P220 Pistol

"Extra pistol? Might come in handy."

- Nick "I'll grab that pistol!"

- Ellis

The P220 Pistol is the backup weapon of the Survivors in Left 4 Dead 2, replacing the M1911 Pistol from Left 4 Dead. It is one of the weapons they can use when knocked down, although with a slower rate of fire and greatly decreased accuracy. The Pistol is one of the only weapons that has infinite ammunition. However, it is still limited to a magazine capacity of 15 rounds.

Even though they are meant as emergency weapons, Pistols make great secondary weapons, or even primary weapons for Grenade Launcher or shotgun users. They pack a punch larger than that of the M16 Assault Rifle, but smaller than the Combat Rifle, and possess better accuracy than most of the Tier 1 weapons. Pistols will usually spawn on the first level of each campaign. This occurs most frequently on Easy and Normal. However, on Advanced and Expert, they are often not available during the first level.

Dual-Wielding
"Gonna go all akimbo and shit!"

- Coach

If a second Pistol is found, it will be a semi-automatic Glock and the two pistols together can be dual-wielded. Second Pistols are placed periodically by the Director but can also be picked up when dropped by a teammate who has taken a Magnum or melee weapon. Dual pistols double the player's available pistol ammo capacity to 30 rounds and increases the maximum rate of fire from 300 to 600 RPM, increasing the rate at which the pistols can be fired significantly.

When dual-wielding two Pistols, the accuracy of each decreases, recoil increases, and reload time increases slightly. When dual-wielded, like the M1911 Pistol, the left-hand Pistol has no light. These Pistols are the only weapons in the game that can be dual-wielded.

Unlike the M1911 Pistol, it's possible to revert to a single Pistol by taking a Magnum or a melee weapon and then take the Pistol back.

Tactics

 * The single Pistol is rarely worthwhile unless you're determined to use a shotgun in the early game or are confident enough in your abilities and the Director to give you a second one en-route. Once doubled, the Pistols become a viable weapon for a shotgun user to traverse the field with (due to limited ranges of shotguns can handle), switching to the shotgun when targets begin to close in.
 * Alternatively, they can also be used with the Survivor who carries a Hunting Rifle or Sniper Rifle due to low rate of fire and its inaccuracy while moving.


 * Crouching when firing the Pistol greatly enhances the accuracy, even if one fires this weapon at maximum rate of fire at long ranges.


 * The Pistol isn't a great fallback weapon when you're empty and surrounded, so it's always better to be leading with the pistol and falling back on primary to conserve ammo, due to having unlimited ammo (especially if the primary weapon has low reserve ammo, such as the Assault Rifle).
 * However, the dual pistols are more effective than the Magnum in tight quarters against many Common Infected due to its larger magazine size and high rate of fire. On Normal difficulty, the Pistol can kill more Common Infected before reloading.
 * The Pistols are relatively ineffective against most Special Infected due to their relatively low damage output (unless the user is firing the Pistols as fast as possible). The extra time necessary to kill Special Infected with the Pistols can cost teammates valuable time and heath.
 * Pistols can, however, help you save your teammates quicker if your primary weapon needs to be reloaded.


 * These pistols rely on rapid, constant, and accurate semi-automatic fire, so fatigue or stress can quickly sneak up on an inexperienced user and cause them to be ineffective down the stretch. As the Director ramps up the intensity through the middle levels, the Pistols also begin to do less and less against increasing Tanks, Chargers, and large swarms of Hordes, making them desirable in the early game but less viable later on. On higher difficulties, the damage from the Pistols becomes negligible and usage is really only seen among dedicated head-shotters that can compensate for the lack of power. Often times, they're usually replaced by either melee weapons or the Magnum pistol by most human players.

Pros

 * Can be dual-wielded for increased firepower and magazine size.
 * When dual-wielded, inflicts higher damage per second than the Magnum (providing the Pistols are fired as fast as possible).
 * Conserves primary ammo in low-threat environments.
 * Has a high rate of fire, firing as fast as a player can pull the trigger (up to 5 shots per second, 10 if dual wielding).
 * Has a magazine of 15, 30 if dual-wielded, and has infinite ammo.
 * When dual-wielded, deals significantly more damage per clip than the Magnum, making it more likely that you can kill Special Infected or clear out large hordes before you have to reload.
 * Has a notably fast reload when not dual-wielded.
 * Deals relatively little friendly fire damage.
 * When dual-wielded, it can kill most Special Infected quickly.
 * Particularly handy for people who can easily attain headshots against Common Infected, as the large ammo pool can allow them to easily thin down incoming Hordes with accurate shots before needing to reload.
 * Has much better accuracy than shotguns, making it a good choice as a sidearm for when you need to shoot distant targets.
 * Even when only single-wielding, has a much better damage per second than the Steyr Scout and the Accuracy International AWSM (assuming all weapons are fired as fast as possible). When dual-wielding, has a better damage per second than the H&K MP5 and the non-silenced Submachine Gun when the pistols are fired as fast as possible.

Cons

 * Can require up to 4 body shots to take down Common Infected on harder difficulties.
 * Inflicts very low damage on the Witch and some other Special Infected, such as the Charger.
 * Much less effective than the Magnum when incapacitated (due to massive accuracy decrease and slowed firing speed).
 * Melee weapons are often superior to the Pistols at close range.
 * Has a longer reload time if there are less than 2 rounds in the pistol(s), especially when dual wielded.
 * Has a relatively high recoil, even at medium range, though not as high as the Magnum.

Behind the scenes
Originally, the P220 pistol had the same firing and reload animations as the M1911 Pistol. Early videos display this.