How important is it to know your weapons in Counter-Strike? Very.
The following is a guide to each weapon in the game as well as a little info about the pros and cons of each. It's written purely by my experience (vast, honest!), so if you are expecting scientific terms and research, this won't be it. However, if you're looking for advice on choosing a weapon this is the place to get some.
» Pistols
» Shotguns
» Sub-machine guns
» Assault rifles
» Sniper rifles
» Machine guns
» Grenades
Melee & Pistols
Knife
Obviously, the knife is never a serious option to go into battle with. But nevertheless, it can come in handy when you least expect it...right in the heat of battle. If you and your opponent get into some close quarters battle (and you both need aiming lessons), you may occasionally find that both your primary gun and your pistol clips emtpy, leaving you two options...reload or knife!
USP .45
This is the pistol that the CTs start the round with automatically, and it's widely regarded as the best pistol available, even above the Desert Eagle in some people's eyes (mine included). This is a pretty accurate gun on the whole, and can also pack a punch when you aim it well. One or two shots to the head and your opponent won't have much of a chance. The secondary function for this gun is a silencer which can come in very handy.
Glock18
This is the default T pistol for the Terrorists, and they could do worse than ditch it for a USP or a Desert Eagle. This is what puts the Ts at a bit of a disadvantage at the start of a match. It's a pretty weak gun and although it does have a big clip (20) for you to play with, it just won't cut it in a pistol fight generally...
Desert Eagle
The most powerful pistol in the game, this gun is normally the option that most people who buy a pistol in the first round go for (to replace the Glock18?). It's the only pistol that is able to penetrate walls, crates, doors and the like. It also has pretty good accuracy, the only downfall being the 7 bullet clip, which doesn't last long at all. Hand Cannon, to sum it up.
Dual Beretta Elites
These are by far the most innacurate pistols available and I can't really justify spending $1000 on them. Each gun holds 15 bullets in the clip, meaning 30 total which is handy, but I guess you'll need it when these guns are as weak as they are. It'll take a good few shots to take out your opponent, unless you're lucky/good and land headshots.
Five Seven
Another decent pistol for the CTs, this time in the shape of the 20 round clip of the 5-7. It isn't as strong as some pistols but it's not weak either, and in terms of accuracy it's very good.
CT only, and again an under-used pistol, I suspect because of the better alternatives. Since it was added into the game I've seen mixed responses about this gun, but in my opinion it's a decent sidearm.
Shotguns
M3 Super
This is the cheapest of the two shotguns available, and deservedly so. If you're intent on being top of the score boards this just isn't the gun to do it with...it's got a pretty slow reload and rate of fire meaning that if the action is coming thick and fast, you probably won't last with only 8 rounds in the clip.
XM1014
If you want a shotgun, this is the one to go for....if you have the $3000 to spare. It only has a 7 round clip which empties very fast, so you'll have to be a dab hand with it but other than that it's a very good gun. Again, it's quite powerful but this time the rate of fire is more sufficient when you need to clear out an enclosed space. This is a good gun for any small, enclosed maps but it's not to be used over any great distance, obviously.
Sub-Machine Guns
MP5
This is the most commonly used of all sub-machine guns by far, and probably the most used gun in the game. It's a very reliable gun with good accuracy and power. If you can aim well then the MP5 will be a good gun for you, if you can't use the mp5....well...learn!
TMP
This is like the sub-machine gun version of the glock 18; it has a good rate of fire but is very weak, the weakest of all SMGs infact. Again the clip size is 30, but that doesn't help much either when you look at the accuracy of this gun. It's very shoddy and the recoil for such a small gun is terrible.
P90
A decent SMG, this used to be the most used gun in the game...until the CS team toned it down a bit because it was being over used. It was extremely accurate and powerful making it extremely easy to use. Now, however, it takes alot more skill to use the P90 as it's less powerful and much less accurate than before. Probably best used in close quarters battle this gun has a very nice rate of fire, and a massive 50 bullet clip, meaning you'll still be firing away while an opponent reloads his MP5.
Mac 10
This is yet another gun that doesn't get used very often in CS, in comparison with other guns. It's ok in the rate of fire department, and holds up in the power area, but accuracy is where it falls down....badly! The accuracy on this gun makes it worth saving the money for the next round, death is imminent regardless.
