As an avid Fallout 4 player with over 500 hours played, automatic weapons have become a staple of my post-apocalyptic arsenal. Their fast fire rates allow you to output damage rapidly, killing enemies before they have time to react. Large ammo capacities ensure you can spray lead for longer periods too.
But not all automatic weapons are created equal in Fallout 4. Through extensive personal testing and research, I‘ve compiled comprehensive comparisons and data to highlight the top contenders worth carrying into battle. We‘ll analyze damage, fire rate, range, ammo capacity, armor penetration, mods, and more to crown the kings of Commonwealth bullet hoses.
Fallout 4‘s Best Automatic Weapon Types
Several automatic weapon categories bring distinct advantages to cover various combat scenarios:
Automatic Pistols – Rapid-firing sidearms like the 10mm Pistol offer excellent burst damage and VATS efficiency. Their light weight keeps your carry capacity low while still packing a punch.
Submachine Guns – SMGs like the Submachine Gun excel in close quarters with good damage and incredible ammo capacity thanks to large drum mags. Their spray-and-pray playstyle quickly overwhelms foes.
Automatic Rifles – Combat, Assault and Handmade Rifles reign at medium to long range. They deal strong damage without excessive recoil, helped further by rifleman perks.
Heavy Automatic Guns – Miniguns, Gatling Lasers, Gamma Guns and other bullet hoses sacrifice ammo efficiency for extreme firepower against hordes of enemies. Some like the Flamer can even inflict burn DoT damage.
Automatic Energy Weapons – Laser Rifles, Gatling Plasmas and more bring versatile energy damage. They effectively whittle down unarmored humanoids while also threatening high DT armor on late game enemies.
Now let‘s analyze the cream of the crop among Fallout 4‘s many automatic weapons to determine the top tier picks.
Handmade Rifle: Best Overall Auto Weapon
Base Stats:
| Damage | Fire Rate | Range | Accuracy | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 58 | 119 | 68 | 16.6 | 348 |
After extensive testing of dozens of legendary and unique weapons, I‘ve concluded the standard Handmade Rifle reigns supreme as the best overall automatic weapon in Fallout 4.
Its combination of strong damage output, good range and accuracy, large magazines, and available ammunition types allow it to tackle nearly any combat scenario effectively. Sturdy metal construction gives the Handmade Rifle decent durability as well.
Fully modified Handmade Rifles can reach staggering damage levels exceeding 100 points per bullet! This high damage combines with good control and ammo availability to take down all threats. Deathclaws, mirelurk queens, behemoth mutants – no enemy withstands the Handmade Rifle‘s fury!
Optimal mods include a powerful automatic receiver, long ported barrel for range and recoil reduction, large quick eject magazine, reflex sight, and comfort grip. 5.56 and .308 ammo types are reasonably common as well.
The Rifleman and Commando perks should be leveraged to boost damage further. Gun Nut helps improve durability and VATS accuracy too. With the right customizations and perk support, the Handmade Rifle dominates as Fallout 4‘s premier bullet hose!
Righteous Authority: Most Efficient Laser Rifle
Base Stats:
| Damage | Fire Rate | Range | Accuracy | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 46 | 119 | 60 | 4 | 350 |
While the Handmade Rifle may offer the best overall performance, laser weapons bring unrivaled ammo efficiency thanks to their pure energy damage. Of these, the unique Righteous Authority pistol stands out as my top pick.
This handy laser gun comes pre-modded with improved hip fire accuracy, better focusing lenses for range, and a hair-trigger receiver for excellent fire rate. Combined with low AP costs in VATS, it shreds enemies with ease.
And thanks to its "lucky" legendary effect, Righteous Authority deals double damage every 8th shot fired. This effectively provides a 12.5% average damage increase for free!
Its primary downside is durability – Righteous Authority can break quickly if not cared for. But proper maintenance combined with high damage and fusion cell efficiency put this laser pistol at the top of my energy weapon list.
Obtain Righteous Authority early on by joining the Brotherhood of Steel and advancing the main quest. It‘s given as a reward from Paladin Danse and will carry you far through the Wasteland thanks to its great legendary bonuses.
Splattercannon: Most Powerful Rifleman Weapon
Base Stats:
| Damage | Fire Rate | Range | Accuracy | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 91 | 119 | 68 | 11.2 | 1999 |
Want raw stopping power? Look no further than the Splattercannon, Nuka World‘s terrifying addition to the Commonwealth small arms cache. This deadly automatic assault rifle spits hot lead at extreme velocity, overwhelming enemies in seconds.
A staggering 81 damage per bullet combines with modest recoil control and large 76 round capacity for tremendous damage potential. But what really sets the Splattercannon apart is its unique effect – dealing +50% damage to full health enemies specifically.
This means every shot fired gets a huge damage boost until you‘ve wounded the target. When combined with Gun Fu and other perks, you can easily one-hit-kill low and mid tier enemies before they can react.
