Hand Cannon: Difference between revisions

Which type of gun fills this role varies by time period. Back in [[The Seventies]], it was a [[Revolvers Are Just Better|.357 or .44 Magnum revolver]], like the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Python Colt Python]. and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_%26_Wesson_Model_29 Smith & Wesson Model 29]. Eventually, automatics firing the same rounds were introduced. The modern successor to the crown of most ridiculously oversized handgun is the Israeli Military Industries [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Eagle Desert Eagle] in .50 Action Express. Bigger and more powerful handguns exist (like the Automag V), but they don't have the same media presence and generally look much less [[Rule of Cool|cool]]. And if bullets just don't cut it, they can always use a [[Sawed Off Shotgun]] or the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M79_grenade_launcher M79 grenade launcher], which can be (clumsily) fired one-handed.

 

 

The character with the giant handgun is sometimes [[Stock Super Powers|superhuman]], [[Our Monsters Are Different|supernatural]] or [[Cyborg|cybernetically enhanced]] in order to compensate for the weapon's weight and recoil.

 

 

You know you're dealing with either this or a [[BFG]] if a character says something along the lines of "Wow, that's a really big gun." A stock gag is that the gunman is [[Compensating for Something]].

 

 

 

== [[Anime]] and Manga ==

* ''[[Castle in The Sky]]'' has something akin to this, an the one-shot weapons that Dola's pirate gang uses seem to also be capable of loading stink bombs as well as the normal bullet/explosive rounds. Near the end, the [[Big Bad]] actually calls the one Patsu carries a "cannon you can hardly lift".

* Parodied [[Trope Overdosed|(and what isn't?)]] in ''[[The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', where [[The Chew Toy|Mikuru]] is made to [[Dual Wield]] airsoft Desert Eagles for the student film. In her hands the guns are comically oversized, which is only made worse by the absurd extended barrels.

** To say "disturb" magic is to massively understate it, whatever the bullets hit is severed and then tied together into a knot, essentially, presumably on a very small scale, if it hit a person, the surrounding area would have all the muscles, nerves, and veins severed and knotted, making them useless and causing fatal bleeding. If it hits an expression of magic, it cuts apart the magic circuits of the caster of the spell, ties them together, and causes the mana in the person to explode out of them

 

** He's a lousy shout because his right hand is a huge stone thing so he has to shoot with his left. And he's not naturally a lefty. Good thing his [[Red Right Hand|Right Hand of Doom]] makes for a formidable bludgeon...

* In the ''[[The Warlord]]'' comics, Travis Morgan carries a .44 AutoMag which was certainly never a standard issue sidearm for USAF officers. It also qualifies as an instance of [[Rare Guns]].

* When [[Nick Fury]] makes his return to the mainstream [[Marvel Universe]] during the Skrull invasion of New York in ''Secret Invasion'', he does so wielding a gun that's about as big as he is.

* In ''[[Jon Sable Freelance]]'', one of Sable's preferred weapons is a chrome .357 Magnum pepperbox. As a prototype that never made it into production, it also counts as an instance of [[Rare Guns]].

** Implied to be the blaster equivalent of a [[Sawed Off Shotgun]].

* ''[[Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura]]'' has a weapon that the player can construct from parts called the [[Hand Cannon]]. It's a wooden grip, a trigger, and what looks to be at least an inch-wide barrel.

* ''[[Advent Rising]]'' introduces what is described as a handgun that fires ".90 calibre armour-piercing concussive rounds" and can be [[Guns Akimbo|dual-wielded]]. Obtaining a good level of handgun skills allows protagonist Gideon to fire the weapon in rapid three-round bursts that can match the rate of fire of any machinegun in the game. This is trumped by an energy pistol powered by a miniature fusion generator which hits significantly harder and can still be [[Guns Akimbo|dual-wielded]]. Better skill in with this handgun allows Gideon to fire grenades at the cost of more ammo. This is then matched by a Seeker energy pistol which, while it starts off weaker, can become stronger when Gideon learns the skill needed to fire hideously powerful rounds which can bounce between upwards of four enemies at the cost of extra ammo. This, too, can be [[Guns Akimbo|dual wielded]]. About the only thing limiting total arm cannon carnage is ammo consumption.

* Fefnir in ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' has two. Justified as he was built as a heavy weapons specialist and is strong enough to do it.

* The guns in the ''[[Disgaea]]'' series are all above average as far as size goes, but it's taken to a ridiculous extreme in ''[[Disgaea 4 a Promise Unforgotten (Video Game)|Disgaea 4 a Promise Unforgotten]]'', where a giant monster unit can magichange into a handgun that's ''as big as the wielder''. Considering that the wielder can't even reach the trigger, it seems logical to assume that the monster turned weapon is capable of firing of its own accord.

* Any and all guns in ''[[Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XII]]'''s [[The Verse|Ivalice]], which more accurately resemble shotguns in size but are wielded and fired one-handed. Particularly noticeable in ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics (Video Game)|Final Fantasy Tactics]]: [[Updated Rerelease|War of the Lions]]'', where [[Cameo|Balthier's]] Ras Algheti is the size of his torso.

** Interestingly, ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Video Game)|Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]'' has smaller guns, but also smaller wielders--they're used by a class only available to Moogles, the smallest playable species. ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics a 2 (Video Game)|Final Fantasy Tactics a 2]]'' reintroduces hand cannons as a separate weapon type from the small guns, making them available both to Moogles and to [[Proud Warrior Race|Bangaa]].

* The Culverin weapon in ''[[Final Fantasy XI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XI]]'', which actually looks more like a modern-day shotgun ingame, is unique in that it does not accept regular ammunition of any sort, instead opting for ''cannon shells'' that are significantly less efficient inventory-wise.

* The strongest handgun in ''[[The Godfather (Video Game)|The Godfather]]: The Game'' is a "magnum" that already rivals the shotgun for power at both their first levels. You can upgrade it. Have fun. The sequel takes it to ridiculous lengths: You start with .357, upgrade to .44, then hit .50 and a [[Bribing Your Way to Victory|real cash-purchased extra]] gives you '''.700'''.

* In ''[[Saints Row]]'', the in game version of the Desert Eagle is called the GDHC (God damn hand cannon).

* The Cougar Magnum in ''[[Golden Eye 1997 (Video Game)|GoldenEye]]'' (which can even shoot through walls), and its ''[[Perfect Dark]]'' counterpart, the DY 357. Both sound like cannons, too.

* Carnby's revolver in ''[[Alone in The Dark]]: The New Nightmare''.

* ''[[S 4 League]] '' gives us [[Revolvers Are Just Better|The Revolver]]. A giant handgun that uses ''shotgun 12-gauge ammo''.

* ''[[The House Of The Dead Overkill]]'' has G and Washington using these as their default guns - they're AMS' standard firearm, apparently.

[[Category:Bigger Is Better]]

[[Category:Hand Cannon]]