When You Need Something Dead

This is a page that lists the numerous types of weaponry found on the battlefield, whether a modern one or not. Many of these weapon types are actually quite old, even the assault rifle dates back to the 1940s, and the sniper rifle even further back, at least The American Civil War, if not further; the actual concept of sniping was invented in the Revolutionary War.

As expected, significant overlap with Standard FPS Guns. Game designers had to get the ideas from somewhere.

Here's the list:

Firearms and Explosives


 * Assault Rifle: Common infantry rifle of the modern military. Usually effective at around three hundred meters. Fully automatic or burst fire. Often fires a lighter round than a battle rifle; this has the advantage of lower recoil and a higher magazine capacity, but can leave it underpowered at a distance or against body armor. Examples include the M16 in American service, the FAMAS of France, the AK-47 of Russia and the L85 of Great Britain.
 * Battle Rifle: Previous infantry rifle of the modern military. Usually fire large rounds of about .30 to .35 caliber, and are accurate out to more than half a kilometer. Early battle rifles (before the Cold War) were usually bolt-action or otherwise manually cycled; later ones were fully automatic or semi-automatic. Largely replaced by lighter-caliber assault rifles in the '60s and '70s, though they serve as the basis for many designated marksman rifles (see below). Older bolt-action battle rifles are typically used today for hunting; not surprising, given that a number of such designs were based off of civilian hunting rifles. Full-auto battle rifles were almost always used semi-automatic by competent troops -- accuracy with full-auto fire is typically abysmal due to recoil, wasting the range and power that are the battle rifle's strong suits. In fact, the British/Commonwealth battle rifle of the Cold War era, the L1A1 SLR, was semi-automatic only for this exact reason. Examples of early rifles include the British Lee-Enfield, the Russian Mosin-Nagant, the American M1903 Springfield and M1 Garand (one of the few semi-auto examples from before the Cold War), and the German Mauser series; later rifles include the H&K G3, the American M14 and the Belgian FN FAL (the aforementioned L1A1 was an FAL variant).
 * Designated Marksman Rifle: Usually a modified battle rifle or assault rifle. Slower (only semi-automatic fire) but more accurate and powerful. Still useful in close quarters to a degree, but best at medium-long range, like 500-800 meters. While some sniper rifles are semiautomatic, if it's in a caliber significantly larger than the typical .30 caliber long rifle round, it doesn't qualify as a DMR. Examples include the SVD of Russia, the M21 of America and the Chinese QBU-88.
 * Light Machine Gun: Squad level support weapon, frequently uses assault rifle ammo, only from a belt as opposed to a box. However, some use drums of un-linked ammo rather than belts like the H&K MG36 or Chinese QBB-95. Other examples include the Belgian FN Minimi(referred to as the M249 in the US), the RPD and RPK of Russia and the QJY-88 of China.
 * General Purpose Machinegun: The LMG's big brother. Uses a large rifle caliber, such as 7.62x51mm NATO or 7.62x54mm Russian. Almost always uses a belt-feed. The M-60 and MG-42 fall here. Other more modern examples include the Belgian FN MAG (referred to as the M240 in America), the PKM of Russia and the MG-3 of Germany.
 * Sniper Rifle: Extreme range weapons for specialized troops. Many are modified civilian hunting rifles. Best at very long range, 1000-2000 meters and beyond. Examples include the M24 and M40 of America, the Arctic Warfare series by Accuracy International of Great Britain and the SV-98 of Russia. Large caliber (.50 or greater) examples include the Barrett M82 of America, the KSVK of Russia and the AS50 by Accuracy International of Great Britain.
 * Submachine Gun: Small light weapons generally only effective to one-hundred meters. Fully automatic. Fires a small pistol cartridge. Examples include the Thompson series of America, the H&K MP5 of Germany and the PP-19 Bizon of Russia.
 * Personal Defense Weapon: Uses a unique cartridge designed like an intermediate assault rifle round, only shorter. They typically reach out to around two hundred meters. These weapons are largely a product of the desire to penetrate body armor with a compact weapon. The specially-designed ammo does that, but tends to cause less-effective wounds (i.e. the enemy keeps on fighting). The widespread use of short-barrelled rifles, like the American-standard M4, has now rendered the PDW irrelevant for most military purposes. Examples include the FN P90 of Belgium and the MP7 of Germany.
 * Shotgun: Large bore weapon firing buckshot. Generally effective to the same range as SMGs, but have greater spread. Can be loaded with slugs and rifled for better accuracy, but it's not typical. Pump action is the most popular, examples of this type include the Remington 870 Modular Combat Shotgun and Winchester 1200 of America; but semiautomatic models are becoming more popular, examples of this type include the Saiga series of Russia.
 * Fully-automatic Shotgun: Just what it sounds like, a weapon that takes a simple shotgun and turns the dakka factor Up to Eleven. Sadly, this type of weapon didn't quite take off, simply because there aren't enough situations were you'd NEED a full-auto shotgun--unfortunately, you always need your weapon to be cheaper and more reliable, both of which automatic shotguns are less spectacular at compared to their slower firing cousins. Examples include the (prototype-only) Pancor Jackhammer of America, and the Daewoo USAS-12 of South Korea.
 * Semi-automatic pistol: Magazine-loaded and can be held in one hand. Small and light, but very low power. Usually only good to fifty meters. Examples include the Beretta 92 series of Italy, the Glock series of Austria, the Colt M1911 of America, the FN Five-seveN of Belgium and the H&K UCP of Germany.
 * Machine pistol: A fully-automatic semi-automatic pistol. Pretty much the poster child for Awesome but Impractical. Examples include the Glock 18, the Beretta 93R, and the Stechkin APS.
 * Revolver: For a time, the revolver was the sidearm of choice for many people, used in the times of The Wild West up to World War II, eventually being replaced by semi-automatic weaponry. Put simply, it features several separate chambers for each bullet, arranged in a circle that can simple rotate to ready the next round. Today, revolvers remain popular with quite a few people, although way too many Flame Wars have been started over whether revolvers or semi-automatics are better. Stated briefly and without editorial comment, revolvers are extremely reliable and don't leave behind shell casings (an advantage for criminals), but semiautomatic pistols can fire more rounds between reloads and can be reloaded much more quickly. But we all know, Revolvers Are Just Better.
 * Grenade Launcher: Large bore weapon firing an explosive projectile. Many are attachments used on other weapons; examples of this type include the M203 and M320 used by American forces and the GP series of Russia. Others, like the Milkor MGL and the M79, are used as standalone weapons systems.
 * Rocket Launcher: Very large, very heavy weapon firing rockets. Usually only used against armored targets. This type includes the AT4 of America Sweden, a one shot disposable system; the RPG series of Russia; and the Shoulder Mounted Assault Weapon, or SMAW, of America. Some fire homing missiles, like the FIM-92 Stinger, for use against aircraft.
 * Hand Grenade: Only goes as far as you can throw it, and many can create blast effects much farther than that. Comes in two types: stick grenades, which are more or less bombs on sticks and can be thrown a fair distance, but have mostly fallen out of service; and regular hand grenades, sometimes referred to as "pineapple" or "lemon" grenades, which can't be thrown as far. Create blast and shrapnel clouds, which can cause injuries at up to fifteen meters. One example is the M67 "pineapple" grenade of America.

