Weapon Optimization: Creating the Perfect Killing Machine (UPDATE 78 ONLY)

Here I'll show you how to get the most out of your guns in Payday 2.

Introductions: The Basics of Weapons

Did you know that you can get a free cup of coffee at Startbucks if it's your birthday and/or you have a gun? Well it's true. But nobody's going to be impressed with your piece if you can't prove it is the angel of death. You need to have the best boom stick in town if you hope to climb up the infamy ladder. Fortunately, you have me, and I am willing and able to get you the best guns possible in Payday 2.
Before we go further, you need to know what the different stats of the guns are. In the right hand side of the inventory screen, you will see the stats of the gun you have selected. They are as follows:

• Magazine: The number of bullets in a magazine.
  
• Total Ammo: The maximum amount of ammo you can carry [values for fully loaded in brackets].
  
• Rate of Fire: How fast your gun fires (in Rounds Per Minute).
  
• Damage: How much damage your gun does per bullet (different for shotguns).
  
• Accuracy: How accurate your gun is. Indicates both hip and ADS spread.
  
• Stability: How much recoil your gun has.
  
• Concealment: How stealthy the gun is.
  
• Threat: How intimidating the gun is to enemies.

This guide has to do with guns used for loud jobs, so concealment and threat are irrelevant. I will be showing you how to optimize damage, accuracy, and stability, as these are the stats dependent on your mods. Mag size is not a very big determining factor. Total ammo and rate of fire are stats that are determined on a per weapon basis. I would also like to note that the stability for all of these guns is influenced by the Leadership Ace skill, which I highly recommend putting on all of your loud skill sets.

Author's note: I will be adding more guns as I have time and/or updating the configurations when new mods come out.
For those of you wondering how to get all of these parts, I use Goonmod. Goonmod let's you earn "gage coins" by completeing Gage courier assignments. You then use these coins to buy the parts you want. Every gun part costs one coin. You can use them to buy masks and mask items as well, but those cost multiple coins. You can download it here[github.com]. It's not cheating, and Overkill is ok with it.\

You can find my guide on secondary optimization here.

AK-47 (AK 7.62 Rifle)

The AK-47, after the release of the AK/CAR mod pack, is now hands down the best gun in the game. I have two configurations for this weapon, and we will begin with the standard version.

• Modern Barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• Scope Mount
  
• Keymod Rail
  
• Military Laser Module
  
• AK Plastic Grip
  
• Low Drag Mag
  
• Any Sight
  
• Classic Stock

The AK-47 already begins with 40 damage, which is well above average for assault rifles. You can make this even higher. This is what the modern barrel, firebreather, and full auto are for. However, the full auto makes the accurace degrade from 10 to 8, which is remedied through the use of a combination of the keymod rail, AK plastic grip, and classic stock. The loss of stability from the plastic grip is more than compensated by almost all the other attachments. The end result is:

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 90 [113]
  
• Rate of Fire: 560
  
• Damage: 63
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 38

This is the best fully automatic weapon you can make in the game, although thanks to the new mod pack, you can make a marksman variant with the DMR kit. The DMR barrel hasa a huge impact on damage, accuracy, stability, and total ammo, so the attachments for it are slightly different.

• DMR Kit
  
• Funnel of Fun
  
• Single Fire
  
• Scope Mount
  
• Keymod Rail
  
• Military Laser
  
• AK Wooden Grip
  
• Low Drag Mag
  
• Any sight
  
• Classic Stock

The key differences between the DMR and the regular AK-47 are the mods that affect Damage and Stability. The DMR kit has a heavy (-12) penalty to stability, which is compensated by more accuracy and massively increased damage. You can add to this damage increase with the Funnel of Fun. Normally the loss of accuracy with this attachment makes it undesirable, but in this case there is so much surplus accuracy from the other attachments it is inconsequential. The loss of stability from the DMR kit and single fire necessitate the wooden grip and the classic stock. It is also possible to use the Lightweight Rail instead of the Keymod for greater stability. However, this comes at the expense of accuracy, which on a DMR is not acceptable. The final stats are thus:

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 63
  
• Rate of Fire: 560
  
• Damage: 105
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 26

Both of these guns are exceptionally dangerous, and it is simply up to you which one to equip for certain days.

SCAR-H (Eagle Heavy Rifle)

The SCAR-H has far fewer mods than the AK, although it is still possible to make it into a monster in it's own right. The SCAR-H is great to have as a powerful gun, since it is available at level 0 after you become infamous. It is always advantageous to have this gun in your inventory.

(Note: the screenshot is with a CAR SMG mod. The stats are the same.)

• Long Barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• Rail Extension
  
• LED Combo
  
• Pro Grip
  
• Any sight
  
• Sniper Stock

The SCAR-H is one of those guns where if you can put an attachment on, you should. Since it has fewer mods available, the ones that are there are very beneficial. Sniper stock, pro grip, rail extension, and full auto are the obvious ones.

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 80 [100]
  
• Rate of Fire: 610
  
• Damage: 58
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 38

Many people will be tempted to use the short barrel, since it give +2 damage. However this also takes away 2 accuracy, which is already penalized by the full auto. Long barrel will give you accuracy buffer to equip a fire breather, which bumps the damage up to 58. It is possible to get 18 accuracy and 38 stability using a competitor's compensator, but this means it will only deal 52 damage. 16 accuracy for automatic weapons is acceptable.

M16A3 (AMR-16)

The M16 is a very good gun for people who are moving on from high amm/low damage guns into high damage rifles. It has a wide variety of attachments available, meaning you will probably have some by the time you are ready to use it. It also has a very high rate of fire. This means that close quarters isn't a problem, and because of the high DPS taking down bulldozers will be easy. It also means you need to be scavenging for ammo all the time. Headshots, while critical to any gun, are essential to using the M16 effectively.
I have 3 different configurations for the M16. However, statwise they are all exactly the same. If you have any of these parts available, you will probably be able to make them. In all cases, the main goal is to eliminate the accuracy penalty of the THRUST lower while still keeping damage high. 2 of them rely more on parts you recieve from payday cards, and the other uses more mod pack parts. As always, the sights are up to user preference.

• Long Barrel
  
• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• Blast From the Past Handguard
  
• Tactical Laser (Military or compact lasers work as well)
  
• Pro Grip/Rubber Grip
  
• THRUST lower reciever
  
• Milspec Mag
  
• Any sight
  
• War-Torn Stock
  
• Exotique Reciever

• Long Barrel
  
• Tactical Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• Tactical Railguard
  
• Military Laser (must be a military laser)
  
• Pro Grip/Rubber Grip
  
• THRUST Lower Reciever
  
• Milspec Mag
  
• Any sight
  
• War-Torn Stock
  
• THRUST Upper Reciever

• Long Barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• Long Ergo Foregrip
  
• Tactical/Military Laser
  
• Pro Grip/Rubber Grip
  
• THRUST Lower Reciever
  
• Milspec Mag
  
• Any Sight
  
• War-Torn Stock
  
• LW Upper Reciever

The stats for all these combinations are exactly the same.

• Magazine: 38
  
• Total Ammo: 90 [113]
  
• Rate of Fire: 860
  
• Damage: 52
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 38

Along with the AK, the M16 also recieved a DMR kit. This has the same benefits and tradeoffs associated with the AK. The M16 DMR is neither as powerful nor as accurate as the AK DMR. It is more stable, and the higher fire rate cap means you can spam it faster should the need arise, such as fighting a bulldozer.


