Longtime Dakkanaut
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Right now you're just starting, and have so few models that really anything will do. You don't yet know your exact play style, and each weapon really will vary greatly in effectiveness until then. Remember that no matter what you model, you can always ask to "proxy" the model's weapon as something else, allowing you to test out other options. Here's a brief run-down on the major weapons.
Special Weapons
Special Weapons, in my mind, make the squad. It's a testament to the strength of the game that the first three I'm listing here really are so uniquely different that there is no "best" option.
Flamers - The least expensive option, which is a great place to be if it matches your play style, since it'll allow you more and/or better models on the board elsewhere. Flamers may appear to be offensive weapons, but their true purpose in 40k is defensive. Flamers say "don't come near me bro!", which makes the squad better at controlling where your opponents will move. Some opponents, usually single or low-model count units, won't care as much about Flamers. Mobs of models though, such as Ork Boyz, will really respect it. To further amp this up, Flamers have the "Wall of Death" special rule, allowing them to burn anyone that assaults them.
Meltaguns - The mid-expensive option, and the most effective at its particular job. Meltas are your anti-tank gun, and when at half-range (a mere 6 inches) they have amazing armour penetrating abilities. Put Meltas on units you're expecting to be very aggressive with. There's little more satisfying than popping open a transport with a Melta so that you can Assault the unit that was inside.
Plasma Guns - The most expensive standard option, Plasmas are good "all round", and are able to take on almost any roll, but really shine against highly armoured targets like Space Marines and Terminators. They have a good range, double-shots at half range, and have a high enough strength to even threaten light vehicles. The trade-off? Sometimes they kill the guy carrying the gun. Never expect a Plasma Gunner to survive the battle.
Grav Guns - I don't know if you have access to these or not, but I'll include them any ways. Grav Guns are more expensive than Plasma Guns, but are generally even better. They are better than Plasmas for what you want Plasma's for... to kill Heavy Infantry and threaten tanks. This is because they get more shots, and have a special rule that allows them to destroy even the most highly armoured tanks in the game. They are also better at taking down Gargantuan Monstrous Creatures. On top of this, they are safer, with no "Gets Hot!" special rule. Their only downsides are that, when you move the model with the Grav Gun, you get the same shots as a Plasma Gun gets at half-range, and that they're expensive, reducing how many models and other upgrades your army might have.
Heavy Weapons
Heavy Weapons are your "real guns". Often, any Heavy Weapon will be better than any of the special weapons, but are also appropriately priced more expensive as well. With but one exception, Heavy Weapons often have the "Heavy" weapon type, meaning you'll want these guys away from being charged early on, with a good view of the battlefield so they can fire as often as possible.
Heavy Bolter - Again, the least expensive option, but in this case the reason is that there really are such better options. Heavy Bolters do what your regular guns do, only a bit moreso. More shots, slightly higher strength, slighter lower AP. Lots of Heavy Bolters acting together can really clear out mobs of troops, but usually you'll want your actual troops to do that in close-range shooting or melee any ways, so this isn't giving you access to that many better things. Due to their rate of fire, Heavy Bolters are serviceable against AV10 flyers, but that's still generally a waste of points.
Missile Launcher - The classic. Missile Launchers are your Hulk Hogans; they're always ready for the fight, even if they're a little dated and perhaps you'd rather use something else, but these are what you got. High Strength, decent AP, Missile Launchers "can" pop tanks, and they "can" take out mid-heavy Infantry, and they "can" shoot a Frag Missile for mobs of light infantry, and they "can" tackle Gargantuan Creatures, and with Flakk Missiles they "can" be used against Flyers... see a pattern? Best all-round also means poor at everything. Still, a great option to experiment with, if only because early on you have no clue what kind of opponent's you'll be facing.
Lascannon - If the Missile Launcher is Hulk Hogan, the Lascannon is Macho Man Randy Savage. The Lascannon is what you bring out to take down vehicles, and four shots against something without a save often means that's one dead vehicle. If they have a save, they're often hoping to make it. If you have some way at giving the unit Skyfire, Lascannons will also rapidly take down Flyers. Only weaknesses are their cost, and their inability to handle hordes, but that's not often a problem anyways.
Plasma Cannon - Sometimes you aren't facing hordes of light infantry, but hordes of heavy infantry! Terminators dropping around you everywhere, and more Space Marines than you can shake a stick at! This is where Plasma Cannons shine. Good range, and their good strength and great AP blast will pulverize heavy infantry. Again, they get hot and one or two might kill themselves before the end of the game, but when Plasma Cannons shine, they SHINE!
Multi-Melta - Need a vehicle popped? Multi-Meltas. Again, these are a far more aggressive option, but they are devastating against high AV targets!
Grav Cannons - Again, I don't know if you can take these or not, and again I feel bad that I'm able to include these on the list. Grav Cannons are simply the "best" choice because they do everything of the above, only better. So many more shots than anything else in either of these lists, and those shots will wreck heavy infantry and just about any vehicle. The only thing on the list that might be better is Multi-Meltas against a Super Heavy Vehicle, but that's it. Again, very expensive, but you're already dealing with the most expensive options by purchasing heavy weapons, so forking over a few more for something that's clearly better just makes sense.
Hope you found this list helpful!
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