Guy with real firearms background reckons GTA 6 weapon customization is coming back in a big way

There's a thread on r/GTA6 from someone who actually knows guns, like 10-15 years of training and hobbyist stuff, and they're picking apart the weapon customization hints in the screenshots we've gotten. Their read: the same base rifle keeps showing up in different configurations, and they're calling it an AR-15/M4 pattern, specifically Duke Arms.

They also mention there are other shots floating around with weapon wraps and other unique touches, but they couldn't be bothered to dig them up for the post. Fair enough. They said a follow-up might happen.

the RDR2 comparison is the interesting bit

What got me thinking is their point about Red Dead Redemption 2. You could customize your guns a lot in that game, on top of cleaning them and all the other maintenance mechanics. The whole idea was making each weapon feel like yours. Not just a stat stick you picked up off a dead guy.

They think Rockstar is deliberately hinting that this comes back in GTA 6. I can see it. The screenshots aren't random, Rockstar knows people zoom in on every pixel. If the same rifle shows up looking different in multiple shots, that's probably not an accident.

why this matters for how the game plays

If customization is deep, it changes how you think about your loadout. You're not just grabbing whatever's strongest, you're building something. Different optics, grips, wraps, whatever else. And if limited weapon carry is in like people have been talking about, then making your one rifle feel right matters even more.

I'm not expecting gunsmith levels of depth here. But RDR2 set a bar and Rockstar tends to carry stuff forward. The cleaning mechanic alone would fit fine in Leonida, especially if they lean into the survival-ish edges of the world.

Anyway, the Duke Arms detail is the kind of thing I'd never have clocked on my own. Somebody with actual trigger time looking at these screenshots is worth more than a hundred hype threads. Hoping they do that follow-up with the wraps, because that's the part I want to see.

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Source: r/GTA6 · Curated content.