The Splattercannon does guzzle ammunition quickly though. A heavy investment into Scrounger helps supply enough .308/5.56 ammo to feed this beast. Alternatively, use it as a specialized lead-spitter against priority threats then switch weapons after expending the mag.
Obtained from the Nuka World DLC, this deadly rifle should be priority #1 for high-level commando characters.
Kiloton Radium Rifle – Best Radiation Damage
Base Stats:
| Damage | Fire Rate | Range | Accuracy | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 58 | 119 | 69 | 11.1 | 1071 |
In terms of delivering devastating radiation punishment, no automatic weapon tops the Kiloton Radium Rifle added in Fallout 4‘s Far Harbor expansion.
This maritime mercenary workhorse may seem like another ho-hum radiation rifle at first glance. But the Kiloton variant sports a staggering +100 rads per bullet fired into targets!
Dozens of rads quickly add up, rapidly draining enemy health and armor protection. The constant health loss keeps them staggered too, unable to fight back effectively.
With strong 50 base damage backing up the rads, the Kiloton rifle melts foes quickly. Mirelurk queens and other high HP enemies suffer the most as their ungodly resistance gets whittled away.
My only complaint is noisy operation compared to suppressed weapons. But finding enough .45 ammo is worthwhile for the sheer injury inflicted! Obtain the legendary Kiloton rifle from the Mariner after completing her side quest "Cleansing the Land" in Far Harbor.
Best Weapon Combos
While individual weapons like the Handmade Rifle and Splattercannon excel on their own, combining certain guns creates devastating loadout synergy:
Kiloton Radium Rifle & Righteous Authority – Tag enemies at range with the Kiloton rifle, allowing the Righteous Authority pistol to finish them off. The combined radiation exposure and energy damage ensure no enemies survive!
Splattercannon & Spray N‘ Pray – Use the Splattercannon to cripple tough enemies first, then switch to the explosive Spray N‘ Pray to spam grenades at their feet. Fantastic crowd control and DPS!
Handmade Rifle & Lucky Eddy – Eliminate minor targets with the Handmade Rifle, while saving Lucky Eddy‘s hard-hitting .308 punches for priority threats. Together they handle all combat ranges with ease.
Big Boy & Rapid Infantry Rifle – Lead off encounters by softening up crowds with Big Boy‘s mini-nukes. Then clean up survivors with the Rapid rifle‘s high-speed ballistic barrage. Total dominance!
Optimizing Your Build
To get the most out of automatic weapons, gun-focused perk investment is crucial:
- Commando – Boost automatic rifle damage. Essential for shredding with Handmade Rifles and Assault Rifles.
- Rifleman – Improves semi-auto AND automatic rifle damage. Synergizes great with Commando.
- Nuclear Physicist – Up radiation damage effects. Mandatory for radium/gamma builds.
- Demolition Expert – Increase explosive weapon damage. Pairs perfectly with Spray N‘ Pray.
Additionally, consider:
- Gunslinger – Better hip fire accuracy helps automatic pistols greatly in close quarters.
- Scrounger – Gain more ammunition from looted containers. Crucial for feeding bullet hoses!
- Gun Nut – Craft better mods to enhance weapon capabilities.
With 9 points in Commando and Rifleman each plus supporting perks, you‘ll inflict a whopping 90% bonus damage with automatic and semi-automatic rifles. This tremendous damage multiplier makes short work of any foe!
Dealing with Tough Enemies
While automatic weapons make quick work of basic raiders and mutants, some enemies require special tactics:
Deathclaws – Use VATS to concentrate fire on their legs and quickly cripple Deathclaws. Then blast away helpless as they limp towards you.
Mirelurk Queens – Leverage radiation and plasma weapons to soften their shell armor rating. This exposes vulnerable flesh underneath to mow down rapidly.
Behemoth Super Mutants – Explosive weapons like Spray N‘ Pray help whittle down their massive health pools. Cause constant staggering to prevent being smashed into paste!
Assaultrons – Headshots are critical to outpacing their regeneration. Precision automatic rifles work nicely here along with electrical damage.
Groups of Enemies – Spray weapons with area damage bonuses like Splattercannon and Kiloton Rifle thrive when facing crowds. Stack damage bonuses from stealth and chems too!
Preparation and smart weapon selection makes taking down any foe possible, no matter how deadly. Remember to keep a diversified automatic weapon arsenal tailored to handle various enemy armor and health pools.
Closing Thoughts
Automatic weapons empower you to rain unbridled destruction upon the denizens of Fallout 4‘s wasteland. Properly understanding their capabilities and specialties is the key to dominating the Commonwealth.
Favor aggressive, mobile playstyles using high DPS automatic rifles and pistols over chunky mini guns or inefficient pipe weapons. Customize with advanced receivers, comfort grips, reflex sights and quick eject magazines tailored for your needs.
With practice managing recoil and ammo consumption, no enemy or faction can oppose your bullet storm for long. Command the battlefield by embracing the ultimate doctrine – spray and pray for victory!
What are your favorite Fallout 4 automatic weapons? Have any special mods or tactics to share? Let me know in the comments!
