Every Weapon in GTA San Andreas and Where to Find It

The full roster of San Andreas weapons runs to roughly 37 guns and tools spread across 12 inventory slots, and CJ can only carry one weapon per slot at a time. This guide lays out all weapons in San Andreas by slot tier, explains the three skill levels, and tells you exactly where to find weapons in San Andreas for free before you ever pay at Ammu-Nation.

How the 12 weapon slots work

San Andreas groups every weapon into a numbered slot, and picking up a new weapon in an occupied slot swaps out whatever you were carrying. The handful of slots you fight with day to day are the melee slot, handguns, shotguns, submachine guns, and assault rifles. The rest hold thrown explosives, heavy weapons, rifles, and special equipment like the camera and parachute.

You hold one item per slot, so a smart loadout is about picking the best weapon in each tier rather than hoarding. Walk over a weapon and the game equips it; in an occupied slot you swap.

All weapons in San Andreas by slot tier

Here is the complete roster grouped by class:

• Melee: Brass Knuckles, Knife, Golf Club, Nightstick, Baseball Bat, Shovel, Pool Cue, Katana, Chainsaw
• Handguns: 9mm Pistol, Silenced 9mm Pistol, Desert Eagle
• Shotguns: Pump Shotgun, Sawn-off Shotgun, Combat Shotgun
• Submachine guns: Micro SMG (Micro Uzi), Tec-9, SMG
• Assault rifles: AK-47, M4
• Rifles: Country Rifle, Sniper Rifle
• Heavy weapons: Rocket Launcher (RPG), Heat-Seeking Rocket Launcher, Flamethrower, Minigun
• Thrown weapons: Grenade, Tear Gas, Molotov Cocktail, Remote Explosives (satchel charges with a detonator)
• Special items and equipment: Spray Can, Fire Extinguisher, Camera, Night Vision Goggles, Thermal Goggles, Parachute
• Gift items (also usable as melee): Flowers, Cane, Dildo, Vibrator

The Desert Eagle is the hardest-hitting handgun, the Combat Shotgun is the best in its slot, and the M4 generally out-classes the AK-47 for accuracy. For more on the game itself, see the San Andreas hub.

The three weapon skill levels: Poor, Gangster, Hitman

Most firearms track a separate skill that climbs as you fire and land hits with that specific gun. The three tiers are Poor, Gangster, and Hitman, with Hitman reached at maximum (100%) skill. Climbing the ladder improves your rate of fire, accuracy, and lock-on range, and at higher tiers it lets CJ shoot while walking and strafing instead of standing still.

Melee weapons, rifles, heavy weapons, and thrown explosives do not have skill tiers. The progression applies to the handguns, shotguns, SMGs, and assault rifles you use most.

Which weapons can dual-wield at Hitman level

Reaching Hitman unlocks dual-wielding on exactly four weapons, where CJ holds one in each hand for double the output:

• 9mm Pistol
• Tec-9
• Micro SMG (Micro Uzi)
• Sawn-off Shotgun

These four are also the slowest guns to level, precisely because the payoff is so strong. The dual Micro SMG and dual Sawn-off are the standout close-range options once you max them.

Where to find weapons in San Andreas for free

You do not have to buy your arsenal. The biggest free stash is tied to a collectible:

• Johnson house (CJ's home in Ganton): Spray over all 100 gang tags in Los Santos and four weapons respawn infinitely inside the house: an AK-47, a Tec-9, a Sawn-off Shotgun, and Molotov Cocktails. This is one of the best early free loadouts in the game and stacks toward 100% completion. You can scout tag spots on the San Andreas map and screenshots page.
• Gang territories and dead enemies: Ballas, Vagos, and rival gangs drop their weapons when killed, and gang wars are a reliable source of free pistols, Tec-9s, and SMGs throughout the Los Santos chapters.
• Around the world: Weapon pickups (the spinning floating icons) sit at fixed spots across all three cities, including police stations and rooftops, and they respawn over time.

If you would rather use cheats to fill out the arsenal instantly, the full list lives on the San Andreas cheats page.

Buying and upgrading at Ammu-Nation

There are 11 Ammu-Nation stores across San Andreas, and they open for business after the mission Doberman. The stock expands as the story progresses: heavier hardware like the Combat Shotgun, M4, and sniper rifle unlocks after later missions rather than being available on day one.

Several Ammu-Nation branches also house a shooting range mini-challenge. It runs twelve rounds across four weapons (Pistol, Micro SMG, Shotgun, then AK-47), and clearing all of it pays $10,000 plus a one-time weapon skill boost of 200 points to each of those four guns. That is the fastest way to fast-track a gun toward Hitman without grinding ammo by hand.

Recommended San Andreas loadout

For a versatile all-rounder that covers every range, prioritize this loadout and feed each gun's skill toward Hitman:

• Handgun: Desert Eagle for raw stopping power, or the 9mm if you are chasing the dual-wield bonus
• Shotgun: Combat Shotgun once unlocked; the Sawn-off earlier if you want the Hitman dual-wield
• SMG: Micro SMG, the best gun in the game to dual-wield at Hitman, accurate and controllable
• Assault rifle: M4 for accuracy, with the AK-47 as the free Johnson-house backup
• Long range: Sniper Rifle for picking off targets and for the camera-free zoom kills
• Explosives: Grenades plus the Rocket Launcher for vehicles and tougher mission fights

Grab the free Johnson-house guns early, clear the Ammu-Nation shooting range for the skill jump, and you will have a Hitman-capable kit long before the campaign needs it.

Sources

• Weapons in GTA San Andreas (GTA Wiki / Fandom)
• GTA San Andreas Weapons Guide: All Weapons List and Stats (GTABase)
• Tags / 100 gang tags reward (GTA Wiki)
• GTA San Andreas Definitive All Tag Locations (PowerPyx)
• Ammu-Nation Shooting Range Challenge (GTABase)
• Ammu-Nation (3D Universe) store locations (GTA Wiki)