Pistols only
OK, my $0.02.
I think pistols-only matches are a blast. However, they usually (there are always exceptions) only work well when there are just a few people on the server.
Here's where they don't work well: when one or two people out of 12 or more decide it's time to have a pistols-only match. It's darned difficult to get a dozen other people to agree. It's harder to guage the consensus than has been suggested in this topic (the idea that all you need to do is take a vote and see if 90% or more agree). I've been in matches where the instigators vigorously claim (usually with much whining and cursing) that a majority have agreed to a pistol match when I've seen NO vote, and NO indication that a majority has even expressed an opinion.
Sometimes I go along with it if there seems to be a few others who want to change to pistols-only. Until I get blown away by someone's automatic weapon or M203, when is what usually happens. Then I go back to automatic weapons because I ain't going to let THAT happen again, and sure enough -- one of the pistols-only instigators TKs me. There is NO WAY to get everyone to vote on this issue in most games, most people just don't speak up. I've seen it many times. I've seen it work only a few times. Regardless of the outcome, it always causes hard feelings, cursing and TK'ing.
IMO, pistols-only matches should be started only on servers set up for it (the aforementioned mutator) and on empty servers where a few people who want to play this way agree to meet and go for it. They can tell newcomers that they're playing pistols only, and that usually works -- the newcomers usually either comply or go elsewhere when they see that everyone is already using only pistols.
So, please, when you want a pistols-only match, go to a pistols-only server, or ask in a regular game for people who want to do pistols-only and get them to go with you to find ANOTHER server, an empty one, to start such a match. Don't try to change an already-full-up server to pistols-only in the middle of a match.
And GNAT, thank you, THANK YOU, for banning Crackwhore from MUF servers!