DMR Kit
Firebreather
Single Fire
Long Ergo Grip
Military Laser
Pro Grip/Rubber Grip
THRUST Lower Reciever
Expert Mag/L5 Mag
Any sight
War-Torn Stock
THRUST Upper Reciever

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 63 [79]
  
• Rate of Fire: 860
  
• Damage: 100
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 30

FN FAL (Falcon Rifle)

The FAL is a somewhat hard weapon to control. It is most akin to the SCAR-H, having high damage, low magazine size, and low ammo pool. The blessing and curse of this weapon is the fire rate. At 700 RPM, it is able to deal a lot of damage very quickly. Not as fast as an M16, but faster than the SCAR-H. You will find that most of your time with this gun is spent either reloading or scavenging for ammo packs. If you have fully loaded, you will be able to last longer, but you still need to be very accurate.

• Wooden Foregrip
  
• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• Military Laser
  
• Tactical Grip
  
• Any Sight
  
• Marksman Stock

The extended magazine is not on this configuration for two reasons. Firstly, it has a penalty to accuracy that this gun can not afford. Secondly, with forty rounds you can easily lose track of how many bullet's you've fired, and find yourself empty very quickly.

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 80 [100]
  
• Rate of Fire: 700
  
• Damage: 52
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 38

CAR-4

The CAR-4 is the most versatile weapon in Payday 2. Not only can it be made into a balanced and user friendly brute force gun, but it is the primary of choice for stealth jobs. This is a gun that I'm sure most of you can easily get parts for, and so it will child's play to turn it into a dependable, hard hitting cop killer.
The main advantage this gun has over it's cousin, the M16, is that it has 150 rounds starting ammo. This means that you have more room to miss headshots, and so you won't have to run out into danger grabbing ammo packs. The lower rate of fire help conserve ammo, although it can prove detrimental against bulldozers and charging cloakers.
Unlike the M16, I was only able to find one ideal setup for the CAR-4. It is as follows:

• Long Barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• E.M.O. Foregrip
  
• Military Laser
  
• Pro Grip/Rubber Grip
  
• THRUST Lower Reciever
  
• Expert Mag/L5 Mag
  
• Any Sight
  
• War-Torn Stock
  
• Exotique Reciever

Again, we must work around the accuracy penalty of the full auto and THRUST lower. The war-torn stock does most of this work, assisted by the long barrel, pro/rubber grip, and E.M.O. foregrip. The E.M.O. foregrip is the only CAR-4 foregrip without any sort of penalty, meaning that the other attachments can have more leaway when it comes to disadvantages. Stability comes from most of the parts, save the THRUST lower, stock and long barrel.

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 150 [188]
  
• Rate of Fire: 600
  
• Damage: 50
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 38

In the end, we have a powerful gun with lots of ammo, good for almost any loud job.

The CAR-4 also has a DMR version, very similar to the M16 DMR. The differences being a slightly lower ammo count and higher stability.

• DMR Kit
  
• Firebreather
  
• Single Fire
  
• OVAL Foregrip
  
• Military Laser
  
• Pro Grip/Rubber Grip
  
• THRUST Lower Reciever
  
• Expert Mag/L5 Mag
  
• Any sight
  
• War-Torn Stock
  
• Exotique Reciever

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 60 [75]
  
• Rate of Fire: 600
  
• Damage: 100
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 32

AK-74M (AK Rifle)

The AK-74M used to be a wholly below average weapon. After the AK/CAR mod pack, it is on par with, if not above, most other high amm ARs. Since it is essentially a scaled down AK-47, the Attachment setup is exactly the same.

• Modern barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• Scope Mount
  
• Keymod Rail
  
• Military Laser
  
• AK Plastic Grip
  
• Low Drage Mag
  
• Any Sight
  
• Classic Stock

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 150 [188]
  
• Rate of Fire: 650
  
• Damage: 45
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 38

Like it's big brother, the AK-74M has a new DMR kit variant, which is again more or less the same as the AK-47.

• DMR Kit
  
• Funnel of Fun
  
• Single Fire
  
• Scope Mount
  
• Keymod Rail
  
• Military Laser
  
• AK Wooden Grip
  
• Low Drage Mag
  
• Any Sight
  
• Classic Stock

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 60 [75]
  
• Rate of Fire: 650
  
• Damage: 100
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 29

SIG-553 (Commando 553 Rifle)

Prior to the AK/CAR mod pack, the SIG-553 was a solid, and very competitive gun. Now that the CAR-4 has been buffed to a possible 50 damage however, it is only really competitive with the new AK-74M and Galil. That said, it is still and excellent choice for those who want lots of ammo and are very good at landing headshots. It's faster fire rate means it is better at taking on special enemies than the AK-74M and the CAR-4, and it has more ammo than the Galil.

• Long Barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• Enhanced Foregrip
  
• Military Laser
  
• Enhanced Grip
  
• Any Sight
  
• War-Torn Stock
  
• Heat Treated Body

Building accuracy is very important with this rifle. The heat treated body gives damage, but also takes away accuracy, as does the full auto. Since the firebreather does not endow any accuracy at all, the stock and enhanced rail carry the load for accuracy. The enhanced grip gives the last little bit to give the gun perfect stability.

• Magazine: 30
  
• Total Ammo: 150 [188]
  
• Rate of Fire: 710
  
• Damage: 45
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 38

Galil (Gecko 7.62 Rifle)

I didn't like this gun when it first came out with the assault pack. I thought it was just like an AK74M that lost it's ammo faster. However, once I completed the frankly asinine achievements to get the good parts, the Galil became very reliable, although still not as good as other guns such as the M16 and the Car-4.

• Sniper Foregrip
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• Military Laser
  
• Sniper Grip
  
• Any sight
  
• Wooden Stock

You may be thinking that all those sniper add-ons do wonderful things for accuracy, but nuke the stability, and it's true. However, with the laser, wooden stock, and full auto, in addition to Leadership Ace, it is compensated enough to give us the magical 38. With the Firebreather, the damage is kept high at 45. The closest point of comparison for this gun is the AK-74M. It has the same damage, accuracy, and stability, while fire faster. However, it has less total ammo, meaning with the high fire rate, you will lose it all pretty quickly if you dont scavenge.

• Magazine: 30
  
• Total Ammo: 120 [150]
  
• Rate of Fire: 850
  
• Damage: 45
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 38

FAMAS (Clarion Rifle)

The FAMAS is an assault rifle that walks like an SMG. No primary weapon except the Vulcan fires faster, and nothing except the M16 competes in terms of damage per second. The advantages the FAMAS has over those is that unlike the Vulcan, it can pick up ammo from the ground, reload in less than a human lifetime, and does not have any sort of movement penalty. At the same time, it has more ammo than the M16, with a similar reload speed and better ammo pickup rate. This is the assault rifle I personally have the most kills with by far.

• Short Barrel
  
• Competitor'c Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• LED Combo
  
• G2 Grip
  
• Any sight

Unfortunately, in order to get those impressive advantages, you need to make some sacrifices. The most punishing will be to stability. The FAMAS does not have many ways to boost this stat. Even with Leadership Ace, you might find the recoil difficult to control if you are used to slower firing guns. I would recommend this gun only for jobs where you know you will be close to your enemies the vast majority of the time, such as Hotline Miami day 2 or inside Big Bank.

