Basic Weapon Guide

If you're reading this, then you've played this game for 10 minutes and are confused as to which gun is good, which is bad and which is overpowered to the point of no return. Well fear not, I will attempt to explain the pros, cons and so on of every actual gun in the game. I will briefly talk about the other ways you can murder the opposing angry cowboys but not to the same extent as the firearms.

So you've seen the arsenal of period Western equipment, guns and accents and all the thoughts of pretending you're Clint Eastwood and decided the best thing to bring into a gun fight is cowboy boots and a few boot knives. Well don't worry your slightly deranged head off, let me tell you what is good, bad and incredibly useless in the realm of bodily harm.

FISTS

Otherwise known as "meat hooks", "shovels", "bony appendages" and "pleasurers", the old timey art of pugilism is a fairly common weapon in-game, although never by choice. Usually a player switches to fisticuffs after they run out of ammo and have a very angry bandit close enough you can smell the whiskey.

Besides the low damage, slightly fast "rate of fire" and the giddiness of beating a man to death in the Old West, do not rely on the old art of beating a man to death if you're actually aiming to play this game seriously. Course if you've read any of the reviews then that is the last thing you're here to do.

BRASS KNUCKLES

If you want to make beating a bunch of cowboys to death somewhat more possible then I reccomend you grab a pair of these drunken brawl power moves. Sure it might break your knuckles if you don't wear them exactly the right way, but it boosts the damage of your normal fists to a level where you won't catch a load of 12 gauge buckshot for showing this rapscallion the ol' 1-2. At least not as often.

COWBOY BOOTS

I apologize if you read that and thought you could fling entire cowboy boots at people, don't worry we're all dissapointed by that missing feature. But with a tap of a button, you can in fact Duke Nukem kick people without explaining that you have steel-based genitals. Again, not entirely doable but useful to shove your enemy away from you to prevent your death.

KNIFE

If you ever wondered if your drunken skill of darts was ever useful in combat, here you go. Whether shoved into the other guy's ribs or being thrown in a mad escape, the knife is surprisingly more practical than you might think in this game. Doing around 35 damage a shiv or successful fling it makes it more practical than pure fisticuffs. Plus, you can throw them to annoy people at a distance.

HATCHET

While was once a tool for chopping wood and sticks, the brawl of Fistful of Frags brings this more infamous slashing device into the fray. The Hatchet is a much more practical option for killing without shooting doing 40 damage to the body and 56 if you can land a "headshot". It has a quick response time that means your liklihood of getting shot while attacking someone is a bit lower. You do have the option of throwing the axe at people, but I highly reccomend against it unless you're really into practicing your virtual hatchet aim.

MACHETE

Personal choice of jungle warfare, modern slashers and 16 year olds with access to Amazon, the Machete is the choice of showing that a knife in a gunfight isn't impossible. It does 60 damage a swing and 80 for a headshot and comes with a speed boost so you can be fast murder man rather than the average slow murder man.

Yes, the classic Western firearms. There's no way to do anything vaguely related to the Old West without a bouquet of classic 1880's steel. And Fistful of Frags is filled with many flavors of firearm to kill your fellow man with.

REMINGTON 1866 "Derringer"

Developed right after the Civil War, the Remington 1866 is a two-shot pistol in .41 Rimfire that would begin a long sea of similar rimfire caliber pocket guns with barrels ranging from 1 to 4 and even more because it was the 1870's and the sky is the limit on ideas. This design is as iconic as guns of this era go, as over the years several companies have resold versions of this gun in calibers ranging from .22 Long Rifle to .44 Magnum.

In-game, the Derringer is a cheap gun for use as a backup. It's commonly combo'd with other handguns to provide the finishing blow to enemies given it's incredibly horrible damage at range. It does adequate damage at close range, making it a useful backup for either handguns, long guns, bows or even combo'ing it with another Derringer because why not.

