Volcanic Pistol

For the weapon in Red Dead Redemption 2, see Volcanic Pistol (RDR 2).

“	Older model lever action pistol. Holds more rounds than your run-of-the mill six-shooter.	„
	—Gunsmith description

The Volcanic Pistol is a weapon featured in Red Dead Redemption.

Description[]

A one-handed firearm utilizing a lever-action mechanism to chamber cartridges of pistol ammo.

Acquisition[]

Red Dead Redemption[]

The weapon is sold at the Gunsmith in Armadillo for $100.
It can be also obtained for free by clearing the Twin Rocks gang hideout.

Undead Nightmare[]

The weapon is rewarded upon clearing Twin Rocks of the Undead for the first time.
- It can also be obtained in select Random Encounters, such as the "I Don't Feel Too Good Mister" Random Encounter by hogtying the plagued victim before they die and reanimate, or the "If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em" Random Encounter by hogtying the cannibal at the camp. In both cases, the Volcanic Pistol will be looted from the person(s) after hogtying them and added to the player's inventory of weapons.

Multiplayer[]

The Volcanic Pistol is unlocked into the player's regular inventory upon reaching rank 5.
- The "Volcanic Killer" weapon challenges are unlocked at the same level. Completion of these challenges turns the weapon golden for the player.
It can also be obtained by killing another player who has the weapon equipped.

Combat[]

Although relatively obsolete compared to larger-caliber revolvers and automatic pistols, the Volcanic Pistol can still be used to effectively dispatch enemies.
The weapon in multiplayer is capable of quick kills and can kill a player with one headshot, unlike many other pistols and revolvers which would require 2 or 3.
It may be hard to utilize the Volcanic Pistol to its fullest potential due to the weapon's use of pistol ammo, which, at the beginning of the game, is rare and expensive. Similarly, by the time the ammo becomes readily available, the Volcanic Pistol is overshadowed by the availability of better weapons that also use pistol ammo.

Trivia[]

The Volcanic Pistol is based on the real world weapon of the same name.

Very few instances of the weapon were ever made in the 1890s in real-life, and by 1911 they would have been rare collectors' items as well as completely obsolete compared to weapons of better make and effectiveness.
Although its run was short-lived and the concept of lever-action pistols didn't catch on, the Volcanic Pistol had a far-reaching legacy. It was designed by Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson, who went on to found Smith & Wesson, one of the most prolific manufacturers of revolvers (including another Red Dead staple weapon, the Schofield Revolver). Oliver Winchester was a major investor and production was supervised by B Tyler Henry. The lever-action design of the Volcanic Pistols and Carbines were refined by Henry and Winchester with the Henry Repeater in 1860 and the Winchester Repeater in both 1866 and 1873.
The in-game weapon can be seen being reloaded through the breach when in reality, bullets had to be loaded through a magazine tube near the muzzle.
In-game, the Volcanic Pistol fires like a Double-action Revolver rather than a lever gun. This is best evidenced in the cutscene for The Gunslinger's Tragedy.
Despite featuring on the icon for the Exquisite Taste achievement/trophy (requiring players to buy a rare weapon), acquiring the weapon will not unlock it.
In an ad in the 1911 edition of the newspaper, the gunsmith in Armadillo states the Volcanic Pistol is a fine weapon but has large stocks that must be sold quickly, indicating a desire to sell off the surplus of obsolete weapons to make room for more modern and expensive weapons.
Although in the game the weapon has greater power than the Cattleman Revolver, the reverse would be true in real life due to differences in ammunition; the Volcanic's so-called "Rocket Balls" were notably feeble compared to bullets.
Vincente de Santa can be seen wielding a Volcanic Pistol in some missions during the Mexico arc. He is the only member of the Mexican Army to do so.
The weapon is one of the few handguns found relatively early in the game. The Volcanic Pistol has slightly better power than the Cattleman Revolver (given as the default gun), and it can hold 8 bullets while the Cattleman holds 6. On the other hand, the Cattleman Revolver has better range, fire rate and reloading speed, coupled with Pistol Ammo being relatively uncommon at the beginning of the game.
The Volcanic Pistol is one of only two pistols which isn't reloaded with a magazine, the other being the Mauser Pistol. Instead, it is reloaded one round at a time similar to Revolvers and Repeaters.

Gallery[]

Achievements/Trophies[]

The Volcanic Pistol can be used to unlock the following achievements.

	BULLSEYE 20 gamerscore Bronze bronze Get 250 headshots in any game mode.

	IN A HAIL OF BULLETS 20 gamerscore Silver silver Kill 500 enemies with any pistol or revolver in any game mode.

	THE GUNSLINGER 5 gamerscore Silver silver Get a headshot while in Expert Mode in Singleplayer.