillianHall instead opted to clobber Wrestling/MickieJames with her water cannon.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'', this is known as 'buffaloing' and is mentioned as being a favoured tactic of Wyatt Earp.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' pistol-whipping is just slightly better than punching someone. A few weapons, like the Tower Sea Service Flintlock, do considerably more damage. If the firearm itself is parried, it won't be damaged as badly as a hand or leg would be if it were in the same situation.
* ''TabletopGame/HeroSystem'': A common addition to the game stats for rifles (and weapons of similar size/arrangement) in later edition books is extra hand-to-hand damage dice described as a butt strike.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': The Gunslinger class gains the ''pistol-whip deed'' early on, giving them a decently strong melee attack that can potentially knock the target prone.
* ''TabletopGame/StarWarsSagaEdition'' has a talent that lets one do that: Gun Club. A later talent builds upon that, allowing one to use weapons with bayonets as double weapons.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Ogre Leadbelchers arm themselves with cannons bought, scavenged or stolen from other races, which they're large and strong enough to wield two-handed as personal firearms. Should the enemy come too close to shoot at, Leadbelchers are perfectly capable of swinging their cannons around like giant metal clubs.
* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', this is also implied to be what gun-wielding units do when they get into close combat.
** Pistols are actually better for close-combat in the game's systems as opposed to other ranged weapons — [[SwordAndGun having one with another melee weapon]] allows models to shoot before charging in, and give an extra attack as if they had a second close-combat weapon. Other shooting weapons generally grant no bonuses nor additional attack for melee combat (because they're considered two-handed), though they may be allowed to shoot before charging.
** In ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'', you get to watch it happen. In the rare occasions Tau Fire Warriors kill anything in melee combat, they will generally do so by first rifle whipping it to the edge of death, then ''[[CoupDeGrace fire several pulse rounds into the target's face]]''.
** Some races take this even further by sticking ''blades'' on their guns. Besides bayonets, which are sometimes enhanced with [[ChainsawGood chainsaw blades]], the Kroot have blades sticking out of the stocks of their rifles (kind of reasonable, as they were designed from more primitive staves) while the Dark Eldar regularly have knives adorning the bottom of the grips on their guns.
** Ogryns, which are [[RecycledInSpace space]] [[TheOgre ogres]], are so prone to using whatever weapon they have for clubbing things that their "ripper guns" are specifically designed to withstand lots of impact. Their shotguns are essentially made to be used as clubs, and the fact that they actually fire rounds just gives the ogryn something to do while running up to the target. ''TabletopGame/OnlyWar'' incorporates this, describing their weapon as "Ogryn-proof ripper gun" with a statline for shooting and one for melee use.
** Orks likewise tend to use their guns, flamethrowers and assorted firearms as clubs and bludgeons in melee, generally due to getting carried away in a fight and either closing in too much or using up all their ammunition. As Ork technology is built to be sturdy enough to be able to withstand severe beatings, this tends to be a rather effective strategy as often as not.
* Practically ''every'' set of military figures featuring riflemen will involve one or two poses where a soldier has reversed his weapon to butt-stroke an opponent. In the Airfix range, this appears to be mandatory regardless of whether the soldiers so depicted are eighteenth-century American infantry, Napoleonic, American Civil War or [=WW2=].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In the Polish stage drama ''Theatre/{{Tango}}'', a revolver that has been a literal ChekhovsGun through the whole play is used to club one of the characters to death in the last act.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* In ''Ride/TheSimpsonsRide'' at Ride/UniversalStudios, Sideshow Bob whips Krusty with his pistol, successfully knocking him out in the process.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/DoubleOhSevenFromRussiaWithLove'' displays this as one of Bond's stealth moves.
* Unlike in its predecessors, many infantry units that carry guns or crossbows in ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' switch to this whenever the enemy gets too close to fire at it. A few units like the Explorer do have secondary weapons for close combat like swords and knives, and as a result, they are more deathly in close combat than the others.
* The 2010 ''VideoGame/AlienVsPredator'' game allows the Marine players to do this. While hardly practical to kill an enemy, it does generally give them enough space to use their firearms effectively. However, it does raise the question of how strong the Marines would have to be, considering when Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger tried it the Predator just looked kind of annoyed and when Yaphet Kotto went hand-to-hand with an Alien he died almost immediately.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Amagon}}'', Amagon will resort to using his machine gun as a club when he runs out of bullets.
* ''VideoGame/AmericasArmy 3'' allows players to smack enemies with the butt of their rifle. Was implemented after instances in the previous versions where players found themselves out of ammo and unable to defeat their enemies.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' quite possibly does more pistol-whipping with her [[MultiWielding quartet of guns]] than she does firing, given her enemies' tendency to get up close.
* ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' includes this as an ability for every weapon except the Research Camera. [[CherryTapping Even the Hack Tool.]] Which is really just punching.
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' has an interesting variation: you use your character's melee animation, unless the gun you use has a blade attached ([[BayonetYa and by extension, a increase to melee damage]]). Wilhelm of ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' has this as his default melee attack, where he simply hits people with the butt of his gun.
* Diana from ''VideoGame/{{Brawlhalla}}'' is unusual among bow fighters in that most of her special attacks involve her smacking her enemies with her bow rather than riddling them with arrows.
* In the Questern chapter of ''VideoGame/BuddyRush'', cowboy enemies do this with their guns. The ones with long range attacks... will use slingshots intead. If you get their gun from a random drop, its description implies they don't really know how to use guns.
* The early ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games have this as your QuickMelee option; ''VideoGame/{{Call of Duty 4|ModernWarfare}}'' switched out for a knife. The enemies, however, will try to bash you with their guns if you get too close, and each swing they take at you takes away about half of your health, which if you are careless at close range, a single rifle butt strike can send you back to the previous checkpoint.
** It briefly returns in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'', when Hudson smacks Mason to unconsciousness with the butt of the pistol Mason had just used to [[spoiler:execute Steiner]]. ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsIII Black Ops III]]'' goes back to the original system in gameplay, with the quick-melee button delivering a weaker strike with whatever gun you're holding, and instant-kill melee as it used to be is restricted to dedicated melee weapons.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' features Marle and Lucca using crossbows and guns, respectively. Should their enemy be close enough, the 'firing' animation is replaced by either Marle smacking the enemy with the butt of her crossbow, or Lucca hitting the enemy with a hammer.
* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', most of the enemies have a firearm and some form of a melee attack. This can look a bit ridiculous in cases where someone will pull out a gun, fire once, run in, pull out a small knife, and slice away. Most ridiculous, however, was the Malta Group. These are trained professionals, given advanced assault rifles and other high tech armaments, yet what do half of them do? Run up and punch you with one of their hands.
** Similarly, every player character get access to the basic "Brawl" power, which under most circumstances is a punch. But for Thug Masterminds, who get dual pistols, using Brawl while your guns are out results in a pistol whip. Your thug "pets" will pistol whip enemies, too.
** The Arachnos Soldier "Epic" Archetype has access to an attack called Pummel, which is a butt-stroke to your enemy's jaw. Low damage but has a decent chance to stun and a satisfyingly meaty sound effect.
* Musket-armed heroes in ''VideoGame/ConquerorsBlade'' can strike with their guns' butt ends or stocks if forced into close-quarters fighting. They also have the Close Combat skill, wherewith the hero crouches and sweeps the gun in a circle around him to knock all nearby enemies off their feet.
* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' turns this into a full-on game mechanic. Pressing the melee homes in on an enemy in range and causes the slayer to whack them with any of their equipped guns, even the massive rocket launcher, chaingun, and ''{{BFG}}''. When you stagger an enemy, it causes the melee to instead become a violent glory kill. This is dropped in ''Videogame/DoomEternal'', where the default melee animation is a punch.
* Crossbowdwarves in ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' use their crossbows as melee weapons when they run out of ammo.
** Not when the enemy gets too close. [[ArtificialStupidity Just when they run out of ammo.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' allows the player to pistol whip and buttstroke enemies and even attach bayonets to guns. There are perks available to increase the damage potential of your firearm-butting if you like to finish your fights up close and personal.
* The ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' DLC Honest Hearts introduces "Joshua Graham's Pistol Whippin' .45", a unique version of the unique .45 pistol designed so it appears that Graham uses his signature weapon as a melee weapon. Not obtainable by the player without console commands.
* In ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'', this is a OneHitKill to unaware enemies. Generally, however, you get much more mileage out of your other melee moves, particularly several kicks that are usually an instant kill even on aware enemies.
* Jagi of ''VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarKensRage'' pistol whips people with his SawnOffShotgun as part of his moveset. Given he is a DirtyCoward and CombatPragmatist, more interested in winning at any cost than any honor or tenets of Hokuto Shinken, it's fitting. The game is notable for also allowing him to ''bludgeon people with a bazooka.''
* In ''VideoGame/{{Flashback}}'' Conrad will default to a pistol whip against close enemies, which varies from moderately useful to useless depending on the enemy.
* In ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'', the most common strategy in multiplayer was to run right up to your target, pop up at the last second and shotgun them in half. The developers thought this was boring, so they added a delay between when you stop running and when you can fire. Now the most common strategy in ''Gears of War 2'' is to run right up to your target, pop up at the last second, club them with the butt-end of your shotgun, ''then'' shotgun them in half.