COLT 1851 NAVY

One of the most successful designs of the late 1840's and early 1850's, the Colt '51 Navy is a 6-shot .36 caliber handgun that was more common in the American Civil War than bearded soldiers and battlefield amputations. It was cheap, robust and reliable, making it a perfect candidate for several inventors to make cartridge conversions once rimfire and centerfire became common. And thanks to that, you don't have to spend an eternity trying to remove broken percussion caps.

The virtual steel is a fairly average handgun that really won't woo you with performance. It's fairly accurate, decent damage and gives out a good reward with each kill in comparison to the other handguns on offer. The damage's decent nature makes it a really drab and meh gun to use in any sustained fight so while you can keep it running for long, I don't reccomend it.

VOLCANIC PISTOL

One of the rarest guns in the game, and that's saying something is the Volcanic Pistol. Made in the late 1840's, the Volcanic toyed with the idea of "rocket ball ammo". Short answer being shoving all the powder behind the bullet and capping it off with cork and some priming compound so it did go bang. While it was novel at the time and was a rather well-regarded target pistol, the problem was low damage and little utility thus making it a market failure soon after. However the designs of it would then be sent off to a certain man named Oliver Winchester who had an employee named Benjamin Tyler Henry refine it and the rest is history.

Within the confides of the game, the Volcanic lives up to the real steels issues with a level of gusto you rarely see put forward for firearms. The damage is fairly mediocre at best but the overall accuracy is very good for a handgun. The low damage becomes incredibly hard to deal with especially when hitting limbs or at long ranges so do confide the gun to close quarters duels. The 9-shot capacity makes it fairly useful, alongside the fairly speedy normal rate of fire and a very high base notoriety reward.

COLT 1873 "PEACEMAKER"

The most iconic handgun of this era, the Colt 1873 was introduced after S&W's patent on the bored-through cylinder expired allowing other companies to properly make revolvers without paying the patent holder or violating copyright law. A 6-shot, .45 LC caliber beefcake of a gun that became famous due to sheer production numbers. Despite pre-dating almost every modern firearm concept, these guns are still made decades later because people will always want to pretend they're cowboys.

In-game, the Colt 1873 is the most balanced choice of a sidearm even more so than the 1851 Navy. It does superb damage with easily doable two-shots on the average angry ranger, plus with a fairly fast rate of fire only mired by a tad meh accuracy. But it serves as a very good sidearm if you're trying to run around with a shotgun, rifle or a ton of dynamite.

WINCHESTER 1892 "MARE'S LEG"

The Mare's Leg is a fairly common version of a standard Winchester 1892 that is more of a Hollywood production than a genuine Western weapon. Made by gunsmith Kenny Howard for Steve McQueen's TV show "Wanted: Dead or Alive" and has become incredibly tied to the Wild West image. It's been used in Once Upon A Time In The West, Zombieland, even modern games like Battlefield 4 have a "tactical" version of a Mare's Leg. But all share the same traits for the most part, shortened lever action rifle with a enlarged lever loop for flip cocking.

In-game, the Mare's Leg is a weird middle ground between the 1866 Yellowboy rifle and the 1873 pistol. It boasts a very high damage, on par with the Peacemaker combo'd with a 8-shot magazine tube that has a similar reload speed as the Yellowboy which I will get to later. However the overall accuracy is pretty bad, as expected from what is basically a sawn-down rifle, plus the firespeed is average at best although you do flip ♥♥♥♥ it like the man you are. Overall, the Mare's Leg isn't a bad option, but not a perfect one.

SAWED OFF SHOTGUN

The term "sawn off shotgun" or "sawed-off shotgun" is a generic word used to describe a modified shotgun cut down into a smaller package. There's no real set time where people began to actually take hacksaws to their trusty hunting aids but there's evidence going as far back as the Revolutionary War. The overall idea is to make a shotgun more compact to hide under thick overcoats thus making it a much more powerful concealed weapon. Because nothing quite says "Surprise" than two barrels of buckshot to the face from a hacksaw'd Sears and Roebuck double barrel.