• Magazine: 30
  
• Total Ammo: 150 [188]
  
• Rate of Fire: 1000
  
• Damage: 42
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 35

Akimbo Weapons

Updated: 3/22/2015
The Akimbo update was honestly a bit of a dissappointment. I thought that I would be able to run around with two G18s or two P90s. Unfortunately, Overkill kept us on a short leash this time around. There are only 4 weapons that can be used akimbo, and they are counted as a primary weapon.
This isn't to say that the guns are bad. Far from it. The four guns they chose cater to whatever you are looking for in a gun, and I'll tell you why when I cover the individual guns. All of them will be covered in this one section.
These are guns that require a certain set of skills to be really effective. The first are the Mastermind skills, and these are Equlibrium Ace (faster swap & faster fire rate) and Gunslinger Ace (Faster reload & more damage). The other is the Akimbo fugitive skill. Some of you will want to take the Hitman perk deck to save yourself skill points, but that is ill advised. If you are using the hitman deck, you are not using the rogue deck, and therefore losing a lot of your dodge ability. You should take all the skills you can to make you dodge. Because of this, I will include the concealment of these guns, since it can affect your didge if you have Sneaky Basterd (steam tried to censor me). Since you cant really aim these guns, and the ammo pickup rate is generally very high, spamming bullets until something dies is the prefered strategy.

M9s
The M9s are the bullet hoses of the akimbo guns. They have the fastest fire rate tied with akimbo glocks, and have the largest magazine with extended mags. They also have the highest total ammo by far, which stacks with Akimbo Ace. They do also have the lowest damage, which means you are really going to need those extra bullets.

• The Competitor Compensator
  
• Combined Module
  
• Ergo Grip/Engraved Bernetti Grips
  
• Extended Mag
  
• The Elite Slide

• Magazine: 52
  
• Total Ammo: 245
  
• Rate of Fire: 1340
  
• Damage: 31
  
• Accuracy: 15
  
• Stability: 18
  
• Concealment: 22

Compact Glocks
The dual glocks can pull double duty as both akimbo stealth and loud guns. They are these easiest to drop concealment for if you want to, but they can also be made quite powerful, more so than the M9s. Most of it's special mods boost damage and stability. It also takes the same laser grip as the other Glock pistols, helping with accuracy lost to the flash hider. Unfortunately, the combined module has no affect on this gun, which means no boost to stability. You will also run into ammo problems, as each gun only carries 10 rounds, and there is no extended mags. Be prepared to swap to your secondary pistol if need be.

• Flash Hider
  
• Laser Grip
  
• Striking Body Kit
  
• Striking Mag
  
• Striking Slide

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 150
  
• Rate of Fire: 1340
  
• Damage: 36
  
• Accuracy: 15
  
• Stability: 18
  
• Concealment: 26

M1911s
The M1911s are the middle ground of the Akimbo guns. They do more damage than either the M9s or the Glocks, but carry more total ammo than the Deagles. They are also the most accurate, meaning you might be able to get away with picking off distant enemies in a pinch. They are good all around, but do not have the raw damage output of the Deagles, nor the sustained fire ability of the M9s. They are decent at killing cops, but you might have difficulties with bulldozers.

• Aggressor Compensator
  
• Combined Module
  
• Ergo Grip/Engraved Crosskill Grips
  
• 12 rnd. Mag
  
• Long Vented Slide

• Magazine: 32
  
• Total Ammo: 150
  
• Rate of Fire: 1000
  
• Damage: 38
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 17
  
• Concelament: 21

Deagles
Probably the guns everyone looks forward to dual wielding the most, and for good reason. No akimbo guns are better at taking out cops than the deagles. Against most enemies, you can one shot them in the head, including Cloakers. They are especially potent against bulldozers, going down in less than half a mag. This power does come with some responsibilities on your part. The recoil can generously be described as excessive, even with all the perks to boost it. On top of that, the Deagles have the lowest total ammo count of all the akimbo guns, and the lowest pick up rate. You should use these guns primarily for taking out special enemies, and use your secondary at all other times.

• Flash Hider
  
• Combined Module
  
• Ergo Grip
  
• Extended Mag
  
• Long Barrel
  

• Magazine: 32
  
• Total Ammo: 75
  
• Rate of Fire: 480
  
• Damage: 91
  
• Accuracy: 15
  
• Stability: 12
  
• Concealment: 18

With the release of the Butcher #2 Mod pack, we also recieved 3 new akimbo weapons.

Custom Glocks
We'll start with the unequivically most effective of the new akimbo guns. Compared to it's closest somparison, the Interceptor 45s, the Glocks do the same damage, same rate of fire, and have the same accuracy. They are more stable, have a bigger magazine, and have more total ammo than the Interceptors. If you have the parts, you should take these over the interceptors, with the exception of if you're running Sneaky Basterd basic.
Compared to the original akimbo weapons, the custom Glocks fall in between the M9s and the M1911s. The Glocks do more damage, ar more stable, and are more accurate than the M9s, but the M9s still have the most total ammo, the fastest fire rate, and the largest magazine. Th Glocks also have more ammo and a larger magazine than the M1911s, but dont do quite as much damage. The customs are sure to take care of business, and unless you are looking to destroy bulldozers with the deagles, are probably the best akimbo guns now.

• ISPC Compensators
  
• Combined Module/Polymer Flashlight
  
• Laser Grip
  
• Extended Mag
  
• Long Slide

• Magazine: 44
  
• Total Ammo: 240
  
• Rate of Fire: 1000
  
• Damage: 33
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 30
  
• Concealment: 23

Interceptor 45s
The Interceptors are statistically ver similar to the custom Glocks, but have the downsides of less stability, less total ammo, and a smaller magazine. It is just as usable as the customs, but with just the slightest bit of handicap.
That said, the Interceptors do have one advantage over the customs, but only if you are using Sneaky Basterd basic. The Interceptors have higher concealment than the customs, meaning that using that skill, you will have a slightly better chance to dodge. If you ace it, then both concealments, combined with your sidearm, should be enough to hit the 10% limit. Know that the customs are technically betterm but both them and the Interceptors are equally viable.

• Flash Hider
  
• Combined Module
  
• Extended Mag
  
• Expert Slide

• Magazine: 38
  
• Total Ammo: 234
  
• Rate of Fire: 1000
  
• Damage: 33
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 29

L85 (Queen's Wrath Rifle)

The L85 (it's probably an A2, but what do I know?) should be a really excellent gun on Paper. It has good enough damage, accuracy, and stability. On top of that, it has a monumental ammo pool of 180 bullets. The only other assault rifle with that much ammo is the G36, which deals considerably less damage.
So why then is this not a gun I will end up recommending to you? For starters, it has a terrible reload. You might not think you'll notice, but even with kilmer you will find yourself egging your character to just stick the thing in and be done with it. Both reloads are well over 3.5 seconds, making this not ideal for anyone really. But the most painful thing about this gun is the ammo pickup rate. You will be picking up 2-3 bullets per pack without fully loaded ace. That means that even with headshots, you will constantly be losing ammo unless you steal your teammates packs as well. You will either need to spend more time outside in danger, or use more ammo bags, neither of which is desirable.
In spite of all this, I do have a loadout that is at least adequate for short jobs like Mallcrasher or NIghtclub, where you just want a gun that looks really cool.

• Prodigious Barrel
  
• Tactical Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• Versatile Foregrip
  
• Military Laser
  
• Delightful Grip
  
• Expert Mag/L5 Mag
  
• Any sight

The L85 begins with above average accuracy, but only has one attachment to boost it. This neccesitates the tactical compensator and prodigious barrel. The L85 get the stability that compensator does not provide from every other attachment, which also have the side affect of making it look kickass, like the L85A2 in BF4 (which is leagues better than this one).

