There are a lot of aspects of the Hitman franchise that are immediately recognizable and can be deemed as iconic. Of course, nothing is quite as iconic as the hitman himself, Agent 47, but when I think of Hitman, usually a sniper rifle comes accompanied with that thought. There’s no doubt that sniper rifles are useful, but something that is often overlooked are the great pistols that are in the game. Just as iconic as a sniper is Agent 47’s trusted silenced pistol. 

And there are a lot of good pistols in Hitman 3. As the culmination of the entire World of Assassination trilogy, every good weapon from the prior games can be found in Hitman 3. With so many good pistols, it’s good to narrow down that list and talk about the true best of the best. 

10. Concept 5

The Concept just has a sleek design and fun use that I really enjoy

The Concept 5 is a weapon that always interested me. It’s one of the coolest and most interesting pistols in the game, and it excels at a lot, but there’s a reason it’s at the bottom of this list.

It’s a Kronstadt pistol unlockable in Miami, and as a fully automatic pistol it sure is fun to use. It shoots in bursts of three, making it much faster than a regular pistol, with a decent damage output to back it up. The reason this pistol isn’t higher on the list, though, is because it has terrible recoil that makes the gun point upwards when shot. Also, it misses the suppressor perk many of the best guns have. 

The Concept 5 is definitely a fun gun to use, but it falls short in comparison to the other guns on this list.

• Fully automatic fire
• Fun to use
• Bad recoil

Perks: 

• Full Auto

Unlocked by completing Mastery level 15 in Miami. 

9. The Ducky Gun

I could go on and on about the Ducky gun, but I'll just leave this picture to tell you why I love it

The Ducky Gun is another gun I just love. It’s a Custom 5mm, meaning it’s a small pistol that can be snuck through frisk, but with a fun ducky skin. Though this one is the same as the other Custom 5mms, its fun design shoots it onto this list, no pun intended. 

The Ducky Gun is a decent weapon. It’s suppressed but only has 5 bullets, with low damage and rate of fire, but what makes this gun remarkable is how it can be snuck through frisk. That means you can bring this past guards and into restricted areas. Though this gun isn’t as remarkable as a conventional pistol, its niche is pretty great. And who can pass up that ducky design? 

• Can be snuck through frisk 
• Fun Ducky design 
• Not great as a conventional pistol

Perks: 

• Suppressor 

Unlocked by completing either The Provocateurs, The Liaisons, or the Deja Vus in the Elusive Target Arcade.

8. ICA19 F/A Stealth 

The ICA19 Stealth is everything the Concept 5 should have been, though they both suffer the same consequence

The ICA19 F/A Stealth is everything the Concept 5 could have been. It’s a fully automatic pistol with decent damage and a suppressor perk, making it silenced. It’s an all-around great  pistol. 

Every pistol on this list is a great pistol. They’re among the top 10 for a reason, but some still fall short in comparison with others. The ICA19 Stealth deals with the same issue the Concept 5 does, which is terrible recoil. Your pistol will jerk up when shooting, making it impossible to use it to its full extent. However, it’s still a great weapon. 

• Fully automatic 
• Silenced 
• Terrible recoil 

Perks: 

• Full Auto 
• Suppressor

Unlocked by completing Mastery level 10 in Bangkok on professional difficulty.

7. The Serpent’s Tongue

Although I hate snakes, I can say that I certainly don't hate this gun

The Serpent’s Tongue is an epic name for a gun that serves not-that-epic of a purpose. The Serpents Tongue is another niche weapon, and though it has its uses, . 

The Serpent’s Tongue works like any of the dart-like pistols, where you shoot your target with a dart that inflicts them with some type of effect. This gun works by inflicting a dazed effect on the target, much like being hit with a flash grenade. That’s a pretty cool use, especially since it can easily allow you to run past guards while they’re dazed. However, like the dazed effect, it only lasts a few seconds. 

Though this gun looks awesome, it’s not as useful as the other guns on this list. But it still has a nice niche.

• Dazes targets 
• Can eliminate obstacles 
• Effects only last a few seconds

Perks: None

Unlocked by completing The Lust Assignation escalation.

6. Striker V3 

When I first unlocked the Striker, I tested it out by completing a "kill everyone" challenge. It went well

The Striker V3 is probably the most powerful weapon on this list. It has a sleek design and is easy to acquire with an insane damage output. 

The Striker can kill almost any target from most ranges with just a shot to the chest. That makes it great for a “kill everyone” challenge or just quickly taking out a target. It says it’s supposed to work at all ranges, however I found that it’s not a one-shot from afar. But you’ll rarely use it at that range. The only downsides is that this gun is loud, and it suffers from bad recoil, but this gun is still worth using. 

• Very high damage 
• Works at most ranges 
• Bad recoil

Perks: 

• Piercing 
• Damage

Unlocked by completing Track 3 in the Elusive Target Arcade.