The Sawed-Off in-game is one of the most powerful close quarters weapons, easily killing anyone who gets stuck in the blast. It's very commonly used alongside another handgun, or another Sawed-Off and is really only useful as that. The range is very bad, courtesy of around 3/4 of the original barrel missing, and the reload is mediocre speed so it's perfect for giving people a lovely surprise of buckshot ot the face.

S&W SCHOFIELD

Developed by S&W to compete with the solid-frame revolvers of the time, the S&W Model 3 was one of the most advanced revolvers of the era. Rather than relying on a loading gate, the user could simply open the gun up for quick reloading, perfect for both normal shooting and for cavalry. The name "Schofield" was added when US Cavalry General George W. Schofield made a modification to the top latch making it easier to open one handed, which was perfect for his profession and thus helped sell the gun to the US Government more. Outside of the Cavalry, the Schofield was used by the Russian Empire, Spain, Italy and several famous Western gunslingers like Pat Garrett, Virgil Earp and John Wesley Hardin.

If you survived that overly verbose sales pitch block of text, then the Schofield is the perfect gun to companion with a less accurate sidearm like the Mare's Leg or Sawed-Off Shotgun. The Schofield is stupid accurate, boasting the highest accuracy rating of any handgun at 92% making it perfect for pot shots at long range. Also it is one of the fastest guns to reload in the game courtesy of the famous top-break action. With a slight knock against it in terms of price, the Schofield is a powerful sidearm in the hands of the right eprson.

S&W SAFETY HAMMERLESS

The S&W Safety Hammerless is part of a massive pile of small .32 and .38 caliber revolvers that were popular for self defense ever since the Colt Pocket of the 1840's. The "lemon squeezer" top break revolver was first made by Iver Johnson in the late 1860's to early 1870's and many, many manufacturers followed suit, S&W first started production of the Safety Hammerless in 1887 and it kept going well into the late 1930's. God knows why.

In-game, the Safety Hammerless is a cheap sidearm that operates in similar fashion to the derringer. It's a very cheap gun costing a whopping 2 supply points with a fairly fast reload to boot. To contrast that, it has piddly damage on-par with the Derringer and some pretty mediocre accuracy. A good backup gun but that's about it.

REMINGTON ARMY

The Remington Army is one of only two percussion cap firing guns in the game, and it is one of the most famous and popular handguns of that type. Developed in 1858 and beginning production in 1861, it became a common sidearm on both sides of the Civil War courtesy of it's price and fun feature. Unlike other revolvers of the era, the Remington Army allowed for the cylinder to be removed and swapped making it incredibly faster to reload than the standard Colt of the era. It was used by the US Army, Mexico, the Empire of Japan, France and more, plus an ivory-handled one was used by Western icon Buffalo Bill Cody.

If you found the Schofield's downsides a turn-off, then the Remington Army is the perfect alternative. It has one of the higher payouts per frag in-game, tied with the Derringer making it much more economical than the Schofield. It has a very high damage doing 60 up close and 80 with a headshot making it easy to combo with the magic cowboy kick. The only downside of the gun is a pretty slow fire rate, on par with the last handgun I have yet to talk about. But if you can survive that, you'll find this to be a very good sidearm for any situation.

COLT 1847 "WALKER"

One of the largest black powder guns ever made, the Walker held the record of most powerful handgun from 1847 until the mid 1930's with the introduction of .357 Magnum. Developed from the earlier Colt "Paterson", the Walker gains its name from a Captain Samuel Walker who served with the US Dragoons in the Seminole Wars. Walker submitted a long list of modification to the design, which Colt obliged and managed to work out a contract for 500 Walkers to be given to Cavalry and Dragoons just in time for the Mexican-American War. It's a 6-shot, .44 caliber with a charge of 60 grains of black powder behind each bullet, double the normal load that was made so the gun could easily drop cavalry horses running at speed. Another order of 500 were placed, and Colt made a limited run of 100 for commercial sale. After the war, Colt would refine Walker's work making the 1848 Dragoon and thus beginning the famous Colt Manufacturing Company.