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 180 [225]
  
• Rate of Fire: 720
  
• Damage: 40
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 38

VHS (Lion's Roar Rifle)

I used to think this was an amazing gun. When I first got my hands on it, I was surprised to see that 32 stability corresponded to no recoil. Literally none. This gun had exactly zero muzzle climb. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a bug, which Overkill swiftly patched. This gun is now is the same category as the FAMAS; hig fire rate, lots of ammo, low damage. The VHS (I have heard all the VHS cassette jokes) does just as much damage as the FAMAS, but is more accurate, and slightly less stable. It also has a slightly longer reload than the FAMAS, though not nearly as bad as the L85. This is still a usable gun, but it is by no means the best.

• Precision Barrel
  
• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• LED Combo
  
• Any sight

The VHS starts out with very little stability, and even with the attachments and Leadership ace, it does not go any higher without sacrificing accuracy. The precision barrel is needed to counteract the effect. it is possible to swap out the competitor's compensator for a firebreather. This will add more damage, but at the expense of both accuracy and stability. In the end as well, the advantage is only 3 points of damage, which is not enough to change the shots to kill against the vast majority of enemies. I am going to recommend the competitor's compensator and go for consistent headshots.

• Magazine: 30
  
• Total Ammo: 150 [188]
  
• Rate of Fire: 860
  
• Damage: 42
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 33

G36 (JP36)

The G36 is the beginners gun. For several reasons, it is the gun I recommend to people when they first start playing Payday 2. Firstly, it is a very good base gun compared to the majority of other assault rifles. It has good damage, accuracy, and stability without parts, and can be made quite usable with just Gage courier parts. It also has the largest ammo pool of all the assault rifles, tied with the L85. Unlike the L85, it's ammo pickup rate is decent enough that the newbie who is using it won't have to be in danger for too long. That said, once you get the parts to make other, God tier weapons, you should retire this one. It does not have the longevity that guns like the AK-47 and M16 do.

• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• Polizei Special Foregrip
  
• Military Laser
  
• Any sight
  
• Sniper Stock
  

• Magazine: 30
  
• Total Ammo: 180 [225]
  
• Rate of Fire: 710
  
• Damage: 35
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 38

G3A3/PSG-1 (Gewehr 3 Rifle)

The G3 is a weapon which some people might like to use for reasons described below, but it has some shortcomings that hold it back from greatness.
Let's get the bad out of the way first.The G3 is one of the most unstable assault rifles in the game. It is tied with the VHS for lowest base stability, and is second only to the M14. Like those guns as well, try as you might, you won't be able to get the golden gun out of this.
One thing you should know going forward is that I do not have all of the attachments for this gun. In order to get the rest of them (the Retro Grip and Wooden Stock), You need to complete the "Not Today" achievement, which means killing a cloaker mid jump with the GL40. I don't know about you, but I tried to do this, and I did not have the patience for it. I'm going to give you two load outs. The first is going to be the one I have available to me, and the other is a theoretical one with all of the parts unlock. I will do my best to get the stats on the theoretical G3 right. However, if someone finds them to be wrong, I apologize.
Update: I DID IT but I'm going to keep the old configurations towards the end, because I'm willing to bet most of you still don't have it.

• Assault Kit
  
• Competitors Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• Precision Foregrip
  
• Military Laser
  
• Precision Grip
  
• Any sight
  
• Wooden Stock

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 100 [125]
  
• Rate of Fire: 650
  
• Damage: 50
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 38

You may have noticed something in those attachment lists that isn't in the other weapons. That would be the assault kit, which is a barrel, of sorts, unique to the G3, similar to the DMR kits from the AK/CAR mod pack. Without it, the G3 is more powerful and accurate, but also less stable. This is the optimal G3 without the Assault Kit.

• Fire Breather
  
• Full Auto
  
• Tactical Foregrip
  
• LED Combo
  
• Precision Grip
  
• Any Sight
  
• Wooden Stock

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 80 [100]
  
• Rate of Fire: 650
  
• Damage: 58
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 36

As you can see, the G3 is somewhat different to how it was before. Now it is more powerful, on par with the SCARH, and if you have the stock unlocked, more stable as well. However, note also that the G3 Assault has 100 rounds total ammo compared to the base 80, a whole mag more. That may not seem like the biggest of differences, but it can mean the difference between having to switch to your secondary, or killing a charging cloaker. My final word would be that if you have the wooden stock unlocked and you are an accurate player, the regular G3 is your best bet. Othewise, use the assault kit, and take advantage of the extra ammo.
But that's not really the end. The G3 also has a DMR kit, similar to the AK/CAR DMR kit. It give the same advantages (more damage, more accuracy) as well as the same tradeoffs (less stability, less ammo). One key difference is that the G3 DMR kit also decreases the size of the magazine, making this weapon more similar to the M14.

• DMR Kit
  
• Funnel of Fun
  
• Single fire
  
• Wooden Foregrip
  
• LED Combo
  
• Precision Grip
  
• Any sight
  
• Wooden Stock

• Magazine: 10
  
• Total Ammo: 48 [60]
  
• Rate of Fire: 650
  
• Damage: 115
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 29

You'll notice that I don't have single fire on here, but that does not mean you should use this full auto. The tiny magazine, combined with the shrunken ammo pool, means you will make one cop super dead, but then you won't have enough to finish off his friends. Headshots make the difference, and every bullet counts. Use as you would a sniper rifle.

UPDATE:
I got Not Today, but since most of you havent, here are all the old configurations without the attachments that achievement unlocks.

With the Assault Kit

• Assault Kit
  
• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• Tactical Foregrip
  
• LED Combo
  
• Precision Grip
  
• Any Sight
  
• Precision Stock
  

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 100 [125]
  
• Rateo of Fire: 650
  
• Damage: 50
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 36

Without the Assault Kit

• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Full Auto
  
• Tactical Foregrip
  
• LED Combo
  
• Precision Grip
  
• Any Sight

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 80
  
• Rate of Fire: 650
  
• Damage: 52
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 35

WIth the DMR Kit

• DMR Kit
  
• Funnel of Fun
  
• Tactical Foregrip
  
• LED Combo
  
• Precision Grip
  
• Any Sight

• Magazine: 10
  
• Total Ammo: 48
  
• Rate of FIre: 650
  
• Damage: 115
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 23

AUG (UAR Rifle)

UPDATED: 3/19/2015
The AUG used to be filed under "Guns which serve no purpose". However, thanks to the release of the Butcher 2 Mod pack, it is on par with the M16. It does only slightly less damage, has the same accuracy and stability, but has more total ammo. The rate of fire combined with the damage are great for taking down bulldozers and tasers. This is now a gun I can recommend without reservation.

• Long Barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• A3 Tactical Foregrip
  
• Military Laser/LED Combo
  
• Any Sight
  
• Raptor Polymer Body

• Magazine: 30
  
• Total Ammo: 120 [150]
  
• Rate of Fire: 750
  
• Damage: 50
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 38

M14 (M308)

• Funnel of Fun
  
• Single Fire
  
• Scope Mount
  
• LED Combo
  
• Any sight
  
• Jaeger Body

• Magazine: 10
  
• Total Ammo: 40 [50]
  
• Rate of Fire: 710
  
• Damage: 121
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 23

AK5

UPDATED: 3/19/2015
Like the AUG, the AK5 recieved a buff with with the release of the Butcher #2 mod pack, in the form of the CQB barrel. Counterintuitively, the titularly shorter barrel adds to accuracy and damage. Both of these are welcome improvements, as the AK5 now has the same statistics as the L85. It beats the L85 with a much better pickup rate and much faster reload. The gun isn't a stand out, but it's an easy gun to start with, much like the G36.

