Weapons in GTA IV

Weapons are a precious commodity in Grand Theft Auto IV. The number of attainable weapons in GTA IV have been dropped to only 15, which includes melee weapons. In-game weapons are harder to find, and have been moved to the top of buildings and back alleys, out of the way, although weapons are commonly found before big "shootout" missions in plain sight for the player to find. Weapons and ammo that have been dropped by fallen enemies, instead of floating in mid-air like in other Grand Theft Auto games, now realistically lie on the ground with a distinctive red-orange glow to catch the player's eye.

The weapons in GTA IV have 2 strength tiers, instead of 3 levels, like in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Also, the specific name for each gun has been removed, probably for legal reasons; instead, weapons have been given more generalized names (for example, the AK-47 is called the Assault Rifle and the Desert Eagle is called the Combat Pistol).

Much like the real NYC, the sale an ownership of firearms in Liberty City  is pretty much illegal. But just as it is with real life criminals, Niko and friends don't seem to mind breaking the law in order to arm themselves. Keeping in line with the political reality satirized by the game, the Ammu-Nation shops found in previous GTAs have been closed down due to strict gun laws. Taking their place, however, are a number of shady, underground gun shops located in basements and alleys around the city. Better yet, if you gain enough respect from Little Jacob, you can call him up and he'll meet you nearby with a trunk full of weapons at a reduced price.

Fist
With your body, 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 without getting police attention. This is helpful on the street and in missions when attracting police attention isn't the best idea. You can buy the knife from Little Jacob.



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. The bat is a superior weapon against an unprotected opponent to the Knife, as it will floor them in one blow and kill them with the second blow. Also, as it will put them on the ground, they can't flee. This should help avoid the attention of the police.

Very powerful indeed.

Molotov Cocktail
The Molotov Cocktail, named after 1920s Soviet Premier Vyacheslav Molotov, is a crude weapon that creates a large brust of flames on the target. It 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.

They can also be thrown out of cars, but with low accuracy so there is a low chance the player will burn your target while speeding down the highway in a convertible.

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.

A great use for these is taking out a bunch of enemies close together, or blowing up an enemy vehicle.

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 at close range, as well as enemies that are disarmed or helpless. A lot of players like to switch to their handgun so they can watch a more epic death to their target or opponent. Have fun, and the police carry these too!'''


 * Handgun carrying capacity maxes out at 1500 rounds (bullets).



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.
 * Magazine Size: 17 rounds

LCPD (police) officers in the game mostly use this weapon, but once things get serious, they switch to their Carbine Rifles (scroll down)



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.
 * Magazine Size: 9 rounds

For a handgun, this is a strangely powerful weapon that can do away targets easily with a headshot or a neckshot.

Submachine 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 (unless the situation allows Hand Grenades to be employed).'''


 * Submachine Gun carrying capacity maxs out at 1200 rounds.



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. It lacks a bit in the accuracy department due to its short barrel, but the extreme rate of fire and capacity make up the difference. 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.
 * Magazine Size: 50 rounds

These can be fired from in a vehicle and do a quite excellent job when hunting down a target in a vehicle.



SMG (SW MP-10)
The MP-10 is a a heavily modified 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. Not much is really known about it, as it's apparently made in very small numbers by an equally small and mysterious company called SW Arms. NOOSE and FIB (In game version of FBI) agents use the SMG as a drive-by weapon at wanted levels of 5 or 6 as they attempt to stop the player.
 * Magazine Size: 30 rounds

The MP5 was featured in early artwork as the MP5NA3, but for some reason Rockstar North decided to remove it, and use the MP-10.

Shotguns
'''Shotguns are somewhere between SMG and Assault Rifles. They are extremely powerful at close to mid range and are often one-to-two hit kills. They dealt far more damage-per-fire then the assault rifles, but fire far more slowly to compensate, so they aren't ideal when fighting a large group of enemies while running-and-gunning out in the open. They are best used while using cover for laying down a small number of enemies during close combat and for surprise attacks for that quick kill.'''


 * Shotgun carrying capacity maxs out at 80 shells.



Pump Shotgun (Ithaca Model 37 Stakeout)
Based roughly on the classic Ithaca Model 37, the Stakeout is a pump-action shotgun made in large numbers for the civilian, military, and police markets. The pistol grip and shorter overall length making it perfect for home defense and law enforcement. More compact, but a lower rate of fire than the Combat Shotgun. In-game, 8 shells cost $200.
 * Magazine Size: 8 shells



Combat Shotgun (Remington 11-87)
This semi-automatic shotgun is a powerful tool for disposing of enemies quickly and efficiently. This seems to be based on the Baretta 1201 FP, but with the barrel of a military Remington 870. 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.
 * Magazine Size: 10 shells

These shotguns are quite heavy and aren't powerful in long range situations. When you are far from your target, consider a different weapon.

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 when it comes to assaulting a building full of bad guys to fending off the cops, assault rifles are a must in Liberty City.'''


 * Assault Rifle carrying capacity maxs out at 600 rounds.



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.
 * Magazine Size: 30 rounds



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.
 * Magazine Size: 30 rounds

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 small sight on the receiver's Picatinny rail, but no attachments can be mounted on it. Carbine Rifle can be purchased from the back-alley gun shops scattered across Liberty City for $5,000 and each additional magazine will cost $100. It can be purchased from Little Jacob (via cell phone) for $3,500 and each additional magazine costs $70. It can also be acquired from NOOSE officers, FIB agents, and certain LCPD officers (you can find the officers standing around jails and the Alderney State Correctional Facility. Kill them and steal their gun).

These rifles are really fun to use when robbing banks (Three Leaf Clover) and causing mad chaos with the armed forces and pedestrians.

Sniper Rifles
'''Sniper rifles are the weapons for single hit, long range distances, and are best used when a good ways away from the enemy. Although more expensive then the assault 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 carrying capacity maxs out at 50 rounds.



Sniper Rifle (M40A1)
The M40A1 started its life as a Remington 700, and was then customized by the US Marine Corps to fit their sniping needs. Strangely enough, the one in the game appears to have been further customized to use an external 10 round magazine, yet it only holds 5. 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.
 * Magazine Size: 5 rounds



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. The PSG-1 is one of the most accurate, yet heaviest and most expensive semi-automatic sniper rifles created. An overpriced piece of stamped steel German engineering; it does the job.
 * Magazine Size: 10 rounds

RPG 7V
This classic, widely-produced, portable, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket propelled grenade weapon was first used by the Soviets back in 1961. The ruggedness, simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness of the RPG-7 have made it the most widely used anti-tank weapon in the world. The RPG can be blindfired and 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 and explode. If the player fails to hit his/her target, the rocket will self-detonate when it reaches its maximum range. It's great for destroying a large group of enemies at a distance, bringing down police choppers, and just for causing crazy, mindless chaos. It is, by far, one of the deadliest weapons in the game. Improper aiming of the RPG can, and most likely will, result in the player being instantly wasted.
 * Capacity: 1 PG-7VL HEAT rocket, up to 8 rockets can be carried