UMP
This gun has a slow rate of fire and only 25 rounds per clip, meaning that some people tend to steer clear of it where possible. It does, however, pack in some nice accuracy and a fair amount of power...in the right hands, this can be a very decent gun.
Assault Rifles
AK47
Here we have one of the most popular guns around, people either love it or hate it, but the great majority tend to react favourably when you bring up the topic of the AK. It is the least expensive rifle in the game at only $2500 definitely a bargain, especially when you consider that it's the most powerful assault rifle as well as having 30 bullets in the clip.
So why so cheap? well, I didn't mention the recoil yet....on full auto this gun is about as inaccurate as they come. Only upon mastering how to use this gun will you appreciate how good it is. In close quarters battle it is superb, it's powerful, good rate of fire and on full auto you can empty a small space very quickly.
SG552 Commando
Much like the AK47, this gun is good in both CQB and long range scenarios, but it tends to be a lot more accurate when using burst fire obviously. It is less powerful than the AK but comes with a built in scope to assist you in long range fights. When you're zoomed in the rate of fire does drop noticably but accuracy is helped which is what you want from range.
Colt M4A1
The favourite gun of the CT masses, the colt is a great gun and is more often than not likely to be compared with the AK rather than the Commando. It's the cheapest of the two CT assault rifles and represents more value for money than it's CT counterpart, the Aug. It has a 30 round clip and is also pretty darn powerful.
Steyr Aug
This gun is very popular, like all assault rifles, and is the CT equivalent of the SG552 Commando. It is more expensive than the Colt, which is probably mainly down to it having an additional scope for you to use.
Sniper Rifles
Scout
The poor man's sniper rifle, not really, but if you are low on cash this sniper rifle probably won't be out of your reach ($2750). One scout bullet can do a lot of damage on an unsuspecting victim on the other side of a map, but it can just as easily kill them if you get a headshot.....if not, two body shots should do the same job. It has two zoom functions as secondary fire, just to make it that little bit easier.
AWM/P
There are endless debates about this gun as so many people love it, yet so many people hate it and of course, lots couldnt care. It used to the case that one shot anywhere on the body would be a kill, until it was toned down so that a leg/arm shot wouldn't kill anymore. That's still an ok deal in my opinion though, under $5000 for a gun that will kill if you can hit your opponent's head or chest area.
G3/SG1
I'm not a fan of this gun at all, and I don't think most of the CS players are either as it's widely under used. Considering this gun has two zoom functions and costs a small fortune ($5000), you'd think it would have good accuracy.....wrong. It seems ok at times but too often you'll end up dead thinking 'wait a minute, I should've hit him 6 times at least!'.
SG550
Much like the G3, this gun is pretty rarely seen in CS. It basically functions like the G3 but is CT only, is cheaper and is also less powerful.
I'm not convinced with this type of gun, it's not ideal for sniping yet it's certainly no good close up and for the money you pay you won't get very much longevity in return, as you'll be dead soon enough if you hold onto this gun
Machine Guns
Para
One word that could describe this gun in my opinion is 'fun'. It's not a particularly good gun, although you may be lead to think so by the price ($5750). Generally you won't see many paras in game either, until it gets to a stage where teams have more money than they need and they're dominating. The next step in the cycle is to pull out the paras and have some fun.
It has a massive 100 round clip, which is more than enough for any situation, and is pretty good in the power area. It does fall down slightly on the rate of fire and reload times but that's to be expected.
Grenades
High Explosive (HE)
These are excellent additions to any player's arsenal of weapons (one is maximum you can carry), if possible I try to buy one every round just for the initial damage factor. If you are about to go into the heat of battle, what better to weaken your opponent than a well timed High Explosive grenade. If you're lucky/skilled then he can be below 50 health before you even see him, meaning you're in with a great chance of winning any battle and you haven't even fired a bullet yet.
Flashbang (FB)
Again, I try to buy at least one of these per round (2 is maximum), as theyre great when attacking or even when you're retreating. On the attack there's nothing better to throw one into a room/tunnel and burst through only to find an opponent who is facing the wall, spraying his gun and hasn't got a clue where you are.......talk about easy kill.
Smoke Grenade (SG)
The least used grenade of the 3 available, but still very handy in certain situations. One of the most common uses for these grens is obviously for covering purposes, especially against snipers. A sniper may be blocking a route you need to cross in order to penetrate a bomb spot/hostage room.....a quick smoke grenade in his view should buy the time needed to make the dash across his scope view.