Pistol (Columbia)

"The BROADSIDER: Columbia's favorite! It's easy to find ammunition for this popular, quick-firing pistol."

- Fink Manufacturing advertisement



The Broadsider, usually referred to simply as the Pistol, is a handgun featured in BioShock Infinite. It is the first firearm acquired by Booker, and is very common early in the game.

Gameplay
The Pistol is a very common weapon early on, acquired almost immediately after the Sky-Hook at the beginning of the game. It can be found on most armed Columbian Police, eventually being used with the Machine Gun by standard enemies. It is also used frequently by Columbian citizens, such as those encountered in Shantytown, as well as occasionally being used by Slate's Soldiers and the Vox Populi. It is one of the more versatile weapons, with single shots serving to be remarkably accurate, while its potentially high rate of fire allows it to be useful in close quarters. It has a reasonably large magazine of 12 rounds, which can be upgraded to 18 rounds, which accompanies its fast reload time, making the Broadsider capable of firing with little delay if needed. It also has a relatively large ammunition reserve of nine standard magazines, which is also uniquely upgradable, giving the Broadsider a remarkable amount of cheap and common ammunition even later in the game. The Broadsider also has an almost immediate draw speed, making it a very effective backup weapon which can be drawn immediately in emergencies. It also boasts a huge critical damage bonus, capable of killing many standard enemies in one headshot early in the game, allowing the player to dispatch enemies quickly while conserving ammunition.

However, the Pistol's largest drawback is its relatively low damage, requiring quite a few more shots to take down enemies than many other weapons in the game, often becoming overshadowed by the Machine Gun in terms of versatility for fighting standard enemies. Indeed, the Pistol loses effectiveness against enemies such as Crows and Motorized Patriots for its low damage, and is generally less effective than the Shotgun and Carbine, at short and long range respectively. Furthermore, the weapon itself is relatively rare later in the game, which means that it is difficult to continue using the Pistol throughout the game as other weapons are picked up and used in specific situations. As such, the Pistol is typically used more often at the beginning of the game.

If the player downloaded the Season Pass and acquires the damage upgrade, everything is possible, including killing Handymen on anywhere else (also in 1999 Mode).

The Pistol can hold up to 12 rounds in a magazine, plus 108 rounds in reserve.

Advantages

 * Common early on
 * Quick rate of fire
 * Fast reload time
 * Ammunition common
 * Huge amount of critical damage
 * Quick Handed decreases reload time further

Disadvantages

 * Low damage (unless Season Pass is downloaded)
 * Becomes rare in later levels
 * Easily surpassed by other weapons such as the Hand Cannon

Behind the Scenes

 * The Broadsider is based on the real life Mauser C96 semi-automatic pistol, but it loads from a box magazine, a feature included on the M172 "Schnellfeuer" variant, which appeared in 1932. The C96 or Pistol is also known for its famous use by German Soldiers during the First and Second World Wars.
 * The player technically receives their first Broadsider at the very start of the game, given to Booker in a wooden case, but it is dropped when the rocket to Columbia lifts off, so the player isn't actually able to use it until later.
 * In the 2011 VGA demo, a gold-plated variant is found in Major's Notions, Sundries and Novelties among other gold-plated novelties, which explains its own distinctive hue. If the player purchased the Season Pass DLC, the pistol will have a similar gold-plated texture as well as a damage upgrade. Also if the player fully upgraded a pistol, the pistol will also have a gold-plated texture.
 * If you go into ironsights with the pistol, it is very noticeable that the reverse side of the magazine ejector lever has not been textured, thus being rendered transparent. This is most likely an oversight by the developers.
 * It is most likely that the reverse side of the magazine catch does not exist at all as part of the 3D model. This is often done to reduce the poly-count of a 3D asset in development.
 * It is unknown how or why Booker has a Columbian Broadsider in his office (visible in his dream-world, when Elizabeth brings him back to the past, and in the post-credits scene). It is possible it is there to represent a normal Mauser C96.
 * It is unknown how Booker starts with a maximum amount of pistol ammunition.
 * Booker did, however, have a Broadsider initially. Character model also has him wearing a holster with magazine pouches, which could account for his having any ammo at all.
 * Booker's case has a Broadsider, but he loses it when the Pilgrim Rocket takes off, so the player actually isn't able to use it until later on.