The most disappointing thing that happened to Cyberpunk’s rifles in 2023, aside from the fact that actual firearm manufacturers didn’t start making them, was update 2.0. It opened with an extinction event that wiped out the handgun Perks, nerfed most pistols, and all but put revolvers out of business, among other atrocities; and closed with the term spontaneous obliteration that best describes what the update did to them. Still, as with everything else about games, lots of great stuff rose above the carnage, among which were a few awesome pistols and revolvers that could make our top 5 Cyberpunk 2077 pistols.

5. RT-46 Burya

Despite its glacial reload, the pistol saves you a lot of headaches; especially early on when you’re dwarfed by the enemies’ power

Stats

• Type: Revolver
• Class: Tech
• Attack Speed: 1.67
• Damage per Hit: 187.40
• Reload Speed: 1.40
• Effective Range: 47.25
• Weapon Handling: 3.08
• Headshot Damage Multiplier: +175%

Manufactured by Techtronika, this one has every bit of their advertised brute force. The Tech revolver tops the handling and range of its iconic choomrades, Laika and Comrade’s Hammer. It has a double-action trigger as well as automatic hammer cocking; though it has no visible hammer. The cylinder is replaced with preloaded, spare ones on reload; it has only 4 chambers, which the Tech rifle makes up for by firing 4 devastating rounds. RT-46 Burya is one of the most easily accessed, lethal revolvers of Cyberpunk 2077.

What RT-46 Burya Excels In

• It’s one of the most accurate revolvers; certainly, the easiest to aim. The high-tech, glassless circle dot sight has better visibility than any other revolver’s iron sights; it’s the right size for fast aiming. Burya’s precision, though, is owed in part to the rather wide square brackets enclosing the circle dot, which function as the revolver’s rear sights; they’re the reason it maintains its accuracy, even in recoil. It has practically no bullet spread either, which means spamming the enemy with headshots would be child’s play with Burya.
• It’s one of the few OP tech revolvers with obstacle penetrating rounds. This is such a game changer, because without it your shots wouldn’t reach targets behind cover; you’d be wasting ammo shooting walls, or worse, risking massive incoming damage while trying to engage them at point-blank range. That’s also where the likes of Comrade’s Hammer and Laika fail you, despite their superior impact. For max penetration, you ought to mod Burya with Wallpuncher or C-Thru.
• It's as unfairly OP in early game as it is late game. It could one shot average hostiles at midrange, with triple headshot damage, give or take. It’s also very capable of putting down high-threat types, such as Cyberpsychos, especially in Sandevistan; where it maintains its fire rate, courtesy of its 4-round cylinder that’s backed up with hot swap mags. And by extension, Burya is one of only a handful of revolvers or pistols that could take out elite enemy operatives from over 50 yards away, with a few headshots.

How To Get RT-46 Burya

You can get it early in the game by neutralizing and looting Tyger Claws or Voodoo Boys thugs; they’re known to carry it. Alternatively, you could buy the Crafting Spec from the Weapon Shop in Arroyo, Santo Domingo.

4. Overture

“You think hiding will help you?”, calls out the Valentinos thug itching to blow your brains out with Overture. Just make sure you grab the ultracool revolver once you’ve finished with them

Stats

• Type: Revolver
• Class: Power
• Attack Speed: 2.50
• Damage per Hit: 101.55
• Reload Speed: 1.15
• Effective Range: 42
• Weapon Handling: 4.05
• Headshot Damage Multiplier: +200%

This power revolver remains Malorian’s undefeated bestseller, despite having multiple iconic variants; the automatic six shooter outperforms early as well as later revolvers in effective range and speed; has a double-action trigger plus automatic hammer cocking. It’s also the only revolver that comes in a variety of eye-popping colors. For that and the one-of-a-kind design, Overture is the coolest pistol of Cyberpunk 2077, if not the deadliest!

What Overture Excels In

• It is surprisingly fast for a heavy revolver; reloading Overture almost happens in a flash, with its hassle-free swing-out cylinder; it comes with speed loaders that allow the full 6 cartridges to be inserted in the charge holes at once. It wastes no time on hammer cocking either, being a self-loading revolver; the blowback of each shot cocks the hammer and indexes the next chamber. The fire rate is great as well; it stops short of full auto in slo-mo with Apogee Sandevistan OS!
• It has the highest accuracy of all revolvers. Overture provides great visibility, because of its bright front sight, dark rear sight combination; especially at a distance, with its narrow front sight. It also has more precision, even in recoil, thanks to the wide, deep rear sight. That makes scoring headshots with Overture so easy; while its low spread makes spamming headshots possible. The spread can be minimized with Focus and Deadeye, as well as Zenith mod.
• In terms of lethality, it ranks higher than most early-game handguns. It can score quick headshots of triple damage, making it uniquely qualified for gunslinger builds. It’s also a perfect midrange solution for late game, with the Crit damage of Nerves Of Tungsten-Steel; whose impact allows you to drop high-threat hostiles from over 40 yards away.

