TF2 Weapon Reviews: The Pistol

   This weapon review will be different from any other weapon review, as it will be explaining three basic weapons, as opposed to a specific weapon from a specific class. These weapons are the Shotgun, the Pistol, and the Shovel. The Shovel is just used as an example, the same stats apply to the stock melee weapons of the Pyro, Demoman, Heavy, Medic, and Sniper. This Weapon Review is about the Pistol.

   The Pistol is the stock secondary weapon for the Scout and the Engineer. It holds 12 shots per clip, and carries either 36 ammo(for Scout) or 200 ammo(for Engineer). This weapon fires bullets that do 13-17 damage at medium range, which means a full clip emptied at medium range will do 156-204 damage, which is enough to kill any class except the Heavy at max damage. At close range, the Pistol does 22 damage per shot, and at long range, the Pistol does 8-10 damage per shot. Crits do 45 damage per shot. The time between shots is 0.17 seconds, and the reload speed is 1.36 seconds for the Engineer, 1.25 for the Scout. The Pistol reloads by clips. The bullet spread recovery time is 1.25 seconds, which means that if you wait that amount of time between shots, each bullet will be perfectly accurate. The Lugermorph has exactly the same stats as the Pistol.
   The Pistol is a surprisingly useful long-range weapon. It fires faster and more accurately than the primary weapons of the classes that use it, making it helpful for hitting moving targets or covering your retreat. It can be surprisingly effective at close range, dealing around 220 DPS at point-blank range, and has a faster reload speed than the Shotgun, which only does 138-144 DPS at point-blank range. It carries 4 spare clips for the Scout, and 16.67 spare clips for the Engineer. At longer ranges, both the Scattergun and Shotgun do less damage than the Pistol, making it very useful indeed.
   As a Scout, the Pistol is more of a last resort while retreating. At close range, your Scattergun will deal more damage, but the Scattergun is inaccurate at longer ranges. Use the Pistol to deal consistent damage to close-range specialists from a distance, or spray a barrage of Pistol shots to cover a retreat. As an Engineer, your Pistol has more than enough clips to keep you firing for a long time. Use the Pistol to check for Spies at longer ranges, or to take out Stickybombs near your buildings. If you use it right, the Pistol is an incredibly versatile tool to help you and your team survive.