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I always see people boasting on how the boltgun is the best troop gun in the game, but is it really? There are so many different weapons out there. Sorry if i missed any or named them incorrectly. Also, give a reason supporting your vote I'm curious on what people say.

The Pulse Rifle gets my vote. The people holding them not so much...
Dark Eldar Poisoned Rifles are a close second, simply due to their ability to have a decent chance of wounding anything.

I would've said Ork shoota, but a GK stormbolter has better AP and 6 inches more range. I put it above the pulse rifle since it gets 2 shots at any range, and is an assault weapon.

Torn here.

Gauss - Basic as it is, but can glance anything.
Just a shame its harder to glance things to death now.

Pulse - S5 and 30" range really do give it some nice impact.

Splinter - Simply because its poisoned.
Saying that, i do play alot of nids, so its nice to be able to wound trygons and tyrants on more than just a 6.

Pulse Rifle is great in a bubble. Nothing wrong with a S5 shot going out to 30 inches, but the units using it simply aren't all that great. I'd have to go with the Dark Eldar Splinter Rifles. When you have a basic troop unit that can potentially blow a MC off the field, regardless of toughness, at only 8 points a pop, what isn't to like?

The Grey Knight Stormbolter with Psybolt ammo wins, I think.
S5 AP5 Assault 2 24" range...you can't compete.

Guass Blaster! Can completely ignore that pesky to wound role on an initial role of 6. Very nice indeed.

If we are talking simply the weapon by itself without the attached soldier? Probably Devourers followed by Pulse Rifles & Gauss Blasters.

Devourers get 3 move and fire S4 shots. that gives it not only the highest average wound output of any of the weapons listed, but also the most mobility.

The Pulse Rifle has a very long range and S5 makes it very good at wounding units and capable of dealing with light vehicles.

The Gauss Blaster is up there because of its ability to inflict harm even on AV14 vehicles.


That said, the platforms for most of these weapons are generally rather poor-mediocre.

Yea, your right that the units carrying the weapons are rather weak, so I was asking about the guns themselves.

I personally like the dire avenger catapult as it is asault so you always get full range and the ability to blade storm.

Mr. DK wrote:Yea, your right that the units carrying the weapons are rather weak, so I was asking about the guns themselves.

I personally like the dire avenger catapult as it is asault so you always get full range and the ability to blade storm.

The irony here is that the gun itself can't bladestorm, you need an exarch with the ability.

The Splinter Rifle is pretty scary, just for the mass of poisoned shots.

Gotta give it to the GK Stormbolter though.

I'd say Gk SB. Decent shots, 2 at full range and you can even assault the same turn. Makes for good shooting if you keep moving and you can close in if the enemy is able to outshoot you.

Plus you can boost it to Str 5 if you want.

I have to say I'm a big fan of the Thousand Son bolter, an AP3 bolter is simply a terrifying prospect.

However whilst I do really enjoy using my Thousands Sons I'll be the first to admit that they aren't particularly effective compared to other troops choices within the CSM codex.

GK Stormbolter. Even before you could upgrade them to S5, they still kicked ass. Having started with GK to begin with, I got so comfortable with the awesomeness of their Stormbolters that when I started building other armies, I was shocked at just how pathetic these weak rapidfire weapons were.

Anything but Assault weaponry just doesn't feel right, y'know?

I voted Lasgun, and not even for laughs.

If I'm not worrying about what's carrying them, in a vacuum - probably the GK Storm Bolter. But I can't address the gun without addressing the man carrying it, and with a solid infantry line you end up with so many lasguns capable of FRF, SRF, and Fire at my Target it becomes quite potent against almost anything.

TheRedArmy wrote:I voted Lasgun, and not even for laughs.

Whilst lacking in stopping power, the lasgun is one of the best basic weapons in the 40K universe. It is practically indestructible, can be modified to carry pretty much any attachment, the power cells can be recharged by placing them in sunlight (depending on your fluff), by putting them in a fire, etc.

TheRedArmy wrote:I voted Lasgun, and not even for laughs.

If I'm not worrying about what's carrying them, in a vacuum - probably the GK Storm Bolter. But I can't address the gun without addressing the man carrying it, and with a solid infantry line you end up with so many lasguns capable of FRF, SRF, and Fire at my Target it becomes quite potent against almost anything.

