Pistol Packing

Pistol Packing (or Missing Laser Pistol) is an unmarked quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough

 * Talk to the Quartermaster (Torres)
 * Talk to the Brotherhood of Steel Paladin who is in charge of the range
 * Talk to Initiate Stanton
 * Go to Scorpion Gulch
 * Retrieve the Missing Laser Pistol
 * Return to Quartermaster Torres

Detailed walkthrough
Knight Torres, the quartermaster for the Brotherhood of Steel in the Hidden Valley bunker, will mention that she is missing one laser pistol from her inventory, which you can volunteer to help find. After speaking to the Knight Torres, head over to the range and speak to the Paladin sitting at the desk at the firing range. Mention the pistol, and he will mention that Initiate Stanton has it. It is necessary to do this before talking to Initiate Stanton, or else Stanton will claim he doesn't know anything about it.

Speak to Stanton (at night he can be found in the initiate barracks in the 1st bunker area, opposite the long oval-shaped hallway from the firing range; during daytime he may be found in the classroom) and mention that he took a pistol out. He will talk about how he and Watkins went out to Scorpion Gulch for a "training exercise." Once he and Watkins realized the scorpions were more than they could handle, they ran away and he dropped the pistol in the confusion. If you mention the pistol being checked back in, he tells you that he falsified the records. Volunteer to retrieve the pistol.

Head outside and go to the Scorpion Gulch. If you turn to southeast once you leave the bunker, you should see a section of fence broken down and that leads to Scorpion Gulch. If you fast-travel, the game may deposit you in the air above the gulch (causing minor fall damage) and second of all, there will be a bunch of scorpions to deal with, fast-traveling will put you right in the middle of them (unless the area was recently cleared out). Approaching the gulch on foot doesn't take that long, and you should come across a rock with a Dead Prospector leaning against it. Go east-southeast from here into a small valley. Pick up the missing laser pistol sitting on top of the rock in the center (be aware that picking it up often causes 6 or more Bark scorpion hunters and a Giant radscorpion to appear even if you have cleared out the area) and return it to the quartermaster for a reward.

After the mini-quest is completed, the quartermaster will have repaired a broken weapon (tri-beam laser rifle) which the player will receive for free. The player will also receive some Fame with the Brotherhood of Steel.

Tips and Notes

 * Fast travel to Scorpion Gulch, it will take you right next to the rock with the pistol. Just watch out for the scorpions if you choose to do so.
 * Try not to use any explosive weapons (missiles, grenades, mines, etc.) inside Scorpion Gulch or the missing laser pistol may be blown away from its original position on top of the rocks, and you may never find it.
 * The laser pistol is uniquely named "Missing Laser Pistol."
 * The corpse you're looking for is the dead Wastelander, not the dead Prospector. The prospector corpse is always there, the wastelander will only spawn after talking to Stanton.
 * The picture on your PipBoy will be a plasma pistol instead of a laser pistol picture.
 * Sometimes the Wastelander is alive and battling the scorpions and centaurs in the area.
 * The Search and Mark perk does not highlight the Missing Laser Pistol.
 * This gun will not be removed in instances where your weapons are removed from your inventory while entering certain locations, should you choose not to turn the weapon in immediately.
 * There is actually a misspelling in this quest - if you ask Stanton where specifically he dropped it, he will say 'I remember dropping it as we ran' but the subtitles will say 'I remember dropping in as we ran'
 * You must talk to both the paladin and Stanton before the pistol will appear on the rock.

Bugs

 * At the end of the missing laser quest, the Tri-beam Laser Rifle received as a reward is bugged. Do not place it in the same inventory with another Tri-beam Laser Rifle, as it will be replaced by the one received from Torres.
 * Sometimes the Paladin NPC (0010A6FF) in charge of the firing range becomes trapped in one of the "below deck" sleeping quarters between the inaccessible door blocked by a lamp and the 2 turret BoS flag near the range and will not arrive at the firing range desk despite waiting for 1 hour intervals for over 24 hours. He may also only be at the range during certain hours, so can be found sleeping downstairs. This can be corrected on the PC version by opening the console and typing followed by.
 * The "dead" wastelander could potentially be alive and fighting the scorpions that occupy the gulch with an invisible Varmint Rifle. If he dies you may loot it and all the rest of the things he has.
 * A corpse may not actually be present to mark the rock: if not, it's the large one at the bottom of the "bowl".
 * After speaking with Torres to begin the quest, if you ask Initiate Stanton where the laser pistol is before speaking with the Quartermaster, Stanton only gives you the option to speak to him once, and the Quartermaster can't be found to correct the quest. A brotherhood of steel paladin CAN still be found where the Quartermaster should be and CAN be talked to as if he were the Quartermaster.
 * Possible solution: Talk to Initiate Stanton and go through all the dialogue options, then make your way to the shooting range. Talk to Knight Torres, if the dialogue does not show up to turn in the Missing Laser Pistol. Save your game, then try talking to her again, with luck this will hopefully work and you will be able to turn in the Missing Laser Pistol. (CONFIRMED PS3 Also, leaving L1 to the main entrance of Hidden Valley Bunker and re-entering corrected the absent quartermaster)
 * Leaving and entering the area multiple times may cause a group of Knights and Paladins to bunch up in the left-most firing lane. After talking to the paladin in charge of the range and retrieving the pistol (if enough time has passed that they are supposed to move to another area), they may drop their weapons on the floor. It is easy to tell if this has happened because NPCs will be walking around awkwardly with their fists raised. Picking up the loose weapons counts as stealing, but a stealth boy (or getting lucky and finding a hidden spot) eliminates this risk. One confirmed attempt yielded 3 Gauss rifles in good condition and a Tri-beam laser rifle. Weapons obtained in this way cannot be sold to the quartermaster, but can be sold to other shop owners not affiliated with the Brotherhood of Steel.
 * The Quartermaster may mysteriously disappear from the shooting range just as you get the word from the Elder McNamara that Knight Torres will be selling weapons to you. Therefore, the quest will be impossible to complete due his absence. However, this can be easily fixed by simply going down to the deck below and stepping into the large bedroom where he should be sleeping, and able to be woken up and spoken to through normal dialogue options.

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