Magnum Pistol

"Oh… my… GOD."

- Rochelle

"Niiice!"

- Nick

The Magnum is the most powerful pistol in Left 4 Dead 2. It is a one-hit kill to Common Infected on all game modes and all difficulties; however, it has only an eight-round magazine, is slow to reload and cannot be dual-wielded. The Magnum appears typically where an extra Pistol would be waiting, though it is considerably more rare. It also has the unique feature of having identical accuracy when incapacitated as when standing.

Tactics

 * When using the Magnum, aim for the body to take advantage of its one-hit killing abilities.
 * The Magnum can be used effectively both at close and long range against Common Infected.
 * The Magnum has superior penetration against Common Infected, and as such can quickly dispatch entire lines of rushing or clustered zombies.
 * The Magnum is not as useful against most Special Infected (excluding the Boomer and Spitter who are comparatively weak), especially on higher difficulties. The weapon's small magazine, high recoil and mediocre rate of fire make it an unsuitable weapon against targets that can absorb entire magazines before falling. It is especially bad against the Charger.
 * A Magnum is the best side-arm to have when incapacitated. It can easily tear through Common Infected, and keeps a good rate of fire and good accuracy.
 * The Magnum is also good in combination with the grenade launcher, the AK-47 or any of the shotguns (as a long distance alternative).
 * The Magnum is the only firearm that can kill Common Infected with a single shot in Realism mode no matter where it hits.

Pros

 * Extremely powerful for a side-arm.
 * Kills Common Infected in one shot, even in Expert and Realism mode at any range, making it one of the few guns able to do so.
 * 80 damage per bullet and infinite ammo.
 * Rounds can pierce through multiple infected, making it very useful against the horde.
 * Very accurate when still and crouching.
 * Provides superior ground cover when incapacitated.
 * Has a relatively fast reload.

Cons

 * Lower rate of fire. This means it can take longer to kill Special Infected, especially when you don't have a full magazine.
 * Has a high amount of recoil that reduces accuracy when fired quickly, hampering its performance against distant Special Infected.
 * Holds only 8 rounds at a time.
 * Poor accuracy on the move.
 * Deals more friendly fire damage.
 * Killing a Charger with full health requires more than 1 magazine.

Behind the Scenes


The Magnum was originally supposed to be called the "Desert Cobra". A string calling the Magnum the Desert Cobra is in "left4dead2_english.txt" under a line about the Magnum. The name Desert Cobra only appears in the final on the sign next to the Magnum in Whitaker's Gun Shop, which calls the weapon the ".50 Desert Cobra".

Locations
The Magnum is usually located in a number of places where it replaces the P220 pistol spawn. Few of the many locations where a magnum would spawn are:
 * Dead Center
 * The Hotel: From the start head down the stairs. In the room in the right, either on the map table, or in the bedroom on the right on the nightstand.
 * The Streets: In Whitaker's gunstore.
 * The Mall: Sometimes the Magnum can be found on the 2nd floor, when you cross under the half-closed security gate that leads to two escalators heading down.
 * Dark Carnival: In the Whispering Oaks Motel (the building in between the Midnight Riders billboard and the pool.) Both the white pickup truck with roll bars and lights, and the orange car (which may be alarmed) face the door.
 * The Coaster: Right after the maintainance room, there will be a Tier 1 weapon and almost always a Magnum.
 * Swamp Fever: Found in chapter 2. Sometimes found at the beginning, but usually found on a dock next to a destroyed wooden building. About 35% into the chapter before the plane crescendo event.
 * Hard Rain: About half of the time on the table in the first building (Burger Tank), the other half in the white house with the broken walls to the right of the ambulance. (The white pickup truck is facing the door.)
 * The Parish
 * The Waterfront: From the building with the jukebox, take the side alley all the way to the end.
 * The Cemetery: In the third chapter, about halfway through the level, you will come across a caravan in the middle of a street that usually contains a melee weapon, a tier-2 weapon, and almost definitely a Magnum on all difficulties, on a table to the left once you enter.