10mm pistol

10mm pistols are all semi or fully automatic hand held firearms that fire 10mm rounds. These sidearms appear in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Van Buren.

Background
10mm pistols are sidearms using the 10mm ammunition that was common before the Great War. They were used extensively by the Bureau of Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco, Firearms and Lasers, while in the military such pistols were being phased out in favor of energy weapons. Their ruggedness, reliability, and firepower made them a popular choice among wastelanders and thus a staple of wasteland firefights.

Colt 6520 10mm pistol


 The Colt 6520 10mm autoloading pistol is a highly durable and efficient weapon developed by Colt Firearms prior to the Great War. It proved to be resistant to the desert-like conditions of the post-nuclear wasteland and is a fine example of workmanship and quality construction (at least for the pre-War models, which became more scarce over time). The simple design of the gun allows it to be easily manufactured with relatively basic equipment, making it possible to be replicated in workshops in the post-nuclear world. The Colt 6520's durability, reliability, and simple design makes it very popular among wasteland denizens, for whom sophisticated high maintenance weapons would be a liability to survival. 

N80 10mm pistol
 The 10mm N80 sidearm was standard issue military gear until it was phased out in 2051. 

N99 10mm pistol


 The large-framed, gas-operated N99 was selected as the standard issue conventional sidearm of the United States military, following the phaseout of the N80 in 2051. The long-barreled pistol remained in service for 26 years, until the Great War destroyed the United States. The pistol is designed to withstand the most extreme conditions, which was one of the requirements for a new service sidearm. It can also be repaired easily by anyone with even the most basic technical knowledge. This includes both clearing misfeeds and restoring a unit to working condition after long exposure to elements without maintenance.

These features also make it popular with wastelanders, who appreciate the ease of maintenance. It remains a common weapon, as even though many civilian units were ruined, they can easily be restored by anyone with some repair knowledge. Even damaged units can be used reliably, though they will offer subpar performance and jam frequently. The number of manufactured pistols means that parts are easy to come by, however. 
 * For the suppressed version in Fallout 3, see: Silenced 10mm pistol.
 * For the unique version that appears in Fallout Shelter, see: Lone Wanderer.
 * For the unique version that appears in the Fallout: New Vegas Classic Pack and Courier's Stash add-ons, see: weathered 10mm pistol.

Combat pistol


 The 10mm combat pistol is a next-generation 10mm sidearm created before the Great War. While it is a different design from the N99, it uses the same gas-operated action, allowing it to use 10mm ammunition with ease. Key differences include a slide stop, automatically locking the slide back when the weapon runs dry, a disassembly lever in the front section, safety in front of the trigger, rather than on the slide, and compatibility with a plethora of aftermarket modifications.

Available to both government and civilian clients, the combat pistol could be fitted with an automatic receiver, turning it into a submachine gun, as well as a variety of optics (including the high-tech recon scopes), silencers, and other accessories to improve its performance. Of course, the flexibility came at a cost, as the combat pistol required more expensive machining and materials than the N99, consisting primarily of simple flat surfaces. 
 * For the unique version that appears in Fallout 4, see: Wastelander's Friend.

Deliverer


 A cutting edge pre-War design, the Deliverer combines firepower and subtlety in one, compact package. In terms of design, it's a small, concealable pistol designed for police work. It features an exposed hammer, a traditional double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel that also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring. The shorter grip, barrel, and reduced magazine capacity result in a smaller size than other pistols of a comparable caliber and made better suited to plainclothes or undercover work. 

Shanxi Type 17 Chinese pistol


 The Shanxi Type 17 is a recoil operated, locked breech semi-automatic pistol. The bolt and barrel are locked by a vertically tilting locking piece with two lugs locking into recesses beneath the bolt. It features an adjustable sight for up to 1000 meters, though it's mostly a cosmetic feature, as the ammunition it is made for stops being accurate at less than a quarter of that distance. Unlike most modern pistols, the Shanxi Type 17 is loaded from a stripper clip into a fixed, non-removable box magazine.

The pistol was first produced in 1929 by the Taiyuan Arsenal, based on the Mauser C96 pistol. However, the Type 17 enjoyed renewed popularity and widespread deployment as the standard sidearm of the People's Liberation Army during the Sino-American War. 

Zhu-Rong v418 Chinese pistol


 Zhu-Rong v418, developed under the codename ZRIN by L.O.B. Enterprises, is a man-portable incendiary weapon built on the basis of a standard Shanxi Type 17 sidearm. The key component is an acumist barrel, replacing the standard one. Upon pressing the trigger, a standard 10mm round is fired and partially liquefied by the barrel coating. Upon impact, it liquifies entirely and delivers incendiary damage. Retardant jacketing and internal heat diffusers protect the operator's hands and fingers from injury. These properties give it superior accuracy and performance over other ZRIN prototypes, enough to qualify it as a production candidate.

Earlier prototypes were much less successful. ZRIN-363 weighed 118.3 kg and emitted dangerous fumes. The next model, ZRIN-375, used a proprietary ammunition type based on the 10mm round. However, the caplet with amalgamating agents, while creating spectacular firebursts and shrapnel projection in line with the project requirements, it proved excessively sensitive: Ammunition could explode due to vibration produced by simply walking. The penultimate functional prototype, ZRIN-401, rectified all of these problems, by using standard 10mm ammunition and using an acumist barrel to superheat the projectiles, but the lack of heat protection meant using it for prolonged periods of time was hazardous to the operator. 

Behind the scenes

 * The weapon model in Fallout 3 was created by Liquid Development.