Gusenberg Sweeper

"Complete your look with a Prohibition gun. Looks great sticking out the window of a Roosevelt or paired with a pinstripe suit."

- GTA V description on the Rockstar Games Social Club.

The Gusenberg Sweeper is a light machine gun that is available in Grand Theft Auto V, and was initially available in Grand Theft Auto Online as a time-restricted weapon from February 13 to March 3, 2014 in the Valentine's Day Massacre Special pack, and later re-released indefinitely on all platforms as part of the GTA Online: Be My Valentine update.

Design
It is based on the .45 ACP M1928A1 Thompson Submachine Gun (popularly known as the Tommy Gun), which is famous for its role in 1920s gangster culture and in the Second World War. The stock is derived from the later M1 & M1A1 Thompson, used during World War II. The Gusenberg Sweeper is fitted with a 30-round drum magazine, which is also common in mobster culture. The wooden handguard and stock are noticeably discolored due to wear and tear.

Whether the Extended Clip is equipped or not, the Gusenberg Sweeper always has a drum magazine. In real life, 20 rounds would be held in a box magazine, although 30 round drums do exist.

Performance
Even though it is classed as a light machine gun in-game, its handling traits are closer to a submachine gun (much like its real life counterpart) than other in-game LMGs.

The Gusenberg Sweeper's biggest advantages are its fire rate and damage per shot. It fires at 555 RPM, which is close to the fire rate of the AP Pistol and the Combat MG, and deals 34 damage per shot, being on par with assault rifles. It outclasses all other SMGs in damage per shot and fire rate. This puts the weapon in terms of damage-per-second among the best submachine guns to use.

Accuracy is quite poor and the range of automatic aiming is shorter, comparable to that of other SMGs. It has a larger spread than other submachine guns. This makes the Gusenberg Sweeper ineffective at long range.

A bizarre trait for a MG is the ammo capacity. A stock magazine only holds 30 rounds, and it can be upgraded to 50 rounds. This mag capacity is mediocre for an LMG, and due to the high fire rate, it isn't uncommon to be caught in reloads during a firefight. It is then advised to purchase the Extended Clip.

Another downside of the weapon is the attachment selection. It can only mount the Extended Clip, unlike other SMGs/MGs. This means the player cannot upgrade its stats, limiting its effectiveness.

Compared to other MGs, besides the ammo capacity, it has a better fire rate but lower damage than the standard MG. The Combat MG completely outclasses it, having higher damage per shot, accuracy and ammo capacity.

In conclusion, the Gusenberg Sweeper should be treated as a submachine gun more than a light machine gun. It is quite ineffective at long range due to the lack of accuracy and attachments, and its low ammo capacity makes it unpractical to use. However, at medium and close ranges, it is a very effective weapon, having a high damage per shot, akin to assault rifles, and a high fire rate.

Despite being chambered in .45 ACP, it ejects shell casings that appear to be 7.62mm casings, most likely due to re-used assets with other LMGs.

Availability
Upon downloading the 1.10 patch, when story mode is loaded, the gun is available for purchase at Ammu-Nation for free. It will be automatically located in the player's weapon inventory. In Grand Theft Auto Online, it was available for purchase in Ammu-Nation for $14,308.

At the beginning of March 2014, it was removed from Ammu-Nation stores. Those who purchased the weapon still have access to it and can continue to buy attachments and ammo.

After downloading patch 1.11 a bug would remove the gun from the inventory of online players as well as the store. Rockstar later patched the bug.

Subsequent patches have prevented GTA Online players from dropping the weapon.

The Gusenberg Sweeper returns again as part of the 2016 version of the update, the GTA Online: Be My Valentine update.

Trivia

 * The Gusenberg Sweeper is named after contract killer Frank Gusenberg, who was a victim of the Saint Valentine's Day massacre. Gusenberg, along with six other people, was killed by several M1928A1 Thompsons.
 * The Sweeper element of the gun's name makes direct reference to a popular name for the Thompson submachine gun; "Trench Sweeper".
 * According to the stat window, it has a superior range than all the assault rifles in the game. However the range of automatic aiming is much shorter than that of assault rifles.
 * Though the Ammu-Nation description says that "it looks great sticking out the window of a Roosevelt", it cannot be used from inside a vehicle. It can, however, be used while hanging off the side of a Roosevelt.
 * In the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC versions, the Sweeper's firing and reload sound effects sound lower in pitch when using the first person camera mode.
 * In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a Thompson submachine gun can be seen among weapons on the shelves/racks inside Ammu-Nation.

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