• CQB Barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• Full Auto
  
• Karbin Ceres Handguard
  
• Military Laser
  
• Expert Mag/L5 Mag
  
• Any sight
  
• Bertil Stock

• Magazine: 34
  
• Total Ammo: 150 [188]
  
• Rate of Fire: 710
  
• Damage: 40
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 38

M4A1 (AMCAR)

• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Military Laser
  
• L5 Magazine
  
• Any sight
  
• War-Torn Stock

• Magazine :24
  
• Total Ammo: 180 [225]
  
• Rate of Fire: 550
  
• Damage: 21
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 35

Saiga 12 (IZHMA 12G Shotgun)

A word going forward into the shotguns. There are some skills you will absolutely want to have if you want to use shotguns effectively. The first two are Shotgun Impact Ace and Shotgun CQB. Shotgun Impact Ace increases the damage and stability of all your shotguns, and shotgun CQB basic halves your reload speed (you don't need the ace version).
The other skill is only necessary for the Saiga, and that is Mag Plus Ace. This skill increases your magazine size by 15. This means that the 7 round mag of the vanilla Saiga becomes a 22 round drum. With triple the ammo capacity, you will be able to walk through rooms holding left click, and everything will die. And since you have fast reload, the mag is replenished inside 2 seconds. In the hands of a Tech-forcer, this gun is unstoppable, even against bulldozers.

• Shark Teeth
  
• Full Auto
  
• Scope Mount
  
• The Tactical Russian Rail
  
• Military Laser
  
• AK Plastic Grip
  
• Any sight
  
• Classic Stock

• Magazine: 22
  
• Total Ammo: 88
  
• Rate of Fire: 330
  
• Damage: 60
  
• Accuracy: 10
  
• Stability: 42

KSG (Raven Shotgun)

I've heard the KSG described as a Locomotive but worse. In a sense, this is true. In the configuration I'm about to show you, it does the same amount of damage, is less accurate, less stable, fires slower, and has the same mag size as the Loco. It's also a primary weapon, which means you can't take an AR to be great at distance. You could take an SMG to compensate, but SMGs generally are not as powerful as ARs. Nevertheless, this is a fun gun to use. It has the cartharsis that most ARs just dont have, and sounds much better than the Loco, even with the Bodhi sound mod. These are fairly minor things to praise a gun for, but it makes it fun to use. This is a game. Fun is why we do this.

• Short Barrel
  
• Shark Teeth Nozzle
  
• Military Laser
  
• Any sight

The short barrel is preferable on the KSG, since it provides a damage boost. The loss of accuracy and stability is inconsequential since A) this is a shotgun, and you should be as close to your enemies as your armor/dodge will allow, and B) it's a pump action shotgun. Your recoil is reset after every shot. The same logic applies to the Shark Teeth. The loss of magazine size isn't as big a handicap as it first seems. Yes you cant fire for as long before needing to reload, but you'll pretty much be reloading all the time anyway. You can interrupt the reload instantly to shoot something, and then instantly resume once you're done. If you have Kilmer Ace, it becomes even easier, since you can reload whilst you're sprinting to cover.

• Magazine: 10
  
• Total Ammo: 42 [53]
  
• Rate of Fire: 100
  
• Damage: 105
  
• Accuracy: 2
  
• Stability: 30

Bonus fact: You can buy one of these from Kel-tec for less than $1000, and it will have the full 14 shell double tube mag (don't use it to kill cops though).

Remington 870

This is the other pump action shotgun along with the KSG. However, amny people will compare it to the Locomotive, since it shares most of the same attachments. However, the camparison isn't favorable to the 870. It has the same mag size and stability fulled equipped as the Loco, but does less damage. With full damage, this is one of the most accurate of all the primary shotguns, coming second only to Joceline. This might help you if you're in a pinch, but it doesn't really make this gun stand out.
As with the KSG, this is a fun gun. Go ahead and use it if you just want to blast cops with a pump action shotty, and look awesome doing it.

• Shark Teeth Nozzle
  
• Zombie Hunter Pump
  
• Military Laser
  
• Rubber Grip/Pro Grip
  
• Extended Mag
  
• Any sight
  
• Government Issue Tactical Stock
  
• Shell Rack

Again, we only care about damage. Unfortunately, there is no other attachment besides the Shark Teeth that will do this. All the other attachments can do is buff the stability, which you should go ahead and do. Shell Rack and Extended Mag will give you the bonus shells to keep throwing out lead.

• Magazine: 10
  
• Total Ammo: 48 [60]
  
• Rate of Fire: 100
  
• Damage: 98
  
• Accuracy: 12
  
• Stability: 37

M1014

The M1014 should be an equal to the 870. It does a little less damage, but trades that for the semi-auto capability and more ammo. However, the M1014 tends to take more than it gives.

• Short Barrel
  
• Shark Teeth Nozzle
  
• Military Laser
  
• Any sight
  
• Tactical Foregrip

Being able to fire hard hitting 12G in rapid succession might sound like fun, similar to the Saiga. However, the M1014 has ammo problems, the first one being its magazine. At only 6 rounds with the short barrel, you will have to start reloading not long after you begin firing. Unlike the KSG or the 870, where the pump action forced you to pace your shots, the M1014 allows you to be somewhat irresponsible with this ammo, and that pool of 72 doesn't feel as big as it did in the loadout screen. Since the rounds are so weak, and you have so few of them in a mag, you are in one tight spot if you miss. If you change out the short barrel for the long barrel, which bumps the mag size up to 10, your rounds are even weaker, and the added accuracy doesn't do much for you. There are better shotguns out there than the M1014.

• Magazine: 6
  
• Total Ammo: 72 [90]
  
• Rate of Fire: 430
  
• Damage: 63
  
• Accuracy: 8
  
• Stability: 35

SPAS-12 (Predator 12G)

The SPAS-12 is a very in the middle shotgun. It has decent damage, but not as high as the Loco or the 870. It can be spammed, but not as fast as the M1014 or the Saiga. However, it both fire faster than the Loco and 870, and does more damage than the M1014 and the Saiga. If you can get consistent headshots, this may be more effective for you than the pump action shotguns. However, it is average. It doesn't have any major drawbacks apart from the ammo count, but it doesnt excel at anything either. It will get the job done if you use it right.
On the other hand, you have a SPAS-12. That's pretty awesome.

• Extended Mag
  
• Shark Teeth Nozzle
  
• Military Laser
  
• Any sight
  
• Solid Stock

The SPAS has some pretty good attachments going for it. For extra accuracy and stability, in addition to a bigger magazine, you have the extended mag. As per the rest of the shotguns, put a Shark Teeth on to boost the damage. The only choice for stock is the solid stock. Both of the other ones assume you're turning it into a stealth weapon, which the SPAS does not do very well.

• Magazine: 10
  
• Total Ammo: 36 [45]
  
• Rate of Fire: 300
  
• Damage: 77
  
• Accuracy: 8
  
• Stability: 35

Rattlesnake Sniper Rifle

Sniping in Payday 2 is something of a niche. Sniper rifles have one attribute that no other weapon has, and that is penetration. Sniper rifle rounds are able to pass through certain walls and, more importantly, shields. There are few jobs where sniper rifles are preferred over an assault rifle or a shotgun. When they are useful, they are extremely handy, and can take a big load off of your crew. Provided you are accurate, nothing kills faster than a sniper rifle. If you land consistent headshots, most enemies die in one shot, including cloakers. If you are not accurate, you will struggle to perform well, since body shots may not always kill depending on the enemy.
But sometimes, you just gotta fire more bullets, and thats what the Rattlesnake does better than any other sniper rifle. It has the largest ammo pool, largest magazine, and fastest fire rate of all the snipers. Keep in mind though, that it also has the lowest damage. You will need two shots through a shield to kill it, and it is not the ideal weapon for taking on bulldozers. The large magazine and ammo pool make it ideal if you have a dodge build and need to snipe, such as on Rats day 3.

