Brass Knuckles - While not technically a weapon, as they simply upgrade the unarmed slot, the brass knuckles provide a little extra oomph when it comes down to hand-to-hand combat. These things come in handy in a pinch when one doesn't want to attract a lot of attention with loud gunfire. Could also prove useful when fighting trainers at various gyms around the state.
Baseball Bat - Your everyday sports item turned classic kneecap "adjustment" tool. Not much to it really- 'tis long, heavy, and made of wood. Just grab the narrow bit and bludgeon people with the rather blunt end. Batter up!
Nightstick - The standard police-issue nightstick is based on an ancient martial arts weapon called the Tonfa from Okinawa. You don't need to know Karate to use it though, as swinging it about like a madman gets the job done just fine. And with it being a bit smaller and much lighter than the baseball bat, it's a bit quicker to use (and run with) while being just about as effective. Nick one off a cop or find one in a police station locker room.
Pool Cue - This one seems to have the longest reach out of all the melee weapons, but it's main use is just what the name says. Challenge someone to a game of pool in a bar somewhere, and after kicking their ass on the table, you can keep the cue to smack people around with. Even if you lose the game, you're still a winner!
Golf Club - Yet another sports item gone wild. You can generally find these when and if you ever jack a golf cart somewhere. Not the most effective weapon (and the Caddy's not the most effective car for that matter), but it gets points for comedy when used to terrorize the golf course by turning it into a full-contact sport.
Shovel - Seeing as the "G" in GTA has absolutely nothing to do with gardening, chances are you won't be using this to dig up weeds in the lawn of your new safe house. For the most part, you'll just be using it to beat the stuffing out of people. Shovels are usually found in places where bodies are put into the ground, so apparently somebody has been using them according to the directions.
Knife - Ye olde Rambo-style combat knife. Big, pointy, and fast enough to get in close and slice someone up before they really know what hit 'em. Not only is it great for up close and personal fighting, the knife can be used for stealth-kills a la Manhunt. Just creep up behind someone, target them and when CJ raises his arm up, press F to stab them in the neck. For even better results, sneak up out of the shadows first to get away without anybody noticing.
Katana - When it's time to feed your inner Samurai, Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell just won't do the trick like a katana. Whether you choose to use it to honorably fight rival gangs in true feudal Japanese style, or you piss on thousands of years of Bushido tradition to brutally hack up peds, this sword is a great choice. Tapping the circle button a few times unleashes a quick combo, more often than not ending up with a decapitated foe. For extra style points (too bad there's no meter for that...), mix up your sword-play with some of the moves from the Cobra Martial Arts dojo in San Fierro
Chainsaw - Got any pesky trees or rival gangstas in your yard that need removing? If so, why not try the chainsaw! Okay, so you can't really cut dow trees with it, but it cuts through enemies like warm butter. If you're feeling extra mischievous, this thing also does a nice job of cutting doors off of cars and ripping through fences and such. Naturally it's rather heavy and slow to use, but it makes up for this tenfold in its sheer brutality.
Handguns
9mm - Cheap, abundant, and easy to use, the ubiquitous "nine" will be your best friend through the early bits of the game. Most would agree it looks more like a Colt .45 than anything else, but whatever the case, it's got decent stopping power for a cheapo handgun. Or if it's not to your liking at first, practice with it a lot until you reach the Hitman skill level, and you'll be able to fire two at once with an extended auto-target range. After that, the cheapness and abundance of ammo for them combined with pairing them up make them rather useful.
Silenced 9mm - Pretty much the same gun as above, only with an added silencer giving you the advantage of (insert drum roll here) stealth. Between missions which require you to go unnoticed, or just capping rival gang members before their boys notice, this gun rocks. Unlike the regular 9mm, the silenced flavor doesn't allow you wield two at once. What you will get at higher skill levels however is a greatly increased chance of auto-targeted head shots at greater distances. Not to mention quicker reloading which allows you to take out a whole squad of goons before things get hot.
Desert Eagle - This handgun delivers an unparalleled degree of accuracy and power with a distinctive feel that players will pick up on immediately. Originally intended to be target/sport pistol, players will use this weapon for the immense stopping power the handgun’s .50 caliber rounds deliver to a target—stopping assailants in their tracks, usually with one well placed shot. Because of its significant recoil, it’s almost impossible to hold onto at first. Look for higher levels of skill with the weapon to reduce this effect and yield quicker reloads and accuracy. The Desert Eagle is even deadly when out of auto-lock range, as a proficient shooter can fire in free target mode and still achieve one shot kills.
