Three magnums available. Thousands of enemies killed.
The most powerful of all the shooty things! The magnum is found in nearly all Resident Evil games and there always seems to be not quite enough ammo. That’s the price for the overwhelming power a magnum gives you.
Just to attempt to put this power into context, the nigh indestructible Nemesis was ultimately defeated by a magnum in the original (and better) Resident Evil 3. ‘You want stars, I’ll give you stars’ anyone?
Without further ado, let's rank the magnums in Resident Evil 4.
3. Broken Butterfly
Despite its name being more suited to a 90’s alternative rock band, this gun is the most powerful of all the guns outside of the unlockable weapons.
You can purchase the BB when you get to the castle for 38,000 pesetas, or if you wait a little bit, you can get it for free with the help of Ashley if you travel back to just before the maze.
To fully upgrade the BB, it costs 493,000 pesetas unless you wait for the free one, then it costs 455,000.
Its firepower when fully upgraded is 50.0!
However, that firepower comes at a cost. Out of the two magnums that are normally available in the main game, it’s the slowest reloading and firing, it has the least steady aiming, heaviest recoil, and the smallest capacity.
Personally, I pick up the free version and use it on Salazar. Before replacing it with the (spoiler).
Pros:
- Hard hitting – highest firepower of all the normally available guns
- Cost – It’s free if you can wait
Cons:
- Unwieldy – Bad recoil, slow firing and reloading, unsteady aiming
Broken Butterfly full details: https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Broken_Butterfly
2. Handcannon
Yep, it’s only number two. Deal with it.
Yes, it is the most powerful gun in the game when fully upgraded. Yes, it has unlimited ammunition when fully upgraded. Yes, Leon looks even more like a badass on the menu screen when holding this gun. Yes, I have to edit my list of top ten RE4 guns, as I’ve placed the Killer7 above it.
But, and this is a big but, it takes so long to just make it available, never mind upgrading it to its maximum. Firstly, you have to get a five-star rating on all four stages with all five characters in Mercenaries mode. Which is time-consuming and extremely difficult even if you are an experienced player.
Then, after all that thumb-blistering effort, it takes 790,000 pesetas to fully upgrade this behemoth. You can buy the Handcannon for free from the merchant in the game cleared shop screen.
Secondly, the recoil on this thing is ridiculous. If you miss, Leon is going to get hurt or worse.
Just to make things worse, it has its own ammo type that doesn’t drop until the gun is in your inventory.
Is it worth it?
Maybe.
Maybe, after you’ve done everything else in the game.
It’s like a less dangerous Infinite Launcher, something fun to mess about with after you’ve completed the game.
Pros:
- Unlimited Power – Most hard-hitting gun apart from the Infinite Launcher
- Unlimited Ammo – No reloading necessary
Cons:
- Effort – 100% complete Mercenaries mode
- Cost – Lots of money to fully upgrade
- Dangerous – Possibly fatal recoil
Handcannon full details: https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Handcannon
1. Killer7
What’s that? A semi-auto Magnum? Yes, please and thank you.
The Killer7 starts off with a firepower of 25.0 and has the quickest firing, the quickest reloading and it’s the easiest to handle out of all the magnums. When ammo is so scarce, you don’t want to be missing shots.
Unfortunately, you don’t get the Killer7 until you arrive at the island in chapter 5-1, so I recommend getting the BB until then. There’s enough money around in the game that if you feel the need to upgrade the BB to get through difficult fights before you get the Killer7, you should be able to do so without penalty.
The Killer7 is the only upgradable weapon without an exclusive upgrade. I would argue it doesn’t need one. Its fully upgraded stats are more than enough to kill the bosses.
Fully upgrading this weapon costs 337,700 which is quite a bit cheaper than the BB, even if you do pick up the free one.
This is my go-to magnum. It handles easier and it just feels better to play with.
Pros:
- Ease of use – handles like a dream
- Power – Still a magnum, still kills bosses
- Cost – Cheaper in the long run than the BB
Cons:
- Latecomer – Not available until chapter 5-1
- Common as muck – no exclusive upgrade
Killer7 full details: https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Killer7
To sum up, the magnum is like a legendary Pokémon. Elusive, yet utterly destructive.
The ammo is scarce so use it on the bosses only. Never reload if you can help it. Use up all the bullets then wait and upgrade the capacity at the merchant. Then, blow all of the enemies to smithereens.
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