A gun is only as good as the ammo and magazine you have for it. DayZ has pistols, shotguns, rifles, assault rifles and sniper rifles, each tied to a specific caliber. Finding a great rifle with no matching ammo is a classic DayZ heartbreak.
Weapon types
- Pistols — light backup, common ammo, weak at range.
- Shotguns — devastating up close, cheap ammo, poor at distance.
- Assault rifles (AKM, M4-A1, etc.) — the all-rounders; need magazines and the right caliber.
- Bolt-action & sniper rifles (Mosin, SVD, etc.) — high damage at range, slow fire, loud.
- Improvised — bows, improvised bows and melee weapons for the early game and quiet kills.
Ammo, mags and attachments
Match the caliber to the gun (for example 7.62×39 for an AKM). Many rifles need a magazine you load separately, so pick up mags, not just loose rounds. Attachments — optics/scopes, suppressors, bipods, flashlights, extended mags — change range, noise and handling. A suppressor hides your position, which matters more than raw damage in PvP.
Maintenance
Weapons wear out and can jam. Keep a cleaning kit to restore condition. A "ruined" gun will not fire reliably. Store spares and keep your main weapon in good shape before a fight.
