There are mainly five handguns in the Resident Evil 4 Remake. You can buy these weapons through the Merchant in the game or find them hidden on the map. Moreover, these handguns are unique and boast a unique skill that makes handguns stand out in one category or another. This list will help you decide which handgun is most suitable for your playstyle.
Key Takeaways
- There are mainly five handguns in Resident Evil 4 Remake, and having at least one handgun in your inventory is essential.
- These handguns are some of the most trusted weapons in the game and the weapons you will always rely on.
- As the ammo for handguns is easier to acquire and easy to craft, this makes it essential that you carry the handgun with the best stats.
- Red9 is known for the best fire rate and damage per shot in Resident Evil 4 Remake. You can also consider Blacktail, Matilda, or Punisher as more versatile options for close and far-range shooting handguns.
About the Author
Shahzar has invested countless hours playing through the Resident Evil franchise, including the classics. He is a huge fan of all horror games, which obviously includes Silent Hill games and Alan Wake. He likes to try out all weapons in these games and tests them by blowing an enemy’s head off. So, if you have questions during your campaign in RE4 Remake, you can always reach out.
Red9 – Best Handgun In RE4 Remake
The Red9, in my personal opinion, is the overall best handgun in the RE4 Remake. This is also one of the fan-favorite handguns in the game and is definitely a must-have pistol.
I found this handgun my go-to, whether in close-range or long-range combat. The raw power of this gun makes it so I was able to one-shot most of the enemies or at least stun them for a melee takedown.
The ammo is easy to acquire for a handgun and is abundant in the game, so you are never running out. Even the resources required to craft the ammo are readily available and do not require a specific recipe.
Level 1 Statistics
- Power: 1.50
- Ammo Capacity: 8 rounds
- Reload Speed: 0.85
- Rate of Fire: 0.90
- Precision: 3.00
Necessary Upgrades
My only problem with Red 9 is that this gun lacks ammo capacity, only carrying eight bullets initially. The slower reload speed makes it very dangerous when a mob of infected villagers overruns you, as now you can only shoot 8 bullets and need sufficient time to reload.
Moreover, one of the necessary upgrades on this gun is trading the stock available for Red9. The Merchant will start carrying a stock just for the Red9, and you can trade it for nine spinels.
This will increase the gun’s precision from 3 to 4.2. As a result, I could take out enemies from a significant distance with incredible precision.
Lastly, you should upgrade the power of this gun as the level 1 power of 1.5 is enough for the starting weaker enemies. This gun becomes almost too powerful and unstoppable at the max level 3 stats and the added-on stock. I highly recommend these upgrades for the later part of the campaign, as this made the later enemies a breeze for me.
How To Acquire This Handgun
This is the only gun you acquire for free in the game, making it even more worth it. You can find this gun in the game on the Lago or the large lake. As the lake is a significant part of the game, you will cross it on your boat and easily get this gun. Therefore, the Red9 will be on a broken ship in the middle of the lake, so make a quick stop.
The Red9 will be in a treasure chest on this lake, so acquire this gun and keep it safely in your inventory.
Punisher – The Piercing Pistol
The Punisher is another of the most powerful handguns in the game. I have to admit that I realized quite later on that this gun is one of the only handguns with penetrating bullet skills in the game. I found it accidentally when the bullet from my handgun hit two enemies simultaneously.
Piercing means that the bullet shot from this gun can hit two enemies at once. In the game, where ammo conservation is a major part of the gameplay, this makes this gun a great handgun in your arsenal.
Moreover, the gun has excellent precision, even at the starting level, so you will not miss any shots. The precision and penetrating power allow you to wait for two enemies to align, so you can kill two birds with one stone. Furthermore, as this is a handgun, finding ammo will not be much of a problem.
Level 1 Statistics
- Power: 0.90
- Ammo Capacity: 12 rounds
- Reload Speed: 1.10
- Rate of Fire: 1.05
- Precision: 4.50
Necessary Upgrades
The Punisher has very well-rounded level-1 stats. However, at the base level, I believe the gun lacks power and is no better than a pea shooter, as it takes several bullets to eliminate threats. Therefore, it is best to spend your initial investments upgrading the power of this gun. Soon, you will kill two enemies with a single bullet, and nothing is more satisfying.
Moreover, once you have maxed out the power, you can move to upgrade the reload speed and rate of fire. This will allow you to be comfortable even in close combat with several enemies, allowing you to shoot more quickly. So, when you get stuck in a tricky situation, you can use your handy pistol to help you get out.
