Best Pistols in GTA Online, Ranked

Grand Theft Auto Online offers a huge variety of weapons and tools of destruction. One of these types of weapons is the handgun — small and compact weapons that can be used in all sorts of scenarios. All the more reason to make sure you’re always carrying the best pistol in GTA Online.

But just how many handguns are in GTA Online? Out of all the ones that are in the game, which ones are the best and most useful? What ones are worth picking up in the year 2022? We will be answering these questions and more in today’s article for every pistol/revolver in GTA Online ranked!

Every Pistol and Revolver in GTA Online, Ranked From Worst to Best

Let’s hop right into the main article!

19/19

Stun Gun

Kicking off our first choice on our list, we have the Stun Gun. This is a taser-like “weapon” that has been imported over from the single-player mode, and it came to the game as a part of the Contract DLC from late last year. This “weapon” has been nerfed heavily in its transition from single-player to multiplayer.

In between each pull of the trigger, it takes twelve seconds to recharge. This is an issue, as the stun effect does not last very long on players and NPCs to begin with. This makes sense from a balancing standpoint, as it makes it harder to spam on other players, but it does make the gun useless outside of trolling your friends. The reason why it’s so low on the list is that it comes with an insane price tag of $375,000. It’s less if you own the Agency property, but still.

18/19

SNS Pistol

For this next spot on our list, let’s take a look at the SNS Pistol. This is a pitiful-looking gun that has been in the game since the Beach Bum update many years ago in the early days of GTA Online. This weapon is very outdated stat-wise compared to other guns in the game, and is one of the worst weapons in all of GTA Online.

Its range is incredibly small, and it makes the gun basically worthless outside of close-range combat. The pistol’s damage doesn’t make up for it, and it takes quite a few bullets to take down certain targets. The gun really isn’t that fun to use either, as you constantly have to reload its small magazine of twelve bullets (when upgraded).

17/19

Pistol

Now for the most basic weapon in all of GTA Online, the Pistol. This weapon has been in the GTA series for a very long time, and it’s fairly iconic. This gun is needed to upgrade to the Pistol Mk II variant, which you can read about later in this article.

The gun’s stats are actually not that terrible, in all honesty. It’s definitely not amazing, but it makes a good weapon if you’re a low-level player spending your days robbing stores and doing contact missions. It can hold a maximum capacity of sixteen rounds in each and every clip, which is better then some on this list.

16/19

Vintage Pistol

Up next on this ranking of every pistol/revolver in GTA Online, we have the Vintage Pistol. This gun has a beautiful model, with a gray and tan color scheme and some nice engravings on the side. Besides that, the gun really isn’t that useful stat-wise. I don’t recommend bothering to get it unless you just want to try it.

This gun features okayish damage, but even that is lacking compared to other guns in the game. And don’t get me started on its very low maximum clip size of just fourteen (with the extended mag). It’s not really that great of a weapon to use at longer ranges either, so this pistol is pretty much useless in almost all situations.

15/19

WM 29 Pistol

Moving onto our next pick, we have the WM 29 Pistol. This is the newest pistol to be added to GTA Online, released during the Los Santos Drug Wars DLC not that long ago. The weapon looks pretty standard for what you’d expect from a pistol. Its design is basic, and it comes in a default black color. But unfortunately, it cannot bore your enemies to death, nor can it shoot them to death.

This is because the stats are pretty bare-bones, which is disappointing to hear. It has good accuracy, but for the most part, it underperforms when you compare it to the numerous other pistols in GTA Online. It also cannot be upgraded heavily to be made better. The only things that can be modified are its color and whether or not it has a suppressor attached to it.

14/19

SNS Pistol Mk II

For spot number fourteen on this ranking, let’s take a look at the SNS Pistol Mk II. This is one of the several Mk II variant weapons that were added to GTA Online for the Doomsday Heist DLC, which debuted back in 2017.

