Best Pistol in GTA Online (2026): All 20 GTA 5 Handguns Ranked
The AP Pistol is the best handgun in GTA Online: the only automatic pistol, about 250 damage per second, where most semi-automatic pistols stay under 100. For fewer, heavier hits, the Heavy Revolver Mk II at 200 per shot. The cheapest sidearm worth carrying is the Heavy Pistol, $3,750.
All 20 handguns in GTA 5 Online: AP Pistol, Double-Action Revolver, Heavy Revolver Mk II, Navy Revolver, Heavy Pistol, Perico Pistol, Heavy Revolver, Pistol Mk II, Ceramic Pistol, Vintage Pistol, SNS Pistol Mk II, Marksman Pistol, SNS Pistol, Up-n-Atomizer, Pistol, Combat Pistol, Pistol .50, WM 29 Pistol, Flare Gun, Stun Gun. Full stats table ↓
| # | Weapon | Why it is here | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AP Pistol 250 dmg/s · $5,000 | 250 damage per second, more than any other handgun by a distance, from the only automatic pistol, with an 18-round magazine (36 extended). $5,000 at rank 33. | S |
| 2 | Heavy Revolver Mk II 150 dmg/s · $99,000 conversion | 200 per shot and six rounds. It trades the AP Pistol's volume for fewer, heavier hits, about 150 per second by the file. | S |
| 3 | Heavy Pistol 95 dmg/s · $3,750 | 40 per shot and 18 rounds for $3,750: the cheapest sidearm worth carrying. | A |
| 4 | Marksman Pistol 77 dmg/s · $4,350 | 220 per shot, the hardest single hit of any handgun, and a reload after each one. | A |
| 5 | Pistol Mk II 86 dmg/s · $73,750 conversion | Once ranked first here for its Mk II rounds. At 32 per shot and about 86 per second it is a mid-table pistol with good ammunition. | B |
| 6 | Ceramic Pistol 86 dmg/s · $20,000 | The Pistol Mk II's damage and rate, and it gets through metal detectors. | B |
Why the Pistol Mk II Is No Longer First
This page used to rank the Pistol Mk II first, for its hollow-point and incendiary rounds. The numbers do not support it. It hits for 32 at 162 rounds a minute by the game file, about 86 damage per second, a third of the AP Pistol's output. Its rounds change how that damage lands, by an amount nobody has measured, so it is ranked on what can be checked.
Single Shot or Automatic?
Handguns split into two families. The heavy hitters, the Marksman Pistol at 220 per shot, the Heavy Revolver Mk II at 200, the Perico Pistol at 195 and the Heavy and Navy Revolvers at 160, kill in fewer hits and fire slowly. The semi-automatic pistols hit for 25 to 40 at up to 162 a minute, with the Double-Action Revolver in between at 81. The AP Pistol is the exception to both: 25 per shot, 600 a minute. Any of them can be fired from the driver's seat of a car.
Mk II Handguns
Three: the Pistol, the SNS Pistol and the Heavy Revolver. The conversion is done at a weapon workshop, in a Mobile Operations Center or an Avenger, and unlocks special rounds. Attachments, which most handguns take, are a separate thing bought at Ammu-Nation.
Every Handgun in GTA Online
20 in all, sorted by damage per second. Damage is the game file's value; the rate of fire is measured in game, marked « file » where only the file value exists. Where no GTA Online measurement exists for a weapon, the damage is left blank rather than guessed. Prices and ranks are the in-game ones; for a Mk II, the price is the workshop conversion.
| Weapon | Damage per shot | Rounds per minute | Damage per second | Magazine standard / max | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AP Pistol | 25 | 600 | 250 | 18 / 36 | $5,000 rank 33 | The only automatic handgun, and arguably the best drive-by weapon. |
Double-Action Revolver | 81 | 140 file | 189 | 6 | n/a | Unlocked through a treasure hunt, not sold. |
Heavy Revolver Mk II | 200 | 45 file | 150 | 6 | $99,000 conversion | 200 per shot, the most of any handgun that holds more than one round. |
Navy Revolver | 160 | 45 file | 120 | 6 | n/a | Unlocked through a treasure hunt. |
Heavy Pistol | 40 | 142 | 95 | 18 / 36 | $3,750 | 40 per shot with an 18-round magazine: the strongest cheap sidearm. |
Perico Pistol | 195 | 28 | 91 | 1 | n/a | Single shot, found on Cayo Perico rather than sold. |
Heavy Revolver | 160 | 33 | 88 | 6 | $5,900 | n/a |
Pistol Mk II | 32 | 162 file | 86 | 12 | $73,750 conversion | Mk II rounds, including hollow point. Extended clip: some lists give 16, others 24. |
Ceramic Pistol | 32 | 162 file | 86 | 12 / 17 | $20,000 | Passes through metal detectors. |
Vintage Pistol | 34 | 150 | 85 | 7 / 14 | $3,450 | n/a |
SNS Pistol Mk II | 30 | 162 file | 81 | 6 / 12 | $79,575 conversion | n/a |
Marksman Pistol | 220 | 21 | 77 | 1 | $4,350 | 220 per shot, the hardest hitting handgun, and one round between reloads. |
SNS Pistol | 28 | 162 | 76 | 6 / 12 | $2,750 | n/a |
Up-n-Atomizer | 10 | 30 file | 5 | n/a | $399,000 | Throws vehicles around; unlimited ammunition. |
Pistol | n/a | n/a | n/a | 12 / 16 | $2,500 | The starting sidearm. |
Combat Pistol | n/a | n/a | n/a | 12 / 16 | $3,200 rank 9 | n/a |
Pistol .50 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 9 / 12 | $3,900 | Its damage per shot is very high for a pistol. |
WM 29 Pistol | n/a | 180 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 180 rounds a minute, 240 when tapping, measured in game. Missing from some lists. |
Flare Gun | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 | $3,750 | Sets targets alight. |
Stun Gun | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | $375,000 | Non-lethal. |
More GTA V Weapons on GTAside
The assault rifles, where seven rifles sit within 3 per cent on damage per second, the snipers, led by the Heavy Sniper Mk II, and the explosive weapons, all on the GTA V weapons hub. The GTA 5 cheat codes hand out a full weapon set in story mode, never in GTA Online.