Mad respect for using using a striker. That line of swords is so underused, but really nice imo.
For handguns, it really comes down to what gun gameplay you enjoy. I personally always found the blaster series to be a bit meh, bit if you like yours then stick with it, since it really isn't a bad choice.
In regards to which branch of Blaster, I'd go with which ever damage type you need most. If you are having a particularly hard time dealing with a specific family of monsters, you might want to choose the path that counters them.
You're loudout counters beasts pretty well, so going with pierce might be a bit redundant. The elemental blaster would compliment your loudout pretty well I think. Some floors have a pretty good mix of beasts and constructs, and being able kill constructs quickly (especially rocket puppies) can be very important, and you'd have a much easier time dealing with undead (which can be super common for some reason).
If you have trouble with gremlins or slimes, I personally suggest you get a shadow brandish actually. The charge attack wipes them out nicely.
There is also a matter of fiends, which might be a good reason to go with piercing anyway lol. Fiends become pretty difficult to fight later on, so preparing for them probably would be a good idea.
A pierce blaster might be pretty awesome against them, not that I think about it, since it shoots enough to get around their dodging, and would stuck-lock them a bit (a fiend's is always pretty sure always interrupted if the fiend takes enough damage).
As for handguns other than Blasters, I personally use the Antigua line the most. I have an Argent Peacemaker as well as a Blackhawk (will upgrade to an Obsidian Carbine when I get the chance), which, between the two of them, cover most situations pretty well.
I use the Catalyzer fairly often also (Virulent Catalyzer Biohazard to be exact), since it counters healers very well. Just stack charges and nuke them lol. It's pretty cumbersome to use in some cases though; certinally not the best all-purpose handgun out there.
Pusars are also pretty awesome, but I don't use them much. They are too easy-mode for my tastes lol.
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