Aside from its ability to use multiple different ammo types, this gun really isn’t all that useful. Its damage is okay for a pistol, but it is held back by its very low clip size of twelve. I would say that the Mk II ammo types make it useful, but I think the Pistol Mk II makes a better option if you want a pistol that uses alternate ammo types.

13/19

Ceramic Pistol

The Ceramic Pistol is the next gun on our ranking for all the handguns in GTA Online. This interesting little firearm was brought into the game for the Diamond Casino Heist DLC, which was released back in 2019.

Its stats are pretty okay, but not outstanding, which is odd considering this gun was released relatively recently. The damage on it is not that great, and its magazine capacity can only get all the way up to seventeen. It’s a pretty weak pistol overall, and not one that I would really recommend for most players.

12/19

Combat Pistol

For our next pick, let’s talk about the Combat Pistol. This is another weapon that has been in the game since day one. It may have been fairly useful in single-player, but in multiplayer, it’s outclassed by most of the other handguns.

The pistol can hold a maximum number of twenty-four bullets for each and every clip. This is a pretty decent amount, making it not a bad pistol for some PVE action. The damage on it is not that big of a problem if you can consistently land headshots on enemy NPCs, something that long-time players shouldn’t have an issue with.

11/19

Marksman Pistol

For this next spot, we have the Marksman Pistol! This is a unique weapon that was brought into the game during Summer 2015. While it was used a fair amount when it first came out, it has since been forgotten by most of the players. Which is a shame, as this weapon is pretty fun to use.

It essentially acts as a high-risk, high-reward weapon that needs good aim in order to use. Each shot has very high damage, but it can only hold one round before you need to reload! Not to mention the reload animation takes a while to end. This gun is not recommended for new players, but you will enjoy it if you are good at aiming.

10/19

Perico Pistol

You may recognize the Perico Pistol as being a part of the Cayo Perico update! It’s a weapon you need to get by first completing a random encounter to get a key. Then, you can unlock a desk in El Rubio’s office and the weapon will be all yours to keep!

This is a pretty unique weapon. Much like the Marksman Pistol, it can only hold a single bullet within each clip, meaning that you need to reload after every single shot! However, the gun does deal a lot of damage, which makes it effective for killing single targets. The gun has a decent amount of range, making it an good gun if you know how to land your shots.

9/19

Pistol Mk II

The Pistol Mk II is our next pick on this ranking for every pistol/revolver in GTA Online. This handgun has one of my favorite-looking models out of all the pistols! It made its way into the game in mid-2017 as a part of the Gunrunning DLC, making it a fairly old weapon that many players have tried before.

This firearm is not amazing, but also not terrible. It’s effective as a side arm and makes a great tool to use in PVE. It does have an advantage over some other pistols in that it can fire multiple different ammo types. I like to give it full metal jacket rounds, as that makes it great for shooting through the windows of armored cars.

8/19

Double-Action Revolver

Up next, we have the Double-Action Revolver. If you couldn’t already tell from the title, this is another double-action weapon. It was added with the Doomsday Heist DLC of 2017. Interestingly, you cannot just buy it from an Ammu-Nation. You need to complete the Treasure Hunt mission in order to unlock it.

This gun has a good rate of fire and some good damage to match, giving it a strong DPS that’s great in PVE. And due to the gun technically being “free” to unlock, it’s the perfect weapon for low-level players that don’t mind completing the mission to get it.

7/19

Pistol .50

Now for one of my favorite weapons in the game, it’s the Pistol .50, also known as the Desert Eagle! This is a classic weapon that is commonly found in other FPS games, so it’s no surprise that it made it to the sandbox of GTA Online as a part of the next-gen version for the PS4 and Xbox One. The gun costs $3,900.

Its rate of fire is poor when you compare it to some of the other top-performing weapons on this list. That isn’t a big deal, however, as its damage definitely makes up for this. It’s a very heavy-hitting gun that is satisfying to use. It can only hold a maximum of nine bullets per clip, which sucks, but makes sense from a balancing standpoint.

