Tier List ranking the best guns in Project Zomboid. Shotguns are the best however Rifles and Pistols also have their place.
Check out our Melee Weapons Tier List
Gun Tier List
Below is a list of guns you can find in vanilla Project Zomboid. Let’s take a look at their stats and how they rank.
When it comes to guns Ammo capacity, Damage and Accuracy are whats important. They all have quite good range and when it comes to sound, being quiet is more important for pistols as they don’t have the same hoard clearing ability as Shotguns and Rifles.
Just one thing to keep in mind, guns get significantly better with more levels in the aiming skill. It improves not only the accuracy but also critical chance.
| Tier | Weapon (Ammo) | Type | Ammo Capacity | Damage | Range | Accuracy (Accuracy per Aim Lv.) | Crit (Crit per Aim Lv.) | Sound Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S |  JS-2000 Shotgun (Shotgun Shells) | Shotgun | 6 | 1.5-2.2 | 0.67-7.0 | 70 (+5) | 60% (+4%) | 100 |
| S |  Sawed-off JS-2000 Shotgun (Shotgun Shells) | Shotgun | 6 | 1.5-2.2 | 0.67-6.0 | 100 (+0) | 60% (+4%) | 100 |
| S |  Double Barrel Shotgun (Shotgun Shells) | Shotgun | 2 | 2.0-2.7 | 0.67-9.0 | 80 (+5) | 80% (+4%) | 100 |
| S |  Sawed-off Double Barrel Shotgun (Shotgun Shells) | Shotgun | 2 | 2.0-2.7 | 0.67-8.0 | 80 (+5) | 80% (+4%) | 100 |
| A |  M14 Rifle (.308 Round) | Rifle | 20 | 1.2-2.0 | 0.61-10 | 50 (+5) | 30% (+15%) | 70 |
| A |  M16 Assault Rifle (.556 Round) | Rifle | 30 | 0.8-1.4 | 0.61-11 | 20 (+7) | 25% (+12%) | 70 |
| A |  M9 Pistol (9mm) | Handgun | 15 | 0.6-1.0 | 0.61-7.0 | 50 (+8) | 20% (+10%) | 40 |
| B |  M1911 Pistol (.45 Auto) | Handgun | 7 | 1.0-1.4 | 0.61-8.0 | 40 (+10) | 20% (+10%) | 50 |
| B |  M36 Revolver (.38 Special) | Handgun | 5 | 0.7-1.2 | 0.61-6.0 | 65 (+8) | 20% (+10%) | 30 |
| B |  Magnum (.44 Magnum) | Handgun | 6 | 1.2-1.9 | 0.61-11.0 | 20 (+12) | 20% (+10%) | 80 |
| C |  D-E Pistol (.44 Magnum) | Handgun | 8 | 1.0-1.9 | 0.61-10.0 | 20 (+12) | 20% (+10%) | 70 |
| C |  M625 Revolver (.45 Auto) | Handgun | 6 | 1.0-1.6 | 0.61-9.0 | 30 (+10) | 20% (+10%) | 50 |
| F |  MSR788 Rifle (.308 Round) | Rifle | 3 | 1.2-2.0 | 0.61-10 | 25 (+15) | 30% (+15%) | 70 |
| F |  MSR700 Rifle (.223 Round) | Rifle | 3 | 0.6-1.3 | 0.61-10 | 27 (+17) | 25% (+12%) | 70 |
S-Tier
Shotguns are the best guns in Project Zomboid. They have the best accuracy making them usable even with no levels in aiming skill.
The drawback is that they are very loud, but the good thing is shotguns can hit multiple zombies at once making them ideal for clearing large hoards.
The original variant is often preferred over the sawed-off for its longer range and more focused fire dealing more damage to zombies.
The JS-2000 shotgun is the best of the best due to its higher ammo capacity. You don’t want to be reloading when fighting off zombies.
A-Tier
Automatic Rifles are the next best thing for clearing hoards. They have a large ammo capacity and can be preferable over shotguns when zombies are more spread out.
Whilst the M16 has the largest ammo clip it has a very low accuracy. At lower levels of aiming you’re better off using the M9 Pistol. At max aiming the 30 ammo clip capacity makes this weapon top tier.
The M14 on the other hand has very good accuracy and also more damage. This will typically be the better rifle of choice.
The M9 Pistol is the best pistol in the game. It has average damage but makes up for it with its 15 ammo clip size. Furthermore it boasts very good accuracy. A superior sidearm and a better option than a Rifle if you want to make less noise.
B-Tier
This is where the ranking gets a bit tricky as these weapons are good for certain uses and bad for others.
The M1911 Pistol has average stats all round. It’s not bad at everything but isn’t exceptional in any aspect either. As a primary it’s one of the better B-Tier guns.
The M36 Revolver has one job and its very good at it. It is the quietest gun in Project Zomboid. A great gun if you don’t want to attract too many zombies.
The M36 has very good accuracy however its low ammo capacity and weak damage lets it down. As a sidearm in specific situations the M36 is very good.
For clearing out those few lingering zombies around your base or finishing off zombies when you’re exhausted from using melee attacks, this small side arm can be a life saver. But you wouldn’t want this as your primary means of clearing zombies.
The Magnum is loud and has poor accuracy. You’re just going to miss and make a lot of noise. It’s not a great primary as you’d might as well be using a Rifle. However with enough levels in aiming this weapon becomes a decent sidearm to pair with your shotgun or rifle.
C-Tier
The C-Tier weapons just have better alternatives. The D-E Pistol has lower damage than the Magnum plus it can jam. You wouldn’t want it as a primary weapon over the M1911 as it just makes too much noise and lacks accuracy.
The M625 Pistol is like a worse M1911 Pistol with sub-par stats all round…
F-Tier
Unfortunately bolt action Rifles are just bad in Project Zomboid. They are noisy and have 3 bullets. Plus you’ll need to rack the weapon every time you reload.
They’re loud, shoot slow, have poor accuracy and have to often reload. Everything you don’t want when surrounded by zombies. You’re better off with a frying pan.
