Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas/Weapons

Combat
All aimed weapons weapons aim better when CJ is crouching. This position also allows CJ to do combat rolls in and out of cover, giving him time to reload.

Weapons skill levels
The more you use a weapon (or sometimes a class of weapons), the better you become at it. After a certain level your skill class increases and you gain extra weapon abilities.

At Gangsta level (usually 20% skill rating) you gain the ability to aim and move at the same time. At Hitman level (100% rating) you get increased range and, in some cases, the ability to dual wield the weapon. You hold one in each hand, doubling power and increasing rate of fire.

There are a few ways to increase your skill at weapons:


 * Go out and kill lots of gangsta/cops/civilians. In other words, normal game play increases your weapons skills.
 * Go to an Ammu-Nation location that has a firing range and take the challenge.  Defeating those challenges increases your weapons levels on the weapons used.
 * Find a car and shoot its tire repeatedly. The car will not explode but each shot counts as a succesful hit and thus increases your stats
 * Find a car, park it in a garage you own, and with the garage door open, shoot at the car until it starts to smoke. Then back up and let the door close.  Approach the garage again and the garage door opens.  The car is as good as new and you can shoot it some more.

Fists
You've always got these.

Brass knuckles
These make your punches more powerful. They don't take the spot of your regular melee weapon, either.

Katana
An Japanese sword.

Knife
The knife is an ordinary melee weapon but has a special attack mode. If you target an unaware opponent (for example approaching them from behind) and attack you should slit the target's throat, killing them instantly.

Golf club
Attacking with the golf club should bring back good Vice City memories.

Nightstick
You can pick up one of these if a policeman "accidentally" dies near you.

Chainsaw
As a melee weapon, the chainsaw is unique in that it "locks" characters in place and does enough damage that it is usually a one hit kill.

Pistol
The basic pistol is modeled on a 9mm. Dual wielded at Hitman level.

Silenced 9mm
The silenced pistol differs from the 9mm pistol in that, when fired, it seemingly has less effect on CJ's Wanted Level than other weapons. In stealth missions the silenced pistol allows silent kills at a distance, although players should be sure to use headshot kills. Failure to kill a target with a headshot can result in return fire, causing a higher alert level in the mission.

Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle or "Deagle" is a powerful pistol that kills with one shot.

Shotguns
Shotguns are deadly at close range. However, they don't hold many shells at once, so you need to reload often.

Shotgun
"What, like guns that fire shot?"

Sawn-off shotgun
Dual-wielded at Hitman level.

Combat shotgun
That SPAS-12 is an automatic shotgun with 7-shell chamber.

Submachine guns
These are guns with automatic fire but pistol grip.

Micro-SMG
Appears to be based on an Uzi. A Balla favorite.

The Tec-9 and the Micro-SMG are classified as machine pistols for your weapons statistics. Each is dual-wielded at hitman level.

SMG
The versatile SMG is useful in a drive-by, and when CJ is in a crouching position the SMG's range and accuracy are comparable to the assault rifles. It resembles the MP5 in real life. Because it's too large to hold in one hand, it cannot be dual wielded.

Assault Rifles
Assault rifles have automatic firing and heavier ammunition than the submachine guns.

AK-47
An old Red Army standard. Ballas and Vagos tend to carry these a lot. They're very effective.

M4
The western world's answer to the AK-47. It has a longer range and bigger clip size than the AK.

Rifles
Rifles are used for long-distance hits. After each shot there is a delay for reloading.

Country Rifle
Your basic rifle.

Sniper Rifle
The sniper rifle has a first-person mode with zoom associated with it. Using this you can kill from a very long way away.

Heavy Weapons
These are some of the most powerful weapons in the game. Unfortunately, they aren't available for purchase at Ammu-Nation. They're around if you know where to look.

Rocket Launcher
The RPG can destroy virtually all vehicles in the game with a decent shot, handy for causing mayhem or getting a police helicopter off your back. It can also be used as a more accurate substitute for grenades or molotov cocktails.

Heat-seeking Rocket Launcher
The Heat Seeking Rocket Launcher is practically the same as the RPG except that when aimed it also shows a targeting symbol. This is usually placed on the vehicle roughly in the centre of the aimed view. When the launcher is fired the rocket will then hone in on the target. This is not all that useful on land vehicles but is the best way of bringing down aircraft and helicopters.

Flame Thrower
The flamethrower is, in many ways, a great weapon as it is the only practical area-effect weapon in the game and causes a great deal of chaos by setting pedestrians and passing vehicle on fire. Since any area it touches continues to burn for a while after, it also effectively allows you to stop people moving through an area. The weapon has two major weaknesses: firstly since it creates a burning area wherever it is fired it is only possible to move backwards when using the flamethrower; secondly it is difficult to control what will be affected by the flamethrower and using it on a busy street is likely to rapidly increase your wanted level and make you a target for pedestrians.

Minigun
The Minigun or chain gun is effectively a monster machine gun with a huge rate of fire. It needs to be "spun" up by being aimed. It is probably the best weapon for dealing with large numbers of spawned enemies, such as cops at Wanted Level 5 and gang members in Turf War.

Thrown Weapons
Because these weapons are lobbed rather than fired, aiming them is rather difficult. They also spread damage across a wide area, so if you're not careful you can harm yourself. Still, they have their uses.

Hand grenade
The hand grenade can be useful, if expensive. You throw them and they explode. You might try it to initiate gang or turf wars and it can also be used to dissuade pursuing rival gang members before resorting to side- or long-arms.

Molotov Cocktails
Throw the Molotov and it starts a fire. A good throw can have devastating consequences, causing a chain reaction of exploding vehicles.

The Molotov becomes quite handy once you've completed the Firefighter mission to become fireproof. You can kill a half dozen assailants (like gang members in a turf war in close proximity) instantly, without fear of having it backfire. Be careful though, because vehicles set on fire will explode a few seconds later, and being fireproof doesn't mean you're immune to the concussive force of an explosion.

Satchel Explosives
This is a two-stage weapon. You throw one and it sticks to the first surface it hits. So you can attach them to walls. You can lay multiple charges before exploding them. To detonate, cycle though your weapons until you see the remote control, then fire. Make sure you're far enough away! Besides blowing up vehicles and walls, this weapon's good for setting booby traps for oncoming ganstas.