Because changing to a pistol is always faster than reloading.
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the Handgun class is not as good as it could be. These pistols aren’t just backup weapons you’ll use when your main guns run out of ammo. They’re also good weapons that can take over lobbies on their own.
The game’s pistols are accurate, light, and pack a lot more of a punch than you might think. Surprisingly, they do a lot of damage, since most handguns only need one or two bullets to kill someone at a good distance. Even though none of the handguns in Modern Warfare 2 are bad, some are better than others in most situations.
X13 Auto
The X13 Auto (Glock 18) is dumb fun and not reliable at the same time. It fires faster than most SMGs, at 923 rounds per minute, so you’ll empty the 17-round magazine faster than Infinity Ward dumped multiplayer for Warzone 2. Just don’t expect to fight head-to-head with regular close-quarters weapons like shotguns and Marksman Rifles with quick-scoping scopes.
Even though the X13 Auto fires quickly, it doesn’t do much damage. Under 11 meters, a shot to the chest does 21 damage and a shot to the head does 28. 330 ms is the average time to kill if you hit the chest with every bullet. Whether or not the X13 Auto shreds or shoots rubber bullets depends on your skill. Part of that skill is how well you can run right at someone without them noticing.
Once you can go akimbo, though, the X13 Auto has some good points. When it’s by itself, the X13 Auto picks up hitmarkers before the enemy can turn around and kill you. But if you have two pistols, their health goes down so quickly that it doesn’t matter if you have to reload after every fight.
.50 GS
The Desert Eagle is a common weapon in first-person shooter games, and Modern Warfare 2’s version of it is the.50 GS. The.50 GS brings its reputation as an impressive hand cannon to the game. It needs two hits anywhere on the body or one clean critical hit from less than 16 meters away. You could probably give the.50 GS a try if you wanted to ruin someone’s day.
The problem is that the Desert Eagle only has raw power going for it. It has the second-slowest fire rate of all handguns and a horrendous kick to its recoil. You’ll know how frustrating it is to use this gun when you’re trying desperately to line up a follow-up shot at a distance. Even though it does a lot of damage, the hand cannon has the slowest time to kill at 360 ms.
The.50 GS is a bad gun because it has a lot of problems that make it less reliable and less effective. The.50 GS is fun to shoot akimbo because it does so much damage close up. But you’ll need add-ons like a laser to keep it from going haywire.
X12
The X12 (Glock 17) is a pistol that doesn’t get enough credit. In the right hands, it can kill. It’s pinpoint accurate with little to no recoil. When you combine that with the pistol’s good damage, you’ll be able to snipe enemies at mid-range. After all, the X12 can stop enemies with three shots to the chest up to 27 meters.
The best things about the X12 are that it is mobile and easy to drive. In Modern Warfare 2’s fast time to kill meta, it’s good to be able to run around without carrying anything, ADS, and then shoot your enemy before they can. It also fires at a fast rate of 364 rounds per minute, which rewards you if you can pull the trigger quickly.
When running akimbo, the pistol is surprisingly easy to use. Overall, the X12 is a good handgun that works well from farther away.
P890 (P220)
Even though it has been around since the beginning, the P890 (P220) is an accurate two-shot wonder. With the P890, you only need two bullets to hit an enemy in the upper body from less than 19 meters away. When you add the above-average rate of fire of 286 rpm, you get a great 210 ms time to kill.
The X12 is easier to use and best for newer players who are still working on their aim. The P890, on the other hand, rewards aggressive players who can easily track and flick. Keep in mind that the P890 isn’t great right out of the box. It needs a few attachments to reach its full potential. All the gun needs to get stronger is a suppressor or an attachment that makes it shoot faster.
The P890 also has subsonic ammo that hides death skulls from the other team, helping you sneak through the backline. Going akimbo is even more fun because it turns you into John Wick, but instead of getting revenge for your dog, you’re mowing down the lobby looking for the person who stole the code off your bottle of soda.
Basilisk (.357 Magnum)
Every Modern Warfare 2 player knows that the Basilisk (.357 Magnum) is a strong gun, but its stats show that it’s even stronger than you think. The Basilisk kills with one shot to the upper chest and head from less than 9 meters away. It’s a Marksman Rifle that fits in your pocket and is better than other one-tap weapons on maps with very close ranges. Play Octordle, which is like Wordle but with eight words.
The Basilisk has a critical hit that only takes one shot up to 35 meters. After that, you only need two or three well-placed shots to kill with it. Don’t expect to be Clint Eastwood right away, though, because it takes time to learn how to use a revolver. There is a long pause before the next shot. If you hit both shots, you have 420 milliseconds to kill.
You’ll need to lead your shots when using the Basilisk, as it’s one of the few weapons in the game that doesn’t fire immediately. It’s all worth it because it’s a fun gun on its own and also the best akimbo pistol in Modern Warfare 2.
