Red Dead Redemption 2 Weapons List – All RDR 2 Gun Stats and Locations

Red Dead Redemption 2 has a whole list of weapons that you can obtain and customize during your wild west adventure. Revolvers, pistols, repeaters, shotguns, rifles, and sniper rifles are all available to take down your foes. We’ve put together all the weapons stats and a full Red Dead 2 gun list along with our recommendations on which are the best.

For all gun locations, and a full weapons list in RDR2 read on below. Check out our ammo guide for info on just what these weapons are capable of firing.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Revolver List

For much of Red Dead Redemption 2, revolvers will be your primary sidearm. Revolvers are well-rounded firearms that have a moderate aimed rate-of-fire and low to medium damage.

One special trait that revolvers share is that you can increase their rate-of-fire by not aiming. Your character will then fan the hammer, which doubles the number of shots you fire in a span of time. However, this is only recommended in close quarters because of the decrease in accuracy.

Cattleman Revolver

This is the first weapon you get in Red Dead Redemption 2, and it’s useful for pretty much the whole game. It’s a well-rounded firearm, and neither excels or fails in any particular category. It’s a single-action weapon, so it must be cocked after every shot. This leads to a lower fire rate as each shot requires two actions.

• Location: All gunsmiths from the start of the game. In inventory when the game begins.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Cattleman Revolver is based on the Colt Single-Action Army also known as the Peacemaker and the Colt .45. It was first produced in 1872, and apart from two short periods has been manufactured ever since. One of the most popular handguns ever made.
• Variants:
  • Flaco’s Revolver:
    • This revolver can be looted from the corpse of Flaco Hernandez after you duel him as part of the Gunslinger sidequest. You must pick it up then as you cannot acquire it later. It has a silver finish with engravings and a polished bone grip. It cannot be customized.
  • Granger’s Revolver:
    • Granger’s Revolver can be found on the body of Emmet Granger after dueling him as part of the Gunslinger mission. It cannot be customized, and you can’t pick it up unless you get it after defeating Granger.

Double-Action Revolver

The Double-Action Revolver sacrifices damage and accuracy for a higher rate of fire compared to the two other revolvers. The key to this gun’s quicker fire speed is that it is based on a double-action mechanism. This means your character doesn’t have to cock the hammer between each shot. Instead, pulling the trigger both cocks and releases the HAMMER. Up close, the small decrease in damage is offset by the higher fire rate, but at range, it’s the worst gun in the revolver category.

• Location:
  • Available at all Gunsmiths after the mission “A Strange Kindness” in Chapter 2.
  • You can also pick one up for free in Chapter 3 from Sean before taking on the home robbery mission.
  • Players who completed the treasure hunt in GTA Online will have one in their inventory after “Eastward Bound” in Chapter 1
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Colt New Army & Navy is the gun that the Double-Action Revolver is based on. This gun was introduced in 1892 and fired the .38 Long Colt round which was found anemic for military use. It led to the development of the Colt Official Police revolver which was one of the most prolific revolvers ever made.
• Variants:
  • Algernon’s Revolver
    • This gun is the reward for completing “Duchesses and Other Animals.” This is a side quest available starting in Chapter 4 after the mission “The Gilded Cage.” This gun cannot be customized.
  • Micah’s Revolver
    • You can find this gun on the top of Mount Hagen after “American Venom” in Epilogue 2. This gun cannot be customized.

Schofield Revolver

The Schofield Revolver is the last of the three revolvers that become available. It has a bit more damage and accuracy than the Cattleman Revolver at the expense of a slightly slower reload and fire rate. I used these for most of the game, but they’re not incredibly dissimilar to the Cattleman Revolver. They work in single-action only so you’ll have to cock them after each shot.

• Location:
  • All Gunsmiths after “Blessed are the Meek?” in Chapter 2.
  • Can be found while robbing the side business of the Valentine doctor.
• Real-Life Counterpart: This revolver is based on the Smith & Wesson Model 3 Schofield. This pistol was first produced in 1870 and was chambered most commonly for .44 S&W American and .44 Russian.
• Variants:
  • Calloway’s Revolver
    • You can get this by completing the Gunslinger side missions. Like other variants, this gun cannot be customized.
  • Otis Miller’s Revolver
    • This gun can be found in a chest in Cholla Springs as the prize of a treasure hunt. It also cannot be customized.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Pistol List

Pistols are different from revolvers in that they use pistol ammo and tend to trade damage for a faster rate of fire, larger magazines, and a fast reload. Once the Semi-Automatic and Mauser Pistol become available, there’s no real reason to stick revolvers aside from aesthetics. However, they do come later in the game and are expensive, so you will likely spend most of Red Dead Redemption 2 with a revolver as your sidearm.

