You’re wandering through the Mojave Wasteland, parched, probably irradiated, and definitely underdressed for a Legion ambush. You duck into the Dino Bite Gift Shop in Novac because, honestly, where else are you going to find a giant concrete dinosaur in the middle of a nuclear apocalypse? Inside, tucked away in a storage room or sitting behind a counter guarded by a guy named Cliff Briscoe, is a weapon that looks like it tumbled straight out of a 1982 Ridley Scott fever dream. It’s called That Gun. It’s small. It makes a weird mechanical whirr when you reload it. And for a lot of players, it never leaves their inventory for the rest of the game.
The Mystery of the Name and Why It Matters
Most weapons in New Vegas have names that tell you exactly what they do. Service Rifle. Anti-Materiel Rifle. Chainsaw. But That Gun is different. The name is a direct, tongue-in-cheek nod to the original Fallout and Fallout 2, where the weapon was simply called the ".223 Pistol." Back then, it was just "that gun" everyone wanted because it hit like a truck despite its size. It’s an inside joke that survived the transition from isometric pixels to the 3D world of Obsidian Entertainment.
But there’s more to it than just a meta-reference. It’s a 5.56mm pistol modeled after the LAPD 2019 Blaster used by Rick Deckard in Blade Runner. This isn’t a coincidence. Fallout has always been a messy, beautiful collage of 50s Americana and 80s sci-fi cynicism. Holding this weapon feels like a bridge between the neon-soaked streets of a future Los Angeles and the dust-choked trails of the Mojave. It shouldn't work, yet it does.
A Technical Breakdown for the Wasteland Gun Nut
Let's talk numbers, because in a hardcore playthrough, the math actually matters. That Gun uses 5.56mm ammunition. That’s usually rifle territory. By putting a rifle round into a handgun frame, you get a weapon that punches through armor way better than your standard 9mm or .357.
It has a base damage of 30. That might not sound like much compared to a Ranger Sequoia, but look at the crit multiplier. It’s a 2.5x modifier. If you’ve got a high Luck stat and the right perks—think Finesse and Better Criticals—this thing becomes a monster. You aren't just shooting people; you're exploding heads with a weapon that fits in a waistband.
The reload animation is where the soul of the gun lives. It's a cylinder-fed weapon, but it doesn't work like a traditional revolver. It flips open, you hear that iconic whirr-click, and you’re back in the fight. It’s tactile. It feels heavy in a way the generic 10mm pistol never could.
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Finding It Without Breaking the Bank
Look, 1,000 caps is a lot of money early on. Cliff Briscoe will try to sell it to you for a premium because he knows what he has. But here's the thing: you can basically get it for free if you aren't playing a "Lawful Good" character.
If you sneak into the storage room behind the shop, you can just pick the lock and take it. Cliff isn't exactly the most vigilant guard. If you’re playing a high-reputation character and want to do things the "right" way, just help the town of Novac. Resolve the "Come Fly With Me" quest at the REPCONN test site. Once you're a local hero, the prices drop, and suddenly That Gun is affordable.
The Logistics of Ammo and Longevity
The beauty of this weapon is the ammo. 5.56mm is everywhere. You can buy it from the Gun Runners, find it on NCR troopers, or scavenge it from random crates. But the real secret sauce? Armor Piercing (AP) and Match rounds.
Because That Gun is chambered for 5.56mm, you can load it with specialized surplus ammo that you typically can't use in other pistols. Facing a bunch of Brotherhood of Steel paladins in power armor? Load up some AP rounds. Dealing with cazadores at a distance? Use Match Grade ammo for that sweet accuracy bonus. It’s the most versatile sidearm in the game because it leeches off the diverse ammo pool of the most common rifle caliber in the Mojave.
Why People Still Talk About It in 2026
New Vegas is a game about choices, but it’s also a game about style. There are technically "better" guns. A fully modded Light Shining in Darkness from the Honest Hearts DLC probably has higher DPS. A scoped Hunting Revolver is better for long-range sniping.
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But they don't have the vibe.
That Gun occupies a specific niche. It’s the weapon of the wanderer. It’s for the player who wants to feel like a noir detective in a cowboy hat. It bridges the gap between the Cowboy perk and the Grunt perk (though it technically only benefits from Cowboy if you're looking at specific crit-based builds, it fits the aesthetic perfectly).
It’s also surprisingly reliable in the late game. Most "early" weapons fall off once you start hitting level 30 or 40. You stop using the 9mm pistol because it’s like throwing pebbles at a deathclaw. But because of that crit multiplier, That Gun stays relevant. It’s a "finisher." You use your sniper to soften them up, and when they get close, you whip out the Blaster and let the critical hits do the heavy lifting.
Realities of the Build: Making It Work
If you want to main That Gun, you need to lean into the crit-build meta.
- Luck is not optional. Start with at least 7 or 8 Luck. Get the implant at the New Vegas Medical Clinic.
- The Cowboy Perk. It increases damage with revolvers and lever-action firearms. Despite its sci-fi look, That Gun counts.
- Professional Perk. For those who like sneaking, this adds a massive 20% to your sneak attack critical damage with pistols.
- Hand Loader. This is the big one. This perk allows you to craft 5.56mm Plinking rounds or the much-coveted 5.56mm Match rounds.
The downside? The magazine size. You only get five shots. In a world where you’re being swarmed by tunnelers or feral ghouls, five shots go by fast. You have to make them count. You have to be the guy who doesn't miss.
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The Cultural Legacy
It’s rare for a single item in an RPG to have this much staying power. We see it with the Master Sword in Zelda or the Buster Sword in Final Fantasy VII. But those are "hero" weapons. That Gun is a "character" weapon. It tells a story about the world it inhabits—a world that remembers the "Old World" not just through its history books, but through its pop culture and its machinery.
When you hear that reload sound, you aren't just playing a game from 2010. You're part of a lineage that goes back to the 80s and 90s. It’s a piece of digital archaeology.
Maximizing Your Utility With That Gun
To truly master this weapon, stop treating it like a primary rifle. It is the ultimate backup.
- The "Holdout" Trick: It’s a small weapon. This means that with a high enough Sneak skill (50+), you can smuggle it into casinos. While everyone else is stuck using crappy suppressed .22 pistols to take out Benny, you’re walking onto the floor of the Tops with a 5.56mm powerhouse.
- Weapon Maintenance: It has a decent durability, but it's not invincible. Keep a stash of Weapon Repair Kits. Or, better yet, get the Jury Rigging perk so you can fix it using any common pistol you find on a dead bandit.
- VATS vs. Manual: The iron sights on That Gun are... okay. They aren't great. The green glow helps in the dark, but it’s really a VATS weapon. The high crit chance shines when the game's math is doing the work for you.
Final Insights for the Mojave Traveler
Don't overthink it. If you’re in Novac and you have the caps, buy it. If you don’t have the caps, steal it. That Gun is more than just a Blade Runner Easter egg; it’s one of the most mechanically sound, flavor-rich, and versatile weapons in the entire Fallout franchise. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best tool for a post-nuclear wasteland is a weird, whirring pistol from a future that never happened.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Head to Novac as soon as you leave Primm; it's a bit of a trek, but getting this weapon early changes the entire difficulty curve of the early game.
- Focus your early-game skill points into Sneak and Small Guns (or just Guns in New Vegas terms) to ensure you can steal the weapon and actually hit your targets once you have it.
- Keep an eye out for 5.56mm surplus ammo at Hoover Dam; the NCR Quartermaster Bardon has thousands of rounds, which turns this pistol into a high-volume lead dispenser.