Fortnite’s Machine Pistol is rivalling Stinger as fan-favorite SMG in Chapter 3

Alan Bernal
fortnite machine pistol

Fortnite’s new Machine Pistol is already rivaling the Stinger as the community’s favorite SMG shortly after arriving in Chapter 3. The weapon, added in the v19.20 update, has been praised for its excellent time-to-kill.

The Machine Pistol in this form has popped up in Fortnite’s past a couple of times through leaks, not to mention a few brief appearances in-game before being removed shortly after.

However, Epic Games have officially added the SMG to the battle royale for players to properly try it out in Chapter 3. Now that players have it in their hands, they’re seeing first-hand how it can melt opponents at close range while holding its own in extended build battles.

Even though the Stinger has been a fan-favorite SMG for a while, the Machine Pistol is starting to turn heads from Fortnite fans.

Fortnite players are loving the new Machine Pistol

It wasn’t long after the February 8 hotfix that Fortnite players started to notice the Machine Pistol’s insane prowess at eviscerating opponents in no time.

People have been testing out the new SMG compared to the Stinger, which is painting a clear picture of which is better in certain instances.

“So me and this guy went toe to toe with [both the Stinger and Machine Pistol],” one player said. “And he hit me down to 40 [with the Stinger] before I got a shot off and still killed him because of the [Machine Pistol’s] time to kill at close range.”

Popular streamer SypherPK was trying out the Machine Pistol, but was astonished after an opponent flying by deleted him shortly after appearing on his screen.

Though the moment left the streamer speechless, other Fortnite players shared a similar sentiment with how effective the gun was at lasering opponents: “Ok so the Machine Pistol melts.”

With its 15-19 damage per bullet accompanied by a wild 13.5 bullets per second fire rate, it quickly drew up comparisons to the Stinger. The Stinger has a slightly higher peak damage per bullet (20) with a slower fire rate (12), which lets the Machine Pistol dish out a bit more DPS than its counterpart.

The two guns are pretty comparable, so if you can master the Machine Pistol it’ll do you wonders towards getting your next victory royale.

About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?

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