** All the trilogy games also feature the lancer and the torque bow. The lancer has a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw bayonet]] while is an instakill against standard infantry. The torque bow has blades on it which make a slicing sound. Gears of War 3 gives us the retro lancer, which opts to replace the chainsaw bayonet with [[BayonetYa a monstrously oversized conventional knife type one]]. It's still an instant kill if combined with a sufficiently long charge.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'': Your standard melee is karate-chopping people, but it's replaced by hitting enemies with the sniper rifle's stock once you acquire that weapon.
* ''VideoGame/GoldeneyeRogueAgent'' used this as a gameplay mechanic for beating up thugs and using them as human shields. Two hits made them dizzy enough to capture; three hits knocked them out completely.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'': It's possible to do this, at least as far back as ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'', where CJ will automatically smack people with the butt of his gun if you attempt to fire at an enemy who's too close.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' has Michael incapacitate Franklin by smacking him with a pistol if the player refuses to drive Michael over to the dealership that Franklin works for in the early-game "Complications" mission. The player gets a GameOver if this happens.
* ''VideoGame/GreedFall'': [[spoiler:If the coup succeeds]], Vasco will be incapacitated with a butt stroke. He ends up being okay afterwards.
* ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'': Thieves actually have a skill called Pistol Whip when they equip a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. The pistol whip stuns your target leaving them defenseless, followed by a flurry of sword strikes. It's arguably more effective than shooting your gun in some scenarios.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'': Combine soldiers will use their gun to bludgeon enemies that get too close to them. In ''Episode One'', Alyx starts doing this against headcrab zombies after getting her hands on a shotgun.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': The melee attack. [[OneHitKill Fairly useful if delivered to the back against all enemies.]]
** More than fairly useful -- the developers (and players) know it is an essential part of the gameplay. Depending on the game, as little as two melee hits to the front in standard multiplayer can be enough to kill anyone, making it a prudent thing to use after shooting someone and closing in; many gunfights end with someone using a melee attack.
** It was actually taken to the extreme in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}''. Before it was removed, a melee kill would send the vanquished flying across the map. When asked why this is, Bungie replied [[RuleOfCool "Because it's awesome".]] Unfortunately, it was later removed and player models behaved more realistically from melee kills.
* ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney'': Agent 47 can pistol whip any HumanShield to save on knockout injections.
* ''VideoGame/HuntShowdown'': Most of the bounty hunters have this as an option when an enemy gets too close for comfort. Hilariously when using it with the Sawed-off Romero 77, has them grabbing the barrel and using it as an improvised hammer with the butt of the pistol grip being the hammer head. Some of the firearms in the game have variants that are specifically made to be ''better'' for melee combat.
* ''VideoGame/Injustice2'': One of Red Hood's main melee attacks with his pistols. Some can even be customized to not only have spikes on the bottom (the base plates of the ''magazines'') but also have '''electrified ones'''. So they can be used to pistol whip more effectively.
* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'':
** The opening cutscene of ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade'' has Jak get knocked unconscious by a rifle butt to the face.
** In-game, in ''II'' and ''VideoGame/Jak3'', you can do this with your guns. Even better, it's part of a combo: you hit the enemy, then hit the fire button to shoot the hell out of them up-close, which works pretty well — the melee attack puts the foe into a sort of stunned animation that nearly guarantees your subsequent shots will hit. And if you manage to kill them with the melee lunge, and hit fire, Jak will automatically turn toward the nearest enemy and shoot them.
* ''VideoGame/Kabus22'': The protagonist can whack enemies with the but of their gun if they get too close.
* In ''VideoGame/KillingFloor2'', the weapon bash is one of the best crowd control options at a player's disposal in a pinch, frequently staggering a Zed or killing weaker ones outright with a well-aimed bash to the head. Even larger Zeds can be staggered in this manner, as long as they aren't [[TurnsRed enraged]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}} 2'' allows the player to choose between clubbing your enemy with your weapon or equipping a knife for a OneHitKill.
