Sidearms, SMGs and shotguns

Pistols are the weapons of the pistol round and eco rounds, and everyone's backup. They fall into two groups:

• precision pistols: Ghost (500), Bandit (600), Sheriff (800). They reward headshots and work at mid range. Within 30 meters the Sheriff kills with one headshot even through heavy armor; the Bandit does it within 10 meters;
• close-range pistols: Classic (free, with its right-click burst), Frenzy (450, automatic), Shorty (300, a tiny shotgun). They work in tight spaces.

In the pistol round the usual choice is between a better gun without armor and the Classic with light armor and some abilities. There is no single answer: it depends on where you will play and what your team does.

SMGs are the weapons for rounds where you cannot afford a rifle.

• The Spectre (1600) is the most complete: suppressed, 30 rounds, accurate at short and mid range. It is the typical gun for round two after a won pistol round, and for half buys.
• The Stinger (1100) fires very fast but is inaccurate at range: good for force buys and players who fight very close.

Both forgive some movement and lose damage with distance. Against rifles they win only if you get close: pick covered routes and close angles.

The Bucky (850) and the Judge (1850, automatic) are few-meter guns: there they kill in an instant, a little further out they are useless. Patch 12.09 made them far less accurate on the move, running and jumping, and lowered the Bucky's close-range damage: today they are mostly used standing still, waiting for the enemy.

Their natural home is defense, in tight corners of sites where attackers have to walk past you. On attack they rarely help: attackers must cross open space and face mid-range angles.

The Shorty (300) is the pocket version: two shells, useful as a sidearm for sniper players or as a surprise in a corner.

With pistols, SMGs and shotguns the rules change a little:

• fight close: distance is the rifle's advantage, take it away;
• fight as a group: a pistol-versus-rifle duel is lost, three pistols against one rifle are won;
• go for the enemy's guns: every kill can give you a rifle to pick up;
• use your utility: a flash or a smoke is worth even more when your gun is weak;
• think about next round: a plant gives everyone 300 credits even if you lose.

A budget round played well can end in a thrifty, the win that breaks the enemy's economy.

Even in rounds where you buy a rifle, your pistol stays with you. Sometimes a better pistol than the Classic is worth it:

• sniper players often buy a precise pistol or a Shorty, because the sniper is slow up close;
• if you are low on ammo late in a round, switching to your pistol is faster than reloading at a dangerous moment;
• in rounds where you have some credits left after a full buy, an extra Ghost or Sheriff is insurance if you lose your rifle.

It is not a mandatory purchase: rifle, armor and abilities come first. But when you have money left over, a good pistol beats credits sitting idle.

Some mistakes show up at every level:

• playing an eco like a full buy, holding long lines with pistols: you die without being able to answer;
• spreading out: three eco players in three different parts of the map are three lost duels;
• buying at random: two teammates with Spectres and three with Classics is neither an eco nor a force buy;
• forgetting abilities: on a budget round, utility is cheap and worth a lot.

The underlying rule: a budget round is won by creating situations where the gap in weapons matters little (close, together, with utility).

To sum up, by money and range:

For each gun's details (damage, when to buy it, when not to) see the weapon pages.