Submachine Guns
Tec-9 - A longtime favorite of gang members on the streets of Los Santos, the Tec-9 is a relatively cheap firearm made with low-grade stamped metal. One of the more interesting new features is that the player can dual wield Tec-9s, evening up long odds in the middle of a gang fight, increasing your respect and power in the ‘hood. Once you’ve upgraded CJ’s weapon skill to the point where he can hold two weapons (Hitman skill level), all you need to do is find another weapon and he will automatically hold 2. All ammo between the guns is now shared, and reloading happens automatically. Rate of fire is effectively doubled, perfect for cases where you really want to kill someone—fast.
Micro SMG - The HUD icon looks like an Ingram MAC-11, but the in game model looks like a Micro Uzi. Whatever it is, this little thing packs a fiery punch. Overall, it works just the same as the Tec-9 (even sharing the same "machine pistol" stat), but somehow seems to fire a bit faster and more erratically. When using either these or the Tec's at Hitman level, be sure to bring plenty of ammo to keep up with the insane rate of fire.
SMG - The rather generically named SMG is obviously based on the real life MP5. In case you've unfamiliar with it, the MP5 is considered by most to be the world's best submachine gun, and is often the weapon of choice for elite military units and police SWAT teams alike. Its stopping power, accuracy, and range put it nearly in the class of full sized assault rifles, while retaining the compact portability of a submachine gun. Likewise can be said of the one in the game, as it gives machine pistol-esque abilities such as drive-by's and ease of movement and strafing while shooting, along with deadly power and accuracy. This one's a bit bigger than the other guns in the slot, so you won't be getting dual-wielding at higher levels. But the sheer ferocity and accuracy of the weapon more than makes up the difference.
Shotguns
Shotgun - This is your typical long barreled pump-action shotgun. Best for use in close range situations, the shotgun delivers a powerful volley of buckshot which will knock an enemy on their ass with one good hit. Even with a not-so-direct-hit, the wide spread of projectiles can and will knock down or stop an enemy long enough to finish them off. While it's best used in close quarters, the length of the barrel allows it to remain somewhat effective at medium ranges as well. With continued practice and skill level upgrades, users will be able strafe faster with shotguns, move while firing, and their rate of fire will increase. Shotguns can be found in police cars parked (or driving) all about the state, so some nice firepower is always just a stolen car away.
Sawnoff Shotgun - Nothing says pain quite like an old school double barreled shotgun sawed off well below legal limits. With only two shots between a rather lengthy reload, a gun really needs to make its mark to be worthwhile. And make its mark it does- on anyone within about 35° of where you're pointing! Of course this much spread makes the gun pretty much useless in any medium to long range situations, but up close it is a deadly sight to behold. And to make matters worse (for those on the other end that is), getting this bad boy up to the Hitman level allows you to use two at once, which subsequently allows for a rather rapid- and devastating- burst of four shells between reloads. It's also worth mentioning that the gun's small size means it's possible to run and gun with it like a pistol. Fun stuff.
Combat Shotgun - Based on the Italian SPAS-12, the combat shotgun uses a gas-operated repeater system much like any semi/fully automatic pistol or rifle. On a shell-by-shell basis, the firepower and range are only a bit greater than the regular shotgun. Given its semi-automatic functionality, however, the rate of fire is on par with that of the 9mm, meaning you'll be unloading much more ammunition on unsuspecting foes. Not only will rip through a group of enemies rather quickly, it also makes short work of cars and heli's as well. Sadly, you can't get two of these after reaching Hitman status, but then again, that might make the game entirely too easy. On the bright side though, you will be able to fire while moving and get an increased lock-on distance with some practice.
Assault Rifles
M4 - M4 is the modified version of the M-16, the shortened stock and barrel makes it more compact while still retaining the accuracy and power of its cousin. The weapon will allow the player the pinpoint accuracy to target an opponents specific body parts or vehicle tires. One particularly satisfying feature is the ability to target gas tanks. A single well-placed round will cause any car in San Andreas to explode—aim for the gas cap to find out how decidedly badass this new feature is in action. Kneeling greatly increases the accuracy of the M4, try kneeling as often as possible when using the weapon. Even while kneeling, it is possible to roll side to side while holding R1 by pressing left or right on the left analog.
