Weapons in GTA IV

Weapons are a precious commodity in GTA IV. The number of attainable weapons in IV have been dropped to only 15, including melee weapons. Randomly dropped weapons are harder to find, and have been moved to the top of buildings and back alleys. Weapons and ammo that have been dropped by fallen enemies, instead of floating in mid-air like in other GTA games, now realistically lie on the ground with a distinctive red glow to catch the player's eye.

Fist
With your fist, you have the choice of disarming, counteracting a move, ground punches and kicks, lefts and rights, and uppercuts and jabs. String moves together to create a combo. On some occasions you can perform "Stun" hits. Also, fighting unarmed is the best way to fight someone without killing them, something that can be important in several missions. The combos deal out the most damage. With fist selected as current weapon you can pick up random objects off the streets, such as a plank, a brick, or a bottle. You cannot switch weapons while an item is picked up, unless the item is a thrown item such as a brick.



Knife
Knives are very efficient alternatives to firearms. Even a well-armored adversary can be taken down with a few slashes. They are very efficient at taking someone down with out getting police attention. This is helpful on the street and in missions.



Baseball Bat
The bat can be swung left or right. You can also block attacks with it. The bat can be useful when you don't want to draw attention to yourself, since it is considered a "silent" weapon, though less so than the Knife. In the gun store, it sells for $5.

Molotov Cocktail
The Molotov Cocktail, named after 1920s Soviet Premier Vyacheslav Molotov, is a crude weapon that can only be thrown overhanded, which helps to ensure that you throw it far enough that you don't burn yourself. They are primarily an anti-personnel weapon; it takes several to destroy a car. It works well for drive-bys, too. Most pedestrians/cops will die once set on fire, but armored targets will only suffer mild damage. It works well when fighting N.O.O.S.E enforcers, because when they're flailing about on fire, you can shoot them easily. You can also just let them burn and drive away, even though shooting is probably your best bet. They cost $500 each and 25 max can be carried.

Grenades (M26A1)
The grenade is excellent at clearing rooms full of enemies and taking out vehicles. They can be tossed underhand when crouched behind a barrier, or overhand while standing. Be careful not to hit the cover you're hiding behind when you throw the grenade. You can "cook" (shorten the detonation timer) the grenade by holding the throw button. You can also drop these out of your car window to fend off pursuers. They cost $1,000 per grenade, and 25 max can be carried.

Firearms
Weapons can be purchased at a "Weapons" type store or Little Jacob once you have won over his friendship.

Handguns
Handguns are the staple to any crime dog's arsenal. Even in the endgame, pistols are very efficient guns. While generally not a good idea to try to kill someone by unloading into their body, you can make short work of them by shooting them in the head, foot or leg. Recommended for weaker enemies, as well as enemies that are disarmed or helpless.



Pistol (Glock 17)
Developed in the 1980s by Austrian engineer, Gaston Glock, the eponymous pistol soon became the world's most popular civilian and law enforcement sidearm. With its polymer frame and simple, internal striker-fired mechanism, the Glock series of pistols is both lightweight and extremely durable. It is the standard pistol for most of the game and is the standard side-arm of the LCPD and real-life Law Enforcement.
 * Capacity: 17 (1183 rounds extra)



Combat Pistol (Desert Eagle .357)
In 1979, Magnum Research Inc. set out to create the first gas-operated, magnum-caliber pistol. While the end product is generally considered too heavy and too expensive to serve as a practical combat pistol, it hasn't stopped the Desert Eagle from becoming the weapon of choice for Hollywood (and video game) bad guys. It is a powerful gun ingame, but has a small magazine, forcing more frequent reloads. The variant in the game is the 9-round .357 Magnum version.
 * Capacity: 9 (1191 rounds extra)

Sub-Machine Guns
Submachine guns are the next step up from pistols. They're most effective a medium range. These are preferred over pistols when doing drive-bys or chasing down an escaping car, and are the strongest weapons that can be used while doing so.