Volcanic Pistol

The Volcanic Pistol is the first of this weapons class available to you, and unlike the other two pistols, it’s not the best. The extra damage in comparison to the Cattleman isn’t worth the decrease in fire rate or reload time. However, it does hold 8 shots in the magazine, which helps even out its disadvantages a bit.

• Location: Available at all Gunsmiths from the start of the game.
• Real-Life Counterpart: Strangely enough, the Volcanic Pistol is incredibly rare. Unlike its portrayal in the game, the level-action pistol was considered weak in real life and never reached full-scale production. It was manufactured in limited numbers in 1854-55 by the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. Volcanic went into insolvency in, but the gunsmiths who worked there would eventually form two of the most iconic American gun manufacturers: Smith & Wesson and Winchester.

Semi-Automatic Pistol

The Semi-Automatic Pistol is the first pistol you can acquire that is magazine-fed. Though it is the weakest sidearm in the game in terms of damage, it more than makes up for it by having the highest rate of fire in the game. The eight-round magazine capacity and quick reload make it a contender for the best secondary weapon in RDR2.

• Location: Can be purchased at the Saint Denis and Valentine Gunsmiths after completing “The Joys of Civilization” in Chapter 4.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Semi-Automatic Pistol is heavily based on the Borchardt C-93. The Borchardt pioneered the toggle-lock action that would become infamous in the Luger pistol and was one of the first mass-produced semi-automatic pistols.

Mauser Pistol

The Mauser is the last pistol to be unlocked for purchase in Red Dead 2. While similar in stats to the Semi-Automatic Pistol, it does a bit more damage in exchange for a slightly lower reload and fire rate. It’s a tough choice between the Mauser and the Semi-Automatic Pistol, but the Mauser might just win out due to its 10 round magazine capacity.

• Location: Available to purchase at the Saint Denis and Valentine Gunsmiths after the Chapter 5 mission “That’s Murfree Country.”
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Mauser Pistol derives from the Mauser C96 “Broomhandle.” This unique looking pistol was extremely popular, and over one million were produced between 1896 and 1937. It could be found in service in militaries around the world in both official and unofficial capacities from the Boer Wars up through WW2. RDR2’s portrayal is one of the rare instances where we see a 10-round C96 fed correctly with a stripper clip instead of a magazine (which only came in 20 and 40 rounds).
• Variants:
  • Midnight’s Pistol
    • This gold-plated beauty can be found on Billy Midnight’s body during the Gunslinger side quest. You must pick it up the first time around. Otherwise, it’s gone for good. Like all variants, this gun cannot be customized.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Repeater List

Repeaters take up the spot between rifle and sidearm class weapons. They have better damage, range, and accuracy than pistols and revolvers, and larger magazines. However, they can’t match the damage output, range, and accuracy of a rifle. Repeaters are best suited for medium-range combat against a superior number of enemies, where their large magazine sizes will allow you to rain rounds at foes before having to stop and reload.

Repeaters, like two of the revolvers, require you to use the action between shots to chamber a new round.

Carbine Repeater

This is the first primary weapon you receive in Red Dead Redemption 2, and it’s a decent one. It has a low magazine size in comparison to the other two repeaters, but early on it makes an excellent complement to the Cattleman Revolver. As soon as you get the Lancaster Repeater, you’ll never use this one again, though.

• Location:
  • Automatically receive this gun at the start of “Old Friends” in Chapter 1.
  • Available to purchase at all gunsmiths.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Carbine Repeater is based on the Spencer 1860 Carbine. Introduced in the Civil War, the Spencer supplemented but did not replace, the standard muskets of the Union Army. The .56-56 Spencer round the carbine was chambered in also demonstrated the advantages of brass-cased ammo during a time where paper and linen cartridges were still the norm.

Lancaster Repeater

The Lancaster Repeater will remain a steadfast friend throughout most of the game. It’s large 14 round magazine is an absolute blessing in gunfights, and it almost matches a rifle’s range and accuracy. This gun makes the Carbine Repeater obsolete, and you’ll stick with this carbine until near the end of the game.

• Location:
  • Given to you during “An American Pastoral Scene” in Chapter 2.
  • Available at all Gunsmiths for purchase after the above mission.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Lancaster Repeater derives from the Winchester Model 1866. This rifle’s distinctive brass receiver and status as the first Winchester rifle to be produced led to it becoming an iconic gun of the American West.

