Although Resident Evil 7 isn’t packed with gunplay in the same way its predecessors were, you’ll amass a sizable arsenal by the time the credits roll. This guide will cover Resident Evil 7’s full list of guns and melee weapons available to you during the game. We’ll tell you the ammo capacity, power, location, and best strategy for each weapon.

Capcom has asked us to keep certain spoilers under wraps until Resident Evil 7 is available for everyone to play. Because of this, certain stats and info about these weapons are “redacted.” Once we hit the release date, this info will be revealed. Any weapons obtained by completing Resident Evil 7 will not be covered in this guide to avoid spoilers.

Melee Weapons

Axe

• Location: Guest House 1F, during the first fight with Mia.
• Best Strategy: When using the Axe, the best strategy is to use the guard button to block, then when the enemy is staggered, use a power attack by holding the aim button and then hitting the attack button. After you get a hit in, put your guard up and repeat the cycle.

Folding Knife

• Location: Main House 1F, hallway near the kitchen. Receive the Folding Knife from the Sheriff's Deputy through the window.
• Best Strategy: Whenever possible, don’t engage an enemy with the Folding Knife. Your best strategy, if all you have available is the Folding Knife, is to use the guard button to dampen the damage your receive from blows and make your escape. Use the same tactics described in the entry for the Axe if you have no choice but to fight with the Folding Knife

Survival Knife

• Location: 2F, right outside the elevator, Tanker Ship
• Best Strategy: The Survival Knife has a bit more reach than the Folding Knife, but it’s still not an ideal weapon. It’s best used for breaking boxes and as a last resort. If you use the Survival Knife in a fight, use the tactics above for best results.

Firearms

Handguns

M19 Handgun

• Location: First Time: 2F Guest House. Just off the hallway leading to the attic. Second Time: Pick up as "Broken Pistol" in the trailer in the yard of the Main House, use Repair Kit to restore to working order.
• Ammo Capacity: 7-Round Magazine
• Real-Life Analog: The M19 looks a lot like a Colt M1911 series pistol, and shares the same ammo capacity. However, it uses 9mm Parabellum cartridges, so the performance is similar to a Browning Hi-Power.
• Best Strategy: The best strategy for all pistols is to keep your distance from your enemy and aim for the head. The M19 has a bit more power than the G17 or MPM, but the lower magazine capacity means you’ll have to make each shot count.

G17 Handgun

• Location: 1F Main House, garage.
• Ammo Capacity: 10-Round Magazine
• Real-Life Analog: The G17 is an obvious copy of the Glock 17.
• Best Strategy: Use the tactics described in the M19’s entry for best results.

MPM Handgun

• Location: 1F Save Room, Tanker Ship
• Ammo Capacity: 10-Round Magazine
• Real-Life Analog: The MPM looks very similar to a Makarov PMM, though the trigger guard on the MPM is squared unlike the rounded one on the Makarov. Also, a 10-Round magazine is not uncommon with Makarov PMM pistols.
• Best Strategy: The same strategy used with the M19 applies here.

Longarms

M37 Shotgun

• Location: 1F Main House, Main Hall. Use the Broken Shotgun found in Grandma's Room on 2F Main House to replace Shotgun on the statue.
• Ammo Capacity: 4-Round Internal Magazine
• Real-Life Analog: The M37 looks to be a mixture of features from the venerable Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 shotguns. The design seems to favor the Mossberg though.
• Best Strategy: The M37 is best kept in reserve for most of the game. Shells aren’t terribly common, but it’s always best to have it equipped just in case you get in a rough spot. The buckshot fired by the M37 tends to have a widespread, so let your enemy get in close and aim for the head.

M21 Shotgun

• Location: 2F Main House, Grandma's Room. Best used at first to replace the M37 Shotgun on the statue to obtain that shotgun. After you get the Toy Shotgun from the 2F Main House, Kids Room, you can use it to replace the Broken Shotgun on the statue then use a Repair Kit on the Broken Shotgun to restore it to working order.
• Ammo Capacity: One shell in each of the two barrels.
• Real-Life Analog: The M21 is a pretty close fit to the Browning Citori over-and-under shotgun.
• Best Strategy: The M21 can only hold two shells at a time, but it has more kick to it than the M37. While most normal enemies can’t survive a full two shells from the M21 at close-range, you might not want to use it in fights where reloading may be an issue.

P19 Machine Gun

• Location: 4th Floor, Tanker Ship, Captains Cabin. You must use a key to unlock the locker in the Captain's Cabin to obtain the P19.
• Ammo Capacity: 64-Round Magazine
• Real-Life Analog: The P19 Machine Gun is an almost direct clone of a PP-19 Bizon submachine gun.
• Best Strategy: The P19 Machine Gun is a powerful weapon, but one that’s easy to go overboard with. When fighting enemies, aim for the head and use controlled bursts for maximum effect. Going full auto only assures that you’ll waste ammo.

Special Weapons

Burner

• Location: 1F, Old House. The Burner is found in two separate pieces in the Old House that must be combined to use it.
• Ammo Capacity: 150 Flame Units
• Real-Life Analog: The Burner is a homemade weapon and therefore has no real-life analog.
• Best Strategy: The Burner is a close-up weapon, and it can set enemies on fire, causing damage to them over time. However, it’s hard to tell when an enemy is flailing around because it’s on fire or because it’s dying. Your best bet with the Burner is just to keep shooting until everything stops moving.

Grenade Launcher

• Location: 1F, Main House, Supplies Room off the Drawing Room that is unlocked with the Crow Key.
• Ammo Capacity: One Grenade Round
• Real-Life Analog: The Grenade Launcher is a homemade weapon, but its break-open action is similar to the M79 Grenade Launcher.
• Best Strategy: You can use multiple grenade types with the Grenade Launcher, but Flame Rounds are the most useful in my opinion. Using the Grenade Launcher is a good weapon to start a fight and switching to another weapon to finish to avoid reloading is a good tactic.

For more strategies, walkthroughs, and guide content check out our Resident Evil 7 guide hub. If you need more info on the objects you’ll find in RE7, take a look at our items guide and our First Aid guide.