The screenshot above shows what a 100% critical headshot will do to a zombie.
But how is this achieved, and what are the chances?
Before we dive into all the different weapons, we have to understand how critical hits work in this game first.

Critical hits always do more damage than normal ones, so they're far more effective to use.
you can perform one by shooting or knifing an enemy's weakspot, such as:

-the heads of zombies, cerberus, licker, Tyrant (Mr.X)
-the eye on any G mutation, be it birkin or the G Adults
-the glowing balls on ivy mutations
-Super Tyrant's heart

but a critical hit never does a set amount of damage, but instead the damage is randomly generated.
shooting a certain spot on a zombie's head will not alter your chances on a 100% critical, unlike some rumors state.
the 100% critical hit that blows up zombie heads is only guaranteed by two weapons, but we will get into that down at the weapon statistics.

Now that we got critical hit chances out of the way, it is time to see how all the different weapons behave.
Every weapon has a certain amount of base damage, and this value does not change.
Let's categorize the weapons from weakest to strongest first:

low Damage:
Almost all of the handguns do the same amount of base damage and use the same ammo type (9mm), but there are big differences in how their critical hit chances vary.


- Samurai Edge Base Model (S Rank Reward, Endless Ammo)
This handgun is a lifesafer for difficulties such as hardcore, and gives you more headroom for speedruns.
However, this handgun does not only cause minimal damage, but it's critical hit chances are by far the lowest out of all projectile weapons in the game.
It is best to target the arms and legs of zombies, or to finish certain enemy types of after causing enough damage with other weapons.

-Matilda, Matilda Fully Upgraded, Samurai Edge Chris, Samurai Edge Jill, Samurai Edge Wesker,
SLS 60, JMB Hp3




These handguns are a step-up from the Samurai Edge Base Model in terms of both base damage and critical hit chances.
However, among these handguns, the critical hit chances still vary.
Both Matilda versions will cause the least amount of damage while also being rather low on the criticals, being almost identical to the three DLC Samurai Edges of the STARS members.
Among the SLS 60 and the JMB Hp3, there is a trade-off.
While the SLS 60 has a higher base damage, the critical chances for the JMB Hp3 are much higher in comparison.
Both weapons have a higher base damage compared to all the other handguns above.

Moderate Damage:
Mostly the .45 Caliber handfire weapons, with both higher base damage and much higher critical chances. A huge improvement over the weaker weapons for sure.


-M19, Action Army, SLS 60 High Caliber Upgrade
All of these will cause your regular zombies to stagger more often, while limbs and heads will more easily give way and come loose.
Apart from the SLS 60 upgraded, which is Claire's starting handgun, and seems to have a 100% chance on critical headshots, both the M19 and Action Army can only be accessed in Scenario B, the second run for either character.

-Shotgun (no upgrades)


As Unfortunate as this may seem, the Shotgun has a relatively moderate base damage very identical to those of the .45 caliber handguns.
However, the critical hit chances of the unmodified shotgun are beyond 50% at all times, which can be very effective when used correctly.
The shotgun also has a higher chance to stagger certain enemy types such as ivy, zombie or cerberus.
A licker will not be very impressed by an unmodified shotgun, but closing the distance can help.

-Mac 11, Mac 11 Modified


With a base damage somewhere between the .45 Calibers and 9mm Handguns, the Mac's critical chances are sitting somewhere between 50% and 35%, giving the player a slightly higher chance on criticals than what .45 Calibers can offer, but being less prone to cause staggering on enemies.
The rate of fire also improves the critical chances.
(Highly effective in bossfights from my own experience)

High Damage:
These weapons have a high enough base damage to kill most enemy types in one or two hits, while also offering very High critical Chances well beyond 80%.

-Shotgun, fully Upgraded


With the fully upgraded Shotgun, your chances to explode zombie heads to pieces is sitting well at 90% and possibly even higher.
Not the first choice for later bosses, this weapon is best used to remove any obstacles in your way with ease and swiftness.
Just do not forget to get close before firing.

-Grenade Launcher, GL Modified


The Grenade Launcher causes huge amounts of base damage, be it a zombie or a boss you're shooting at.
For maximum damage, hit an enemy with the acid round before setting them on fire.
Extremely effective against all kinds of enemy types.
Use fire rounds on grass-type enemies for high effectivity.

The other 100% critical hit chance weapon, that comes with the highest base damage:
This weapon will destroy any zombie with a well-placed shot, and most likely kill anything else with minimum shots fired.

-Lightning Hawk, Lightning Hawk Upgraded


This Weapon is only accessable to Leon, and is already the strongest weapon in this list without its upgrade, extra-ordinary weapons excluded.
The upgrade will raise its damage level beyond the maximum and will come in handy in your playthrough.
Use this as a last resort on normal enemy types, this weapon is most effective against the later bosses.
Always target weakspots for maximum damage output.

This section is all about weapons such as the flamethrower or Spark Shot.

Flamethrower, a Leon exclusive

The Flamethrower is especially useful when you're trying to get through the game quickly, doing a speedrun for example.
It requires a somewhat more skilled approach than most other weapons, as you wont easily stagger a boss with it, but cause quite some damage instantly and also over time, as they burn.
I highly recommend to use the flamethrower against G3 especially.


Spark Shot, a Claire exclusive

The Spark Shot will not exactly get on the flamethrowers level, but can still be used with overcharged shots to cause a very decent amount of damage.
keep in mind that fully charged shots also use up 4 ammo.
the reason i do not recommend getting the Spark Shot is a subjective matter, as it takes two slots up in your inventory and also has very limited ammo throughout the game, especially on hardcore.
If you're fine with that, go for it, but it's not worth the time and effort.

The LE5 (MP5 basically) does the same amount of damage as the MAC, but critical hit levels are near zero, so don't expect many heads exploding on this one.

Rocket Launcher is a one hit kill weapon, the Minigun is a high-damage full-auto endless-ammo type special weapon.
Both are rewards for completing the game on a certain difficulty and within a certain Rank.

This list will hopefully give you an insight on which weapons to use on which enemy types, and when.

Always keep at least two defensive items in your inventory at all times, as they will safe you from instant death animations certain enemy types have, such as ivy and tyrant.

Always keep in mind that avoiding enemies and conserving ammo is the way to go.
Know your enemy, know your weapons, know your environment, and you should be able to survive this nightmare.

Good Luck!