Silent Storm Best Weapons

This post, which I publish for self-reference purposes, will eventually table all weapons in Silent Storm's Axis and Allies campaigns. The weapons tabled have been personally found by me in v.1.2 of Silent Storm. Notably, unlike JA2, there are no shotguns or dual-wielding in SS. Note that you can generate ammo at the vendor by "selling" the firearm and then refreshing the vendor inventory screen. It doesn't always happen, though, so sometimes it's worth looting ammo as well.

The arsenal the player has at their disposal is rather extensive:

Silent Storm Pistols

Pistols facilitate quick training of the Shooting skill by virtue of their low AP expenditure and large clip-size (Mausers have 20 shots!). Don't understimate the pistoleering style of play, especially when indoors with a highly mobile build. Think of the John Woo films, Hard Boiled and The Killer.

Pistol	DMG	RNG	Snap AP	Aim AP	Burst AP Short	Mag	Ammo	Handling
Nagant 1910	15-18	18	9	13	--	7	7.62mm Nagant	Hard
Mauser K96 1926	18-23	23	8	17	--	20	7.62mm x19 USSR	Hard
TT 1933	19-24	18	8	14	--	8	7.62mm x19 USSR	Hard
Mauser M.712	18-22	22	8	17	8	20	7.62mm x19 USSR	Hard
Welrod Mk1 Silenced	16-27	19	7	14	--	8	.38 Parabellum	Hard
Webley-Scott	36-44	19	10	--	--	6	.455 Webley	Hard
Colt M1911	33-38	18	9	16	--	8	.45 ACP	Easy
Luger P08	24-28	21	7	14	--	8	.38 Parabellum	Easy
Nagant 1910 Silenced	15-18	18	9	13	--	7	7.62mm Nagant	Hard
Stunning Air Gun Silenced	9-11	19	9	16	--	1	Stunning Dart	Hard
Walther P38	25-29	20	7	16	--	8	.38 Parabellum	Easy
Colt M1911 "Big Joe"	3-4	16	9	15	--	1	"Big Joe" Arrow Explosion: 45-90 Range: 1	Hard
Sauer 38X	16-20	17	6	9	--	8	7.65 Sauer Damage: 19	Easy
Luger British	25-30	20	7	14	--	8	.38 "British Service"	Easy
Mauser K96 1912	25-28	21	8	17	--	10	.38 Parabellum	Hard

No pistols are scoped but a few are silenced and at least one is capable of short-burst.

Sauer 38X is the smallest firearm in the game and also the cheapest to fire. In Axis, it's itemized in the solo mission at the start of the game, in the bank vault.

For 10th level Allies, Big Joe is found on the M3 highway in the Northern Britain regional map in a random zone (just below the "6" on the map). The truck placeable must have spawned on the map or Big Joe will not be itemized. It is held in a chest in the attic of one of the homes. Because there is no manhole to the ceiling, you will need to create one.

Silent Storm Rifles

Rifles are very useful in the early going when our Shooting skill is low and we need the extra accuracy at range. However, they are powerful at all points of the campaign. Employ Careful Shot and Snipe until you are able to hit more than just the broad side of a barn. After that, you should be able to pull off decent Snap/Aim shots.

Rifle	DMG	RNG	Snap AP	Aim AP	Burst AP Short	Mag	Ammo	Handling
Lee-Enfield Mk1	24-29	48	22	30	--	10	.303 British Damage: 28	Easy
Lee-Enfield Mk1 Scoped	26-31	50	22	31	--	10	.303 British	Easy
Rifle 33-40	27-34	46	23	31	--	5	7.92 x57 Mauser	Easy
Carbine M1 1936	20-26	39	14	26	--	15	7.62 Garand	Easy
Mosin 1891-1930	30-38	44	21	29	--	5	7.62 x53R USSR	Hard
Carbine 1938	29-36	42	20	28	--	5	7.62 x53R USSR	Hard
MAS 1936	26-34	44	20	28	--	5	7.75 MAS	Easy
Garand M1	29-36	45	16	30	--	8	7.62 Springfield	Easy
Mauser M29	28-33	48	20	28	--	5	7.92x57 Mauser	Easy
Garand M1 Scoped	29-37	48	16	31	--	8	7.62 Springfield	Easy
Manlicher-Carcano M91/24 Scoped	27-36	50	18	35	--	6	6.5 Manlicher- Carcano Damage: 27	Easy
G-41 W	27-35	44	17	32	--	10	7.92x57 Mauser	Easy
Carbine 98K Scoped	29-36	50	20	30	--	5	7.92x57 Mauser	Easy
G-41 W Scoped	27-35	48	17	33	--	10	7.92x57 Mauser	Easy
Manlicher-Carcano M38	29-34	47	16	32	--	6	7.92x57 Mauser	Easy
AVS-36	31-38	46	16	30	--	15	7.62 x53R USSR	Easy
Carbine 98K Scoped Silenced	22-33	43	20	27	--	5	7.92x57 Mauser	Hard
Springfield M1917 Scoped	30-38	46	20	28	--	5	7.62 Springfield Damage: 34	Easy
SVT 40 Scoped	32-39	47	15	31	--	10	7.62 x53R USSR	Easy
Sea Devil Scoped	33-56	60	25	40	--	3	Sea Devil	Easy
FG 42	25-33	33	15	29	16	20	7.92x57 Mauser	Hard
Mauser M98	29-35	48	20	28	--	5	7.92x57 Mauser	Easy

Most rifles are unscoped, several are scoped and a few are scoped and silenced. The only burst-capable rifle is the FG 42.