AK47 - The Kalashnikov AK47 is one, if not the most popular varieties of assault rifles in the world. Originally developed for the Soviet army, it features a rugged yet simple design which makes it both cheap to produce and highly versatile on the battlefield. Its durability and affordability have also made even older, used models popular for warring gangs. For the most part, it works just like the M4 in the game, only with a smaller magazine size, and perhaps a little better accuracy due to its slightly slower rate of fire. The AK47, and the M4 above, both have an impressive range on them, which allows for locking onto targets and taking them out before they pose an immediate threat. After reaching Hitman status with either assault rifle, you'll be able to move about and strafe a bit while firing, with an extended lock-on range to boot.
Long Rifles
Rifle - Not much to say about this one really. It's just a basic lever-action repeater rifle one might expect to see in the hands of a hunter or a cowboy. Given its lack of a lock-on feature and slow reloading, one might think it rather pointless to use. However, with a per-bullet damage rate second only to the sniper rifle, mini-gun, and Desert Eagle (at Gangster level and up), it does earn its keep in the hands of a decent marksman. For added accuracy, be sure to crouch when lining up a shot.
Sniper Rifle - For those times when the regular or assault rifles aren't accurate enough, there's the sniper rifle. While the HUD icon for it bares some resemblance to an HK PSG1, the in-game model is of the old school bolt-action variety. That said, the reload time on this weapon is a little bit longer than the regular rifle, but the addition of a scope makes every shot well worth the wait. Press and hold right mouse button to bring up the scope, then use mouse wheel to zoom in and out, and of course the left mouse button to line up the shot. And, like the other guns, crouching will provide a more stable position to fire from. If need be, you can also roll to the sides and move forward and backwards while using the scope in this position, although navigation and keeping a target lined up this way takes a bit of practice and stick juggling.
Thrown Weapons
Molotov Cocktail - The idea behind these things is simple enough: Take a glass bottle, fill it with something flammable (usually petrol), shove a rag in the top, light the rag on fire, and give it a toss. Flaming chaos ensues. The primary purpose is, of course, an anti-personnel weapon, but it can also be used strategically for defense. One of the new features found in San Andreas is the ability to set the environment on fire, and the ability for that fire to continue to burn- and even spread in most cases. In the event you ever find yourself facing multiple enemies coming at you from a single choke point (such as a door or alleyway), a well placed molotov can be used to effectively block their route. With a wall of flames between you and them, they'll either be forced to brave the fire (usually with rather fatal results) or wait and shoot from where they're at. If they're smart enough to choose the latter, you can keep your distance and shoot from your somewhat defended position. Or, you could always just toss a few more in hopes of burning the lot of them. With these (and any other thrown weapon), the longer you hold the circle button, the farther they will go when released.
Grenade - Long carried by infantry soldiers to aid in removal of pesky hardened positions and enemies hiding behind things, grenades are quite simple in theory. Step 1: pull pin, step 2: throw, and step 3: try not to be nearby when they explode. When used properly, grenades do a bang-up job of taking out cars (and anybody who might use them for cover) and clearing out closed in areas filled with opponents. When used improperly on the other hand, you can just as easily blow yourself up and/or any cars nearby you may be using for cover. If you're not careful, you might also end up causing a chain reaction in congested areas which ends with exploded cars all about and lots of police attention. But then, that may very well be the desired effect in some cases...
Tear Gas - In real life, tear gas is generally considered to be a non-lethal weapon, but in the world of GTA, it's anything but. Granted, it does take prolonged exposure to the gas to kill, but in confined spaces, this can be arranged. However, seeing as the gas causes people to stop what their doing while they cover their face and cough, the most practical use for this weapon is to slow enemies down while you escape or switch to another weapon. In any case, this stuff opens up some strategy options when it otherwise seems you're hopelessly outgunned.
Remote Explosives - AKA satchel bombs, players can throw a number of these about, then conveniently blow them all up later with the separate remote. The potential for mischief with these things is only limited by the imagination, well, and the CPU's ability to remember where they're at, but, still... On a mission where you have to ambush and kill a ped or destroy their car? Try figuring out where they'll pass, and set up a nice booby trap for them! Or if you suspect the next corner you're to walk around has enemies waiting for you, throw down a few bombs, run in, and lure them out to an explosive doom. Any way you look at it, there's much fun to be had here.