5. Krugermeier 2-2

The Krugermeier family is one I cannot stop bringing up just because of how great it is

The Krugermeier 2-2 is another gun that is kind of a niche gun, but like the others, the niche it has makes it pretty good. It’s another unconventional pistol, but those seem to be the better ones. 

The Krugermeier 2-2, along with its variants, take the crown as being the most silenced pistols in the game, having the suppressor and subsonic perks. That means a guard more than 3 meters away won’t hear a single shot you take. That makes this gun great for simple things, like distracting guards and shooting down cameras. However, this pistol doesn’t have very good accuracy nor a great damage output. But don’t let that deter you from seeing the many uses this pistol has. 

• Most silenced pistol in the game 
• Great for simple tasks
• Below average accuracy and damage

Perks: 

• Suppressor 
• Subsonic 

Unlocked by completing Master level 20 in Bangkok.

4. Sieker 1 

My favorite thing about this gun is that it looks like the barrel says "vomit troll"

The Sieker 1 is a pistol that works very similarly to The Serpent’s Tongue. Upon shooting the target, they become inflicted with an emetic poison effect, meaning they will seek out the nearest place to throw up, wether that be a toilet or a trash can. 

The Sieker 1 is another niche gun but you can probably tell by now that those are the best ones. Inflicting the target with poison makes it easy to take them out by drowning them or just by having them go to a secluded area. Though this gun is situational, and it only has two shots, it has a lot of uses. 

• Inflicts emetic poison 
• Can have the target seek out a secluded area 
• Great for strategic gameplay

Perks: None

Unlocked by completing Mastery level 10 in Haven Island.

3. ICA19

I don't think you can get anymore iconic than the Blackballer

The ICA19, or the Blackballer, is the default pistol that Agent 47 uses and has thus gained icon status. There’s a good reason for that, because this pistol excels at almost everything. It’s also the base for so many of the great ICA19 pistols. 

Like I said, the Blackballer excels in almost everything. It has a good damage output, with most targets only needing two shots to the chest, a decent rate of fire, and it’s silenced. It’s nothing short of a classic. There isn’t really anything negative to say about this pistol; it does everything it needs to do. The Blackballer sits as one of the best pistols in the game. 

• A classic
• Good damage
• One of the best pistols in the game

Perks: 

• Suppressor

Default weapon - no unlock needed.

2. Kalmer 2 - Tranquilizer 

The Kalmer 2 is a gun that not only has endless utility but is just fun to use

The Kalmer 2 - Tranquilizer is the last niche weapon on this list, but what can I say, the niche weapons are the most interesting. However, out of all the niche weapons, the Kalmer 2 is arguably the best. 

Like the other dart-like guns on this list, the Kalmer 2 puts the target to sleep when shot. That makes it better than The Serpent’s Tongue and the Sieker because the target will fall asleep where they are and won’t wake until awoken. Where the Kalmer 2 shines, in my opinion, is taking out guards and sneaking past them. That’s crucial for some silent assassination or suit-only challenges. So, I would say this gun is pretty useful. 

• Best dart-like weapon
• Puts the target to sleep
• Great at eliminating obstacles

Perks: None

Unlocked by completing Mastery level 5 in Mendoza.

1. ICA19 Silverballer

And finally, the Silverballer is not only a favorite of mine, it's probably the best pistol in the game

And last, but certainly not least, we have the ICA19 Silverballer, which I believe to be the best pistol in the game. It certainly isn’t anything fancy like some of the guns prior, but using the Silverballer will never leave you disappointed. As a variant of the ICA19, it has all of its best qualities and more. 

Like I said, the Silverballer is a variant of the ICA19, or Blackballer, meaning it has everything that made that gun so good. It shares its high damage and decent fire rate, but the reason this pistol is the best in the game is not for its silver color, although I do think of that as a plus, but its great accuracy. With the steady aim perk, the Silverballer is a notch above the Blackballer. 

The Silverballer is arguably the best pistol in the game. It has everything great about the guns before it and so much more. Though not as powerful as the Striker V3, or as niche as the Sieker, there isn’t much the Silverballer can’t do. 

• Good damage
• Great accuracy
• Arguably the best pistol in the game

Perks: 

• Suppressor
• Steady Aim

Unlocked by completing Mastery level 10 in Paris. 

Hitman 3 has its fair share of great pistols. They’re a staple of the Hitman franchise, so it’s understandable that there would be so many, and there’s obviously a handful that stand above the rest. But everything stated is still a matter of opinion. Some could say that the Kalmer 2 is the best pistol because of its niche, but I still stick by my pick.

You may also be interested in:

• Top 25 Movies Like Hitman
• Best Anime About Assassins
• Best Assassin Games (Ranked Fun To Most Fun)