6/19

Up-n-Atomizer

For our next pick, we have a “weapon” that, in practice, is really more for utility than combat. The Up-n-Atomizer came to the game with the Arena War update back in 2018. Ever since, it has become a popular weapon for everything from getting cars unstuck and out of ditches to trolling your friends.

This is a futuristic weapon that doesn’t deal much damage on impact. What it does do is ragdoll any players/NPCs that it comes into contact with and pushes most vehicles out of the way. The reason why this thing is so high up on the list is because of its utility for getting vehicles unstuck, which has saved me lots of money when doing missions from my bunker and other properties.

5/19

Navy Revolver

Up next on our ranking is the Navy Revolver! Like the Double-Action Revolver, this is another weapon that is unique in the sense that needs to be unlocked by completing its respective mission. This is a weapon that was added to the game for the Diamond Casino Heist DLC that came out in 2019.

This gun has very good range, and the accuracy is good as well. This means that it’s a perfect weapon for longer-range encounters when compared to the other handguns in the game. It also packs a punch with each hit, meaning its a versatile weapon for all types of encounters.

4/19

Heavy Revolver

The Heavy Revolver is the next weapon on our ranking. It’s been in the game ever since the Executives and Other Criminals DLC, which was released back in December 2015. This big iron makes a great sidearm to any loadout. You also need it to get the Heavy Revolver Mk II.

The first thing we need to get out of the way is that the fire rate on this gun is not that great. It can also only fire six shots before it needs to reload, meaning it’s very punishing if you miss your shots. The damage on this thing makes up for it, and it has an added damage bonus to vehicles as well!

Honorable Mention: Flare Gun

Up next we have a unique “gun” on our list, the Flare Gun! Added alongside the Heists Update DLC for GTA Online, the weapon is very different from the other handguns on this list. I do not see it being used very often due to how ineffective it is in combat, but it is still a fun weapon to toy around with every now and then.

When you fire off this gun, it will shoot out a brightly-colored flare. If there is a vehicle with heat-seeking missiles nearby, the missiles will lock onto this flare, but I don’t know how useful this is in practice. When it strikes an NPC, it will set them on fire and kill them. This isn’t as effective as just shooting them in the head, but it is a fun weapon to use.

3/19

Heavy Pistol

For our next spot, we have the Heavy Pistol! This is a sidearm that was added to the game in the Business Update DLC. I very rarely see used in public lobbies, which is interesting because it’s pretty great for new players. For one thing, it’s extremely cheap, and is available at a base price of only $3,750 from any Ammu-Nation or Agency Armory.

For another, this weapon is very accurate for a pistol, which is good for hitting targets from farther away distances. It also has very good damage per shot, making it an effective killing machine for most types of enemies. The gun can be upgraded with an extended clip to hold up to thirty-six rounds, which is incredibly effective.

2/19

Heavy Revolver Mk II

Coming in with the silver medal, we have the Heavy Revolver Mk II! This is a hard-hitting, double-action revolver that first came to GTA Online alongside the Doomsday Heist update. This gun is fairly popular among the PVP crowd due to a particular build strategy.

The DPS on this thing is pretty great, with a good rate of fire and good damage. Since it is a Mk II weapon, it can be upgraded with special ammo types. Many players love to upgrade this thing with hollow point rounds, which make it very effective at killing unarmored targets. I definitely recommend it if you can afford the upgrades!

1/19

AP Pistol

Taking first place on our list for the best pistol/revolver in GTA Online, we have the AP Pistol! This is a sidearm that has been in the game since it was first released back in 2013. It is one of, if not the most popular pistol in the game. And it maintains this status for a very good reason.

It is a fully automatic pistol that can hold a maximum of thirty-six rounds once fully upgraded. This makes it a really great pistol for use in drivebys. Many people prefer it over another common weapon used for drivebys, the micro-SMG. Its good rate of fire makes it very effective for taking down the most common enemies on the field.

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