By: Saint242
Submachine Guns
General Submachine Gun Tips:
Falling between pistols and rifles in terms of power and subtlety, submachine guns are notable for their extremely high rates of fire. They are not very subtle weapons but at least you can fit them under your jacket, unlike rifles. In fact, because of a bug in the game, you can carry a basically unlimited number of submachine guns in your coat. They might fix this in a patch eventually, but just so you’re aware. SMGs are best used in situations where noise is not a factor and you need to kill a number of enemies at medium range. They tend to be a wee bit on the expensive side (especially the H&K MP5S) so make sure you’re really going to use it before you bring it along on a mission.
- Uzi
A relatively reliable weapon with 33 rounds in the magazine and good stopping power. Unfortunately, it’s not very accurate; a spray and pray weapon. Don’t even try to get headshots, even with short bursts; aim for center mass, and hopefully, recoil will send one or two bullets high and through your target’s brainpan.
- H&K MP5/MP5SD
Superior to the Uzi in almost every way. No wonder counter-terrorist groups, SWAT teams and paramilitary forces around the world swear by it. Accurate enough to go for headshots; recoil is nonexistent and there are 30 rounds per magazine. The MP5S comes with an integral silencer, which may or may not be worth the extra money you pay, depending on your mission and how subtle you want to be.
Rifles
General Rifle Tips:
"The AK47! When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherf***er in the room." - Samuel L. Jackson, Jackie Brown
There are really two different types of rifles: assault rifles and sniper rifles. Assault rifles are best used for killing lots and lots of people in a noisy and messy fashion, as per Samuel L. Jackson’s advice. When using, it’s best to fire in short, sharp bursts at one target at a time. If you plan to blaze away with more than a few shots at a time, aim low, because the recoil of the gun will start to send the bullets high (actually, this advice applies to submachine guns and pistols as well).
Sniper rifles are another thing completely. They are used to kill from extreme range. Sniper rifles are extremely high powered, and one or two shots is usually all that is needed to drop a target. When you press the fire button the first time, the game will move into "scope" view, where you are looking through the sniper scope. You will notice that the scope bobs slightly. This bobbing is increased by moving around quickly and by firing. The bobbing slowly decreases and your aim becomes more steady the longer you remain perfectly still, so take your time with your sniper shots. This is very important, however: they cannot be used at close range. If your target is aware of your presence, you are probably too close, so drop the sniper and grab something else.
- Kalashnikov AK47
Moderate accuracy, moderate-high stopping power, with 30 rounds per magazine. A workhorse sort of gun, best used to kill lots and lots of folks. Subtlety? What’s that? Like the Uzi, aim for center mass and hope a round or two goes high and blows your target's head off.
- Kalashnikov AK103
Similar to the AK47, the AK103 is slightly more accurate, with the same power and 30 rounds per magazine. Straight-out better than the AK47, but used in pretty much the same way.
- M16A2
With a smaller caliber bullet than the AK series, the M16 has less stopping power, but that’s not saying much it’s still a 5.56 caliber bullet. The main advantage of the M16 over the AKs is that there is no recoil. Let me reiterate: no recoil. Headshots for everybody! Oh yes, 30 rounds per magazine.
- M60
Not even a real rifle, the M60 is a straight-up machine gun and is usually used with a tripod, but Hitman’s badass enough to use it without one. Its rate of fire is not quite as high as one would expect, but its sheer stopping power and high belt capacity (50 rounds per belt) more than make up for it. The second-heaviest weapon in the game, its use should be obvious: killing lots of enemies. It’s too inaccurate for headshots, but you won’t even need to try as most enemies go down after 2 or 3 rounds to the chest.
- M134 Minigun
As cool as Hitman is, he’s no Ah-nuld, and it shows when he’s trying to use the minigun. The disadvantages of this weapon are many. When it’s out, you cannot run, only walk slowly (about as fast as when you’re dragging a body), and you can’t move at all when you’re firing, except to turn. It takes a second or so for the barrels to spin up to speed before you start firing (note: the barrel can be 'primed' by tapping the fire button once to alleviate this problem). It’s not very accurate, but then, it doesn’t really need to be. Oh, and when people see you carrying it about, they tend to freak and try to kill you. The advantages are an insanely high rate of fire, lots of ammo (1000 bullets per belt), and high stopping power. Best used for killing hordes of enemies. If you holster the weapon, Hitman can move at normal speeds. Generally speaking, you’re better off with M60, but it is fun to play with for a little while.
- Blaser Jagdwaffen R93 Sniper
Tied with the Walther for the most accurate weapon in the game. As one would expect, the R93 is best for picking off targets from extreme distances and next to useless for short range combat. This gun has a breach loading mechanism, which means there’s no magazine and chambers one bullet at a time, so it’s not exactly rapid fire. It has impressive stopping power and a single shot to the torso or head will drop your target. The R93 usually comes disassembled in a briefcase, which makes it the only rifle that you can carry around missions and not alert enemies. Be warned, however: it takes a moment to unpack the rifle from the briefcase and assemble it, so don’t try this when people are shooting at you.
- Walther WA2000 Sniper
The Walther is an exceptionally accurate, exceptionally powerful sniper rifle. In terms of performance, it is very similar to the R93. However, the Walther actually has a magazine of 6 rounds in comparison to the R93’s single round chambering. So, if you miss with your first shot, you can follow up much more quickly than with the R93. Unfortunately, unlike the R93, the Walther cannot be disassembled and stored in a briefcase.
Shotguns
General Shotgun Tips:
"This is my BOOM stick!" - Ash, Army of Darkness
Shotguns are close range, rifle-like weapons with slow rates of fire, but extremely high damage potential. They are best used in enclosed areas, where your enemies are right up next to you. These are not exactly accurate weapons, so aim for center body mass.
- Mossberg Persuader Shotgun
Your standard 12-gauge shotgun. The Persuader (which, in game, is listed simply as "shotgun") does heavy damage at close range. It is breach loading, just like the R93 Sniper, so try not to use it when faced with more than a couple enemies at a time.
- Franchi PA3/215
The least powerful of the shotguns (that’s not saying much), the Franchi has the distinct advantage of being able to hold 8 shells per magazine (okay, you gun purists out there, I know shotguns don’t have magazines, they’re called something entirely different, but I don’t remember what they are called, so I’m leaving it as magazine…). This means you can blaze away against a greater number of opponents before having to stop and reload, which is good because reloading with this weapons takes oh-so-long. Be warned.
- Sawed-Off Shotgun
This weapon can only be acquired from the bartenders in the Hong Kong levels. It’s basically a double-barreled hunting shotgun with the stock sawed-off, making it concealable like a pistol (a really big one). This weapon does more damage per shot than just about anything else in the game, but don’t even try to use it at anything but point-blank range. A side effect of the sawed-off stock is extreme inaccuracy. This weapon is also breach-loading, but carries two shells, one in each chamber. One final note: this weapon can be used as if it were a pistol, which includes handling it along with another pistol, John Woo style. Scary stuff.