Litchfield Repeater

The Litchfield Repeater comes a bit too late to be a gamechanger. It does more damage than the Lancaster in exchange for a lower rate of fire, reload, and accuracy. You don’t get this until the game is nearly over, but it does pack two more rounds in the magazine compared to the Lancaster (16 vs. 14), so you might as well switch over.

• Location:
  • Given to you during “Goodbye, Dear Friend” in Chapter 6.
  • Available at all Gunsmiths after the above mission.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Litchfield Repeater is mostly a copy of the Henry 1860 rifle. This rifle is famous for being the weapon the Sioux and Cheyenne used in the Battle of Little Bighorn against Colonel Custer’s 7th Cavalry Regiment. The rifle saw some action in the Civil War and was the predecessor of the Winchester Model 1866.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Rifle List

Rifles are excellent when you want to retain short-range usability, but have the option of quickly switch to long-range combat. They also make superior hunting weapons, and cause a ton of damage at the expense of fire rate and reload time.

Of particular note, even though the Varmint Rifle is included in this category in Red Dead Redemption 2, it uses its own ammunition and does much less damage than the Springfield or Bolt Action Rifles.

Varmint Rifle

The Varmint Rifle is unique in that it’s the one firearm you can use to hunt smaller animals without damaging their pelts. The flipside is that it doesn’t have the characteristics of the other rifles. Instead, it’s much closer in action to a repeater. It takes .22 Rifle Ammo, which is exclusive to this gun. The Varmint Rifle isn’t very useful for combating human foes but makes a great hunting companion.

• Location: Available at all Gunsmiths from the start of the game.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Varmint Rifle is modeled on the Winchester Model 1890. This rifle is the first slide-action rifle developed by Winchester and chambers rounds similar to a pump-action shotgun. This was an immensely popular design, and around 850,000 were made between 1890 and 1941.

Springfield Rifle

The Springfield is a single-shot weapon that requires reloading between each firing. It is very powerful and can take down large game quite easily. However, due to its non-existent magazine, and very slow rate of fire, it’s not really worth the purchase.

• Location: Available at all Gunsmiths from the start of the game.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Springfield Rifle is based on the Springfield Model 1873 “Trapdoor” rifle. The “Trapdoor” comes from the rifle’s style of action. The breach opens forward on a hinge while loading, which looks like a trapdoor. It was the first breech-loading rifle adopted by the US Army and was used from 1873 until the Springfield Model 1892 was adopted in 1892.

Bolt-Action Rifle

The Bolt-Action Rifle is an excellent gun for medium-long range combat and is deadly accurate. Its high damage, range, and accuracy, coupled with its decent reload speed make it a go-to weapon when a repeater just isn’t cutting it.

• Location:
  • Given to you at the start of “Preaching Forgiveness as He Went” in Chapter 3.
  • Available at all Gunsmiths after the above mission.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Bolt-Action Rifle is based on the Springfield Model 1892-99 Krag-Jorgensen rifle. This rifle replaced the Springfield Model 1873 as the US Army’s standard longarm in 1892. It featured a side loading gate mechanism which is the unique feature of the design. This loading gate was finicky and criticized by troops in the field. It was replaced in 1903 by the venerable Springfield M1903 rifle.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Shotgun List

Shotguns are extremely powerful but suffer from inaccuracy and low range. The two primary forms of shotgun rounds result in a vastly different playstyle when using these guns. Buckshot shells scatter multiple pellets in the direction you fire. At close range, these can decapitate and blow off limbs, but at a distance, the pellets disperse too far to be effective. A Slug, on the other hand, fires one large ball which impacts with tremendous force and gives shotguns a much higher effective range than when using Buckshot.

Shotguns are excellent when clearing out buildings, or on horseback against foes on the ground in Red Dead Redemption 2. Buckshot is ineffective at anything over short-range, though, and even slugs shouldn’t be used beyond medium range.

Sawed-Off Shotgun

The Sawed-Off Shotgun is unique in that it can be used in a sidearm slot. It’s the worst of the shotguns, but because of its properties as a sidearm, it’s still worth using in certain circumstances. Early on when you’re taking on predator animals and human foes at close range, you may want to consider this for its power advantage over revolvers.

• Location: You get this in the mission “Enter Pursued by a Memory” in Chapter 1.
  
  This gun is available at all Gunsmiths from the start of the game.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Sawed-Off Shotgun looks to be made from a generic model of a period-appropriate shotgun.

