Pistols and revolvers in Project Zomboid

Build 42 has six working handguns: three magazine pistols (M9, M1911, B-F Pistol) and three revolvers (SN38, Patrol Revolver, Magnum). There is also a Toy Cap Pistol that does no damage.

Builds 42.14 and 42.15 did not add a new handgun. The 42.14 notes moved the base revolver to the new .357 Magnum round, removed .223 ammo, and renamed several firearms, which is why older guides use names you will not see in game. The guns added in 42.15 are long guns, including the L92 Carbine, which fires .357 but is a carbine, and the Trapper Carbine in .45 ACP. Both belong on the firearms page, not here.

Damage is the min to max hit. Noise is the radius in tiles that zombies can hear the shot. Two sources, pzfans and PinDrop, agree on these numbers for 42.19 to 42.22; weights come from pzfans alone (one source).

PinDrop's data shows a jam chance of zero for all three revolvers and a small chance for the pistols, so a revolver will not fail you mid-fight. Ammo for each caliber is covered in ammo crafting, and sights and other parts in gun attachments.

Aiming decides how often your shots land. In Build 42 the reticle widens and changes color as accuracy drops from moving, distance, darkness, weather and panic. Base hit chance for many guns sits around 45 to 50% before skill, so a fresh character misses a lot. Aiming XP is paid per hit, and skill books add large multipliers, from 1.5x for the first volume to 8x for the last (one source). See skill books.

Reloading governs how quickly you swap magazines, load rounds and recover from a jam. It matters most with revolvers, which load round by round, and with the five-shot SN38.

Police Officer and Veteran start with both skills raised. One guide lists Police Officer at Aiming +4 and Reloading +1, and Veteran at +2 and +2 (one source); check traits and occupations for the current figures.

A holster is a worn item that gives a handgun its own spot on your body, so you can draw it from the hotbar without digging through a bag. Build 42 has several, listed by pzfans:

The hide and duct tape versions look like crafted options for players who never find a police station; see leather. Police and military areas on the gun locations page are the usual source of the rest.

Every shot is heard 60 to 120 tiles away, which is far beyond what you can see. A single M9 round can pull in zombies from several streets, so the shot that saves you can create the next problem. Read hordes before you fire in town.

• Opinion Fire when you are cornered, when a sprinter is closing, when you are about to be grabbed, or when you are already leaving by car.
• Opinion Do not fire to clear a single shambler you could handle with a melee weapon, or inside a town you plan to loot.
• Opinion Train Aiming at a remote spot with an exit, since every session draws a crowd.

All six handguns are fired one-handed and weigh 1.2 to 2, so carrying one costs little next to a rifle. Opinion The right pistol depends on what ammo you can find for it.

1. M9 Pistol. The default sidearm. Fifteen rounds and the most common pistol ammo outweigh its modest damage.
2. M1911 Pistol. More damage per shot and the lowest noise of any magazine pistol at 70 tiles.
3. Magnum or B-F Pistol. The hardest hitters, but loud and fed by scarcer .44 ammo. Keep one for emergencies.
4. Patrol Revolver. A reliable middle choice that never jams.
5. SN38 Revolver. The quietest, but weak and short ranged. Worth it only when stealth matters more than stopping power.

For long guns and the wider firearm system, see the firearms guide and best weapons.