Best Weapons in Red Dead Redemption
The best all-round gun in Red Dead Redemption is the Mauser Pistol: the highest fire rate in the game, 10 out of 10, a 15-round magazine and one of the fastest reloads. For long range, the Carcano Rifle beats the Rolling Block; among rifles, the Bolt Action is the most balanced, and the Buffalo Rifle hits hardest of all.
The weapon menu rates each gun from 1 to 10 for power, range, fire rate and reload speed. This page ranks each class on those bars. A dot means the menu value could not be confirmed, so no figure is shown.
Pistols and Revolvers
Best: the Mauser Pistol. It has the highest fire rate of any handheld weapon, 10 out of 10, reloads at 9 and holds 15 rounds, and it fires automatically while you hold the trigger. The High Power Pistol is the most powerful handgun with a confirmed bar, 5, with a fire rate of 8 and the same fast reload, and Edgar Ross gives it to you for free.
| Weapon | Power | Range | Fire rate | Reload | Rounds | Price | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mauser Pistol | · | · | 10 | 9 | 15 | $800 | Blackwater gunsmith (rare weapon) |
High Power Pistol | 5 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 8 | · | Given by Edgar Ross at the start of Bear One Another's Burdens |
Semi-automatic Pistol | · | · | 8 | 9 | 7 | $300 | Fort Mercer treasure room or the Escalera gunsmith |
LeMat Revolver | · | · | · | 2 | 9 | $1,250 | Escalera gunsmith after An Appointed Time (rare weapon) |
Schofield Revolver | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | · | Given by Landon Ricketts in The Gunslinger's Tragedy. Undead Nightmare: save Chuparosa |
Volcanic Pistol | · | 3 | 5 | · | 8 | $100 | Twin Rocks hideout or the Armadillo gunsmith. Undead Nightmare: save Twin Rocks |
Double-action Revolver | · | · | · | · | 6 | · | Chest in the Tesoro Azul hideout. Undead Nightmare: save Tesoro Azul |
Cattleman Revolver | · | 4 | · | · | 6 | · | Starting weapon. Undead Nightmare: from the first mission |
Repeaters
Best: the Henry Repeater for power, the Evans for staying power. The Henry hits harder, 7 against 6, while the Evans carries 22 rounds against the Henry's 12.
| Weapon | Power | Range | Fire rate | Reload | Rounds | Price | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Henry Repeater | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 12 | · | Nosalida hideout reward. Undead Nightmare: save Nosalida |
Evans Repeater | 6 | 6 | · | · | 22 | $1,000 | Blackwater gunsmith (rare weapon) |
Winchester Repeater | · | · | · | · | 10 | $350 | Picked up in Spare the Rod, Spoil the Bandit, or the Armadillo gunsmith |
Repeater Carbine | 4 | · | 4 | · | 7 | · | Given by Bonnie MacFarlane in New Friends, Old Problems |
Rifles
Best: the Bolt Action Rifle. It scores 8 for power, range and reload, with a fire rate of 3. The Buffalo Rifle has the most power in the game, 10, but fires once per reload.
| Weapon | Power | Range | Fire rate | Reload | Rounds | Price | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolt Action Rifle | 8 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 5 | $750 | In the fort during The Gates of El Presidio, or the Escalera gunsmith |
Buffalo Rifle | 10 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | $475 | All gunsmiths after rank 5 of the Master Hunter challenges |
Springfield Rifle | · | · | 2 | 3 | 4 | $300 | Gaptooth Breach hideout, or the Thieves' Landing gunsmith |
Sniper Rifles
Best: the Carcano Rifle. It shares the maximum range, 10, with the Rolling Block but fires three times as fast, 3 against 1, and holds 5 rounds against 1.
| Weapon | Power | Range | Fire rate | Reload | Rounds | Price | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carcano Rifle | · | 10 | 3 | 7 | 5 | $1,100 | Blackwater gunsmith only (rare weapon) |
Rolling Block Rifle | · | 10 | 1 | · | 1 | · | On a table in Empty Promises, or atop the fort in Must a Saviour Die? |
Explosive Rifle | · | · | · | · | · | $10,000 | Blackwater gunsmith |
Shotguns
Most powerful confirmed: the Sawed-off Shotgun, at 7 against the Double-barreled's 6, with the shortest range of any firearm, 1. The Pump-action and Semi-auto shotguns hold 6 and 5 shells; their power could not be confirmed.
| Weapon | Power | Range | Fire rate | Reload | Rounds | Price | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sawed-off Shotgun | 7 | 1 | · | 5 | 2 | $500 | Pike's Basin hideout or the Thieves' Landing gunsmith |
Double-barreled Shotgun | 6 | · | · | 5 | 2 | $300 | A Frenchman, a Welshman and an Irishman, the Tesoro Azul hideout, or a gunsmith |
Semi-auto Shotgun | · | 3 | · | · | 5 | $1,000 | Escalera gunsmith (rare weapon) |
Pump-action Shotgun | · | · | 4 | · | 6 | · | Picked up from a Dutch gang member in And the Truth Will Set You Free |
Thrown Weapons
The Fire Bottle is the only thrown weapon with a confirmed power bar, 7, and a range of 3.
| Weapon | Power | Range | Fire rate | Reload | Rounds | Price | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fire Bottle | 7 | 3 | · | · | · | $25 | Nosalida or The Demon Drink, then on sale |
Dynamite | · | 3 | · | · | · | · | Picked up in Nuevo Paraiso, on sale after Mexican Caesar |
Tomahawk | · | · | · | · | · | $10 | Manzanita Post general store |
Throwing Knives | · | · | · | · | · | $10 | Given by Abraham Reyes in The Great Mexican Train Robbery, then sold at Manzanita Post |
Undead Nightmare Weapons
Undead Nightmare adds five weapons of its own. They are listed with how to get them.
| Weapon | Power | Range | Fire rate | Reload | Rounds | Price | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blunderbuss | · | · | · | · | · | · | Given by Nigel West Dickens at the end of A Cure for Most of What Ails You |
Holy Water | · | · | · | · | · | · | Given by the Mother Superior at the end of Mother Superior Blues |
Boom Bait | · | · | · | · | · | · | Given by Landon Ricketts in Biographies and Lies; then crafted from Undead Bait and dynamite |
Undead Bait | · | · | · | · | · | · | From A Cure for Most of What Ails You; draws the undead |
Torch | · | · | · | · | · | · | Given during Curious Tales from Blackwater; sets enemies on fire |
Menu bars as recorded by a 2010 player weapons guide and IGN's Red Dead Redemption wiki, shown only when both give the same value. Prices are base prices before the honor discount.
The Rare Weapons
Five rare weapons count towards the Exquisite Taste trophy and achievement: the LeMat Revolver, the Mauser Pistol, the Evans Repeater, the Carcano Rifle and the Semi-auto Shotgun. All five are sold by gunsmiths, three of them in Blackwater.
More Red Dead on GTAside
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