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The other day I wandered into a local hobby shop and scoped out the dizzying array of 40k product. All sorts of strange stuff I didn't recognize, but what intrigued me was all the bolter variants.

*sets down pipe, adjusts walking stick, strokes gray beard menacingly, leans forward in rocking chair*

In my day, there were bolters, bolt pistols, storm bolters and heavy bolters. How many are there now?

Commissar von Toussaint wrote:
The other day I wandered into a local hobby shop and scoped out the dizzying array of 40k product. All sorts of strange stuff I didn't recognize, but what intrigued me was all the bolter variants.

*sets down pipe, adjusts walking stick, strokes gray beard menacingly, leans forward in rocking chair*

In my day, there were bolters, bolt pistols, storm bolters and heavy bolters. How many are there now?

Far too many, but may be down from peak? They did some consolidation, where intercessors used to have 3 different options (assault, regular, and stalker) they now just have one. But each unit pretty much has it’s own bespoke version these days.

Which is madness. But does give them room to tweak balance. Still don’t personally like it.

Without going into snowflake chpaters, named characters, or twin-linked versions?

-Auto boltstorm gauntlets
-Bolt Pistol
-Bolt Rifle
-Storm bolter
-Absolvor bolt pistol
-Heavy bolt pistol
-Brutalis bolt rifle
-Heavy bolter
-Master-crafted bolter
-Boltstorm gauntlet
-Master-crafted heavy bolt rifle
-Instigator bolt carbine
-Centurion bolters
-Boltgun
-Master-crafted bolt rifle
-Master-crafted heavy bolter
-Bolt sniper rifle
-Tempest bolter
-Hammerfall heavy bolter
-Heavy bolt rifle
-Assault bolters
-Occulus bolt carbine
-Marksman bolt carbine
-Hurricane bolter
-Master-crafted bolt carbine
-Master-crafted special issue bolt pistol
-Special issue bolt pistol
-Bolt carbine
-Sternguard bolt pistol
-Sternguard bolt rifle
-Sternguard heavy bolter
-Forge bolter

How many "how many x do marines have" questions are there even left where the answer isn't "more than there are unit entries in the following xenos codexes ..."

theres less now than there was last edition after they standardized the 3 different variants of bolter available to intercessors and heavy intercessors (each) into standard profiles, etc.

There are not too many base bolters, but the variants of those is nearly enough to be 1 per unit in the Space Marines Codex.

We have the OG bolters:
Bolt Pistol
Bolter/Boltgun
Storm Bolter
Heavy Bolter
Hurricane Bolter

Then we have the Primaris Bolters:
Heavy Bolt Pistol
Bolt Carbine
Bolt Rifle
Heavy Bolt Rifle
Boltstorm Gauntlet

The confusion sets in when you start adding/substituting adjectives to these few base Bolters.

So do space marines have more kinds of bolters than dark eldar have units yet?

Depends on how you count them. The Bolt Carbine used by Primaris units has the following variants:

Bolt Carbine - Standard version

Master-crafted scoped bolt carbine - A Master-crafted and scoped version of the standard

Occulus Bolt Carbine - Bolt Carbine + Occulus Sight Array

Marksman Bolt Carbine - Bolt Carbine + Marksman Sights

Instigator Bolt Carbine - Bolt Carbine + Suppressor

Is this five Bolters or one?

If five, there are way more bolters than Drukhari units. If one, then probably not.