* In ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', shoving is essentially this trope (though it can be done with bare hands or non-combat items), which makes less bulky infected stumble back, giving players breathing room to shoot. It's fatal if done repeatedly ([[CherryTapping though it takes a while to kill even a Common Infected]]), and a OneHitKill if performed [[BackStab from behind on an unaware Common]][[note]]This actually nets you an [[VideoGameAchievements achievement]][[/note]]. Good when conserving ammo, backed into a corner, or [[InterfaceScrew covered in boomer bile]]. It was so [[GameBreaker game breaking]][[note]]in fact, the most popular strategy was to choose the auto shotgun, huddle in a corner when a horde comes and shove ''ad infinitum'', which frustrated Infected players in Versus to no end unless there was a Tank to break the formation[[/note]] that later updates and [[VideoGame/Left4Dead2 the second game]] included a slight CombatBreakdown {{nerf}} in the form of fatigue, where the cooldown between shoves gradually lengthens after a few consecutive strikes if you're not under the effect of [[SprintShoes an adrenaline shot]] (WordOfGod says it's been implemented to simulate the survivor tiring out after a while).
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2's'' Overlord DLC, [[GoodIsNotSoft a Paragon interrupt allows you to pistol-whip the bad guy]].
-->"[[BewareTheNiceOnes You even think]] about coming after your brother and this bullet will be waiting for you."
** [[BountyHunter Zaeed]] mentions this is how he completed his final mission with his original rifle, "Jesse". After years of being his most reliable weapon by far, it suddenly jammed just when he was about to kill his assigned target. Upon realizing this, he quickly bashed the target's head in with the butt of the gun.
** The original ''VideoGame/{{Mass Effect|1}}'' allows you to hit Wrex with the butt of a shotgun. This is pistol-whipping a ten-foot warlord who most people would take down with a ''rocket launcher''. It works.
** You also default to pistol whipping when an opponent gets too close to you. This allows you to knock them away and start shooting them again. ''[=ME2=]'' switches Shepard's melee attack to him/her punching the enemy in most cases, though if using a sniper rifle s/he still appears to be hitting the enemy with the stock.
** In the ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' multiplayer, batarians take this up a level by actually holding their rifles by the barrels and smacking enemies with their guns like a bat.
* In ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' you can, before upgrading the skill, steal an enemies gun and smash them in the face with it.
* Running out of ammunition for any weapons in the original ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'' will cause Jimmy to instead smack enemy soldiers with whatever gun he's carrying. Since this produces the exact same death effects as shooting them with the gun would, [[HilarityEnsues hilarity quickly ensues]] -- ''especially'' if you conk them on the noggin with the [[{{BFG}} Panzerfaust]].
* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorAlliedAssault'' has this as the alt fire of any equipped pistol. Its two expansions, ''Spearhead'' and ''Breakthrough'', add this to other weapons save for sniper rifles.
* ''VideoGame/{{Mercenaries}}: Playground of Destruction'' features this as the melee attack. One hit stuns the victim, and he or she can recover if left alone. You then have your choice of subduing that victim ... or throwing a second melee attack to kill. It does count as a kill, too.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'': All of the ''Solid'' games from this game onward utilize this trope to some extent. If the player attempts to punch/use CQC while equipping a weapon larger than a pistol, Snake/Raiden will swing the weapon and do more damage to enemies than he would with his bare fists (the extremely large Nikita launcher in ''2'' and ''The Twin Snakes'' in particular is an instant knockout).
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': Ocelot very foolishly attempts to do this to Snake rather than [[ReliablyUnreliableGuns attempt to un-jam his gun]], a very bad move since Snake is a hand to hand expert. A few moments later, Snake shows Ocelot how it's done when he easily parries another attack from Ocelot, hits him in the gut, then smacks the already stunned Ocelot on the back of the head/neck with the butt of his own pistol.
* This is the melee attack of the rifle soldiers of ''VideoGame/MetalSlug''.
* The alternate attack for the Uboinik shotgun in ''Videogame/{{Metro 2033}}'' causes Artyom to flip it around and strike an enemy with the butt of the gun for a silent and lethal attack. An upgraded version mounts a [[BayonetYa bayonet]] for quicker attacks.
* The Melee Counter move in ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' allows Samus to whack enemies with her ArmCannon. By itself, it deals little damage, but if used against enemies that use certain ramming attacks, it will parry the attack and stun the enemy. It can also be used to instantly [[LiterallyShatteredLives shatter]] enemies frozen with the Ice Beam. The move returns in ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' with the added benefit of being able to be done while moving instead of having to come to a standstill.
* The ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' games give all Gunner weapons (that is, [[{{BFG}} Bowguns]] and Bows) a weak melee attack. Emphasis on '''weak'''; usually it's wise to not even bother with these attacks, except if you want to {{Cherry Tap|ping}} your enemies to death. However, ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter4'' onwards gives a jumping melee attack that can be used to mount the monster.
* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'':
** Cassie's X-Ray move consists of a GroinAttack, then this trope with both her pistols to both opponents' temples, followed by firing both in his/her face.
