.223 pistol (Fallout)

The .223 pistol is a small gun in Fallout and Fallout 2.

Background
The original .223 pistol that became one of the iconic weapons of New California, was originally a full sized .223 revolving rifle, belonging to Irwin, a farmer outside of the Hub. He cut his rifle down to the size of a large pistol.

Fallout
The .223 pistol is a unique weapon acquired by completing a specific quest. Its damage per shot, range, and armor penetration (courtesy of a special perk) is unmatched by any other non-energy handgun in the game. It has the lowest magazine capacity of any pistol, uses SMG animations, and can be used by the companions Katja and Ian.

Fallout 2
The .223 pistol is no longer a one-of-a-kind firearm, being available for purchase from many stores and encountered in the hands of many criminals in post-War Northern California. In absolute terms, this weapon is more powerful in Fallout 2 than in the previous game since the .223 FMJ round was made armor piercing in the sequel.

Combined with the pistol's Weapon Penetrate perk, the favorable DR modifier of .223 FMJ results in this gun being less affected by armor than any other single-shot Small Gun in the game. It averages 25 HP per shot on unarmored targets and 13.64 HP on the best armor in the game. The .223 pistol remains a powerful handgun with a reasonable range and a very reliable damage output against any type of opponent, with low ammo capacity.

Fallout

 * A reward for helping Irwin in the Hub.

Fallout 2

 * Can be purchased from Buster in the NCR Bazaar.
 * Can be bought from Eldridge in New Reno after becoming a Made Man.
 * Can be purchased from Mai Da Chiang at Red 888 Guns in San Francisco.
 * Some can be looted from a "gang" random encounter. Each male in a leather jacket toting an apparent SMG is really carrying a .223, while the females have 14mm pistols instead.
 * Random encounters with Morton brothers may also have one of such pistols.
 * There's one in a locker in Vault 15, with a suit of combat armor. They're on the second level.
 * Used by Lo Pan when challenged in unarmed combat for the Dragon. He cheats.

Appearances
The .223 pistol appears in Fallout and Fallout 2.

Behind the scenes

 * This pistol's appearance is modeled exactly after Deckard's handgun in Blade Runner, right down to its double triggers and red LEDs.
 * The .223 pistol was planned to be included in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky as an Easter egg, along with the Bozar and generic .223 ammunition, but only remains partially implemented in the game's resources.