Micro-SMG (Micro-Uzi)
The smallest member of the Uzi family was introduced by Israel Military Industries in 1982 as a security weapon to fill the firepower gap between pistols and standard submachine guns. Because of its short barrel and extreme rate of fire, things like aiming are but an afterthought. This gun is not as fast, accurate or powerful as the MP10, but it holds more bullets per magazine, making it a good blindfire weapon. One magazine (50 bullets) cost $100.
 * Capacity: 50 (1150 extra)



SMG (SW MP-10)
The MP10 is a derivative of the MP5, doing away with a buttstock and fitting a polymer grip with a flashlight. Otherwise, it retains the MP5's functionality and is a good weapon, although it has a high rate of fire and can burn through ammo quickly. The MP5 was featured in early artwork as the MP5NA3, but for some reason R* decided to remove it, and use the MP-10.
 * Capacity: 30 (1170 rounds extra)

Assault Rifles
The iconic assault rifles fill the niche between sniper rifles and SMG's. While they are more powerful and accurate than SMG's, assault rifles are also more expensive and are unable to be fired from a car, but can be fired from any of the three passenger seats of a helicopter. Most effective at medium to long ranges, and are useful for most things from assaulting a building full of bad guys to fending off the cops, assault rifles are a must in Liberty City.



Assault Rifle (AK-47)
Even after sixty years, Mikhail Kalashnikov's legendary AK-47 rifle is still a hard act to follow; both in reliability and popularity. Created with mass production in mind, the simple design and loose clearances resulted in a rifle that's practically indestructible, and that will remain functional with little maintenance or cleaning. A much more powerful rifle than the M4A1, but is more inaccurate to compensate.
 * Capacity: 30 (570 rounds extra)



Carbine Rifle (M4A1)
The M4A1 entered service in the late 1990s-early 2000s as a replacement for the original Colt M4 in service with US military forces, which only had a "safe-semi-burst" trigger group. The M4A1 was intended for use by special-operations troops. It is gas-operated and air-cooled, with a cyclic firing rate of 700 to 900 rounds per minute. Overall length is 33 inches (with stock extended) and the barrel length is 14.5 inches. The Carbine is more accurate than the AK-47, but less powerful. It mounts a Picatinny rail on the receiver, but no attachments can be mounted on it.
 * Capacity: 30 (570 rounds extra)

Sniper Rifles
Snipe rifles are the weapons for single hit, long range distances, and are best used when a good ways away from the enemy. Althought more expensive then the assult rifles, the sniper rifles are far more accurate and powerful, considering they fire only one bullet a shot. But they have an extremely poor rate-of-fire, and should be quickly switched out for a faster weapon when confronted up close. Sniper rifles are good for picking off enemies from a safe distance, and for providing faraway sniper support for friends in a heated gun battle.



Sniper Rifle (M40A1)
It is a powerful rifle, but has a slow rate of fire due to its bolt action mechanism. Players who prefer shot quality over shot quantity will enjoy this rifle, though every magazine (5 bullets) cost $800.
 * Capacity: 5 (45 rounds extra)



Combat Sniper (HK PSG1)
The PSG1 is a popular HK G3 sniper variant, used by the elite German anti-terrorist unit GSG 9 as a dedicated-marksman rifle and popular in film and television. The rifle is built to extremely tight tolerances and is deadly accurate in the hands of a skilled operator using match ammunition. Priced at $8,000, it is moderately expensive and is semiautomatic, allowing for more rounds on a target than the Sniper Rifle.
 * Capacity: 10 (40 rounds extra)

Pump Shotgun (Winchester 1300 Defender)
In-game, 8 shells cost $200. More compact, but a lower rate of fire than the Combat Shotgun.
 * Capacity: 8 (72 shells extra)



Combat Shotgun (Remington 11-87)
This automatic shotgun is a powerful tool for disposing of enemies quickly and efficiently. Although it burns through ammo quickly, it is useful for holding back enemies and saturating an area with large amounts of lead. Easily acquired, just enter a police cruiser, and a free one with 5 shells is given. Strangely, the police never use this weapon, instead using the pump shotgun when attacking the player. They sell for $2500 in gun shops, with $200 for every 10 shells.
 * Capacity: 10 (70 shells extra)

RPG-7
This classic anti-tank, rocket propelled grenade launcher was first used by the Soviets back in 1961. It has remained popular ever since thanks to its durability and low cost. The RPG can even skip off the ground and knock things around that are in its way. This weapon costs $15,000 to purchase and $5,000 per rocket. Rockets fired at average sized cars will automatically destroy them, as well as cripple a helicopter and force it to crash. It's great for destorying a large group of enemies at a distance, bringing down police chopters, and just for causing crazy, mindless chaos. It is, by far, one of the deadliest weapons in the game.
 * Capacity: 1 PG-7VL HEAT rocket (8 extra)