Heavy Artillery
Flame Thrower - As the name would suggest, it throws flames. The basic concept behind a flame thrower is a tank filled with napalm which is sprayed through a nozzle and ignited by a pilot light on the way out. In the hands of a skilled user, this weapon can prove to be quite hazardous to all involved- including said user. While it does a lovely job of setting enemies, cars, and, well, everything on fire, one runs the risk of burning themself as well. Between panicked flaming people bumping into you, thereby sharing their pain, you've also got to look out for the fire on the ground spreading to you. Especially in areas with lots of grass and such. With some luck though, such hazards can be used to your advantage; be it enemies catching other enemies on fire, or setting up a defensive wall of flame around you. Regardless of the risks involved, the flame thrower is great fun and an extremely deadly weapon to play with.
Vulcan Mini Gun - This formidable weapon is the player’s best friend. Designed to deliver massive and withering barrages of ammunition at an alarming rate of fire, this weapon is designed for total destruction of the target and anything around it. Despite its massive size and weight, the gun is portable enough to be carried—and fired—on the streets of San Andreas. Police responding to an incident where a mini-gun is in use would be quick to call in SWAT to deal with the menace. An intricate piece of machinery, its belt driven mechanics will turn the barrels even if the gun is not firing, a sound that eerily forecasts the destruction that is about to be unleashed.
Rocket Launcher - Ah yes, the classic Soviet RPG look-alike is a must have for any one man army out to take on an entire state full of gangs and such. Basically, it's just a big tube with a scope and a trigger to ignite the rockets which propel impact-triggered grenades. Just aim it at a target using right mouse button and the left mouse button, fire, and *boom*. One shot is usually all it takes to blow up any car (or group of cars for that matter), although there are a number of vehicles which require multiple hits to destroy, such as tanks and armored vans. Obviously, you don't want to use one of these in any sort of close quarters combat, but if you couldn't figure that out, chances are you can't read this page anyway.
Heat Seeking Rocket Launcher - RPGs and other shoulder-fired missiles have long had a place in Grand Theft Auto. The STINGER is the next level. Lightweight and portable, this shoulder-fired guided missile system is designed to shoot down low-altitude jets, propeller-driven aircraft and helicopters. The fire-and-forget system allows the player to lock onto a heat source, usually a car or plane, fire the weapon, and begin acquiring new targets before the warhead has even destroyed the first target. To activate, bring up the targeting reticle by pressing right mouse button. Continue holding down the button and center the viewfinder on the target. The reticle will acquire the nearest target, and then change from green to yellow and finally to red, indicating that you have achieved target lock. You can fire the weapon at any stage of the lock-on process, but the closer to red, the more effective your strike will be. The production, research, and development of the Stinger Missile System is a secret, but intrepid pilots flying over the deserts on the outskirts of Las Venturas have a ton of stories about near misses with the Stinger.
Equipment
Spraycan - Kind of looks like an old can of Montana spray paint, which was made by and for graffiti artists, but that's beside the point. Or, maybe it's not, as the main purpose for the spray can is to throw up Grove Street tags over those of rival gangs. Using the paint is really quite simple, just hold right mouse button to target a tag (or ped, if you really want to), and hold circle until the tag is finished. If you're in a real tight spot you can use it as a weapon with similar results to the tear gas, thought it's hardly effective enough to rely on for a primary defense. Oh, and you can always find one in the upstairs bedroom at the Johnson House in Ganton should you need some paint.
Camera - The camera first made its appearance in Vice City as a one-off item used in a single mission. This time around, the camera is not only used in a few missions and side quests, it actually has some fun uses in and of itself. By holding right mouse button, the screen switches to the viewfinder where you can aim with the right stick plus zoom in and out with mouse wheel. In mission situations where you're required to take pics, the left click takes the picture and you're done. The pictures you snap are saved in the "GTA San Andreas User Files" in "My Documents".
Fire Extinguisher - Considering the new ability to set the environment on fire, it's only natural that a fire extinguisher was included in the game. Unless you're the conscientious criminal type who likes to clean up behind your fiery rampages, chances are you'll really only use this in missions which require escaping from burning buildings. Whatever the reason you use it, doing so is just a matter of aiming with right mouse button and pressing left mouse button to spray the foamy stuff. For best results, aim at the base of the fire and continue spraying until it goes out.
