In ARC Raiders, you shoot with makeshift guns made from scrap metal. A weapons expert assesses how realistic these weapons are.
Who is the expert? Jonathan Steven Ferguson is a British historian and firearms expert. He serves as the firearms curator for the “Royal Armouries” Museum in Leeds, the national museum of arms and armor. The Royal Armories holds one of the largest collections of weapons in the world.
In November 2025, Ferguson appeared on the YouTube channel “EXP” and took a look at the various firearms in the extraction shooter ARC Raiders in a video.
Weapons expert shows models for the firearms in ARC Raiders
What does the expert say about the weapons? While the historian refrains from making a final judgement like “The game’s weapons are realistic/unrealistic”, he categorizes the various weapons, discusses details, and shows possible inspirations from real life.
For example, Ferguson explains that the “Rattler”, an assault rifle in ARC Raiders, is likely visually inspired by the French Chauchat rifle (Model 1915), which he identifies by the curved magazine. A significant difference compared to the original, however, is that the Rattler’s magazine is fixed and the ammunition is reloaded individually through an opening on top. The Chauchat rifle, on the other hand, has a magazine that can be easily swapped out.
The “Torrente” (LMG) reminds the historian of the MG42 with its loading lever and barrel jacket, although he criticizes a rattling housing cover. This is likely meant to represent the aesthetic of post-apocalyptic DIY weaponry but would lead to issues with a real MG: “When the top cover is opened, your weapon doesn’t work.”
When it comes to the “Kettle”, Ferguson thinks of the “Calico”. However, he points out that the real weapon doesn’t have a tank with compressed air or similar on top, but rather the magazine is there. The Kettle, in addition to the tank, also has a magazine on the side.
The Arpeggio, also an assault rifle, has, according to Ferguson, borrowed elements of an AK with an AR loading lever due to its trigger guard. However, when it comes to the four struts of the housing, he thinks of the “Walther WA 2000”, but without the casing and heavily modified.
Are the weapons realistic or not? Overall, Ferguson gets the impression that knowledge of weapon technology has partly been lost in this world through the weapons of ARC Raiders. He speculates: “People reinterpret what they salvage from old magazines or photos from the surface.”
Many elements of the various weapons remind the expert of real models, but some details, like the rattling housing cover of the Torrente or some wires on the weapons, make little sense. However, he praises that the weapons “work” in the hands of the raiders and are not just static.
Which weapons in ARC Raiders are particularly good and which ones you should carry with you during your raids on the surface will be shared by MeinMMO author Christos in the following article – how realistic the weapons are, of course, played no role: ARC Raiders: The best weapons for every situation
