Pistol/Doom 3

The first real weapon you get, the pistol is the classic semi-automatic gun in Doom 3. Comparatively weak but also very accurate. Headshots are more effective than body shots. It is considerably more powerful than the classic pistol, but often seems weaker, due to the fact that several of the weaker monsters have been “beefed up” compared to their classic counterparts. Best used to conserve ammo or as a backup weapon for when stronger weapons get close to emptying their magazines. In mid and close range, the machine gun is far more powerful, but the pistol is very accurate, so use it for enemies at long distance, or when you run out of ammo. But when they come closer, swap to something more powerful.

While the pistol, machine gun, and chaingun all technically fire bullets, they do not share the same ammo pool as in earlier Doom games.