10 Best Weapons In Red Dead Redemption 1 (& Where To Find Them)

3 days ago 4

If you're looking for a rootin' tootin' good time, the original Red Dead Redemption is almost always a sure thing; from the lively western backdrop to the period-accurate armory the game offers, there's something charming about even the weaker aspects of the game. You can equip anything from a garden-variety six-shooter to some pricey armaments, but knowing which weapons are worth your money is pretty important. You might find yourself relying on the same weapons throughout your playthrough, but the later parts of the game offer some impressive firearms.

With the PC version of RDR on the way, you should brush up on your memory of exactly which guns you'll find throughout your playthrough. Many fans are saying RDR's PC price is "ridiculous," but if you do end up playing it despite the price point, having an arsenal that works for you will be important. As a hired gun, making sure your gun is the best of the best will keep you comfortable.

10 Bolt Action Rifle

This Rifle Is Consistent And Worth The Money

For a cool $750, players can purchase the Bolt Action Rifle in Escalera. This is a pretty penny, but if you want to try out the weapon before you buy it, you'll be able to get a taste of what it offers during the "The Gates of El Presidio" main story mission. You can pick it up above the entryway to the fort, next to a cannon.

John Marston holding a gun on his shoulder with two cowboys behind him.

10 Features Red Dead Redemption 1 On PC Must Include

While the PC release of RDR will likely be similar to the console version, there's still a chance the developers will surprise fans with new features.

The Bolt Action Rifle has a higher ammo capacity than some other rifles and also reloads a bit quicker, allowing you to hit more targets in a shorter amount of time. To balance these quicker shots, the Bolt Action Rifle does have lower damage, but it's still a super useful weapon to equip for those more ranged situations.GameWeps demonstrates the fire rate on YouTube; it's pretty low, but that gives you time to place your shots to ensure that you hit.

9 Double Action Revolver

A Quick-Shootin' Revolver That Packs A Punch

If you want to get the most out of the Red Dead Redemption remake, make sure you're using the game's best weapons.

The Double Action Revolver is one of four revolvers in the game and one of the better ones. It's got a high fire rate and reload speed, which means you're going to be able to maintain damage pretty consistently. While it gets out-damaged by the LeMat revolver, it is faster, plus you'll get it for free. When paired with your trusted horse in RDR, the Double Action Revolver is consistent and trustworthy. You can find the Double-Action Revolver in the Tresoro Azul compound, in a chest near the jailed deputy.

If you don't want to go out of your way to pick the gun up, you can wait until the main story quest, " The Great Mexican Train Robbery ."

After this mission, you'll be given the gun for free, which is a nice addition to your arsenal.

8 Carcano Rifle

A Long-Range Powerhouse

While the Carcano Rifle's long-range game can't be matched, buying this gun is the only way to pick it up. You can grab it from the Gunsmith in Blackwater for $1,100.

If this price is too steep for you, you can get it for cheaper if you have a higher Honor level , which significantly lowers the price to $550. If that's still too expensive, grab the Savvy Merchant outfit to get the gun for $275.

The Carcano Rifle is a scoped rifle that hits hard. It keeps five bullets in the magazine, which gives it a significant advantage over the other, single-bullet magazine rifles. You'll take less time between shots without the need to reload as often, and it is impressively accurate at a good range. Keep this rifle in your back pocket for situations where you must pick enemies off further away.

7 Henry Repeater

This Repeater Is Powerful, But With Less Ammo In The Mag

There are a few repeaters in RDR, but the Henry Repeater shreds like no other. It's got the highest power and a pretty impressive 12-round magazine, which is the second-highest capacity repeater in the game. These stats make it a reliable weapon for more sustained damage.

You can pick up the Henry Repeater by clearing out the Nosalida hideout. This is located in the northwest corner of Mexico, and you'll find it in the "Poppycock" Stranger mission or follow along with Red Dead Replay's YouTube video. You don't need to fully clear the hideout during the mission, but it's easier to do it during the mission than to come back and do it later.

6 Evans Repeater

If 12 Bullets In Your Mag Wasn't Enough, Try 22

Though the Evans Repeater comes in second to the Henry in terms of power, its higher ammo and fire rate make it more fun. Because guns back in the old west weren't exactly the high-powered automatic machines we're accustomed to in modern games, 22 bullets to the mag is pretty impressive. Pair this with its quick shots, and you can watch GameWeps demonstrate that the Evans Repeater is the closest you'll get to mowing down foes in RDR.