How To Acquire This Handgun
There are two ways to acquire this handgun in Resident Evil 4 Remake.
The gun will be available in the Merchant’s store early in the game. This is also one of the tradable handguns, which means you can trade the weapon for spinels instead of Pesetas. I acquired this weapon for five spinels and did not even realize how good of an investment I was making.
To get spinels, I recommend completing contracts provided by the Merchant early on in the campaign, such as the Blue Medallion and Pest Control.
Moreover, the gun is also unlocked earlier on in the game. This allows you to buy the gun for Pesetas, which is a great option if you are running low on spinels or saving it for something else. The handgun is modestly priced in the store at 10,000 Pesetas, which is again a relatively low price for this weapon, and you will have this much money early on in the game.
Blacktail – The Powerful Handgun
The Blacktail is the final handgun you can buy in the Resident Evil 4 Remake. This gun has some well-rounded and impressive statistics, even at level 1. Moreover, if you missed Red9 earlier in your gameplay, this is a great substitute handgun to have by your side. The gun packs a serious punch with a power of 1.40, almost equal to the Red9.
Moreover, I consider this handgun to have some of the best precision stats in the game, so you need not worry about distant targets. During my playthrough, I could one-shot most enemies from afar due to the power and precision of this weapon.
Level 1 Statistics
- Power: 1.40
- Ammo Capacity: 9 rounds
- Reload Speed: 1.20
- Rate of Fire: 1.19
- Precision: 4.20
Necessary Upgrades
The gun has some of the best-starting stats in a handgun. However, like Red9, my only problem with this handgun is the small magazine, which only carries nine bullets at level 1. This is one of the first upgrade investments a player should make. You would need those extra bullets when the enemy crowd surrounds you.
However, I was disappointed that this handgun could only carry 11 bullets, even at the maximum level.
Therefore, if you had earlier acquired the Red9, getting his weapon is unnecessary. However, you can not get any additional attachments on the Blacktail that would further boost its stats. If you do have this weapon, upgrading the ammo capacity and rate of fire would be a decent investment in the beginning.
How To Acquire This Handgun
The Blacktail is available after Chapter 6 in Resident Evil 4 Remake. I bought this handgun from the Merchant within the castle walls for a hefty price of 24,000 Pesetas. This makes it one of the more expensive handguns in the game.
Matilda – The Fastest Handgun
The Matilda is a franchise favorite and another one of the best handguns in RE4 Remake. I want to emphasize that even though this gun seems tiny, it can do some serious damage. The gun starts with a power of 1.30, which is impressive considering this is Level 1.
However, one of the most remarkable things about this gun is its ammo capacity. The Matilda has the highest ammo capacity of any handgun in the game, capable of carrying 18 bullets in a single magazine.
This incredible ammo capacity is one of the reasons I consider this a must-have gun in your arsenal. Moreover, as handgun ammo is abundant in the game and easy to craft, you do not need to worry much about the ammo. The gun even has a special stock available to be traded from the Merchant, granting the handgun even more special powers.
Level 1 Statistics
- Power: 1.30
- Ammo Capacity: 18 rounds
- Reload Speed: 1.00
- Rate of Fire: 0.96
- Precision: 3.50
Necessary Upgrades
The Matilda starts with some very decent stats. However, I did spend money improving the power, which is necessary as the gun becomes almost unstoppable at max level 3. The gun has a power of 2.00 at level 3, which means that even the strongest enemies do not stand a chance, making this the best handgun in the RE4 Remake.
However, the reload speed got me into some very risky situations. So, I also invested some of the money in getting these stats to their max. Therefore, maximum level Matilda has a reload speed of 1.40 and a rate of fire of almost 1.63. This means that even when surrounded, you would not need to worry as your trusty pistol will unleash hell on your enemies.
How To Acquire This Handgun
The Matilda can be bought in the second half of the game. Moreover, this is another one of the tradable handguns in the game. Therefore, you would need to have at least ten spinels to be able to trade this handgun from the Merchant. This is one of the reasons I ended up breaking many Blue Medallions and killing many rats. The spinels are rare, and you must often work hard for them.
SG-09 R – The Original Classic Pistol
The SG-09 R is Leon’s iconic handgun and your starting handgun in the game. Therefore, this gun has some basic stats and stands out in no category. I consider this handgun slightly dull and basic, which is not necessarily bad. This makes this handgun a perfect starting point, as you can upgrade it according to your playstyle.
