Weapons in Redemption

There are a variety of Weapons in Red Dead Redemption. They are essential to survival, as well an integral part of everyday life in the American West. The player is able to use a range of weapons including Civil War era manually-operated weapons, to cutting edge, fully automatic weapons.

Inventory
The player can carry 9 weapons that they pick up or purchase. Each weapon occupies a slot on the weapon inventory wheel. The player can switch between guns of the same slot. Only one pistol and one long-gun appear on the character model. When dueling, Marston will make use of whichever pistol or revolver is currently equipped. The weapon inventory wheel sorts weapons by:
 * Revolvers & Pistols600px-Red-dead-redemption-xbox-360-139.jpg
 * Rifles
 * Shotguns
 * Scoped Rifles
 * Fists
 * The Hunting Knife
 * Lasso
 * Thrown Weapons

Marston can also buy a Bandolier to hold twice as much ammunition for repeaters and rifles, as well as adding to his appearance.

Ammunition


Ammunition for the weapons of Red Dead Redemption are split into seven distinct firearm categories, and are all interchangeable within these categories. It should be noted that in reality, very few of any two given firearms would be able to interchangeably use ammunition in 1911, the time that Red Dead Redemption takes place.


 * Revolver Ammo
 * Pistol Ammo
 * Repeater Ammo
 * Rifle Ammo
 * Shotgun Ammo
 * Sniper Rifle Ammo
 * Explosive Rounds

The easiest way to obtain ammunition is from safehouses; each bedroom (except rented ones) contains a chest with a quantity of ammunition, types and amounts determined randomly. The Improved Campsite has the same function, although in this case the ammo goes into inventory without player action.

Boxes that can be found on the map (both in free roam and game modes) can contain ammunition for some or all weapons. Ammunition can also be found when an enemy has been killed or hogtied and his gun is shining; simply walk over the gun to collect the ammo.

Ammunition can also be purchased from gun stores which are located in certain towns. Each type of ammunition has a different price. When traveling a long way by horseback, it is best to equip a revolver, because revolver ammo is the cheapest/most plentiful and facilitates quick Dead-Eye aiming.

Pistols and Revolvers
Pistols and Revolvers are located at the top of weapon selection menu.

Rifles and Repeaters
Rifles and Repeaters are located at the bottom of weapon selection menu.

Scoped Rifles
Scoped Rifles are located at the bottom-right of weapon selection menu.

Shotguns
Shotguns are located at the right of weapon selection menu.

* - Indicates rare weapon needed for the Exquisite Taste achievement.

Thrown Weapons
Top Left of weapon selection menu.

In addition to firearms, the player can obtain various thrown weapons:
 * Throwing Knives
 * Dynamite
 * Fire bottles
 * Tomahawk

Mounted Weapons
These weapons are stationary and cannot be directly moved by the player from the location of deployment:
 * Maxim Gun
 * Gatling Gun
 * Cannon

Equipment
Other than the above, there are other types of weapons and equipment the player can use.
 * Binoculars

Downloadable Content
The following weapons are exclusive in one of the DLCs and are not available in the original game.

Note: They are also in single player.
 * Tomahawk
 * Explosive Rifle
 * Blunderbuss
 * Torch
 * Holy Water
 * Zombie Bait
 * Boom Bait

Stats
See Weapons in Redemption/stats for the weapon stats information.

Weapon Challenges


Completing the kill challenges for any weapon will just award with experience points. Completing all of the headshot challenges (which is equated to 100 headshots total) for any weapon will award with experience and the golden version of that firearm. But, the following challenges can only be contributed to by participating in competitive multiplayer (Private or Public); any kills in Free Roam will not count. Golden guns also do nothing for the player.

Weapon Achievements & Trophies
There are a number of achievements related to the use and ownership of weapons. Unlike the challenges listed above, these achievements are not limited to multiplayer sessions and can be unlocked during the singleplayer campaign.

Shooting Tips
When using most guns, aiming needs to be precise. Sometimes this may be tricky but there are some ways that can improve accuracy and precision. First of all, by taking advantage of the aim assist in the game, it's easy to take out multiple enemies in seconds. When the enemy is near the center of your screen, holding down the aim button will lock on to the enemy, depending on how close they are; this snap provides good accuracy. To better utilize the aim assist, after firing multiple shots or killing an enemy, briefly stop aiming and aim again quickly to lock on to the next enemy. However, this still may take a long time to kill the enemy. After having mastered the technique, practice aiming up slightly after locking on until successfully obtaining a perfect headshot. However, you may not need to use this technique depending on the weapon being used.