Executioner

"Double-action revolver pistol. Fires 28 gauge shotgun shells."

- Description.

The Executioner is a double-action revolver featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It is unique in the sense that it fires 28-Gauge shotgun shells as opposed to regular handgun rounds. This gives the Executioner much more collective damage than other handguns at close range but inherently much less range.

Campaign
The Executioner can be unlocked in the customized loadout menu after the player completes five challenges in "Celerium". It also appears as Raul Menendez' signature handgun in the campaign. At the start of "Achilles' Veil", Menendez uses his Executioner to fire at some Quadrotors while making his way to the Citadel. Once he reaches it, if the player chooses to try and shoot Menendez, then the latter will grab Farid's arm before the latter fires and then bring out his Executioner and shoot Farid. Menendez will then lecture Farid on his loyalty and superiors before firing again, killing him. In "Odysseus", Menendez will hold Briggs hostage with the Executioner, then the player can wound or kill Briggs with the Executioner.

Multiplayer
The Executioner is the fourth handgun unlocked at level 31. It sports high damage and very low range as well as a poor accuracy. This weapon reloads one chamber at a time, much like the Python in Call of Duty: Black Ops, and takes a while to reload when fully empty; as each shell is reloaded one at a time. This makes the Fast Mag attachment valuable because it will then use a speed loader to reload all shells simultaneously. The Long Barrel has only a slight effect on the range of this gun but is highly recommended to use in the process of unlocking the other attachments as it adds 16% range. Conversely, the Suppressor is not recommended at all; it will reduce the weapon's already short range even further. The Dual Wield attachment has multiple effects on the gun. It doubles ammo capacity, adds a Fast Mag attachment, but also decreases damage per shot and lowers accuracy. This makes the attachment more useful in some situations, but can be detrimental in others.

If the player uses a weapon more dependent on long range combat, such as a sniper rifle, light machine gun or some assault rifles, the Executioner can be a worthy sidearm for hefty close quarters engagements. It can also be useful paired with close quarters primary weapons, should the player run out of ammo. However, it is ill-advised to rely on the Executioner solely due to its very limited range and ammo capacities.

In Hardcore game modes, the Executioner is typically a two-hit-kill at its maximum range. When equipped with Long Barrel, one-hit kills are more frequent, but still not guaranteed. Due to its limited range and average damage, the Executioner is not commonly used as other handguns statistically and practically surpass it.

The Executioner is the third weapon tier on Gun Game, where it is equipped with the Laser Sight attachment.

The Executioner has since been buffed as of January 26, 2013's Title Update by having its damage at medium range increased from 10 to 15. It will now rarely take more than four shots to kill within short to medium range, making it a much more effective weapon overall.

Attachments

 * Reflex Sight (unlocked weapon level 2)
 * Laser Sight (unlocked weapon level 3)
 * Long Barrel (unlocked weapon level 4)
 * FMJ (unlocked weapon level 5)
 * Fast Mag (unlocked weapon level 6)
 * Suppressor (unlocked weapon level 7)
 * Tactical Knife (unlocked weapon level 8)
 * Dual Wield (unlocked weapon level 9)

Zombies
The Executioner is available from the Mystery Box for 950 points on the maps Tranzit, Nuketown Zombies, Die Rise, Mob of the Dead, and Buried. It has high damage by default, being able to kill zombies in one shot approximately up to round 15, depending on range and how many pellets hit. The raise and drop times are also very fast as it is a handgun, making a trusty sidearm for close range situations. However, the weapon's main downside is its somewhat low cylinder capacity of five rounds and a lengthy reload, as well as lack of range; while arguably one of the best close range weapon from the Mystery Box, the weapon has quite low damage at distance due to its shotgun nature. Speed Cola greatly speeds up the reload, which can be a life-saver at tricky situations. Reload cancelling can also shorten the reload time by a few hundred milliseconds. Double Tap Root Beer is a great help, further augmenting the Executioner's already exceptional damage by doubling the amount of pellets shot. Compared to the Python, the Executioner is far more powerful at best, but suffers from a slightly lower cylinder capacity and much less range.

When Pack-a-Punched via the Pack-a-Punch Machine, it becomes the Voice of Justice. It gets more reserve ammo, range and damage, with the potential to get one-shot kills up to round 35 from close range; making it a  worthwhile weapon choice in Zombies. It is one of the weapons that can be Pack-a-Punched multiple times to cycle through various attachments for 2000 points. The attachments which are available are the Long Barrel and FMJ.

In the new Zombies Game mode, Turned, the Executioner is the first weapon to be used when the player is human.

Trivia

 * The weapon's name in early stages was "Raging Judge".
 * There is a visible fingerprint on the cylinder.
 * While reloading in the campaign, it is possible to see the words "ANGER MANAGEMENT" on the shell casings.
 * The Executioner with the Laser Sight has the lowest amount of spread of any weapons.
 * Originally, the Executioner had a Long Barrel by default, which had the word 'Executioner' engraved along the side of it. This was changed in the final game.
 * The Executioner is Samuel Stuhlinger's and Finn O'Leary's favorite weapon.
 * When using the Tactical Knife, if all of the weapon's ammo is expended, the blade held with the left hand will disappear altogether. Furthermore, when aiming down the sights of the ammo-less revolver, the iron sights will be severely misaligned.
 * "Made in Brazil" and "ZOM 1919" are inscribed on the side of the weapon, above the trigger.
 * The Executioner originally used the Python's firing sound from Call of Duty: Black Ops, as seen in the Multiplayer Reveal trailer.
 * When camouflage is applied to the Executioner (with the exception of Diamond Camouflage), it will cover everything except the cylinder.