How to Customize your Weapons in Red Dead Redemption 2

Customizing your weapons in Red Dead Redemption 2 allows you to enhance their performance and personalize their appearance. Whether you want to improve accuracy, increase damage, or give your guns a unique look, the Gunsmith is the place to go. This guide will walk you through the entire weapon customization process so you can get the most out of your arsenal.

Step 1: Visit a Gunsmith

To begin customizing your weapons, head to a Gunsmith, which can be found in major towns like Valentine, Saint Denis, and Rhodes. Gunsmiths are marked by a gun icon on your map.

How to Access the Customization Menu:

1. Enter the Gunsmith’s shop.
2. Focus on the Gunsmith using the appropriate button (L2/LT).
3. Select “Customize” from the interaction menu.

This will open the customization menu, where you can modify any weapon you own.

Step 2: Clean Your Weapon

Before making any modifications, ensure your weapon is clean. Over time, guns accumulate dirt and grime, which negatively affects their performance.

Cleaning Options:

• Gun Oil: You can clean your weapon manually using Gun Oil, which can be purchased at a Gunsmith or found throughout the game.
• Gunsmith Service: For a small fee, the Gunsmith can clean your weapon instantly.

A clean gun is essential to maintain optimal stats, so it’s a good idea to check and clean your weapons regularly.

Step 3: Customize Your Weapon

Once your weapon is clean, you can customize it by modifying components, styles, and ammunition.

1. Upgrade Weapon Components

Weapon components improve your gun’s accuracy, range, damage, and handling.

• Barrel: Improves range and accuracy.
• Sights: Upgrading sights can improve aiming precision.
• Scope: Adds a scope for long-range combat (available for certain rifles).
• Stock: Enhances weapon stability and reduces recoil.
• Wraps: Primarily cosmetic, but can slow down weapon degradation.

Upgrading these components can make a significant difference in combat, especially for long-range engagements.

2. Customize Weapon Appearance

Beyond performance upgrades, you can personalize your guns with various aesthetic changes.

• Metals: Change the material and color of different gun parts.
• Engravings: Add detailed patterns to the barrel, cylinder, and frame.
• Carvings: Personalize the grip with intricate carvings.
• Varnish: Adjust the finish on wooden parts for a polished look.

These visual upgrades let you create unique firearms that reflect your style.

3. Choose the Right Ammunition

Different types of ammunition can enhance your weapon’s effectiveness depending on the situation.

• Regular Ammo: Standard rounds with balanced performance.
• High-Velocity Ammo: Increases range and damage.
• Express Ammo: Delivers higher stopping power for more damage.
• Explosive Ammo: Causes explosive damage upon impact (available for certain weapons).

Experimenting with different ammo types can give you a tactical advantage, whether you’re hunting or engaging in gunfights.

Step 4: Unlock the Locked and Loaded Achievement

If you fully upgrade a weapon’s components at a Gunsmith, you’ll unlock the “Locked and Loaded” achievement. This is a great incentive to invest in customization and improve your weaponry.

Customizing your weapons in Red Dead Redemption 2 is more than just a visual upgrade—it directly affects your gun’s performance, making it essential for survival in the Wild West.

Whether you’re enhancing accuracy with new sights or adding an engraved finish for style, the Gunsmith offers plenty of ways to make your guns truly your own.

Customize Your Weapon

After you select Customize, you will be taken to a menu showing all guns/weapons you currently own. The weapons that have the holster beside them are guns you currently have equipped. Select whichever weapon you want to customize form the list. I’m gonna customize my Volcanic Pistol. Before you can do any customization, you need to Clean Weapon. The Gunsmith can do this for you or you can use gun oil. Regardless after you’ve cleaned your gun you will have a few things you can change on it:

• Components: additions you can make to your weapon for better performance. The Volcanic Pistol for example, can have Improved Sights installed for better accuracy.
• Styles: change how your weapon looks. Under the Styles menu you can change the color of your gun’s metals, put engravings on the metal, put carvings on the handle, and apply a varnish where applicable.
• Ammunition: There are different types of ammunition you can purchase for different weapons. Under the Ammunition menu you can buy the different types.

If you completely upgrade a weapon’s components at a Gunsmith, you will unlock the Locked and Loaded achievement.

Looking for more ways to optimize your loadout? Check out our guide on where to sell items in RDR2 for tips on earning money to fund your customizations.

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