The legendary power of the Walker is seen in full glory in this game, with it being one of the few weapons that can one-shot players at close to medium range. While it might seems too overpowered for normal play, the gun has a lot of things stacked against the damage. For one, it's accuracy is average, plus the rate of fire is one of the slowest in-game with no option to fan it. The biggest draw back is the reloading process, which from dry can be around 20 seconds as you pop off each percussion cap, replace and reload the cylinder. It makes the Walker a powerful but balanced handgun for gameplay.

You should've expected that reference. Outside of the pistol catagory Sawed-Off, there are only two other options for scatter guns in the game but they're both very different in their approach to the idea of "shotgun".

COACH GUN

The term "coach gun" was used to describe modified double-barreled shotguns that were very common in the Wild West era as defense weapons. While many were used on stage coaches, it soon blossomed into a common defense weapon with both sides of the law. Usually in 12 Gauge but also in other flavors of the era like 10 Gauge, 20 gauge and rarely 8 Gauge, the coach gun in-game is in reality just a normal full-length double barreled shotgun.

While the name is a lie, the in-game gun is a very powerful piece of hardware. It'll easily do 65 damage and up at close range, but one must remember that they only have 2 shots on tap so missing a blast with this carries more risk than it's smaller brother. The fanning button allows you to "aim" the gun increasing accuracy especially when moving, a useful addition that helps reduce the chances of you wasting a shot. The reload time is very fast with 3 seconds to replace both barrels, although the rate of fire is dreadfully slow for some balancing reason. Besides that, the Coach Gun is a very effective close range weapon if you want to be an angry cowboy with a boomstick.

WINCHESTER MODEL 1893 PUMP ACTION

One of the most modern guns in the game, the Winchester 1893 was developed by famous gun designer John Moses Browning in an attempt to find a way to make a repeating shotgun that wasn't as troublesome as the 1887 Lever-Action design. Using a similar pump mechanism from the earlier 1882 Spencer shotgun, Browning refined the design to make it a bottom-loading side ejecting design that sold like hotcakes. Originally in black powder, the introduction of the 1897 model allowed the design to stomach smokeless loads. Winchester offered every owner of an 1893 to trade up to an 1897, destroying all the 1893's in the process making originals very rare.

The 1893 is a powerful gun in any close quarters combat, with a fast rate of fire in comparison to guns like the Schofield or the Peacemaker. While the overall damage is lower than the Coach Gun, the fact you have over 3x the shells on tap means you can put down more fire a lot faster. The only issue that you might have is with range as it is a shotgun. Also you should mind your ammo, it's really tempting to empty all 6 shells in combat. If you want to keep this as long as possible, reload at any opportunity.

One of the most effective weapons in the game if you know how to use them are the 4 different flavors of rifle. High damage, these are the only guns in the game with actual iron sights although aiming down them slows your movement. So knowing how to properly use them can help you be a very annoying person armed with a Civil War era carbine.

SMITH CARBINE

Another rarity of the Civil War era, the Smith is a cavalry carbine patented by Gilbert Smith. First actually patented in 1857 and soon after passing Union Army trials entered service with a variety of Union and Confederate Cavalry Corps. It's a single shot, .50 caliber carbine that's notable for breaking open and using an early rubber cartridge that provided a gas seal in the action thus making it a lot more user friendly than many other carbines of the era.

The Smith is the only rifle that can be grabbed from Blue crates if you're so inclined. It's a fairly potent rifle with very good damage at medium range, easily killing in a headshot or with a meatshow and boot combo. The biggest pro it has over the other rifles is the fact that it has impressively good hipfire aim, with an 81% while strafing and 59% while in the air making it slightly more useful for shooting without aiming than the other rifles on offer. Just be careful and remember that it is still a single shot rifle.

