Red Dead Redemption
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Where to find every rare weapon in Red Dead Redemption 2

With hatchets, revolvers, and shotguns to spare, here’s how you can find every unique weapon in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2.
By Joshua Khan
6 min readPublished on
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the greatest timesucks. Its script, NPCs, musical scores, and picturesque environments have a way of pulling you in for hours on end only to introduce you to multi-layered systems that have no business being as deep as they are. A single trip to a local store can turn into an hour-long design seminar that Martha Stewart would be proud of and all for the sake of varnishes and engravings that would make Bob Vila blush. If you’re pro Myrtle and Rosewood, then you’ll be happy to know there’s more than 20 rare weapons in the world of ‘RDR2’. Some are armed with different stats and more intricate designs, so we put together a detailed guide on the combat items that can make your own playthrough feel unique.
Note: Four rare weapons were omitted from this guide for the sake of main story spoilers.

1. Ancient Tomahawk

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A more traditional approach to “stealth”

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This traditional tomahawk isn’t of the homing variety, but it can be found in a broken wooden target in the east of Calumet Valley in the Grizzlies, just east of Wapiti Indian Reservoir.

2. Antler Knife

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Because even Bambi deserves a revenge saga

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This rare knife features a handle manufactured from the antler of a stag and it can be retrieved from the aftermath of a fight between a grizzly bear and hunter next to Hanging Dog Ranch.

3. Broken Pirate Sword

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‘Red Dead’ meets ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’

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The rare pirate cutlass can be found on an abandoned boat that’s on an island just south of the Saint Denis bridge. It features a long snapped blade which gives it a longer range than most melee weapons, which is perfect for when you need to look cool in a 1v1 with a bayou gator.

4. Calloway’s Revolver

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A revolver that Jimmy Hopkins can be proud of

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Calloway’s Revolver is one of the sidearms that can only be picked up during the mission “The Noblest Of Man, And A Woman”. It’s a silver Schofield Revolver that has “Canis Canem Edit” engraved on the side of the barrel, which is also latin for “Dog Eat Dog” and just so happens to be what Rockstar Vancouver’s ‘Bully’ was called in countries outside of the United States.

5. Civil War Knife

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For when the Raiders are being too Lemoyne

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The Civil War Knife is an old Bowie knife that’s covered in rust and features a gigantic D-shaped handguard. It was commonly used by Civil War soldiers and can be found alongside a Civil War Hat in the basement of Fort Brennand, which is just southwest of the Van Horn Trading Post.

6. Double Bit Hatchet

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A bit of double trouble for the O’Driscolls

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This rare hatchet features a double-bladed head that was designed for two things: chopping and splitting wood in half. It’s also useful for O’Driscolls that get out of hand and it can be found on a tree stump to the northwest of Wallace Station, just slightly west of Dakota River in Big Valley.

7. Flaco’s Revolver

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A Del Lobos treasure that suits any sombrero

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This unique Cattleman Revolver must be picked up after defeating Flaco Hernandez and his Del Lobos gang during “The Noblest Of Man, And A Woman”. It features delicate engravings and a carved ivory handle, and being the Cattleman that it is, it only has a capacity of six rounds.

8. Granger’s Revolver

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A Cattleman Revolver for goths and edgelords

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This sidearm is a rare Cattleman Revolver with a dark metal finish and it can be picked up after defeating Emmet Granger near Flatneck Station in “The Noblest Of Man, And A Woman”.

9. Hewing Hatchet

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Because even cowboys hew sometimes

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This older hatchet has a flat edge along one side and is solely designed for hewing, which is the process of converting logs into lumber. It can also be thrown in the direction of bounty hunters and can be found next to the Flattened Cabin on the southern edge of Moonstone Pond.

10. Hunter Hatchet

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Perfect for hunting deer and robbin’ homesteads

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The Hunter Hatchet is a rare hatchet that has a long bearded axe that allows for greater control when planing or shaving. It’s also a melee weapon and a trusty hunting accomplice (for smaller game) that can be thrown and found in a tree stump south of Window Rock in the Grizzlies.

11. Jawbone Knife

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It’s made from the jawbone of a coyote (duh)

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The Jawbone Knife is one of the cooler looking melee weapons as it’s crafted from a large piece of flint and the jawbone of a coyote. No spoilers here, but it can only be obtained as a reward for collecting all 30 Dinosaur Bones for amateur paleontologist Deborah MacGuiness.

12. Midnight’s Pistol

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When ‘Red Dead’ meets N64’s ‘GoldenEye’

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Billy Midnight’s coveted Mauser Pistol is the closest thing ‘RDR2’ has to the Golden Gun and it’s one of the few rewards that can be grabbed during “The Noblest Of Man, And A Woman” quest.

13. Ornate Dagger

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A knife that will make anyone yell “Sookie!”

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The Ornate Dagger is a rare decorative knife that’s only lootable after killing the vampire that’s located in Saint Denis. The writing is on the wall as to where you can find the creature of the night and rest assured, its Bayou Nwa accent is as ‘True Blood’ as ‘True Blood’ gets.

14. Rare Rolling Block Rifle

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A prized parting gift from the Braithwaite Manor

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The Rare Rolling Block Rifle is slightly more powerful than the one you can find in stores, but it’s also one of the few weapons that’s entirely missable. You can find the rifle on a bounty hunter in the barn near Braithwaite Manor in the Chapter III story mission “Magicians For Sport”.

15. Rare Shotgun

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The one double-barrel to rule them all

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This unique Double-Barreled Shotgun isn’t tied to a mission but it can be acquired from a hermit who lives in a hut that’s just north of Annesburg in Roanoke Ridge. He hates strangers and will one-shot you on sight so make sure to grab his shotgun as you only get one chance to do so.

16. Rusted Double Bit Hatchet

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Like finding a hatchet in a coal mine

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The Rusted Double Bit is a weathered version of the hatchet near Wallace Station, but this one can be found wedged in a tree stump in Annesburg (just north of the town’s coal mine).

17. Rusted Hunter Hatchet

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Because rusted weapons are “in” right now

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Nothing screams ‘redemption’ like chucking a rusty hatchet so grab this from a lone tree stump in Martha’s Swain, in between Elysian Pool and O’Creagh’s Run.

18. Viking Hatchet

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A miniature axe that puts Kratos to shame

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The Viking Hatchet may or may not be a nod to this year’s ‘God Of War’, but it can be found at an old grave by Annesburg that’s north-east of Beaver Hollow. It’s lodged into a skull and is in the same location as the Viking Helmet which may or may not be too small for Arthur’s head.

19. Wide Blade Knife

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For the Arthur Morgans who like it wide

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This hunting knife with a wide clip-point blade can be looted from the back of a corpse in the heart of Beryl’s Dream Mine, just west of Mount Shann in the Big Valley area.