Melee Weapons


 * Sword: Numerous variants exist, from the Japanese katana to the European Rapier, but one thing is common: a short hilt, followed by a long one or two edged blade. Swords can be either straight or curved. Curved blades like the katana or scimitar serve as cutting weapons. Normally used against lightly armoured opponents, though some of the straight edged blades have been known to penetrate armor rather well using a precise thrust. Swords required better and more materials and superior craftsmanship compared to polearms or blunt weapons, and so were more often the preserve of the elite, upper-class, or simply professional soldiers (where the sword would hopefully pay for itself).
 * Combat Knife: Usually kept as the last resort for any soldier. Short, light, nimble, easy to use and capable of almost anything. Slit an enemy's throat one day, use it to cut and prepare a deer the next. One example is the American KA-BAR knife, which used to be in service with the Marine Corps.
 * Daggers and Dirks: The more ancient equivalent of the above, used as a back up weapon by those who can afford it, a concealed weapon by assassins, or even as a primary form of armament by a poor man which would have had difficulty getting his hands on a larger weapon. Unlike the single edged knives, suited for both slashing and stabbing, these double edged blades were instead optimized purely for stabbing, typically to allow them to pierce armor, which they did quite well assuming one could get close enough to make use the the dagger's limited reach.
 * Punching Daggers: a somewhat silly-looking weapon, the basic idea is a blade that is held such that the user, well, punches with it. They could be held like brass knuckles or strap to the forearm, and could be slashing or stabbing weapons.
 * Polearms: Simply put, Blade on a Stick. This can be a spear, glaive, halberd, naginata or axe. Polearms were the primary weapon of pre-industrial militaries, not swords, contrary to popular belief. Swords require a good deal of metal and time to forge them well, and even more time to learn/teach someone to use effectively. Although intricate fighting systems such as naginatajutsu exist for polearms, the essence of it on the field was "stick the pointy end into the other guy". Much easier to drill. The modern concept of a bayonet essentially allows a firearm to function as one (if by 'modern' you mean 'since someone noticed longarms were long and a wood/metal mix).
 * Bludgeoning Weapons: Hammer, mace, morningstar, flail, you name it. If it wasn't meant to cut or thrust, it was meant to deal massive blunt force trauma. Common for European knights, who came to wear full plate. Since you can't get a sword through plate unless it's at the joints, the only other way to damage a fighter wearing it is blunt force - smashing their sternum or skull in. If Deadliest Warrior is to be believed, the samurai had their own version of this - the kanabo. Also popular with monks, who were technically not allowed to "spill blood".
 * Clubs and Maces: smaller bashing weapons, generally a length of wood, with or without metals bits on the end. More impressive ones were all-metal. Spike(s) on the head optional.
 * Flails: like the above, except with a length of chain between the handle and the head, which improves range and makes for a harder strike.
 * Quarterstaff: essentially a long piece of whatever material is available; the Blade Onna Stick without the blade.
 * Brass Knuckles: a chunk of metal with holes for your fingers; you hold it tightly and punch people with it. Not great for defensive purposes, but readily concealable.
 * Saps, Coshes, and Blackjacks: these cover anything, from bags of sand to purpose-built metal implements, designed for hitting upside the head in an alley. Quiet and easy to hide, but hoping to use one in a fair fight is.. optimistic.
 * Axes: chopping implements, either repurposed tools or designed as weapons. Sizes range from "throwable" to "two-handed behemoth". Extend the handle enough and it becomes a sort of Blade Onna Stick as mentioned above.