SPENCER REPEATING RIFLE

The Spencer Repeating Rifle was one of the most common repeating rifles of the Civil War, primarily by being one of the first mass produced repeaters in the world. Designed by Christopher Spencer, it was a 7-shot, .56 caliber rimfire rifle that used the under lever to both eject and feed rounds, with the user simply recocking it after firing it. Firing a .56 caliber bullet at around 900-1000fps made it a powerhouse that would easily match the power of the single shot muskets of the era. In combat it was much more desirable than the Sharps, primarily in the fact that many Sharps rifles of the era relied on paper cartridges that were useless when even mildly wet, something the brass cased Spencer didn't have issues with. Following the war, Spencer's company went under primarily due to the lack of desire for the rifle with all the surplus of the war although ammo was made well into the 20's.

Apologies for that wall of text, I'm a nerd for firearms history. Back to the actual thing you want to know which is that this is the middle ground rifle. In comparison to the Smith, the Spencer has 7 rounds on tap and a similar damage numbers, while it has the similar mobility boost that the Spencer and Smith share that the other two rifles lack. It's rate of fire is fairly good, the accuracy outside of aiming is pretty garbage, the sights are teeny and so on. It's a gun for one shot headshots like the Smith but with repeat firepower unlike the Smith.

WINCHESTER 1866 "YELLOWBOY"

Based off of the legendary Henry rifle, the 1866 was a refinement by the Winchester company to address several issues that the rifle was given over the course of the Civil War. The magazine tube spring was reversed, thus removing the end of the barrel pivot. The lower magazine spring follower was replaced as well, allowing for a wooden handguard to be fitted. The most useful was the introduction of a loading gate allowing the user to easily pop in rounds at any point in the fight. While shunned by the American Cavalry of the time, the 1866 would be used to great effect by Native Americans and cowboys of the time. The Ottoman Empire used them during the Russo-Turkish War, easily overpowering the Russian troops still armed with single shot rifles and showing the world how useful repeating firepower was.

Within the game, the Winchester is one of the most powerful weapons on offer. With 45-60 damage per meat shot and 88-100 per headshot it can very easily clean house if the user is careful to not waste rounds trying to fire fast. The rate of fire is fairly fast and thus can easily eat through the whole 16 round magazine if you're careless. Accuracy is good, with 99% when standing still and aiming down sights and 70% when ADS while moving. Operate it in a similar fashion to the Winchester 1893 shotgun, take each shot carefully and reload at every opportunity.

SHARPS 1874 RIFLE

The Sharps is a rifle as iconic as the Winchester for the Wild West era, first patented by Christian Sharps in 1848 and gradually improved. The rifle became famous during the Civil War, where Union sharpshooters were issued full size rifle versions of the 1852 Sharps. Cavalry Units were very commonly issued later pattern Sharps carbines, which were the most issued next to the Spencer and Burnside carbines. After the war, Spencer began producing models in calibers ranging from .22 LR up to the military issue .45-70 which was very much capable of hitting targets miles away. This would make the Sharps 1874 common to be modified with rear Vernier peep sights or in the case of the in-game gun, early pattern scopes.

This is the only real "sniper rifle" in-game and it fits every video game trope you think of when you say "sniper rifle". It'll one shot players from the chest up at extended ranges, has a fairly quick reload and horrifically bad hipfire aim. The scope on the Sharps is a fairly alright magnification so you're going to have to get some space between you and the target so your view isn't filled with an incredibly close up shot of a crosshair with a plaid shirt background. Keep your distance with your enemies and make sure you have some kind of sidearm cause hipfiring a .45-70 is a really good way to get a bruise and get killed.

I hope you found this guide useful in figuring out how useful it is to get into a gun fight with two small pocket pistols and if buying boots is worth it.

And before you ask: The Dynamite acts exactly like a grenade, same for the Black Dynamite. Only difference is that the Black Dynamite is more powerful and it tends to blow up suckas a lot better than the normal dynamite.