[Pathfinder] Building an unarmed combat competent Gunslinger

[Kalleo]

Hello, everyone. I'm going to be starting a Pathfinder campaign soon, and have a few newish players. Two of them have been in only one or two half-year campaigns, sticking with pretty simple builds (Barbarian with a big mace, for instance). This time around, I'm trying to be encouraging of them thinking outside the box and making something interesting, unusual, and full of flavor.

 One of the players has now expressed interest in playing a sort of classic Cowboy character, meaning one who's both good with a gun and able to hold their own in a fistfight/barfight. She'll most likely be playing this character as part of an organization of mercenary bounty hunters/trackers.

I've played a pretty fair amount of Pathfinder, but I'm almost completely unfamiliar with the Gunslinger class. I know that right off the bat, this concept runs into the problem of trying to be reasonably competent in two very different styles, which is often quite difficult to optimize. Not only that, unarmed tends to be difficult to optimize anyway without fully focusing on it. As such, I thought I would come here and ask for help while doing the research myself.

The character will probably reach about 15th level or so, but will need to be playable from 1. The two more experienced members of the group are quite good, and I fully expect them to make rather powerful characters, hence my trying to help the two less experienced. Essentially anything on the Pathfinder SRD is allowed. I imagine she's open to some flexibility about the build, including potentially giving up the unarmed combat, so long as she has some form of melee ability or various Cowboy-appropriate things.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Kalleo]

Whoops. Double Post.

[Solo]

A few levels in fighter could be useful for the bonus feats.

[kitcik]

The first rule in Boot Hill was "buy a buffalo rifle" - so maybe the answer is to focus on unarmed combat and just carry a big gun?

[veekie]

Are you tied to the Gunslinger class or more to the concept of a gun-fighter? In the latter case its doable, in the former, hijinks will be necessary.
Its got a pretty terrible setup, though at higher levels at least you can afford to use the faster loading ammo types without going bankrupt.

You could probably do the same gig using a Zen Archer monk(if you can negotiate the bow into a gun), a Fighter(Weapon Training for guns and natural weapons, then pick up the archery feat series with rapid reload, and a dash of melee feats with your spares) or a Ninja with the gun proficiencies(relying on sneak attack for damage).