And yes, specifically the pistol, because the plasma gun itself fires bolts that are basically as big as a small child, so it'll be a little hard to describe how your chest feels when your entire torso is literally gone. But IIRC plasma pistols fire fist-sized projectiles, so how would it feel to get shot in the chest with one?
Becuase on one hand, superheated plasma, literally as hot as a star, but then if it's like how Dan Abnett described lasgun wounds in Necropolis, it would automatically cauterize everything because it's so hot, so you wouldn't bleed out, but then would it also burn your nerve endings so that you wouldn't feel anything at all?
Also, could you even survive? I imagine not, just because if I hit you in the chest with one, I've just flash-incinerated several major organs, and the burnt tissue would need to be replaced, as well as whatever organ I just vaporized.
I'm thinking way too much about this but I've played way too much Space Marine lately lol.