Guts & Blackpowder firearms are slow, deliberate tools. The shot should remove a threat that melee cannot solve safely: a Bomber before it reaches the line, a Runner pinning someone at distance, an exposed armored target, or a packed group in a clear lane. Reload behind the formation and choose a gun by class job rather than by one damage value.
Known firearm Dex
Infantry default
Musket
Role: general ranged shot plus bayonet.
Best use: mixed Objective routes and priority threats.
Status: community corroborated; default equipment.
Infantry option
Carbine
Role: mobile handling with a documented shove action.
Best use: moving formations and shorter engagement rhythm.
Check: current Shop price and exact performance.
Infantry option
Rifle
Role: precision and armor-aware shots.
Best use: selected targets with time to aim.
Risk: handling and reload exposure.
Infantry option
Air Rifle
Role: compressed-air firearm with a canister action.
Best use: learn in the live build before a badge run.
Check: current availability and canister cycle.
Officer family
Pistols
Known: Pistol, Double Barrel Pistol, Horse Artillery Pistol, Brass Pistol, Navy Pistol.
Role: close-to-midrange mobile shot.
Check: class access and special action.
Seaman family
Blunderbuss and Nock Gun
Role: packed-lane crowd pressure or heavy volley.
Risk: reload commitment and wasted spread on one target.
Status: community corroborated.
Use the Musket as the baseline
The Musket teaches the complete Infantry loop: choose a priority target, fire from a clear lane, retreat to reload, then use the bayonet or Sabre when contact closes. A new purchase should be compared with that whole loop. Faster handling may give up another advantage; precision may require more time; crowd spread may depend on a narrow lane.
On PC, the current reference uses R to reload, F to cancel aim, middle mouse for supported precise aim, and X to toggle the Musket bayonet. Confirm your live binding because controls can be changed.
Pick a firearm by problem
Choose a mobile option when the team constantly transitions and you cannot safely finish the Musket rhythm. Choose a precision option when a map gives long sightlines and selected armored or special targets decide the defense. Choose a crowd option when a protected lane repeatedly fills with ordinary enemies. Choose a pistol option when the class expects close-range mobility and melee leadership.
Do not buy to solve poor positioning. If you reload at the front, block teammates, or fire into the first Shambler, another gun will reproduce the same failure. Fix the formation habit first.
Target selection
Bombers are the highest-value safe ranged target when teammates are clear. The blast can kill nearby zombies, but shooting beside a teammate or barricade can collapse the defense. Runners are hard to track but a ranged rescue is useful when melee cannot reach the pinned player. Cuirassiers punish body shots into armor; wait for a supported head angle, exposed area, recovery, or use a documented armor-aware choice.
The official No Match for a Flintlock badge requires killing a Cuirassier Zombie in a sword duel with a firearm headshot. That confirms the interaction, not that every hurried shot will land or bypass every armored angle.
Firearms by mode
Objective rewards versatility. A campaign may move from an open street to a room, objective carry, and final holdout. Endless rewards repeatable lane control and teammates who cover the reload. Holdout rewards the same discipline but pulls players away from the line to complete tasks.
In every mode, communicate before a risky shot. A teammate may be baiting a Bomber into a safe empty area or waiting for a Cuirassier to finish a charge. One second of warning can protect the entire line.
Shop and verification
Community records also list event, modern, private, or special firearms. Their existence does not make them normal Shop recommendations. Check the current class screen and Shop for price, class, source, and availability. Unknown values are omitted here instead of copied from an old build.
Exact damage, reload time, spread, penetration, range, resistance interaction, and price need current in-game testing. The roster and broad roles were checked October 30, 2026. Use the weapon tier guide for mode-specific decisions and the Francs guide before buying.
Common firearm mistakes
- Shooting a Bomber while a teammate is inside the blast.
- Reloading in the doorway instead of behind melee cover.
- Choosing spread for a map with no protected lane.
- Treating a Rifle as permission to ignore target timing.
- Switching both firearm and melee at once and learning neither.
- Copying a stat table without checking the current Shop or client.
Practice one gun across several maps. Record which threats it solved, which reloads were unsafe, and whether the class job still made sense. That is a stronger loadout decision than a single tier letter.