• Long Barrel
  
• LED Combo
  
• Any Sight

• Magazine: 10
  
• Total Ammo: 50 [63]
  
• Damage: 137
  
• Accuracy: 25
  
• Stability: 9

As much as it is sad, the Tactical Aluminum Body does make this gun worse. Not unusably so: the only penalty is to stability. I find the tradeoff worth it, since the rifle just looks so much cooler. If you are a stickler for stats though, it won't help.

R93 Sniper Rifle

The R93 is the middle of the pack sniper rifle. Compared to the Rattlesnake, it does more damage and is more stable, while still having 18 accuracy. As a tradeoff, it has less total ammo, a smaller magazine, and a slower rate of fire.
Unlike the Rattlesnake, the R93 will kill shields with one penetration shot, as long as it is a headshot. The only enemies that the R93 can't one shot to the head are bulldozers.

• LED Combo
  
• Any sight
  
• Wooden Stock

• Magazine: 6
  
• Total Ammo: 30 [38]
  
• Rate of Fire: 50
  
• Damage: 263
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 26

Barrett M95 (Thanatos .50 cal Sniper Rifle)

The M95 is, for lack of a better word, insane. Until the RPG, absolutely nothing did more damage. Absolutely nothing was as situational either. The M95 has one purpose on most jobs, and that is to kill bulldozers. It can kill a full health dozer on overkill in 2 shots anywhere (Headshots are not 1 shot). Outside of that one situation, the M95 is severe overkill, to the point that you are wasting ammo on anything less than a shield, of which it is capable of killing in one penetration body shot. Although it is great for overkill jobs in which dozers are a problem, it is not recommended for deathwish. Although it is still capable of killing skulldozers very quickly, they kill you faster. You are better off using grenades or HE rounds to knock the armor off and use regular weapons to finish them.

• Tank Buster Barrel
  
• LED Combo
  
• Pro Grip/Rubber Grip
  
• Any sight

• Magazine: 5
  
• Total Ammo: 15 [19]
  
• Rate of Fire: 40
  
• Damage: 3024
  
• Accuracy: 28
  
• Stability: 18

Mosin-Nagant

The Mosin is very similar in many ways to the R93. It is capable of one shoting most enemies to the head, and has an ammo pool and magazine between the Rattlesnake and M95. However, it's magazine and ammo pool are both smaller than the R93, and is also less stable. However, the Mosin has a faster fire rate, and does a hair more damage. It must also be noted that the Mosin's attachments are much easier to unlock, since they require much less of a grind than shooting scores of enemies through walls.

• Long Barrel
  
• Bayonet (optional)
  
• LED Combo
  
• Any sight
  

I like to use the iron sights, but be aware this reduces stability.

• Magazine: 5
  
• Total Ammo: 25 [31]
  
• Rate of Fire: 60
  
• Damage: 294
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 29

RPK-74

The LMGs in Payday 2 must be used with some care. They are not the care free bullet hoses that they are in other first person shooters, such as Call of Duty and Battlefield. Yes, they start out with lots of ammo, but you will find yourself short pretty quickly if you try to do traditional suppression with them. They main issue with the LMGs is accuracy, or lack thereof. LMGs can not be aimed like a regular rifle. All you cana do is zoom in a little bit from the hip. If you've ever used the Chainsaw in Call of Duty Ghosts, that is what it is akin to. The accuracy I'm going to recommend you set as a standard is 12, below the average for other weapons. While you do have to be careful and burst, those can still be pretty long bursts, around 5-7 bullets. Enough of those bullets are going to hit that you'll kill something. The ammo pickup is still not fantastic, so bring a good secondary for when you have to scavenge. Even with that, you may find youself using ammo bags, especially with the faster firing LMGs.
The RPK is the first LMG you unlock for use. It is probably the most forgiving in terms of it's stats. It has the lowest ammo pool and the smallest magazine, but it also has the second slowest rate of fire. This will help you conserve the bullets that you do have. Of all of these loadouts, it also has the highest damage. Being a Kalashnikov weapon, it can also take certain stocks that AK rifles can, which helps it's stability and accuracy. The magazine as opposed to belt reload will also help you if you struggle to manage ammo. Much like the G36, it is a good starter gun, but there are other guns in it's class that are for whatever reason more desireable.

• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Tactical Foregrip
  
• LED Combo
  
• Aluminum Grip
  
• War Torn Stock

• Magazine: 100
  
• Total Ammo: 300 [375]
  
• Rate of Fire: 750
  
• Damage: 40
  
• Accuracy: 14
  
• Stability: 30

M249 SAW (KSP LMG)

Being a SAW, this is probably the LMG most of you are going to want to use first. Unfortunately for you, your enthusiasm is misplaced. This is by no means useless, but it is underwhelming compared to ther LMGs. While being not fantastic, it does have some strengths that compensate for some of it's flaws inherent in being an LMG.

• Long Barrel
  
• Fire Breather
  
• Railed Foregrip
  
• LED Combo
  
• War Torn Stock

• Magazine: 200
  
• Total Ammo: 400 [500]
  
• Rate of Fire: 910
  
• Damage: 40
  
• Accuracy: 12
  
• Stability: 29

The SAW has two strengths that make it stand out. The first is its rate of fire, which is the second highest of all the LMGs. The second is the Magazine, which is the largest of any weapon outside of the Minigun. The mentality you need with this gun is if your target isnt dead, you didnt fire enough bullets. The best part is that you have plenty of ammo to spare. Stability combined with the fire rate can get difficult to control. Long range combat is not recommended, as you will more likely than not just waste a great deal of bullets.

HK21 (Brenner 21 LMG)

The HK21 is the most moderate of all the LMGs. It has the lowest rate of fire, but is still good. The magazine isnt as big as the SAW, but it's bigger than the RPK. It meets the minimum to really be an LMG, but is still a good weapon. It still comes with the LMG drawbacks: slow movement, slow reload, no ADS. It can get the job done, but if you are looking to really go above and beyond, this gun may be a bit frustrating. I will say that it is an easy gun to spec up. There aren't a whole lot of parts available, but this just means you dont have to play as long in order to get the ones you need to make it viable.

• Long Barrel
  
• Firebreather
  
• LED Combo
  
• Ergo Grip

• Magazine: 150
  
• Total Ammo: 300 [375]
  
• Rate of Fire: 720
  
• Damage: 40
  
• Accuracy: 12
  
• Stability: 30

MG42 (Buzzsaw 42 LMG)

There is a reason that the MG42 is still in use today (as the MG3). It is a terrifying gun to be around. 1200 rpm is an insane rate of fire for any weapon, let alone one firing 7.92 Mauser ammo. You should take advantage of this. The MG42 is neither the most accurate, the most stable, nor does it do the most damage. It is at or below average in all these areas. But you know what, that doesnt matter. You fire 20 bullets in one second. You can't even hear the individual shots. All it takes is one short bursts against most normal enemies, and they are dealt with. One word of warning is that if you hear a taser around, put the MG42 away. If you get tased, you will likely lose all of your 150 round magazine before your crew can help you. Make sure your secondary can deal with them.

• Light Barrel
  
• Competitor's Compensator
  
• LED Combo

• Magazine: 150
  
• Total Ammo: 450 [563]
  
• Rate of Fire: 1200
  
• Damage: 35
  
• Accuracy: 12
  
• Stability: 35

AA-12 (Steakout 12G)

Do you have the AA-12? If the answer is no, buy it. If the answer is yes, use it. The only gun this compares to is the Saiga, only the AA-12 is better for one reason: drum mag. Unlike the Saiga, you dont need to build an entire skill tree around this one gun. All it takes is the Drum Mag and Shotgun Impact Ace. It does slightly less damage than a speced up Saiga, but it is worth it for all the skill points you free up from Mag Plus.
On dragon's breath, theyre fun and cool to see, but theyre not very effective. You lose the boost from Fully Loaded Ace, and they deal less damage than standard buckshot. USe it if you want, but dont be surprised if you find yourself short of ammo with cops still standing.

