Bucky

The Bucky is the cheaper of the two true shotguns at 850 credits, firing 15 pellets per shot but at a much slower rate — effectively a single powerful blast followed by a real cooldown rather than the Judge's faster-firing feel. Its primary fire is even more devastating at close range, and it carries a genuinely unique alt-fire: an "airburst" mode that fires a 5-pellet spread as a projectile, giving it a rare mid-range option most shotguns don't have at all.

That airburst alt-fire is the real reason to consider the Bucky over the Judge — it lets a player threaten a corner or doorway from further away than any other shotgun can manage, at the cost of a much smaller pellet count on that particular shot.

The primary fire's semi-automatic-feeling but slow 1.1 rounds-per-second rate makes every pull of the trigger a real commitment — there's effectively no fast follow-up shot the way the Judge has, so the first shot needs to count far more often.

Primary-fire damage at close range is even higher per pellet than the Judge inside 8 meters, making the Bucky the single hardest-hitting weapon in the game at point-blank distance for its price. The airburst alt-fire adds real flexibility that the Judge lacks, letting a Bucky user contest a slightly longer angle without fully committing to a close-range push.

The primary fire's slow rate means a missed or partially-connected shot is costly — there's no fast follow-up the way the Judge has, so a whiffed shot at close range can be fatal against any player with even a basic sidearm ready. Its damage still falls off hard past 12 meters, same as the Judge, so it shares that shotgun-family weakness at range.

The airburst mode, while flexible, delivers far less total damage than the primary fire since it's spreading only five pellets instead of fifteen — it's a genuine option for zoning or forcing a reaction at range, but rarely a reliable standalone kill confirmation the way the primary fire is up close.

At 850 credits, the Bucky is genuinely eco-friendly — a real weapon upgrade over a starting pistol for a fraction of a rifle's cost, and a common pick on rounds where the team is saving but still wants a chance at winning close-range duels rather than conceding the round outright.

It's a natural pairing with a light armor buy on a low-economy round, since the credits saved versus a full rifle buy can go toward at least partial protection rather than a bare pistol round.

The airburst alt-fire also makes it a slightly more flexible eco pick than the Judge for a team that isn't certain the round will stay close-range, since it at least offers some form of answer if a fight ends up happening a little further out than planned.

The core play is aggression at extremely close range — holding a tight corner or pushing through a doorway where the primary fire's point-blank damage guarantees a kill on contact. The airburst alt-fire is worth practicing separately, since it opens up peeking a slightly longer angle that the primary fire simply can't reach.

Like the Judge, it's a poor fit for anyone planning to hold an open lane — the whole weapon is built around forcing or answering close-range fights, not contesting space from a distance.

Given the slow primary fire rate, it's worth treating every shot as final rather than assuming a quick second attempt is available — repositioning after a miss is usually the better choice than trying to out-duel an alert opponent while reloading.

At true point-blank range, the Bucky's primary fire out-damages nearly everything in the game, rifles included — a clean hit inside a few meters ends a fight before a rifle's fire rate can respond in kind.

Once the range extends past that point-blank window, the matchup shifts fast — the airburst mode helps but delivers a fraction of the primary fire's damage, so a Bucky user relying on it against a rifle at 15+ meters is at a real disadvantage.

Against the Judge specifically, the Bucky's higher point-blank damage per shot can win a true point-blank trade, but the Judge's faster follow-up shot matters more the moment the first exchange isn't instantly decisive.

The Bucky rewards the same tight, close-range spaces as the Judge, but the airburst alt-fire gives it a little more flexibility on maps with medium-length corridors where a pure point-blank weapon would otherwise be stuck waiting for the perfect angle.

It's a particularly strong pick for holding a doorway or stairwell that funnels a push into a predictable, close-range line — exactly the kind of spot where the primary fire's devastating point-blank damage decides the fight before it really starts.