All main Resident Evil 4 (2005) guns ranked in category

This guide is intended for first time players or people that are deciding and confused about all the options. I finished this game a couple of times, both difficulties. I used and tested all the guns below. I will not talk about any special ones that require for you to beat the game, etc etc.

-PISTOLS (this one can be subjective)

  1. Red 9: Best damage and accuracy (with stock) of all pistols, no-brainer. You can use it as as CQC weapon or a semi-sniper rifle. It works excellent at all situatons. You can use this one for triggering melee and/or you can use it for taking enemies down by just shooting. It is extremely satisfying to use and is highly regarded for a reason. The damage exclusive is top notch. It takes more space than all the other pistols (with stock and the lengh of it)... take that in mind. The gun itself takes only 2 squares more, and the stock takes 3. Worth it for the pros.
  2. Punisher (very subjective): Most unique and situational of all pistols, you can use it as a pistol or as a semi-shotgun (without sparse but with the penetration and crowd control). This gun has high penetration, you need to think more before using it at its full capability. Good for shield enemies as well. The only reason I am putting this one above Blacktail, is because of the very close similarity that the Red 9 has with the Blacktail damage wise, rendering them to a "too similar" extent, but with one being stronger in raw fire power and the other bein a quicker shot.
  3. Blacktail: High speed in everythinng, jack of all trades, it is not so unique, the middle-ground of the pistols. It has good damage, fast reloading and shooting. The ones above stand out more in my opinion. This gun was designed to be a rapid firer... if you use the TMP along, better to pick another pistol. Get this one if you are confused with the choosing or want equilibrium. If there weren't a Red 9 in the game, this one would be number 1.
  4. Handgun: This one is not recommended. Leon aim shakes a lot with it for some reason (more than any other pistol), the gun does low damage and its exclusive is not that good (x5 critical chance) for the reason that this gun can get you in trouble if you want to stagger enemies for those seconds of invencibility and crowd control, because of the higher chance of exploding a head and consequently that will remove the "kick" option. You can't choose whether that will happen or not. Use a shotgun or rifle for criticals instead.

-SHOTGUNS

  1. Riot Gun. The reason this one is number 1, is because it is the same as the standard shotgun but better. It has higher damage, good range and great accuracy. It is excellent for those critical and satisfying shots and crowd control. The aim is set at perfect height for those headshots and the pump-action makes for more comfortable and rewarding shots, stimulating you to use it more often.
  2. Striker: Good shotgun but its aim becomes rather non practical. This one does not have any stock so Leon hipfires it.... the issue? It is not good for critical shots, just for quick shots and crowd crontol. It has the the best stats of all shotguns but because of its shooting design I really felt like this one lacks a punch. There is no satisfaction to shoot it, lacks zoom and charm. It has the Ditman though. Take it for stats alone (more damage, 100 bullets exclusive etc) or less inventory space (since there is no stock), otherwise, grab the Riot.
  3. Shotgun: The same as Riot Gun but worse. The same damage for all distances exclusive does not matter that much, you will be using a shotgun most of the time for that critical+crowd control in closer range and it does not give you critical for longer distance.

-RIFLES

  1. Semi-auto Rifle: This one is a no-brainer. It is to put it simple, one of the most versatile wepons. You can use it for short, middle or long range. There is no reason to not get this one, it is better than the Bolt-action in every way "except" for exclusive damage... I say "except" with "" for a reason that I will explain. Get this rifle, you will be using it a lot intead of keeping it for the hold and letting tons of ammo stack for no reason. It takes more space in inventory than the other rifle, but frankly, is 100% worth it.
  2. Bolt-Action Rifle: This one is kinda tricky, 30 damage exclusive sounds excellent right? Well there is an issue, this gun is not very reliable. There is no reason to get it instead of the semi-auto and here is why... You can kill most enemies one shot with each rifle when upgraded, with exception of special ones and bosses. This gun as the name says, requires Leon to use the bolt for each shot, leaving you exposed after being already exposed while stopping to aim and taking a shot... If you miss, it makes matters even worse. The only reason to get this one would be for bosses/special enemies, but even at that it is not very reliable. You need to take each shot carefully and calculate the boss or enemy distance for the aim, precise the shot and the time waiting for the bolt to go... Too risky, not worth at all, its even more problematic if the fight is in close quarters. Get a magnum instead for that.

-MAGNUMS

  1. Broken Butterfly: No brainer, you get this one for free as a treasure, it has high damage and even more so with the exclusive. The problem with this one is the low accuracy, Leon shakes A LOT. But for the damage is a good enough trade off. It is free, that is all that matters. Don't buy any magnums, they are too situational and aren't as good as in the previous titles.
  2. Killer 7: Are you really going to buy a worse magnum if you can get the other one for free? This one is quite precise, but lacks the punch and has no exclusive for some reason. Waste of Pecetas.

That is all. If you wanna a jack of all I would highly recommend the TMP as well, this gun has lots of ammo in drops and it is excellent for hasty situations and to stop TNTs and wepons being thrown a you. This gun is amazing but underrated by many players. Highly recommended.

Edit: More infos and corrections