• Long Barrel
  
• Sharkteeth
  
• Full Auto
  
• Military Laser
  
• Drum Mag
  
• Any sight

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 64 [80]
  
• Rate of Fire: 300
  
• Damage: 63
  
• Accuracy: 10
  
• Stability: 44 (it's the same with an LED Combo)

The ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Flamethrower

This is a Flamethrower and it kills shields instantly (not an exaggeration). I shouldn't have to say more to get you to use this. Since you are going to use it, here are some things you need to know about fire in Payday 2.
The Flamethower has limited range. The flames go out to a certain distance and then dissappear, similar to how shotguns behave in Call of Duty. Since this flamethrower uses compressed gas rather than gasoline, this range is not very far.
Enemies that are on fire will have persistent damage done to them. This is not very much damage, so dont rely on it to get you kills.
Fire stuns enemies. If you shoot a cop with a flamethrower, they will stagger backwards and be unable to fight. This applies to bulldozers as well, but not cloakers.
Fire goes through shields. Absolutely nothing is as practical for taking out shields as the flamethower. The sniper rifles can shoot through them, but they are unreliable in close range. The Barret kills in one body shot, but it only has 15 rounds base. The flamethrower is practical against most other enemies, but does not require you to aim nearly as well. In addition, if you get tased, you can free yourself easily if the taser is close thanks to the fire knockback. Snipers are very hard to use while tased.

• Rare fuel

Fuel is the only type of attachment for the Flamethrower, so I'll go ahead and recommend rare. The loss of damage is minimal compared to how much extra ammo you get. Since the flamethrower doesnt have ammo pickup, having more in stock can save your life.

• Magazine: 150
  
• Total Ammo: 750 [938]
  
• Rate of Fire (it's actually fire this time): 2000
  
• Damage: 12
  
• Accuracy: 0
  
• Stability: 0

Winchester 1873

Lever action weapons are starting to become a popular theme in modern shooters. The 1887s were popular in MW2 and MW3, and Battlefield 4 has the Mare's Leg in it's entry for the silly name award. Now Payday 2 has the Winchester 1873, filed under sniper rifles. You will never use the 1873 as a sniper rifle though, so this arrangement may come off as strange. Since the default sights on the gun are iron sights, and the one scope is terrible, it's more akin to a slow firing battlefrifle, and indeed that is the most effective way to use it. However, unlike the actual battlerifle in the game, the M14, the 1873 can pierce armor, and is thus far more effective. On top of this, it has more ammo by default with a comparable pick up rate. Since the reload is interuptable, you can keep using it, reloading between fights, and never worry about having to time reloads. Kilmer will help with this as well.
I've probably played my hand a bit early and given away that I am quite fond of the 1873, so now I must give reasons for why it is balanced. The damage is probably one of the most annoying parts of the weapon. It is higher than all the ARs for sure, but it is just, and I mean just, too low to one shot a shield to the head. The iron sights are also quite strange looking, although I myself dont have trouble using them. People have said that the irons are a weak point for this gun. This isn't helped by the fact that you can not put an optic on it other than the aforementioned horrible scope.
In summary, it might help to compare this ti the other iron sight-able sniper, the Mosin-Nagant. The Mosin can one shot shields to the head, and can take optics. However, the Winchester has much more ammo, an interuptable reload, and faster fire rate. Which one you use depends on how comfortable you are with your aim, and also which one you think will be more fun for you.

• Long Range Barrel

• Magazine: 15
  
• Total Ammo: 45 [56]
  
• Rate of Fire: 86
  
• Damage: 184
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 18

Plainsrider Bow

Video games in the last couple years seem to have developed a certain fascination with Bows. Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider, Crysis 3, Battlefield 4, and Assassin's Creed 3 all had bows as a central mechanic, evem against a background of modern weapons. With as many add ons as Payday 2 has, it's no surprise a bow would be added in some form or another. Let's get down to brass tacks and find out just what this thing can do.
Some preliminary information about the bow to start. There are now, as of the Ninja Pack, 3 types of ammunition for it: normal arrows, exploding arrows, and poison arrows. I will go through the strengths and weaknesses of each type, starting with the plain vanilla arrows.



Arrows
You can't have a bow without the arrow. In this case, arrows are versatile, but skewed toward one niche, namely stealth. The bow is a very popular tool for stealth jobs for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it has the highest concealment a weapon can have, 30. Secondly, it is silent, without the need for extra attachments. Thirdly, it is a garuanteed one shot kill to any guards on stealth, headshot or no. if you want to do stealth but are on a budget, the bow is good, since it is the stealthiest around without the need for any attachments.
On the loud side, the base bow is not as strong as a firearm. This is to be expected, seeing as guns took over centuries ago for good reason. This isnt to say you can't use normal arows on loud jobs, it certainly has a few advantages. Keep in mind though that it does have some downsides you will have to work around to get good results.
Arrows are powerful. They deal 195 damage each, and you begin with 50 without Fully Loaded, meaning you have 9750 possible points of damage to dish out. Except you actually don't, since you can also pick up arrows you've fired. Assuming you dont shoot them all outside the map or high up on a wall, you have an infinite amount of damage. Another neat trick to take advatage of this is when you are in Swan Song Ace. Since you don't deplete reserve ammo while firing, you can fire tons of arrows off ot your feet, and have a free ammo refill.
But like I said earlier, there are downsides. Aiming the bow requires some getting used to, since there is no laser or sights, aiming requires the use of the arrow, and predicting where it will go, since they do arc. Shooting while at full draw will make things easier. In order to fire continuously, you also need to keep hitting reload (not needed) or the fire button to keep drawing new arrows. It does not happen automatically. If you do shoot arrows to an irretrievable place, ammo pickups do not replace them. If you are the sort of person who uses sniper rifles regularly, you might find the bow to be on par, if somewhat clunky. It's by no means bad, but normal arrows take some learning on loud.

• Magazine: 1
  
• Total Ammo: 50 [63]
  
• Rate of Fire: 300
  
• Damage: 195
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 24

Explosive Arrows
By far and away the most popular bow accessory, explosive arrows have quite a bit more loud utility than normal arrows. Their primary use is against armor, which means shields and bulldozers. 1 direct hit on a shield will kill it, and 2-3 direct hits on a bulldozer will knock all of it's armor off. The explosion is also effective against groups of enemies, especially in very tight areas like Breakout day 2 or inside the lab on Rats. Keep in mind though that these are explosion, so there is friendly fire. Watch for your teammates.
They arent the perfect weapon though. Explosive arrows have the same aiming system as normal arrows. The biggest issue is that, unlike normal arrows, you can not recover an arrow that has detonated, and pickups do not replenish your supply. If you do plan on using explosives, make sure you bring at least one ammo bag, and save the bow for shields and Bulldozers, to maximize your use of it.

