Via Starwars.com:

When Luke Skywalker first met Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo, he heard two opposite opinions about blasters. Obi-Wan called them clumsy and random, while Han’s DL-44 heavy blaster pistol was his best friend beside Chewbacca and theMillennium Falcon. No matter whose opinion you tended to follow, blasters were the dominant weapons in the galaxy.

Throughout the centuries, blasters evolved into a myriad of models and sizes with specific functions. Powerful mega corporations such as BlasTech Industries, Merr-Sonn Munitions Inc., SoroSuub Corporation, and Czerka Arms were the most successful weapons manufacturers. Blaster pistols could be used with one hand and were easy to carry on a belt or in a holster. The difference between a blaster pistol and a heavy blaster pistol (such as Solo’s DL-44) was that the latter models were heavier to use and delivered more powerful blasts, albeit with a shorter maximum range. A generic blaster pistol weighed about 500 kilograms, could deliver 100 shots per pack, and had a maximum range of 120 meters. In this article we’ll check out some better-known blaster pistol models (don’t expect any hold-out blasters, sporting blasters, heavy blaster pistols, or blaster rifles).

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