Sea Devil Scoped inflicts the most damage and sports the longest range, but look at its AP expenditure and clipsize in comparison to the SVT Scoped!

The difference in impact/penetration between a Lee Enfield .303 and a Manlicher-Carcano 6.5 or Springfield 7.62 is logically marked. Enfield rounds will hit a picketed fence and just stop whereas MC rounds will penetrate two fencelines and continue towards the target.

Silent Storm Submachine Guns

As with pistols, we may only have an 8% to-hit chance in the early going, but think of the amount of bullets we're releasing in burst mode. I mean, we're bound to hit something if we're at a reasonable range. Don't be scared to burst-fire - it works wonders.

SMG	DMG	RNG	Snap AP	Aim AP	Burst AP Short	Burst AP Long	Burst Rate	Mag	Ammo	Handling
MP 38	22-28	24	--	--	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Hard
M3A1 Silenced	20-37	19	--	--	13	All	2	30	.45 ACP	Hard
Sten Mk II	21-28	24	10	15	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Hard
Sten Mk III	22-28	24	10	16	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Hard
Sten Mk III Silenced	21-27	20	10	14	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Hard
Sten Mk IV	24-28	22	10	17	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Hard
Sten Mk V	25-28	24	10	18	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Easy
PPS 42	18-23	25	--	--	11	All	4	35	7.62mm x19 USSR	Easy
MP 40	24-28	25	--	--	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Hard
PPS 43	18-24	25	--	--	11	All	4	35	7.62mm x19 USSR	Easy
PPD 40	18-23	24	9	16	10	All	4	71	7.62mm x19 USSR	Hard
Suomi	25-29	27	10	20	11	All	3	69	.38 Parabellum	Easy
PPsh 41	18-23	26	9	17	10	All	4	71	7.62mm x19 USSR	Easy
Beretta M1938A	24-29	26	--	--	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Easy
MP 41	24-28	25	--	--	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Easy
M28 Bergmann	21-28	24	9	16	10	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Easy
PPsh 41 Modified	19-24	26	9	18	10	All	4	35	7.62mm x19 USSR	Easy
Thompson 1928	29-39	24	12	19	13	All	4	30	.45 ACP	Easy
MP 41 Silenced	21-27	22	--	--	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Hard
Beretta M38-42	22-28	26	10	20	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Easy
STG 43	29-34	31	8	20	9	All	4	30	7.92x33 Mauser	Easy
Beretta M38-42 Silenced	22-27	26	--	--	11	All	3	32	.38 Parabellum	Easy
Thompson 1923	29-41	23	11	21	12	All	4	100	.45 Thompson	Easy
M3 A1	24-38	19	--	--	12	All	2	30	.45 ACP	Hard

Don't be too concerned about ammo expenditure in burst mode.

Silent Storm Machine Guns

Not just for massacres, but also for opening doors, walls, floors and ceilings. Badass.

MG	DMG	RNG	Snap AP	Aim AP	Burst AP (Short)	Burst AP (Long)	Burst Rate	Mag	Ammo	Handling
DP	28-36	28	--	--	17	All	3	47	7.62 x53R USSR	Hard
Chatellerault M1924/1929	26-31	30	16	19	17	All	3	25	7.5 MAS	Easy
ZB 26-30	27-34	31	18	21	19	All	3	30	7.92x57 Mauser	Hard
RPD	22-29	35	--	--	17	All	3	100	7.62 x39R USSR	Hard
Bren	24-29	34	--	--	17	All	3	20	.303 British	Easy
MG 34	28-35	37	20	23	21	All	3	75	7.92x57 Mauser	Hard
Browning M1922	29-34	26	18	21	19	All	2	20	7.62 Springfield	Hard

Silent Storm Rocket Launchers

Boom. Enough said.

RL	DMG	RNG	Snap AP	Aim AP	Burst AP (Short)	Burst AP (Long)	Burst Rate	Mag	Ammo	Handling
Bazooka M1	0-0	22	28	32	--	--	--	1	Bazooka Rocket Propelled Grenade Range: 1 Explode dmg: 60-100 No. of frags: 30 Frag dmg: 30-60	Easy
Panzer- schrek	0-0	25	28	32	--	--	--	1	Panzerschrek Rocket Propelled Grenade Range: 1 Explode dmg: 70-100 No. of frags: 40 Frag dmg: 25-80	Easy
PIAT	0-0	20	29	33	--	--	--	1	PIAT Rocket Propelled Grenade Range: 1 Explode dmg: 120-175	Hard

Silent Storm Panzerklein Weapons

Weaponizations appended with [*] means the weapon is fixed into the PK permanently and also takes up both weapon slots. However, the ammo can be unloaded and repurposed.