Non-Firearms Projectile Weapons


 * Bow and Arrow: The Mongol recurve bow, the English longbow, the Japanese daikyu, almost every culture has its own variant. The bow uses recoil tension to fire an arrow (or volley thereof) at the enemy. Usually made from wood, but the Mongol recurve bow could be made of bone. The string could be made of various materials such as sinew. The bow could be shot from horseback or from a chariot.
 * Longbows: made famous by the English, this is pretty much what it sounds like: a larger, longer bow (as tall as the user or taller), with a higher draw strength (the force used to pull the string back). All of this makes the longbow fire greater distances with more force. The weapon of choice for raining arrows in fiction.
 * Composite Bows: made famous by the Mongols. Composite and recurve bows use different constructions to put more force behind the launched arrows.
 * Crossbows: these weapons use the same principle as bows, but crossbows use a trigger mechanism to keep the bowstring taut, ready to fire, for up to several minutes before firing. Heavier crossbows used winches or similar mechanisms to add to the user's strength. Really heavy crossbows (i.e. ballistae) qualify as siege weapons in their own right. Automatic Crossbows were experimented with by most militaries that issued the normal kind, but never became as widespread outside of China, where they were in use by the military as late as 1895.
 * Javelin: A thrown spear. A really heavy one comparatively. Some variants (such as the Roman pilum) had a head consisting of a forged tip on top of a shaft of relatively soft unforged iron. The result was when these were thrown, the soft iron shaft would bend. This served several purposes - one, it made the javelin useless (and unable to be returned); two, the bent shaft would make it near impossible to remove the javelin from a shield, rendering the shield either unwieldy or potentially unusable.
 * Sling: Two straps with a pocket to hold a projectile (traditionally a lead pellet or smooth stone) in the middle. The projectile was swung around in the pocket and one of the straps released, causing the projectile to fly forward. Many Roman examples had various taunts cast on their lead pellets (e.g. "Dexa", meaning catch, "For Pompey's arse", a simple emblem or just boring old details of the soldier it was issued to). Typically a poor man's weapon of choice, due to the low cost and ease of manufacture and maintenance of both the sling and its ammo compared to the bow and arrow (even the higher grade lead projectiles were much easier to make than arrows, and when those aren't available, simple rocks would serve well enough).
 * Dart: A small projectile, similar to a crossbow bolt, designed to be launched by hand.
 * Blowgun: A simple tube (usually made from plants) loaded with a single dart, fired by blowing into it hard. Usually more accurate, faster and more effective than hand-thrown darts. Usually used to launch poison darts.
 * Dartgun: Looks a lot like a normal rifle, but uses blasts of compressed air to fire darts. Often used to deliver tranquilizer darts to someone or something, like an escaping prisoner or a rampaging animal.
 * Throwing Knife: A knife which is specially weighted (typically using a tang as a handle) to be thrown. Rarely seen on the battlefield, as the most effective way to throw one is end over end, meaning that it took quite a bit of practice to make sure the weapon would strike a moving target blade first. A short range doesn't help.
 * Throwing Axe: Like above, but with an axe. The limitations are similar, with the primary difference being that the axe would cause greater damage to a target, while a fighter could carry more throwing knives. It also saw more use on the battlefield for whatever reason.
 * The reason is that an axe, even light throwing axe, like francisca, has enough weight to deliver damage, even if it heats the target with a handle or not-sharpened part of the head. Also quite effective at breaking shields in shield walls before charge. And, finally, can be used as a backup melee weapon easily, unlike throwing knifes.
 * Shuriken: A bit like a throwing knife. A traditional Japanese concealed weapon, supposedly used a lot by Ninja. Often small and easily concealed. This is an assassin's weapon, a soldier on a field of battle would likely struggle to make use of it due to a poor range and lackluster armor penetration, with the primary advantage of conceal-ability put to waste.