Handgun worse than makeshift?

[Gemini ❤]

So my friends and I have been playing the game a ton since it launched and we finally got into making Handguns but it seems like they're just worse than the makeshift handguns. They have like 100 less attack stat, deal less damage when I use them, and they get half as much ammo per effort/resources compared to coarse ammo. Am I missing something or are handguns just messed up right now?

[Trufuller]

Same question

[zytimer]

Normal handgun allows rapid and faster firing rate, only problem is the ammo which is not cheap to make until you have a decent ore mining facility going on.

Whereas makeshift gun has slower firing rate and you can’t rapid fire, but coarse ammo is cheap and easy to make.

[wildbill]

First gun I make now is the assault rifle. Really the only "gun" I find worth making. The rocket launcher though, that is very nice to have in the non-gun category. Haven't tried the recently added ones yet, but the ammo for those seems a bit pricey.

[Sagebrush]

The story changes if you find a blueprint for, say, a Rare handgun (a gamechanger which happened for me.) Just mentioning this so you don't blanket ignore it if you find a blueprint like this.

Common handgun does kind of suck, though.

Personally, I've found common Makeshift, Single-shot Rifle and Double Shotgun to be worth it (Musket was useful for a short time vs very meaty enemies, but it's ultra slow yet super-satisfying.) It all really depends on what blueprints you find, your stats vs your Pals, resource availability and stocks, etc. More recently I started using crossbow again since I had a huge stock of arrows and found a decent blueprint of one. This allowed me to build back my coal and sulfur reserves.

[Yal]

Handguns are also pinpoint accurate basically to the end of their effective range (and have longer effective range than makeshift handguns), so they're great if you need to hit something far away.

(And yes, the improved blueprints makes a huge difference, especially since they increase clip size - being able to fire 14 bullets before reloading is a real lifesaver)

Crossbows and muskets work similarly - very good effort-to-damage ratio but low uptime because reloading them is slow and you do it after every shot. Lategame they're more trouble than they're worth because most bosses either have a time limit or don't give you a break to reload safely. (Though the poison/fire crossbows can occasionally be useful because ailment damage is percent-based AND being afflicted increases capture rate)

[SotiCoto]

Personally I don't use either Handgun.
I used Musket right the way through to endgame before Sakurajima, but then they added huge clouds of smoke to it and I found upgrading to Single Shot Rifle to be a better choice for visibility.
But then I typically snipe from long range, and have absolutely no reason to use something that has both weaker damage and shorter range.

[Nicodemous52]

Zytimer is correct. Though, I don't see a huge difference in their fire rate. I mean, yes you can empty the mag on a hand gun in just a sec or two while it might take 5 or 6 with the makeshift.

The make shift does hit harder per bullet, but the normal handgun will have a higher over all DPS. That true compared to the musket as well. Though the musket isn't just a little stronger it, it's a lot stronger. But over all DPS will still be higher with the handgun.

EDIT: I guess that is a huge difference in fire rate. But in practical terms, if you are lining up your shots properly and not just panic rapid firing, then their isn't a ton of noticeable difference in my mind.

[Jaasrg]

Makeshift = pretty good bang for buck
Handgun = it costs four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon for 12 seconds

[Yal]

Originally posted by Jaasrg:

Makeshift = pretty good bang for buck
Handgun = it costs four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon for 12 seconds

^ My feelings for shotgun vs assault rifle

Got a legendary pump-action shotgun at about the halfway point of the game (initial excursions to the volcano and ice islands) and I'm still using it at Lv 55, even though it's limited to close quarters combat it's got nice DPS and much better ammo-to-damage economy than an AR or plasteel-tier weapon.

Other weapons might be needed for special utilities or boss DPS races but the shotgun is a really reliable workhorse for all your exploration purposes.

[Nicodemous52]

Originally posted by Yal:

Originally posted by Jaasrg:

Makeshift = pretty good bang for buck
Handgun = it costs four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon for 12 seconds

^ My feelings for shotgun vs assault rifle

Got a legendary pump-action shotgun at about the halfway point of the game (initial excursions to the volcano and ice islands) and I'm still using it at Lv 55, even though it's limited to close quarters combat it's got nice DPS and much better ammo-to-damage economy than an AR or plasteel-tier weapon.

Other weapons might be needed for special utilities or boss DPS races but the shotgun is a really reliable workhorse for all your exploration purposes.

I use the single shot as my standard, but I keep the pump action on me because sometimes it's nice to switch to and get a quick burst of huge damage. It's also nice for those new moonflower goons because they like to jump on you.

[SotiCoto]

Originally posted by Nicodemous52:

The make shift does hit harder per bullet, but the normal handgun will have a higher over all DPS. That true compared to the musket as well. Though the musket isn't just a little stronger it, it's a lot stronger. But over all DPS will still be higher with the handgun.

EDIT: I guess that is a huge difference in fire rate. But in practical terms, if you are lining up your shots properly and not just panic rapid firing, then their isn't a ton of noticeable difference in my mind.

That is just it. The Musket has better range. A perfect headshot with the Musket will do insane amounts of damage. The handgun is going to be better at close range, but there are other weapons that are far more suitable at that kind of distance.... not least whatever Pal you have with you.
Plus the Musket, like the Makeshift Handgun, uses Coarse Ammo... which is dropped on the regular by Syndicate guys... AND has better ammo efficiency than most other weapons besides because it is made for single powerful shots rather than repeat fire.

[Nicodemous52]

Originally posted by SotiCoto:

Originally posted by Nicodemous52:

The make shift does hit harder per bullet, but the normal handgun will have a higher over all DPS. That true compared to the musket as well. Though the musket isn't just a little stronger it, it's a lot stronger. But over all DPS will still be higher with the handgun.

EDIT: I guess that is a huge difference in fire rate. But in practical terms, if you are lining up your shots properly and not just panic rapid firing, then their isn't a ton of noticeable difference in my mind.

That is just it. The Musket has better range. A perfect headshot with the Musket will do insane amounts of damage. The handgun is going to be better at close range, but there are other weapons that are far more suitable at that kind of distance.... not least whatever Pal you have with you.
Plus the Musket, like the Makeshift Handgun, uses Coarse Ammo... which is dropped on the regular by Syndicate guys... AND has better ammo efficiency than most other weapons besides because it is made for single powerful shots rather than repeat fire.

A while back I saw a youtube video where the was baffled that the makeshift handgun was stronger than the standard hand gun. I advised him it's because the makeshift is considered single shot (even thought it's actually not) so it gets higher damage to make up for the low fire rate. I told him the Musket was basically like a giant FU to whatever you are pointing it at because it does such huge damage per round.