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BSI Weapons 1

With the PEPPERMILL, you will be slow, and you will be burdened, but you will also be unstoppable.
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The Peppermill, commonly referred to as the Crank Gun, is a Gatling Gun and Heavy-class weapon used by Motorized Patriots in Columbia.

Gameplay[]

Although Booker can use this weapon, his only access to them is by defeating Motorized Patriots and scavenging one from the remains, or in some locations, Elizabeth can permit access to the weapon via a Tear. Reserve ammunition is rare and best-used for stronger enemies such as Motorized Patriots and Handymen, as opposed to weaker enemies, like citizens.

The Peppermill can do 70 damage per round and has a critical hit multiplier of 1.5x damage. At the most, it can fire up to 1,500 rounds per minute, but can only hold 100 bullets in a magazine and 100 bullets in reserve. It is important to note that the Crank Gun does not have useable iron-sights and relies entirely on hipfiring.[2]

BSI Weapons 1

Advantages[]

  • High damage per second
  • High rate of fire
  • Large-capacity magazine
  • Surprisingly accurate

Disadvantages[]

  • Only found by defeating Motorized Patriots/opening Tears
  • Elizabeth doesn't provide extra ammo for it
  • Slows player down when firing
  • Requires brief wind-up time before firing
  • Expends ammo quickly
  • Not upgradable
  • Extra ammo can't be purchased 
  • Long reload time
  • Can not aim down sights, must be fired from the hip
    • Completely useless with the "Tunnel Vision" Gear (-25% damage from hip firing)
  • Unaffected by Bullet Boon or Ammo Advantage

Gallery[]

Pre-Release[]

Release[]

Behind the Scenes[]

  • The weapon owes its name to old-fashioned pepper dispensers, which require users to manually turn a crank to grind up balls of black pepper into a fine grain.
  • Although hard to spot in-game, the Peppermill Crank Gun's muzzle flash is the shape of a star.
  • Subject Delta uses a machine gun that functions similarly to the Peppermill.
    • In concept art, the Peppermill had a single spade grip very similar to Delta's version. This was changed to a semi-standard wooden grip in the final game. Both versions would make firing the gun very awkward and may account for its brutal inaccuracy.
  • Although Booker is required to use both hands to fire the Peppermill, he is somehow able to fire it with only one hand whilst using a Sky-Line or casting Vigors. He is also able to hold the weight of the gun with one hand whilst reloading (he alternates from the right arm to the left arm).
  • Considering the time period of BioShock Infinite as well as the access to weapons technology in Columbia, a hand-cranked, multilateral rapid-fire gun design would be seen as obsolete. However, there is evidence that Peppermill was not based on the Gatling gun of the time period. The 1861 Gatling gun would not be subject to the "wind-up" stage in firing as seen with the Peppermill. The ammunition feed system is also different than what is seen on older Gatling guns which are usually feed from the top, while the Crank Gun is fed from the side like a modern weapon. Given how the weapon works, it seems likely the Peppermill is based, at least in part, on modern electrically powered Gatling guns. This would mean that the Peppermill does not need the crank and it is present for appearances only.
  • The Crank Gun is the only weapon wielded in the game that cannot be upgraded by means of purchased upgrades.
  • Bullet Boon and Ammo Advantage do not affect the Crank Gun.
  • The achievement/trophy Seasoned to Taste requires 30 kills with the Crank Gun to unlock.
  • At one point in development, the Crank Gun came equipped with a tripod that could be folded up underneath the weapon. Use of the tripod would require the player to stop moving.

References[]

  1. Detailed list of weapon and boss hp and damage stats from Gamespot
  2. Weapon damage data from this post by MelodicMizery
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