** Erron Black has a move where, if you're holding a larger gun such as a rifle, he can use it like a bat on your opponent's face.
* A favourite hobby of the Sligs in ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}'' is to go to a random Mudokon and smack him in the head with the butt of their firearm a couple of times while shouting obscenities in his face. Since you can possess sligs, you can [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential do this too]]. In the later games you can also do this to other sligs to get them to turn on you, [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals punish]] [[KickTheDog your slog]], or even use the move to knock around dead bodies if you are so inclined.
* In ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'', if you press the Detain button on an entrant (whose discrepancies have caused the button to appear, such as forged documents or hidden contraband) and they refuse to leave with the guards, one of the guards will hit the entrant with the butt of their rifle, knocking the entrant unconscious before hauling them out of the booth.
* ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'' has gun whipping as a form of a melee attack if you're low on or out of bullets. It's extremely weak since most of your enemies are heavily armored SWAT units, but CherryTapping them enough is key to getting a cop to surrender so you can have a hostage for trade if a player is in custody.
* ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' brings gun whipping back and it's no longer the only method of attacking with melee force. While you can use larger, more powerful things like knives, sledgehammers, swords, and so on, gun whipping is always the fastest hitting attack with zero charge time. It also obviously has bonuses to concealment for stealth heists if you're not lugging around an extra weapon for the sole purpose of bashing or stabbing people. One weapon, the Mosin-Nagant SniperRifle from the Historical Weapon DLC, even has an attachable {{bayonet|Ya}} to make the usual pistol-whipping with that weapon stronger.
* ''VideoGame/PAYDAY3'' goes back to having pistol-whipping as your sole melee option. Whilst it deals zero damage, meleeing cops or civilians will stun them, making it useful for controlling civs or getting cops off your ass. The game also added the ability for cops to melee you in this manner, mainly using it when you have a {{human shield}}.
* In ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'', it's entirely possible to steal a mook's pistol, then knock him out with it. Especially effective when done with the magnum. In fact, the alternate fire mode for every (human) pistol is pistol whipping.
* ''VideoGame/POWPrisonersOfWar'', an SNK arcade game later ported to the NES, occasionally gives an M16 as a powerup. While obviously players can quickly dispatch enemies with it, its ammo is limited and refills are not available. The P.O.W. can butt-strike enemies to save ammunition, but the attack is slower than a punch and lacks the range of a kick (the gun replaces both of these).
* ''VideoGame/ProjectReality'' has this as one of several melee attacks available.
* Used along with kicks in the brutal (near exclusively head blows or {{Groin Attack}}s) melee combat in ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy''. Against unaware enemies, it's a OneHitKill.
* Awesomely subverted in ''VideoGame/{{The Punisher|THQ}}'' video game in which the Punisher prepares to pistol whip a mook but shoots him instead as he recoils in expectation of the gun strike.
** You can hit guards with your weapons; typically when holding guards as a human shield, it's a nonlethal kill (the Punisher showing mercy? Egads!); however, some specific close range kill animations feature the Punisher clubbing the gangsters to death.
* In the ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' games, most enemies with a gun will attempt to whack the player with their weapon when they get too close.
* One of your melee moves in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''.
* You have the option to pistol-whip or butt-stroke enemies in the various ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' games. Being the kind of "chaos, crime, and comedy" games they are, this includes the option to [[GroinAttack low-blow people with the stock end of an assault rifle]] for giggles. If you are sufficiently bored, you can run up to people and give them the good news with [[ImprobableUseOfAWeapon a rocket-propelled grenade launcher swung squarely between their legs]].
* Draco from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown: Edge of Destiny'' takes this to its logical extreme, using a shotgun primarily as a melee weapon. Actually makes a certain amount of sense, considering all the playable characters use standard melee weapons...and while he does actually ''shoot'' with his gun, it [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality doesn't kill or incapacitate instantly]], and he has to reload after two shots.
** Andrew from the same series's later games is much the same, primarily using a bayonet on the end of his rifle.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'', one of Parasoul's attacks has her striking her opponent with the butt of her Luger Pistol.
* In ''VideoGame/SplinterCell1'' and ''[[VideoGame/SplinterCellPandoraTomorrow Pandora Tomorrow]]'', Sam can knock his enemies out by giving them a sharp rap over the head with his pistol. It comes back in ''[[VideoGame/SplinterCellConviction Conviction]]'' as part of Sam's melee kills.
* There's a Pistol Whip ability for Smugglers in ''VideoGame/StarWarsGalaxies'', which does damage and stuns the target. Smugglers' offensive abilities are based around the use of pistols and melee weapons.
* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' Smugglers also get a Blaster Whip ability. Troopers get the Stockstrike ability, which is done by smacking the enemy in the face with the rifle butt. Vanguards specialized in the Plasmatech tree have it replaced with an [[ShockAndAwe electrified]] version. Commandos with their {{BFG}}s will just swing the assault cannon and smack the enemy with it.
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsRepublicCommando'' has pistol whipping as the [[EmergencyWeapon last resort of all last resorts]]. If you run out of ammo for all your other weapons and your [[RangedEmergencyWeapon auto-recharging blaster pistol]] is out of shots, you can still hit opponents with the butt of your gun. However, this is far and away your clone's weakest, slowest attack. You're better served just saving one or two shots for your SwissArmyWeapon and running around using the surprisingly lethal [[VibroWeapon vibro-punch-dagger]] built into your armor that serves as the commandos' standard melee attack, which is noticeably stronger than smacking people with guns but for some reason completely unavailable to you when using anything other than the swiss-army weapon.
* Mr. X from ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' has a very annoying tendency to run right up to you and smack you in the face with his tommy gun. Which actually turns out to be much more powerful than [[GunsAreWorthless actually firing it]].
* In the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' Meet the Spy video, the Sniper senses the Spy sneaking up behind him while he's got his rifle ready and lashes out with the butt of it. It doesn't work too well, and he ends up giving that tactic up after the Spy's counterattack throws him against the wall and picks up his rather large knife. That doesn't work too well either.
* In ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'' after the final battle, Lara confronts her former friend-turned-arch nemesis Amanda about her being responsible for the loss of Lara's mother. After [[PunctuatedPounding punctuating her words with bullets]] Amanda gives in and tells her that her mother was sent to Avalon. Lara appears to have calmed down but delivers a wicked backhanded Pistol Whip, knocking Amanda out instantly.
-->'''Lara:''' WHERE [BLAM!] IS [BLAM!] MY [BLAM!] MOTHER?! [BLAM!]\\
'''Amanda:''' Avalon! It's not a myth. Don't you get it?!\\
''[They both calm down a bit]''\\
'''Amanda:''' You'll never understand. I'm wasting my breath.\\
[Lara pauses]\\
''[SMACK]''\\
'''Lara:''' ''[To an unconscious Amanda]'' From this moment, your every breath, is a gift from me.
* In ''Videogame/{{Warframe}}'', most enemy troops will bash enemies with the butt of their gun if they get too close. The [[PlayerCharacter Tenno]] cannot pistol whip as they use SwordAndGun, but several melee weapons are {{Improvised Weapon}}s incorporating parts from guns, such as the [[DualWielding Dual]] Raza, which uses a (sharpened) magazine from a Soma machine gun as a hatchet blade.
* ''VideoGame/{{Wasteland}}'' refers to this in the manual as a reminder to watch your ammo. Interestingly, the game does notice if you're using an empty gun to attack, and treats it as a melee attack doing better damage than your bare fist.
* ''VideoGame/WerewolfTheApocalypseEarthblood'': When in melee, the Endron EliteMooks armed with rotary guns will swing their heavy firearms like clubs.
* ''VideoGame/WildArms4'': One ARM-using character, [[spoiler:Kresnik Ahtreide]], will hit the enemy with the butt of his rifle if he attacks them while out of bullets. It understandably deals less damage than shooting, and also disables his innate "Long Shot" skill, which allows him to, well, shoot across the battlefield.
* ''VideoGame/WinBack'': Sneaking up on someone and pistol whipping them is entirely possible, but your trainer (after shoving out a guy for you to practice on) says this is not really always effective. So blasting 'em is better.
* ''Videogame/XCOM2'': X-COM operatives subdue ADVENT's VichyEarth collaborators by bashing them with the butt of their gun to knock them out, then carry them to the evac zone.
* ''VideoGame/XCOMChimeraSquad'' expands on the ability to knock hostile [=NPCs=] out, even adding a weapon mod that increases "less-lethal" damage dealt by hitting an enemy with your weapon.
%%* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': One of Sharla's attacks, Head Shaker, is this.
* In ''VideoGame/ZombieInfection'', when low on ammunition you can use your firearms as improvised clubs against zombies. There's also a special animation for when you're grabbed by zombies - you break free and use whatever weapons you have to smack enemies in the heads.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''VisualNovel/{{Sickness}}'', Markus does this to the Li's daughter in order to get them to give him the real goods.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': In one of Strong Bad's [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/dween_kidsbook.html defaced kids' books]], he modifies one wintry image into:
-->Get ready to be pistol-whipped, snowman!
* Using guns as melee weapons is a common tactic in ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat''. This has taken on multiple forms, including a GunFu scene as well as some scenes where guns were used to impale opponents.