Moreover, as I did not spend any Pesetas acquiring this handgun, I invested that money for the upgrades. The gun can also be attached with a laser sight, improving accuracy.
Level 1 Statistics
- Power: 1.00
- Ammo Capacity: 10 rounds
- Reload Speed: 1.00
- Rate of Fire: 1.00
- Precision: 4.00
Necessary Upgrades
The SG-09 R has some elementary stats, and compared to other handguns, these stats may be a little lower. So, if you plan on sticking with this handgun, it’s better to invest in upgrading the power of this gun. However, this is not the only upgrade, as you would also need to upgrade the rate of fire and the reload speed of this gun.
One special upgrade that I cannot emphasize enough is the special exclusive upgrade. This exclusive upgrade increases your critical hit rate by five times. Therefore, this allowed me to disintegrate enemy heads and kneecaps more often. Which in turn helped me conserve ammo for stronger enemies.
How To Acquire This Handgun
You do not need to buy this weapon as this is the handgun you start with. So, it is always by Leon’s side, even when no other handgun is to be seen.
Sentinel Nine
Sentinel Nine is an exclusive Handgun in RE4 Remake. It becomes available to players only when they buy the Deluxe or Collector’s Edition in the game. It can become an essential weapon in any player’s inventory because of its accuracy and ability to tackle bioterrorism.
Moreover, Sentinel Nine is better than the SG-09 R in the beginning levels. However, its performance is overshadowed later in the game when the Red9 shotgun becomes available.
With its precise accuracy, accessibility, and considerable firepower, the Sentinel Nine is an excellent choice for most close to mid-range combats in RE4 Remake. Similarly, with its big magazine and easily craftable ammo, you can use it without any restrictions on any mobs in the game.
An interesting and valuable feature of the Sentinel Nine is that it can stun enemies for a few seconds. Consequently, you can save some ammo and use any melee weapon to kill the enemy. However, use it wisely, as it does not work mostly on significant bosses of the game.
Level 1 Statistics
- Power: 1.1
- Ammo Capacity: 19 rounds
- Reload Speed: 0.9
- Rate of Fire: 1.19
- Precision: 4.00
Necessary Upgrades
When getting this handgun in RE4 Remake, upgrade its power to at least level 3, from 1.1 to 1.5. It would cost you around 20,000 ptas to upgrade it to level 3. As power is the only drawback of this gun, you may as well spend some more money to upgrade it to level 5 and increase its power to 1.9.
While the Sentinel Nine’s rate of fire is quite fine, it would be even better to upgrade it to level 5 in the game. Costing around 19,000 ptas, this upgrade can improve the rate of fire from 1.19 to 2 in the game. Similarly, it would be best to upgrade the reload speed from 0.9 to 1.3 by spending 10,000 ptas.
How To Acquire This Handgun
Only Deluxe or Collector’s edition players can get this gun in Resident Evil 4 Remake. After purchasing any of these two editions, players can find the Sentinel Nine in their storage menu. However, whether this gun is worth spending some extra money solely depends on the choice of players.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed using every handgun in Resident Evil 4 Remake. During my campaign, I encountered handguns and hand canons capable of producing raw power.
Meanwhile, handguns like Matilda became my favorite due to its never-ending magazine. Handguns were essential to my arsenal, and I believe the game encouraged me to use them more.
Handgun ammo is much more abundant than any other ammo in the game. Moreover, I found every handgun to be very unique and well-balanced. As a result, I could build my arsenal around these handguns and rely on them, even in the trickiest situations. However, I recommend picking a handgun that best supports your playstyle and trying on different handguns so you always know your options.
That is about it for the best handgun in RE4 Remake. If you have any thoughts and opinions, do share them in the comments section below.
Check out more of our guides about the Resident Evil 4 remake:
- Resident Evil 4 remake: Blue Medallion locations
- Resident Evil 4 remake: Lake symbol puzzle
- Resident Evil 4 remake: How To Get Mendez False Eye
Good job! Please give your positive feedback ☺️
How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 🤔
A gamer through and through, I’ve spent countless hours honing my skills in competitive FPS games like Counter-Strike and Valorant. When I’m not immersed in the high-stakes world of multiplayer shooters, I find solace in the mesmerizing narratives of games like The Last of Us and the Batman Arkham series.
But here’s an interesting twist – I’m not just a gaming enthusiast; I’m also an avid movie buff. Feel free to join me on Steam: Z3US
Riot: Z3US #1740
