When you purchase a new pistol set, its relative strength is expressed with the following stats:
Damage: Governs the amount of damage dealt by non-lethal shots. Manual shots to the head are always fatal, irrespective of the target’s archetype.
Stun: Measures how long the target is stunned by non-lethal shots.
Range: Determines the effective range at which shots can land.
Pistol Attributes
| Name | Damage | Stun | Range | Availability | Price (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Common Flintlock Pistols |
1 |
1 |
3 |
Sequence 02, Mission 03 |
- |
|
Pirate Blunderbusses |
3 |
3 |
1 |
In general stores |
800 |
|
Standard Wheellock Pistols |
1 |
1 |
5 |
2,500 |
|
|
Spanish Officer Pistols |
3 |
3 |
3 |
7,000 |
|
|
Cannon-Barrel Pistols |
3 |
5 |
3 |
9,000 |
|
|
Golden Flintlock Pistols |
5 |
5 |
3 |
Complete all Naval Contracts |
See Naval Contracts |
|
Captain’s Wheellock Pistols |
3 |
1 |
3 |
Community challenge reward |
|
|
Musket |
5 |
1 |
5 |
From Gunners |
- |
There are two ways to fire a pistol:
You can enter Free Aiming by holding the Manual Aim Button, then aim with 
and fire with the High Profile Button. Manual shots aimed to the head will instantly kill any target. However, these naturally take time to align, so headshots are usually impractical in open conflict. Outside of combat, note that any guard that sees you aiming in that manner will raise the alert and attack Kenway or run to ring a nearby alarm bell.
Alternatively, you can take quick “snap shots” by pressing 
. These are less powerful, but are fired instantly. They can be used to weaken, interrupt or finish off a target during combat, or even to temporarily stun a fugitive on the run.
When employed with the Special Counter move, Kenway will blast susceptible opponents at point-blank range, killing them instantly. If the pistol is unloaded, Kenway will attempt a standard Counter Kill.
You can increase the amount of pistols Kenway can carry simultaneously (and his total ammunition capacity) through crafting.