* As a derivative of the ''Halo'' games, ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' features this in many forms, all nonlethal. Often it works as a one-hit knockout ('Ow, the back of my head!'), but sometimes not, as when Tex tries to do this with a guard (and then resorts to more..and then starts just shooting him..).
* ''WebAnimation/TeamServiceAnnouncement'': The RED Heavy defeats a Brass Beast-armed BLU Heavy in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bmK9K5wPyQ Unlockable Weapons]]'' this way... by the expedient of holding his 150-kilogram minigun by its barrel and beating BLU Heavy into the ground with it like a club before the [[MightyGlacier notoriously sluggish]] Brass Beast can fire.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100917 Zola kills Diaz]] by braining him with her gun. Since the gun in question [[EdibleAmmunition shoots marshmallows]], this was almost certainly a lot more effective than shooting him with it.
* ''Webcomic/MadameOutlaw'': In the tenth chapter, Sybil tries to fire a gun at Thompson. It doesn't go off and she resorts to throwing it at Thompson's head instead. It buys them enough time to make a break for it.
* In ''Webcomic/TheMeek'', Soli shuts up Detiker in this fashion (rendering him unconscious, but not dead) after he makes the mistake of [[BerserkButton saying that she wouldn't understand sacrifice]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' plays with it a smidgen. Mell tries, but she can't quite manage it without [[DoWrongRight advice from the person she's supposed to knock out]]. It's not her fault; she normally just shoots to kill.
* In one ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' strip on the rules of engagement for Nerf gunfights: "While pistol-whipping isn't expressly forbidden, it is considered unsporting." This is accompanied by a picture of Gabe smacking Tycho with a Nerf gun, [[TeethFlying knocking out a tooth]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Occasionally {{exaggerated}} in ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'', as [[TheGunslinger Percy]] has been known to use his {{BFG}} Bad News as a makeshift bludgeon if it's damaged or otherwise unusable.
* This is how Shelton from ''Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers'' generally uses a gun since he's not trained in the use of firearms.
* Jonas does this to Edward Salinas in the ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15'' episode "Prom: It's To Die For - Part 4".
* A character in ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' attempts this once due to the close range between him and the opponent, but the opponent is able to dodge and get behind cover before the character starts shooting. However, Will Sigurbjornsson has recently used this to dispatch [[spoiler:Clive Maxwell.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Minstrel Krampus", after Santa and his elves capture Stan and Roger, he starts torturing them for information. He whips Stan across the face a couple of times with a candy cane-striped gun.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** In "A Hero Sits Next Door", Peter...er...[[HeroicWannabe is there when a bank robbery is foiled]] and asks one of the robbers if he can "pistol-whip ya a few times for the camera".
** Stewie did it to Brian during the famous [[NoHoldsBarredBeatDown "Where's My Money?"]] bit from "Patriot Games".
* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' TOS episode examples:
** Race Bannon uses the butt of a rifle to knock out an enemy {{Mook|s}} guard in "The Quetong Missile Mystery" and "The Fraudulent Volcano".
** A {{Mook|s}} knocks out Race Bannon with a pistol butt in "Mystery of the Lizard Men".
** "Terror Island". Jade knocks out a guard with the butt of her pistol.
* Done by the Ultra-Humanite to Flash in the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Comfort and Joy".
* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes: In "WesternAnimation/ClawsForAlarm," Sylvester clobbers Porky over the noggin with the butt of a shotgun in the wake of a suggestion that they remain at [[HauntedHouse Hotel Dry Gulch]] for "a week or 10 days."
* ''WesternAnimation/PrivateSnafu'': Snafu smacks a Nazi in the face with his rifle butt in "Fighting Tools": the rifle having jammed because of Snafu's lack of maintenance. This does not help him.
* In probably one of the most horrifying animated versions of this, in the ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon'' episode "Ren Seeks Help" during Ren and Mr. Horse's fight, Mr. Horse reaches for his gun only to drop it Ren picks it up and bashes it over his head several times until he caves his skull in.
** A move he learned from his mother when she, lightly, tapped her husband on the head with a similar revolver for handing it to their son. Then she gave little Ren a CHAINSAW to do the job.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love", Snake threatens to pistol-whip Homer. [[LiteralMinded Homer naturally imagining that "pistol whip" means to eat a huge tub of whipped cream with a pistol]].
--->'''Homer''': Mmmm... pistol whip...
*** Later on, perhaps educationally, Snake serves Homer some ''real'' pistol whip.
** In "The PTA Disbands", when Springfield Elementary goes to a Civil War site for a field trip, only for the reenactors to discover that [[SuckySchool Springfield Elementary doesn't have the money to pay for them]]. So, after another school enters, and an envious Skinner has a student on his shoulders to watch the reenactment, one actor takes notice.
