In Red Dead Redemption 2, the player is largely responsible for their safety and serving justice in the wild west. To do this, players will need the best weapons to ensure their survival and that they’re the most dangerous man in the room when things inevitably go south.
While many weapons are entirely situational, some prove to be the best to have for many situations, and players are either confident experts or total fools not to have these in their arsenal.
15 Cattleman Revolver
The first revolver the player will ever get a hold of is surprisingly one of the best revolvers and a solid gun to keep throughout the game. It has a surprisingly adequate range for a handgun, and the high fire rate means players get a few rounds into their enemies before they can react.
Admittedly it is quickly outclassed because of its damage, but, if players dual-wield two of these revolvers, they can remain a threat long into the endgame. But, even wielding one revolver, players can quickly fan the hammer and have a great fire rate to overcome those weaker bullets.
14 Semi-Automatic Pistol
This pistol may not be as good as a revolver or shotgun in close quarters combat, but it’s a great weapon for horseback riding, as players can fire off quite a few shots and quickly reload for another attack. It also has a semi-decent range for a pistol, meaning players can hold their own in mid-range combat.
Perhaps its only weakness is that it’s very expensive, and it can be very hard to find pistol ammo in the game. Still, if players have a stash of these bullets lying around, they can do a lot of damage and have a lot of fun with this weapon.
13 Flaco’s Revolver
The nice thing about this weapon is that it’s obtained from a side quest, and upgrading requires simply using it. This gives it an advantage over other weapons that would require significant cash upfront to obtain, and then more cash to modify and upgrade.
This revolver also has great accuracy for a gun of its caliber, meaning players can get the drop on revolver wielding enemies a lot sooner and pick them off while they struggle to hit them. Dual-wielding this weapon with another revolver makes the player one of the best gunslingers in the west.
12 Midnight’s Pistol
This gun belongs to one of the most infamous gunslingers in the west. While he may or may not deserve the title given the mysterious circumstances around his opponent’s death, his gun is one of the best handguns a gunslinger could own.
This gold-plated beauty has some solid stats, with a great fire rate and reload speed even when dual-wielded with something else. It really shines if the player dedicates some time to upgrading it as it has great accuracy.
11 Schofield Revolver
Players who want to be a powerful dual-wielding gunslinger should definitely try out the Schofield Revolver in Red Dead Redemption 2. The gun features both excellent damage and high accuracy.
That being said, the Schofield Revolver does suffer from a low rate of fire, so players should be wary of this before going all out with this weapon against many thugs. Aside from this small weakness, the Schofield Revolver is a brilliant weapon.
10 Bow
Players who want to opt for a stealthier approach should try using the bow in battle. Sneaking around and bagging headshots makes for a great time indeed.
Unfortunately, using this weapon in a shootout is pretty problematic, mainly due to its low rate of fire. Players should just switch over to a gun if their cover’s been blown… unless they’re feeling more daring than usual, that is.
9 Volcanic Pistol
The Volcanic Pistol is easily the best handgun in the game. The sheer damage and stopping power of this weapon rivals some of the most powerful rifles in the game as well!
However, the weapon’s reloading speed and rate of fire are major concerns. Players should be accurate with this weapon instead of firing wildly unless they want to stare at a game over screen sooner rather than later.
8 Rolling Block Rifle
The Rolling Block Rifle packs some serious punch right out of the gate, and, once fully upgraded, it becomes a thing of legend with its raw firepower, range, and accuracy. Sure, the reload is bad, and the fire rate is even worse, but, after players put a few rounds in their enemy, they can take however long they need to reload.
Once fitted with a long scope and a good barrel, the Carcano Rifle becomes one of the best—if not the best—sniper rifles in the game. Players will be switching to something else at close range, but at a distance, they definitely have the advantage.
7 Semi-Auto Shotgun
If players don’t have the time for those fancy gun draws at ten paces at dawn, then having a shotgun to pump some rounds into their foe’s belly is the way to go, and the Semi-Auto Shotgun is the one they want.
This thing is deadly in close quarters, and it makes for a great hunting weapon with its high accuracy, impressive fire rate, and cone-shaped blast. This will clear a room, drop enemies on horseback, or take down a deer with little effort.
6 Sawed-off Shotgun
The iconic Sawed-off Shotgun is a weapon that was featured heavily in the marketing of the first Red Dead Redemption game. This fact in itself is enough to prove to players that this weapon is one of the best guns in the game.
The fact that it functions as a sidearm is even better, with players having the ability to dual-wield this incredibly powerful weapon. Mowing down enemies with this gun never ceases to be entertaining.
5 Pump Action Shotgun
The cool nature of the Pump Action Shotgun, coupled with its massive damage, makes it the best shotgun in the game. There’s just something viscerally satisfying about blasting someone away with this weapon before Arthur pumps the weapon to unleash another round.
As long as players don’t get overconfident, they will easily be able to wipe out a substantial portion of their enemies with this amazing weapon. There’s a reason why so many people absolutely adore this gun.
4 Carcano Rifle
The Carcano Rifle packs quite the punch and has good mid to long-range capabilities with its high range and high accuracy. Its one main disadvantage is an abysmal fire rate and a reload time that’s on the slow side for a rifle.
What makes this better than the Rolling Block Rifle is that, after it’s been properly upgraded, the rifle’s reload rate is nearly twice as fast. So, while the two weapons may be comparable in the beginning, the Caracano Rifle will easily outclass it once both are fully upgraded.
3 Litchfield Repeater
The best weapons in the game are easily the repeaters given their solid stats and all-around versatility in any situation. The Litchfield is the weakest of the repeaters, but it is by no means a pushover when compared to other weapon types.
Its large magazine clip and balanced stats make this repeater more geared to fighting groups in mid-range combat, which players will be doing a lot of in this game. When fully upgraded, it packs a solid punch and reloads quickly.
2 Lancaster Repeater
Where the Litchfield Repeater was more for mid-ranged group combat, the Lancaster Repeater is better for long-range engagements against groups. It has the highest accuracy out of all the repeaters, and, with solid range and solid reload speeds, players can whittle down an incoming posse before they’re in the range of their guns.
The only reason it doesn’t rank higher is that, once those opponents start creeping into mid-range, players will find themselves at a disadvantage and switching to another weapon. It can hold its own, but there are better guns at mid-range.
1 Carbine Repeater
Hands down the best gun in the game, the Carbine Repeater is a solid weapon choice for any fighting players will be doing. Its stats are solid across the board, with the only weakness being in fire rate, though it’s still comparable to a shotgun and a lot more versatile.
The Carbine Repeater can do well in close combat, but it really shines in mid to long-range fights where most of the player’s hunting and fighting will probably be done anyway. Sure, they might want to switch to a shotgun in close quarters combat, but this weapon’s versatility in all other engagements makes it the best.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was released on October 26th, 2018, and is available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