Parachute - Whether you're jumping/falling off a tall building, or leaping from a plane thousands of meters up, the parachute is an absolute necessity unless you want to be a puddle for some bizarre reason. After equipping the 'chute (which happens automatically when jumping from an airborne plane), you can dive, rotate, and glide a bit during free-fall. At some point or another, it would be a good idea to deploy the parachute by pressing left mouse button.. After it's opened, you can steer yourself.
Thermal Goggles - These, as one might guess from the name, allow you to to see the heat signatures given off by peds, cars, and whatnot. By selecting them from your item list and pressing left mouse button to equip (or unequip later), the screen turns a rather psychedelic set of blue, purple, pink, and red hues; with blue being cold and red being hot, of course. After equipping the goggles, you're free to switch to another weapon so as to freely take out enemies you couldn't have seen otherwise. Naturally, they're best to use at night when it's hard to see otherwise, but even then they're still better suited to longer range combat. Moving about with these on can be somewhat tricky at times due to cooler landscape/building objects blending together with the ambient background heat (or lack thereof rather).
Night-Vision Goggles - Not to be confused with the goggles above (though they share an identical icon), the night-vision flavor of goggles amplifies extremely dim available light and presents it in a green-ish display so you can see what's going on in the dark. The equipment/usage method is the same as above, but the practical application of them is quite different. In situations where one must move around a lot, especially indoors with lots of obstacles, night-vision is usually the best way to go. Or if you need to work at long range outside, the thermal goggles are generally better. In the end, it boils down to personally taste/style, be it yours or whoever gives you a mission with is own equipment.
Jetpack - Yep. That's right, there's a functional jetpack in San Andreas. It's not a standard selectable item, per se, as it automatically equips itself and your submachine gun when you pick it up, so you'll never really see the HUD icon for it. Using the jetpack is a bit like flying a helicopter:
Remote Detonator - This is another non-standard piece of equipment which doesn't replace anything in the equipment slot. There's not too much to it either. You only get the remote detonator with the remote explosives listed above, and use it to, well, detonate them by switching to this item and pressing circle. After the bombs are used up, the detonator is discarded from your inventory.
Other
Cane - Nobody's quite sure why the cane fits into the "other" slot. The wepaons.dat file lists it as a gift, yet there doesn't seem to be anyone that it can be given to. At any rate, it can be used as a melee weapon, which behaves roughly like the katana, so perhaps it's still useful when carried along side the rather slow chainsaw. Or, at the very least, you could always carry it along to complete your pimp outfit...
Flowers - Most girls like flowers, so it should be no surprise that their main use is to give as gifts to certain girls throughout the game. Or if you've yet to find a girl with an option to give them as a gift, you can also beat people down with them. Sure, they're about as ineffective a weapon as one could expect, but the humiliation factor of being smacked in the face with a boquet of flowers is surely astronomical.
Dildo 1 - Most girls like dildos too, though few will openly admit it, and even fewer still would appreciate this as a gift on a first date. But, yea, this is another gift type item. For the most part, it's generally not advisable to bring a girl a mammoth purple double-dong on a first date. But then GTA is an exaggeration/parody of real life, and not a simulation (nor suggestion of what to do in) real life, no matter what conservative politicians and soccer moms might say or think. And like the flowers above, this gift can also be used to smack people about, if nothing more than for the sheer comic value of it.
Dildo 2 - Like above, only a smaller, single ended type. And while the above is used in an absurd slapping manner, this one behaves in a knife-like movement when used aggressively.
Vibrator 1 - Unless of course it's the same as the insane gas-powered looking display model on the wall in a Las Venturas sex shop. According to the data files, it functions the same as dildo 1.
Vibrator 2 - Another as-of-yet unseen gift item. From the data file, it seems it acts like dildo 2.
Cell Phone - Okay, this doesn't replace any weapon slot, the icon is never seen, and it's only "used" when people in the game call you in scripted events. 'Tis included here for the sake of completeness.
Skateboard - Before you ask, no, it's not in the game. No matter what you've heard on any intrawebnet message board, there is no way whatsoever to get a skateboard in San Andreas. All that's left of it are a few developmental "artifacts" (such as the HUD icon, left) from before it was scrapped. Like the cell phone above, it's only listed here to complete the list, and for the sake of clarity.