--->'''Reenactor 1:''' Hey, they're trying to learn for free!\\
'''Narrator:''' ({{Beat}}) [[WouldHurtAChild Get em]]!\\
'''Reenactor 2:''' Use your phony guns as clubs!
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E9CloakOfDarkness "Cloak of Darkness"]], after winning a GunStruggle with TheMole, Commander Gree is subsequently knocked out from behind with a butt-stroke from another dropped blaster by, of ''all'' characters, [[DirtyCoward Nute Gunray]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Wyatt Earp was actually known for this. It is said that around Dodge City when he was deputy, having a knot on one's head was actually known as having an "Earp." According to myth, Earp favored an extra-large revolver known as a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Buntline Buntline Special]] specifically so he could flog people with its long and heavy barrel, though that would have ruined his gun.
* Most infantrymen in modern armies are taught how to fight with rifles, without a bayonet, usually using the butt for striking and the barrel for parrying the other guy's rifle, but it's interchangeable. It's taught in boot camp and is a surprisingly effective way of killing someone in close quarters, in addition to the training's use by armies as an aggression enhancer for its men. Even when the gunman's weapon is loaded, in close quarters, a strike or two may be necessary before the gun can be brought to firing position.
* Before the advent of bayonets in the late 1600s, formations of musket-wielding soldiers had no other option if they were forced into close combat. Which they were fairly often in war, because their guns had a very short range and lousy accuracy, and they took half a minute to reload, so musketeers would get only one shot when the enemy was already nearly on top of them. Even after the invention of bayonets, this was still not unheard of as late as UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars or even later, as a musket was easily heavy enough to kill, and bayonets, which were basically designed to turn the gun into a spear for use against cavalry, had to be yanked out of an enemy footsoldier's corpse.
* The Finnish army assault rifle close combat drill consists of not only thrusts with a bayonet but also butt sweeps and strokes and blocks with stock and butt. The magazine can be used to trap the opponent's weapon. Likewise, conscripts are encouraged to hone the sides of their spades with a whetstone — not only for better purchase on the ground, but also to make the spade a more effective trench weapon.
* People serving on ships in the days of single-shot pistols usually got off their one shot and then used the pistol as a club, since there was no possible way to reload in the middle of a fight.
* A favoured tactic of Swedish cavalrymen during the Thirty Years' War. High-speed charges and low effective range of pistol volleys meant that there was little time to draw a sword before the melee began. Swedish cavalry pistols from this time are almost 4 inches longer than their continental counterparts and have brass- or steel-plated butts specifically for this purpose.
* The pistols favored by 18th-century Scottish Highlanders seemed to be made with this in mind, being made entirely of steel.
* Lewis Powell, the would-be assassin of US Secretary of State William Seward, tried pistol-whipping Seward's son Fred after Fred barred him from entering his father's room. Powell hit him so hard that he broke the pin on which the revolver's cylinder rotated, rendering it useless and probably saving William Seward's life. He also cracked Fred Seward's skull so badly it was thought to be highly unlikely that he'd survive. He did.
* Most interpretations of the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution have Davy Crockett and other doomed defenders resorting to using their rifles as clubs by the end of the siege.
* MCMAP ([[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Martial Arts Program), teaches how to use the butt of a rifle as an extension of an elbow strike, how to use a bayonet, and how to disrupt and counter an enemy charging with a bayonet. It is also taught how to counter someone grabbing your rifle. One technique even teaches how to use the weapon as a lever to force a particularly persistent aggressor who won't let go into an armbar.
* [[CombatPragmatist Krav Maga]] teaches pistol-whipping as a technique, either once you've disarmed your opponent or countering an attempt by an opponent to disarm you. Though it does tend to be of the muzzle strike variant.
* Music/{{Eminem}} was accused of pistol-whipping a man he claims he saw kissing his wife. The interludal skit track "The Kiss" from his album ''The Eminem Show'' is about this incident.
* During the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII battle for Berlin]], Soviet soldier Vataman bludgeoned ten German soldiers to death in a close-quarter battle with a ''panzerfaust'', wielding the thing [[https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/469797327442996058/77992EBA2AE3D27A2366F3629DA72F2C0787FB3E/ like a two-handed mace.]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gM7-UlqV_s This news clip]] provides a good case study for why pulling MonsterClown pranks on strangers is a ''[[MuggingTheMonster very bad idea]]''. The clown is lucky that the pistol was used only in this manner.
[[/folder]]

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