• Damage: 260

Poison Arrows
The newest addition, poison arrows are the trickiest ammo types to use, and their intended purpose is somewhat in the air. Their persistent damage isnt important on stealth, since guards usually only have 30 health. I've tried to use them on loud, and their performance was questionable, if hilarious. Lemme first say that yes, it is funny to shoot a bunch of guards and watch them all start puking their guts out before they die, and yes there is a certain catharsis to watching a charging cloaker halt mid dash to start blowing chunks. That made the struggle of actually using them somewhat more worthwhile.
The downsides are similar to the normal arrows, but poison also has a few more. Poison arrows, dont do as much initial damage, so you must wait for the poison to do it's work. Bulldozers can not be poisoned, so any you will be waiting a while to get those arrows back. You also have fewer arrows to start off with, granted you can still recover them. All in all, poison is good for laughs, but as a weapon it is lacking compared to other options.

• Total Ammo: 35 [44]
  
• Damage: 65

AS VAL

The Sokol and Golden Grin DLCs are the first DLCs in a long time that have actually made me change the way I play Payday 2. One reason is the Grinder perk deck, but that's for another guide. The second is this gun, the AS VAL. I'm used to the AS VAL from Battlefield 3 and 4, so I had high hopes that this would perfom exceedingly well. I was not left wanting, although it has a few weaknesses that we will talk about in time.
I should explain how exactly this part of the DLC has changed my play style. The reason is that lovely silencer on the front of the gun. In reality, the AS VAL has an integrated suppressor, which is used in conjunction with subsonic 9x39mm ammo, with the final effect being that the moving parts of the gun are louder than the actual gunshot. In the context of payday, this means that the AS VAL does not incure a damage penalty from being silenced, as most other weapons do. Logically then the first thing I did was create the ultimate silent killer + the profesional class, and boosted the stats to OP status.
I've used SK&TP classes before, but since the performace improvement for most weapons was marginal the majority of the time, I only ever did it for amor piercing and the insane stability. The AS VAL, since it's silencer has no penalties of any kind, gains tremendously from SK&TP. Th damage jumps from 40 to 54, an accuracy is boosted to the point that an auto fire is viable. The AS VAL also becomes the 50+ damage weapon with the most ammo by far, at 160 rounds. That's more than the 45 damage weapons in tha game, and it's pickup rate is better as well.
The weapon without SK&TP is still good. it meets the 40 damage minimum with good accuracy and stability, and it still has 160 rounds. However, it is no where near as powerful as it is with SK&TP.
I'm done fawning over the VAL, so let me say my one gripe with this gun, the magazine. 20 rounds in a weapon that fires 900 rounds per minute is a big handicap, more so than it is on guns like the SCARH or FAL. The reload is good, but it does not compensate, and you will find yourself struggling against bulldozers. The fast rate of fire reduces the margin of error for missed shots, so you need to get very close in order to ensure killing them in one magazine.
Other than the magazine, the AS VAL is a top tier weapon that I highly recommend you use. Just make sure you reload before going into every fight, or you may find yourself up a certain creek without a paddle.



For regular builds

• Laser Light Combo
  
• Any sight
  
• Solid Stock

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 160 [200]
  
• Rate of Fire: 900
  
• Damage: 40
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 36

For Silent Killer/The Profesional builds

• Full Auto
  
• Mil Laser/Laser Light Combo
  
• Any Sight
  
• Solid Stock

• Magazine: 20
  
• Total Ammo: 160 [200]
  
• Rate of Fire: 900
  
• Damage: 54
  
• Accuracy: 21
  
• Stability: 50

Kel-tec SUB 2000

Let me just start by saying that as a weapon, this thing's damage makes no sense. The Patchett, which uses high pressure loads available ONLY to the British military, does 47 damage. The SUB uses 9x19mm Para ammo you can get from Walmart, and it does more than double that.
But as a wise man once said, "it is a video game", so none of that really matters. What does matter, is that now that this thing is available, I shouldn't see anyone using the M14. The SUB 2000 is everything the M14 should have been. It is a semi automatic AR with very high damage and relatively low ammo pool. This makes it the weapon of choice for people who are confident enough in their aim to get headshots. Even if you're not, you can still kill tasers in 4 body shots, and all common enemies in 2 outside of Deathwish. Headshots do help mitigate the low ammo pool, but the pickup is high enough that you'll be able to get by, only occasionally needing to use your secondary.
With such high damage, high mag size, and forgiving fire cap, the SUB 2000 is very effective at tearing up bulldozers. You should be able to deal with 2 very quickly, before either of them has a chance to down you. Also, if you are stunned by a taser, the large mag and semi auto fire combined with the high damage will make it very easy for you to free yourself. Cloakers die in a single headshot, and shields in a single body shot. These reasons make the SUB 2000 one of the best weapons to use against special cops in the game.

• Magazine: 33
  
• Total Ammo: 66 [83]
  
• Rate of Fire: 710
  
• Damage: 100
  
• Accuracy: 16
  
• Stability: 33

• Competitor's Compensator
  
• Delabarre Foregrip
  
• LED Combo
  
• Any Sight

WA2000

There isn't a whole lot to say about the WA2000 other than it is a very solid sniper rifle. It fill roughly the same niche as the MSR, but is more like a flat upgrade. It does more damage than the MSR, is semi auto as opposed to bolt action, all for the same ammo pool and mag size. Because of the higher damage, the WA2000 can one shot headshot through shields. If you have both DLCs, there isnt really any reason to use the MSR over the WA2000.

• Langer Barrel
  
• Military Laser
  
• Leichter oder Walnuss Grip
  
• Any Sight

• Magazine: 10
  
• Total Ammo: 50 [63]
  
• Rate of Fire: 120
  
• Damage: 184
  
• Accuracy: 18
  
• Stability: 30

[Sonata Dusk]

I will leave both of my guides as is for those of you still playing update 78, but no new information will be coming through me. One thing I will give you to help is that the conversion from old to new accuracy is simply a multiple of five. So take the old minimum accuracy I recommended before (16), and multiply it by 5 to give you 80. That should help some of you figure out the useful weapons. Again, I don't want to walk away from a game I've spent so much time and money in, but I just can not make myself enjoy the game the way it is. To those of you that remain, take care and have fun.

[Sonata Dusk]

Bad news everyone: I will not be updating this guide for the new weapon balance. After seeing the COP "reward", I couldn't take the insults from Overkill anymore, and I won't be playing for the forseeable future. I know quite a few people want to keep playing inspite of all that's happened, and to you I'm sorry. I just do not believe that the consumer-producer relationship between us and Overkill is not where it needs to be.

[RogueBanshee]

Looking forward to your updated insight. I have been a bit lost since the rebalance.

[Ragin'Dude]

Yes, I would wait a bit before starting an update of your guide.

[Jetroid]

Yeah, thanks so much for this Sonata. I eagerly await your changes too.

[Talon]

Thanks Sonata, look forward to your take on the changes - That said, OVK may very well change the weapons around some more what with the unmitigated firestorm that is the community outrage over the CrimeFest 2015 changes.

[Sonata Dusk]

Welp, since overkill have decided to rebalance the weapons, this guide will need an overhaul. I will start working on that tonight. Until then, consider the information here outdated. Certain weapons previously without entries may get their own sections.

[Salami]

They make bulldozers cry but 18 acc is how I role.

[Sonata Dusk]

@luthal, it's not that I want extra stability (there's plenty of that). The real reason is that quad stacks give a -2 to accuracy. On a lot of my builds, the rifles straddle acceptable accuracy at 16. Any lower and I'd have to redo the setup and, especially on guns using firebreather, often involves losing damage. A side thing is that getting tazed with something like the M16 will cause you to lose an entire mag very quickly, even with taser knockback.
Those two reasons, loss of acuracy and risk of ammo loss, are the reasons I dont recommend quadstacks.

[DevZ06]

gratz for these awesome guides, i found them really useful. Any reasons you recommend the low drag mag over the quadstacked mag? do you feel like that extra stability is worth the 26 mag reduction?