I've decided to give sidearms a try with the new weapon updates. Does anyone have any vender recommendations for a good one and/or what perks/stats should I shoot for? I'm thinking range perks and quick reloads.

Honestly, I've found that they're all about as good as each other. As far as I've felt, there's not a whole lot of difference in range or stopping power. Of course, I'm also using Dreg's Promise right now, so maybe my opinion is invalid. :p

My favorite by far has been the vendor roll Ironwreath-D from Lord Saladhead. That one came with Zen Moment, Hot Swap and your choice of Snapshot/Quickdraw/Reinforced Barrel.

I'm a big fan of of the zen moment, hot swap, snapshot setup.

The New Monarchy Conviction II is also preeeety good.

This. It is my go-to sidearm. It just feels really good and is a nice compliment to just about anything for kill-mopping.

I bought it last night and took it for a spin. So far im lovin it. Great range and quick ttk.