How To Get Overture

You could neutralize and loot the Valentinos; it’s their handgun of choice. You can also find it lying on Leah Gladen’s bed during Greed Never Pays, one of Wakako Okada’s gigs. It spawns at Weapon Shops on level 17.

3. Lexington X-Mod2

The cool-sounding, full auto pistol that Cyberpunk 2077’s fans deserve; and the one whose fire rate NC’s hostiles need to get dead

Stats

• Type: Pistol
• Class: Power
• Attack Speed: 8
• Damage per Hit: 37.13
• Reload Speed: 0.90
• Effective Range: 36
• Weapon Handling: 7.92
• Headshot Damage Multiplier: +175%

This is a modded M-10AF Lexington, a joint production between Militech and Tao Industries that became NCPD’s standard-issue handgun. It’s still a full-auto Power pistol with a 20-round mag, but now comes with an extra mod slot and a nondetachable scope; also, its handling and range are improved. The striker-fired pistol has no slide; and almost no recoil, which is impressive in the absence of a hammer! The sleek, all-round Lexington X-Mod2 is hands down one of the most favorite iconic pistols of Cyberpunk 2077. It definitely is the coolest-sounding of all.

What Lexington X-Mod2 Excels In

• It’s one of a handful of pistols that deliver the best handling. It probably has the smoothest action and trigger of all pistols; Lexington’s striker-fired trigger gives you absolute control over the number of rounds fired, despite its high rate of fire. There’s no time wasted on racking – because it doesn’t have a slide – and thus, changing mags happens in a flash. The full-auto pistol has very slight recoil and spread; which would totally disappear with the help of Pinpoint or Parallax, courtesy of 2 mod slots.
• It has great range for a compact pistol, thanks in part to the Militech MK.8 Clearvue; the higher tier assault rifle scope provides great focus and light transmission; it’s a target finder with a dynamic crosshair and a digital ammo counter. Technically, Lexington doesn’t even qualify for the Clearvue; and yet it gets 35 percent more effective range because of it! Still, if you’ve got something against the undetachable aspect of it, you could try Lexington’s nerfed sibling Dying Night; you’d get the same cool skin and report – that is firing sound – but at the cost of a third of the range, and both mod slots!
• It'd definitely make the top 3 pistols – full autos included – with high fire rate. You could empty its full 20-round mag into the target, with one trigger pull, in less than 3 seconds. With Lexington, the high-capacity mag helps actualize the rate of fire, unlike most other fast-firing pistols where it’s interrupted by a premature reload; it executes the rate two and a half times per mag, and because of this, Lexington is the right full-auto pistol for drive-by shooting in NC! Which is done best with the gullwing doors of a Makigai Maimai.
• In terms of lethality, it’s a great pistol for early to midgame. It could take a full mag to take out average hostiles with Lexington X-Mod2; for higher tier non-boss types, couple three mags would do the job. By maxing out Crit damage, with the help of Kiroshi Cockatrice Optics, Zenith mod, etc., you could make it viable against elite hostiles as well; its barrage fire would stunlock them while the Crit hits drain their HP. And thus, it remains effective even against Cyberpsychos up to a certain point.

How To Get Lexington X-Mod2

It’s your reward for winning Wilson’s shooting contest during the side job Shoot To Thrill. Wilson is the 2nd Amendment store, that is Weapon Shop, owner in Megabuilding H10 where V rents an apartment.

2. Amnesty

Butch Cassidy’s piece; an extremely fast and lethal revolver that you can have by winning his shooting challenge

Stats

• Type: Revolver
• Class: Power
• Attack Speed: 5
• Damage per Hit: 101.55
• Reload Speed: 0.92
• Effective Range: 18
• Weapon Handling: 4.13
• Headshot Damage Multiplier: +200%

Modded by Aldecaldos’ own Butch Cassidy, this is Malorian Overture, the Wild West edition. The iconic revolver has a double-action trigger, so you won’t be fanning the hammer – unlike the old gunslingers; you’ll be doing lots of quick draw headshots though, for the bonus Crit damage. The one-of-a-kind six shooter keeps Overture’s automatic hammer cocking, while losing half its trigger lag. Despite the name, Amnesty has quite an unforgiving survival rate as Cyberpunk’s most lethal dueling revolver.