Double-Barreled Shotgun

The Double-Barreled Shotgun is decent at the beginning of the game as a sweeper weapon. If you’re planning on fighting in a building, this weapon makes more sense than a repeater. After you get access to the Pump-Action Shotgun, this weapon becomes obsolete.

• Location: Can be picked up in a cabin at the end of “Paying a Social Call” in Chapter 2.
  
  Available at all gunsmiths from the start of the game.
• Real-Life Counterpart: This shotgun is modeled after a generic shotgun of the period.
• Variants:
  • Rare Shotgun
    • Location: Can be found after killing a character called the Hermit that lives in a cabin north of Annesburg. You must pick it up after killing him as you can’t return to collect it. Cannot be customized.

Pump-Action Shotgun

The Pump-Action is a trusty companion when you need a lot of power at close range. It requires you to pump after each shot, but this lets you fire at a more steady, faster rate than with the Double-Barreled Shotgun. It’s a great gun for close-in work, and subsequent models don’t have a massive advantage over it.

• Location: Available at all Gunsmiths after “Pouring Forth Oil” in Chapter 2.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Pump-Action appears to be based on the Winchester Model 1897. This is one of the most produced shotguns ever with over one million manufactured between 1897 and 1957. This gun was very popular in World War I, and because of its lack of a trigger disconnector, it could be slam-fired.

Semi-Auto Shotgun

The Semi-Auto Shotgun has a slightly higher firing rate than the Pump-Action and pays for it with a small loss of accuracy. The only reason to pick this gun up is if you haven’t already got a Pump-Action Shotgun, as it contains the same amount of rounds in its magazine as that weapon and the slight increase in fire rate doesn’t justify the expense.

• Location: All Gunsmiths after “A Fine Night of Debauchery” in Chapter 4.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Semi-Auto Shotgun is one of the few anachronistic firearms in Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s based on the Browning Auto-5 which wasn’t produced until 1902. This shotgun is the second best-selling semi-auto shotgun in history and was in production for almost a century, with manufacturing only stopping in 1998.

Repeating Shotgun

Again, this weapon doesn’t have any significant advantages over the Pump-Action or Semi-Auto. It can fit one more round in its magazine than those two guns (6 vs. 5) but is only worth purchasing if you haven’t already got one of those.

• Location: All Gunsmiths after “Visiting Hours” in Chapter 6.
• Real-Life Counterpart: The Repeating Shotgun is most similar to the Winchester Model 1887. This lever-action shotgun is perhaps most famous in the Mare’s Leg configuration as seen in the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The Model 1887 never gained much popularity and won much more acclaim in the hands of Arnold Schwarzenegger than it ever did during its original production run.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Sniper Rifle List

Sniper rifles are extremely powerful guns that have limitations to match. These weapons can only be used with a scope, have extremely low reload and fire rates, and are only useful in very specific circumstances. For hunting massive game or taking out foes from afar, there’s nothing better suited to the task.

Rolling Block Rifle

This will be your first sniper rifle in Red Dead 2, and it’s a decent one. You have a selection of short, medium, and long-range scopes, so you get some choice when it comes to the sight picture. It can only hold one round at a time, but each bullet has immense force behind it and even a glancing blow with this gun is usually fatal.

• Location:
  • Available at All Gunsmiths after “Pouring Forth Oil” in Chapter 2
  • Must purchase for “The Sheep and the Goats” in Chapter 2
• Real-Life Counterpart: This gun is based on the Remington Rolling Block rifle which was first produced in 1864. This gun was used by buffalo hunters in the American plains because of its immense stopping power.
• Variants:
  • Rare Rolling Block Rifle
    • Location: You can find this after you kill a sniper firing from a barn in “Magicians for Sport” in Chapter 3. This is probably the easiest variant weapon to miss, as nothing in particular marks the sniper as carrying anything special. Like all variants, it cannot be customized.

Carcano Rifle

The Carcano Rifle packs almost as much wallop as the Rolling Block while containing the strengths of the Bolt-Action Rifle. It has a much faster fire rate and reload time than the Rolling Block, and has a six-round magazine. The only drawback is that it comes so late in the game that you don’t get long to use it in the story.

• Location: Available at All Gunsmiths after “Goodbye, Dear Friend” in Chapter 6.
• Real-Life Variant: This rifle is patterned after the Carcano M91/38 Short Rifle, which is anachronistic as it wasn’t in service until 1938. However, it’s predecessor, the Carcano M91 was put into production in 1891, so we’ll just pretend like this is that rifle. The Carcano is perhaps most famous as being the rifle that Lee Harvey Oswald used in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.