Line #20 PlayingWith/HandCannon


1	'''Basic Trope''': A really large and powerful handgun.
2	* '''Straight''': A fight breaks out. [[TheHero Bob]] pulls out a Smith & Wesson Model 500 that's chambered in .500 S&W Magnum, or a IMI Desert Eagle in .50 AE.
3	* '''Exaggerated''':
4	** Bob pulls out a "handgun" the size of his entire torso that is chambered in ''[[{{BFG}} .50 BMG]].''
5	** In the universe the story is set in, guns smaller than a pickup truck don't exist. And they're all fired with just his non dominant hand's pinky finger!
6	* '''Downplayed''': Bob pulls out a [[RevolversAreJustBetter Colt Python]] chambered in .357, or a Glock 20 in 10mm.
7	* '''Justified''':
8	** Bob's hunting with a handgun, and his target is a large game like [[BearsAreBadNews bears]].
9	** [[TheBigGuy Bob]] is a very large and very strong man. Anything smaller would look like a toy in his hand.
10	** [[StoneWall Bob]] has a [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe ballistic shield in his off-hand]] and the Hand Cannon gives him better firepower than regular pistols.
11	* '''Inverted''':
12	** Size-wise: Bob pulls out [[LittleUselessGun a .22 derringer]] that fits in his palm.
13	** Philosophy-wise (few big bullets vs lots of small bullets): Bob pulls out an [[MoreDakka MAC-11]] in .380.
14	* '''Subverted''':
15	** Bob carries both a [[Film/DirtyHarry S&W M29]] and a [[BoringButPractical 9mm handgun.]] But in a real fight, Bob always goes for the 9mm.
16	** A handgun the size of Bob's thigh actually fires small-caliber rounds, like a 9mm or a .22.
17	* '''Double Subverted''':
18	** At the story's climax, Bob [[ChekhovsGun finally breaks out the .44]] and uses it to [[YourHeadAsplode blow the]] BigBad[[YourHeadAsplode 's head clean off.]]
19	** "Oh, it fires 9mm all right. ''9x39 rifle rounds'', that is."
20	** The reason why that gun is so damned huge is because it's reinforced up the wazoo to handle the custom magnum-load small-caliber rounds it fires, the ones with the banned [[StuffBlowingUp explosive filling]]. So by the standards of .22-shooting firearms, it's still absurdly powerful.
21	* '''Parodied''':
22	** Bob's "hand cannon" is ''[[LiteralMinded an actual tank cannon (or a Civil War-era muzzleloading cannon)]]'' with a pistol grip welded on the bottom. He somehow manages to use it like an normal pistol.
23	** Bob has the largest handgun of the cast... but it's a dolled-up Nerf blaster, so it's completely useless in a real fight.
24	* '''Averted''':
25	** There are no handguns in story that are bigger than an average 9mm.
26	** Guns don't feature in the story, period.
27	* '''Invoked''': Bob specifically custom orders his handguns to be as large and powerful as possible.
28	* '''Exploited''': WeaponForIntimidation: Bob draws his hand cannon and shoves it at a crook's face to terrify him into surrendering. The crook [[BringMyBrownPants shits himself in terror]] and caves almost immediately.
29	* '''Defied''': Bob scoffs at the oversized handgun and opts for his trusty 9mm.
30	* '''Deconstructed''': Bob's oversized handgun kicks like a rhino, isn't accurate at range, has poor magazine size, and jams every other bullet. Any opponent that justifies the increased power is better dealt with using a long arm.
31	* '''Reconstructed''':
32	** Bob himself is built like a bear, allowing him to mitigate the disadvantages of his oversized handgun.
33	*** He's also tough enough to get away with using it as a personal indulgence and smart enough to switch to something else when he genuinely needs to.
34	*** He's also got the steady nerves and accuracy required to make those few shots count, treating his HandCannon as a SniperPistol in a pinch.
35	** Any opponent that justifies the increased power and comes within close-quarters battle distance is going to be close enough that [[GodzillaThreshold the impractical parts of that handgun won't matter]].

Context PlayingWith / HandCannon