What Amnesty Excels In

• It’s the fastest of all revolvers, though the latest to spawn. With double Overture’s fire rate, Amnesty minimizes the enemy’s chance of return fire; which is exactly why it wins duels. It’s just about as fast as Overture on reload, sharing the hassle-free swing-out cylinder as well as the speed loaders. And since it’s a self-loading revolver – just like Overture – you won’t need to cock the hammer; except on reload where it’s done together with spinning and swinging in the cylinder! Amnesty is unrelenting when rapid firing in Sandevistan mode; especially with Apogee OS, whose slo-mo effect won’t apply to you.
• It's the most accurate revolver of all. Amnesty’s great visibility and precision are owed in part to its narrow, serrated front sight complemented by a wide rear sight window; with which reading the front sight and acquiring the target would be a breeze. Even the continuous kickback of rapid firing wouldn’t affect the revolver’s precision, courtesy of its deep rear sight window. And thanks to its minimal spread, scoring and spamming headshots with Amnesty couldn’t be easier. It’s the No. 1 head-hunting revolver in Sandevistan, without any assistance from Focus, Deadeye or Zenith mod; meaning it’d save you lots of Perk points to allocate for other skills.
• It's Cyberpunk 2077’s most lethal revolver, as long as you don’t shoot past 20 yards. Amnesty is no weapon for noobs, meaning there’s no place for ADS; only hip fire with max accuracy would get a bonus. By scoring a headshot upon drawing the six shooter, you’d get a substantial Crit bonus on top of the regular triple damage reward for the headshot. That’d encourage you to constantly holster and draw, by switching between weapons, to do the extra Crit damage; as if every hostile were challenging you to a duel! And yet again, it’d save you Perk points that you’d otherwise have to spend on Nerves Of Tungsten-Steel to get the Crit hits. It’d take a couple three headshots to penetrate the juggernaut helmets of elite spec ops with Amnesty; and by extension Cyberpsychos, although for some of them it might take a bunch more. 

How To Get Amnesty

It’s your reward for winning Cassidy’s shooting challenge during the main job We Gotta Live Together. After V’s initiation as an Aldecaldo, you ought to follow the sound of gunshots to spot Cassidy at the Nomad Camp. He’ll challenge you to blast 12 bottles in 15 seconds before saying, I’ll bet my revolver, that is Amnesty, you can’t do it; and thus, he lets his cocky outlaw attitude get the better of him. Before all that, though, you ought to turn down Hanako’s offer at Embers, and go to Mikoshi with Panam and the Aldecaldos, in the final mission Nocturne OP55N1.

1. Pride

You’d be blowing out lots of brains with this one; the high fire rate doesn’t help its victims either. You’d expect nothing less from the Queen of Afterlife

Stats

• Type: Pistol
• Class: Power
• Attack Speed: 3.33
• Damage per Hit: 113.46
• Reload Speed: 0.90
• Effective Range: 36
• Weapon Handling: 7.18
• Headshot Damage Multiplier: +150%

This iconic Liberty used to belong to Rogue, Night City’s No. 1 fixer. The power pistol tops the speed and damage of every other semi-automatic pistol, early or late game. It is recoil operated and has a double-action trigger. Its previous 14-round mag has recently been downsized to 10; for which it redeems itself by having gained much more power. With the right mods, Pride is Cyberpunk 2077’s No. 1 pistol for OP builds.

What Pride Excels In

• It tops the handling of all pistols. There’s minimal sway on rapid fire with Pride; and the recoil is low. That’ll help you keep the fire tight when going for repeat headshots. There’s a minor lag on changing mags, for racking the slide; but that doesn’t matter in Sandevistan’s slo-mo, especially if you pick Militech Apogee Sandevistan with Axolotl and Reflex Tuner. Also, it goes light on stamina. So, you get to empty the full mag while going hard on the Double Jump; even with scope and silencer attached!
• It has the highest headshot damage of all pistols. Attacking from cover, Pride can do almost 5 times its base damage on headshots, with an XC-10 Cetus silencer. That’s just plain damage. The first round in the mag is a Crit hit, meaning it’ll multiply the silencer’s boost. The same goes for every other round, on headshots with Nerves of Tungsten-Steel! If your target is an elite enemy agent, the impact is boosted once more; and if you maintain a high level of HP during the attack, it’s multiplied yet again! So, it’d be safe to say that in Sandevistan you can one-shot high-threat hostiles with Pride; and you’ll maintain your supremacy with a mag that size, firing such lethal shots.
• It’s the ultimate precision pistol. The sights’ serrated tops make it much easier to aim, while the wide rear sight significantly enhances precision. Even in rapid fire, accuracy won’t suffer! Thanks to the depth of the rear sight, which is ideal for scoring headshots. Also, the narrow front sight is great for acquiring midrange targets. Even hip fire is quite accurate with Pride, because of its minimal spread. With Focus and Deadeye, precision will be maxed out. It’d be overkill going with Zenith mod for less spread, then again, you cannot be too accurate!

How To Get Pride

You get it after avenging Rogue by finishing Adam Smasher, during the main job Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. It’ll be near the roll-up door, where Smasher left Rogue’s body. But first you ought to turn down Hanako’s offer at Embers, and go to Mikoshi with Johnny and Rogue, in the final mission Nocturne OP55N1.

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