To grab this gun, you'll have to save up to buy it. Its price points match its usefulness, and you can purchase it for $1000 flat at the Blackwater Gunsmith. Like other guns, you can reduce this price down to $500 with a high enough Honor score. You can also equip the Savvy Merchant outfit to get the gun for $250 instead.

5 High Power Pistol

The Second-Best Handgun In RDR, Held Back By Its Reload Speed

A man in a bowler hat holding a high power pistol from red dead redemption

The High-Power Pistol is one of three semi-auto pistols in Red Dead Redemption, making it unique. It has higher stats than the Semi-Automatic Pistol, making it a reliable companion for damage. It has a higher rate of fire and magazine capacity than typical revolvers, but unfortunately, you don't get it until later in the game.

While it's a later-game gun, you do at least pick it up for free. You'll get the High-Power Pistol from Edgar Ross during the opening of the "Bear One Another's Burdens" story mission. Considering that it's free, getting such a powerful gun late doesn't feel as bad.

4 Semi-Auto Shotgun

They Can't Hit You If They're Mincemeat

Red Dead Redemption is full of precise, one-shot-at-a-time weapons, but sometimes you need something a bit less subtle. The Semi-Auto Shotgun has all the grace of a rhinoceros, but it gets the job done. Like any shotgun, it's only really helpful at close or point-blank range, but once you're close enough to use it, there's not much you can't put down.

You can pick up the Semi-Auto Shotgun by purchasing it from the Escalera Gunsmith. It'll run you $1000, which you can whittle down to $500 or $250 by having high Honor or wearing the Savvy Merchant outfit. While this weapon isn't meant for every situation, it's just too strong to ignore when heading out for a mission.

3 Buffalo Rifle

Only A Single Shot, But This Gun Makes It Count

Ammo economy and large magazines have been mentioned several times as factors that make a weapon great. The Buffalo Rifle subverts that completely with only one round in the mag. However, it makes up for this super low ammo storage capacity by having the ability to one-shot almost any enemy in the game, which GameWeps demonstrates on YouTube.

The Buffalo Rifle is another weapon that can only be purchased, so save up to buy it at any gunsmith you can find. However, to unlock the Buffalo Rifle for purchase, you'll need to reach Rank Five of the Master Hunter Challenges. These are fun challenges that will give you something new to do in the game; instead of hunting bandits, you'll hunt animals.

2 Mauser Pistol

A Cheaper Alternative To The High-Power Pistol

The Mauser Pistol on a table in Red Dead Redemption 2.

The Mauser is a standard go-to for new and returning players to Red Dead Redemption, thanks to its high ammo capacity, rate of fire, and reload speed. It has a higher rate of fire and almost double the magazine size of the High-Power Pistol, which more than makes up for its lower power. It's also quite a bit cheaper than many of the other strong weapons in the game.

You can pick up the Mauser from the Blackwater Gunsmith for $800. It's $200-$300 less than many of the other guns on this list, and in the old West, that's a considerable amount of money.

Like in Red Dead Online, earning money can be laborious, and there are only a few ways to earn money quickly. The Mauser's lower price makes it more convenient and worthwhile than other similar caliber guns.

1 LeMat Revolver

The Top-Of-The-Line Revolver To Top The List

The lemat revolver from red dead redemption

The LeMat Revolver clears all the other revolvers in the game for a few reasons, the biggest being how impressive its stopping power is for a gun its size. It has nine ammo capacity, and those three extra shots make a difference compared to a typical six-shooter. Additionally, it's strong enough to take out wildlife that might threaten you in just a few shots.

Though the LeMat is the crown jewel in any gunslinger's collection, it'll lighten your pocketbook quite a bit. You can purchase the weapon at the Escalera Gunsmith for a whopping $1,250. Its high Honor and Savvy Merchant discount prices are $625 and $313 each.

There are quite a few excellent weapons in the original Red Dead Redemption, and each one has specific circumstances in which it works. The auto and semi-auto weapons have their niche, but long-range, plink-style weapons can be just as useful. If you need extra firepower or even get tired of your typical weapons, picking up any weapons on this list will help you be the deadliest gunslinger in the West. Red Dead Redemption is an absolute classic, and with many of its best qualities missing from RDR2, fans should look forward to the upcoming PC port.

Source: GameWeps/YouTube, Red Dead Replay/YouTube