Fallout 3/Small Guns

Small guns are conventional weapons, meaning they fire bullets instead of lasers. There are three Small Guns categories: Pistols, Rifles, and Shotguns.

Pistols
Pistols are good for close to medium-range combat, but are no good at long range, or against tougher opponents.

Rifles
Rifles are great for long-range combat, but you should switch to a pistol or shotgun for close encounters.

BB Gun- The BB Gun is a weapon you receive on your 10th birthday. It has a good magazine capacity but does very little damage. You can grab this weapon off your desk and take it with you out into the Wasteland. Uses BBs.

Hunting Rifle- The Hunting Rifle is a good all-around weapon. This weapon is very accurate, and has the best zoom you will find before the Sniper Rifle. Uses .32 ammo.

Ol' Painless- Ol' Painless is a slightly more powerful .32 Hunting Rifle. It does slightly more damage per shot, has a slightly faster rate of fire, and reloads slightly faster too. Ol'Painless is one of the few weapons with no spread-shots go exactly where you aim them. Uses .32 ammo. Found in Republic of Dave, NE corner of map, in Dave's safe.

Lincoln's Repeater- Lincoln's Repeater is a .44 rifle with a 15-round magazine. This rifle is devastating. It's easily the best medium-to-long range small guns rifle in the game as it combines accuracy, high damage, a large magazine, and sneak attack headshots using this weapon will kill almost anything instantly. Uses .44 Magnum ammo.

Sniper Rifle- The Sniper Rifle is a great long-range weapon. Using the scope, you need to wait until your target fills at least 3/4 of the diameter of the smaller dashed circle in the scope to hit it. It has a very noticeable sway to it when manually aimed. The sway can be reduced in sneak mode. Uses .308 ammo.

Reservist's Rifle- The Reservist's Rifle is a unique version of the Sniper Rifle. This variation of the sniper rifle seems to have a 60% higher chance of causing critical hits than the standard Sniper Rifle. It has a 3 round magazine instead of 5. Uses .308 ammo.

Victory Rifle- The Victory Rifle is a unique version of the Sniper Rifle. A critical hit with this rifle will knock enemies down for 1 to 4 seconds. Uses .308 ammo.

Assault Rifle- The Assault Rifle its useful at medium ranges where single shots can make quick work of the enemy. The rifle also excels at close range where full automatic fire can kill all but the toughest opponents. Uses 5.56mm ammo.

Chinese Assault Rifle- Chinese Assault Rifle is not a particularly accurate weapon. As such, it is best suited to fighting in close quarters and semi-open terrain. It is also recommended to keep automatic fire limited to short (3 or 4-round), controlled bursts. It is not the most powerful weapon, however it is considered to be one of the best Small Guns in the game because of its widespread availability of ammunition, and a respectable amount of power. Uses 5.56mm ammo.

Xuanlong Assault Rifle- The Xuanlong Assault Rifle is a unique Chinese Assault Rifle. It has an extended magazine with 36 rounds instead of 24, and does considerably more damage. Uses 5.56mm ammo. Complete Jigg's Loot (unlisted side quest) in the Museum of Technology using the computers and the weapon is then found on a dead guy inside the diner at Jury Street Metro. The body shows up after you complete the computer section.

Railway Rifle- The Railway Rifle is a rifle that you can make out of a Fission Battery, a Steam Gauge Assembly, a Pressure Cooker, and a Crutch. When fired, makes a train whistle sound. Though only moderately damaging, it is very effective at dealing limb damage, being able to outright cripple many foes' limbs in one shot. It has accuracy comparable to the Assault Rifle. However, its shots have a slower velocity than bullets, making it more effective at short to medium ranges. Uses Railway Spikes.

Shotguns
Shotguns are devastating at close range, usually only taking one or two shots to kill an enemy, but are useless at long range.

Sawed-Off Shotgun- The Sawed-Off Shotgun is best used in close-quarters. Its reload time is also very slow and the gun holds only two shells at a time, so it is best used on weakened targets that can be killed in one or two shots.It is often carried by Raiders. Uses Shotgun Shells.

The Kneecapper- The Kneecapper is a unique Sawed-Off Shotgun, with increased damage and a faster reload time. Uses Shotgun Shells.

Combat Shotgun- The Combat Shotgun combines a large magazine with devastating close-range damage. The only drawback is the weapon's poor reliability, as it deteriorates quickly. The Combat Shotgun is especially useful against enemies that prefer to charge you. Uses Shotgun Shells.

The Terrible Shotgun- The Terrible Shotgun is a unique variant of the Combat Shotgun and has the highest base damage of all Small Guns. It has a larger spread than normal shotguns; it does more damage if all pellets hit, but it is harder for that to happen because of its extremely low accuracy, and is best used at point-blank range. Uses Shotgun Shells. Weapon is found in Evergreen Mills by killing the merchant in the underground section.