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 weapon that features 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 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.

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

Trivia

 * 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.
 * 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 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.