Ranged	DMG	RNG	Snap AP	Aim AP	Burst AP (Short)	Burst AP (Long)	Burst Rate	Mag	Ammo	Handling	Faction/ Profession
Vickers Machine Gun	40-49	25	--	--	21	All	3	100	12.7 Vickers	Hard	Allies
MG81Z Automatic Cannon	33-41	35	--	--	20	All	7	300	7.92x57 Mauser	Easy	Soldier
DShK Machine Gun	40-49	30	--	--	21	All	4	100	12.7 Vickers	Easy	Allies
ShKAS Machine Gun	32-39	36	--	--	22	All	6	250	7.62 x53R USSR	Hard	Allies
Gatling Machine Gun *	40-49	32	--	--	20	All	8	400	20.0 Erlicon	Easy	THO
LZ Energy Gun *	54-66	64	--	--	16	All	2	16	Energy Charge	Easy	THO
PTRS Sniper Gun	58-71	50	26	41	--	--	--	5	13.0 Mauser	Easy	Sniper
PIAT Rocket Launcher	0-0	30	22	27	--	--	--	3	PIAT Rocket	Hard	Allies

That gatling machine gun is the stuff of nightmares.

Melee	DMG	Attack Bonus	Critical Hit Bonus	Faction/Profession
Mechanical Sabre	60-120	20	65	Scout

Silent Storm Melee & Thrown Weapons

Melee and thrown weapons are silent. Keep that in mind when employing stealth-based tactics.

Weapon	DMG	Attack Bonus	Critical Hit Bonus
Katana	33-66	7	50
Billy Club	5-15	--	5
Khukuri Knife	12-37	12	27
Smatchet Large Combat Knife	10-30	15	20
M1917 Knife	10-25	25	35
Ka-Bar Knife	20-40	20	22
M3 Knife	10-30	33	21
Fairbairn Sykes Knife	15-20	--	20
Kappmesser Knife	5-25	12	15
Throwing Knife (T)	8-18	--	19
Chakra (T)	15-30	--	10

The katana is wielded by the final boss, but can also be found in a random map in Northern Britain.

Silent Storm Grenades, Mines & Explosives

It's best to employ a grenadier build for grenade throwing, and an engineer for mines. Yes, that may sound blatantly obvious but these weapons are not easy to use for non-experts.

Grenade	Type	Weight	Explosion Range	Explosion DMG	No. of Frags	Frag DMG
F-1	Fragmentation	Medium	2	12-20	32	30-90
36M Mk I	Fragmentation	Medium	2	12-20	36	26-70
RGD-33	High Explosive	Medium	3	25-52	--	--
RPG-43	Fragmentation	Heavy	3	60-105	20	15-55
RPG-6	High Explosive	Heavy	2	105-145	--	--
RG-42	Fragmentation	Medium	3	22-48	40	17-55
O-23	Fragmentation	Medium	2	12-20	30	30-90
OF-37	High Explosive	Light	3	20-45	--	--
Breda	High Explosive	Light	3	14-30	--	--
M-61	High Explosive	Light	3	20-40	--	--
SRCM Mod .35	High Explosive	Light	3	12-20	--	--
RPG-41	Fragmentation	Heavy	4	60-106	24	20-60
RPG-40	High Explosive	Heavy	4	54-98	--	--
TMD	Anti-tank mine		4	60-106	--	--
PMD 6m	Anti-personnel mine		4	60-106	--	--
Mark 1	Mine		4	60-106	--	--
PMi-43	Mine		4	60-106	--	--
Dynamite Charge	Explosive		--	--	--	--
TNT Charge	Explosive		--	--	--	--

Grenades are about crowd control. If you can lure a pack together, they're history. But again, you want a build for this.

Silent Storm Ray Weapons (non-Panzerklein)

Ray weapons are the last word when it comes to taking out Panzerklein combat units (and anything else). The laser-beams they fire will slice through concrete walls like hot knife butter. Scary as hell.

MG	DMG	RNG	Snap AP	Aim AP	Burst AP (Short)	Burst AP (Long)	Burst Rate	Mag	Ammo	Handling
Prototype 8M1	57-75	65	12	27	13	--	4	50	Energy Charge Damage: 60	Easy
BHLG 1Z	54-66	50	30	34	--	--	--	1	LZ System Energy Charge Damage: 60	Easy

The over-powered Prototype 8M1 (from X-COM) is found at the UFO landing site on the Switzerland regional map whereas the BHLG 1Z is found in Bauer's base. Don't use the 8M1 if you want the game to remain challenging.

cf. Best Weapons Fallout 2.