shooting iron vs pistol

shooting iron and pistol both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
shooting iron	Yes	No	No	No
pistol	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, shooting iron and pistol are synonyms defined as:

shooting iron and pistol: a firearm that is held and fired with one hand

Other synonyms of shooting iron include handgun, side arm.

shooting iron (noun)	pistol (noun)
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand	a firearm that is held and fired with one hand