True, FRF, SRF is exceedingly good. I'd pay to have something like that in any other army.

GeckoOBac wrote:

TheRedArmy wrote:I voted Lasgun, and not even for laughs.

If I'm not worrying about what's carrying them, in a vacuum - probably the GK Storm Bolter. But I can't address the gun without addressing the man carrying it, and with a solid infantry line you end up with so many lasguns capable of FRF, SRF, and Fire at my Target it becomes quite potent against almost anything.

True, FRF, SRF is exceedingly good. I'd pay to have something like that in any other army.

Tau need something to give them more shots, or for FW to cost 7 pts a model.

EDIT: Oh, and be BS4

TheRedArmy wrote:or for FW to cost 7 pts a model.

EDIT: Oh, and be BS4

One or the other, love.

Fafnir wrote:

TheRedArmy wrote:or for FW to cost 7 pts a model.

EDIT: Oh, and be BS4

One or the other, love.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I wouldn't mind BS 3 if Marker lights (in all forms) cost a little less and were always networked.

Marker lights would be fine at their current cost if firewarriors were 7 points each. They're wonderful tactical force multipliers.

Fafnir wrote:Marker lights would be fine at their current cost if firewarriors were 7 points each. They're wonderful tactical force multipliers.

I really think Markerlights cost too much, even if FW cost less. They're still only BS 3, mind, and easy as hell to kill. Markerlights are the Tau specialty, and cost as much as 6 guardsmen? I'd take the Guardsmen over the Markerlight, given the choice.

I say Pulse Rifle is the best, with Splinter rifle and gauss rifle tied in second, and the humble lasgun at third (solely because it's applicable with FRFSRF). Pulse Rifle's S5 makes it viable against all sorts of targets. It's effectively a slow-firing heavy bolter (on a model-by-model basis, so if you take it in squads it can be more effective than a HB). Stormbolters I dont consider a basic trooper weapon solely because it's only the "Elite" GKs getting them, or some unit that has to be unlocked by another character. Splinter is in second for it's obvious perks, but it lacks tank-punching abilities, whereas it's Gauss counterpart is good for punching tanks. The reason why Gauss didnt get in first was because it could only glance. Death by many consecutive 6's is very hard. Lasgun is better than the Avenger Catapult because, while there's a good chance you wont get FRFSRF and the guardsmen's guns are pathetically weak, you can get a crapload of these and have them all go FRFSRF, on every single turn no less (whereas the Avengers will have to start shoving another round down the tube afterwards).

MechaEmperor7000 wrote:Stormbolters I dont consider a basic trooper weapon solely because it's only the "Elite" GKs getting them, or some unit that has to be unlocked by another character.

Every single Grey Knight, with the exception of Techmarines, comes with a storm bolter standard, even their most basic troops.

hence why I put "elite" in quotes. The entire GK army is suppose to be elite. =P

And that's why we get better guns.

Although, point for point, the Lasgun will cause the most wounds against a T4 target within 12" range, and the same damage at anything further. Although the Grey Knights get to move and shoot, which is very important for them.

I assume we're comparing them in a vaccum, in which case I went with Splinter Rifle. Don't matter if you're T1 or T10 you'se gonna get wounded on a 4+ brotha!

Pulse Rifle was a close second, followed by Gauss Flayer at 3rd.

Da shoota. Simply for the joyous fact that I can make really loud noises with them before I assault.

In my opinion the pulse rifle wins because of its high strength and long range, although the splinter rifle does wound on a 4+ automaticly, at strength 5 there isn't much that you wouldn't wound on a 4+ anyway. Plus the added range means that those squishy Tau can safely stay out of squishing range. Edge, pulse rifle.

Announcer: In mid range weapons, the Tau Fire Warrior takes the edge over the Kabalite Warrior's splinter rifle with the pulse rifle. Coming up, we'll test the Dark Eldar splinter cannon against the Tau's burst cannon. Who will win? The Tau fire warrior? Or the Dark Eldar Kabalite Warrior. Find out on this episode of 40k Deadliest Warrior

The Grey Knight bursts in with a pumped up Stormbolter and kills the both of them?