~~ American ~~
Thompson (fully automatic) - This gun is good for medium to close range combat, you can hit people far away but you will usually waste your time. The 20 round magazine and high rate of fire make it good if you have a good lock on the enemy, otherwise you leave yourself open when it reloads.
M1 Garand (semi-automatic) - Great gun, two hits in chest and it will kill. Not good for close range but it is still fairly effective due to it being semi-automatic. It has 8 rounds in a clip. When you have only a few rounds left before reloading, just shoot them into the ground or a wall so the gun will reload because you cannot reload mid-clip.
M1A1 Carbine (semi-automatic) - Basically a pistol with accuracy. Its very light, fairly weak, but it has 15 rounds in a clip which make it last a while before you need to reload. Many people prefer it because it has one-hit-kill melee and it is one of the fastest guns to bash with.
Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) - As its name says it is automatic. It has 20 rounds in a clip, and is a very powerful gun. The clip takes a while to load so try not to reload with an enemy near as you will be a sitting duck. Great accuracy.
Springfield - A sniper rifle. According to most it is the best sniper in terms of accuracy. Most prefer it to any other sniper.
Grease Gun (fully automatic) - A fairly accurate SMG. Some prefer it to the Thompson because of that. It has a slower rate of fire. It is all a matter of preference.
~~ British ~~
Lee-Enfield (bolt-action) - The ten round clip makes this gun go for a long time before you need to reload. You can reload only 5 rounds at a time. Great power, decent weight. It is only superior to other rifles in the clip size.
Scoped Lee-Enfield - Same as Lee-Enfield. Second best in terms of accuracy, next to the Springfield.
Sten (fully automatic) - Has a 32 round clip, which will last you fairly long. Its accuracy is only good to a medium distance, otherwise its pointless to try.
Bren (fully automatic) - Similar to the BAR in many respects, including, accuracy, weight, and rate of fire. It is only good for medium range combat. If you are good enough you can effectively fire long range but usually only medium.
~~ Russian ~~
PPSh (fully automatic) - Best all around SMG. It has an amazing rate of fire and an incredible 72 round clip. These two combine to make a deadly combination. It has bad accuracy so it is only good for rushing and camping.
PPS42 (fully automatic) - Same gun as PPSh basically. It has a smaller clip, 32 round, and some might say it has a slightly lower rate of fire. It is very accurate to a decent distance. Good gun if you want the accuracy and are willing to give up the 72 round clip.
Mosin-Nagant (bolt action) - Has a 5 round clip and is the most accurate bolt-action. Good for long range and medium range.
Scoped Mosin-Nagant - Considered by most to be the most powerful sniper in the game. Very accurate, of course it is a sniper rifle.
Tokarev (semi-automatic) - Not a very good gun next to all the other russian weapons. It will get the job done but most prefer the Mosin.
~~ German ~~
MP40 (fully automatic) - This gun is good for close quarters. It has a slower rate of fire than some other SMG's which keeps the 32 round clip good for longer than most other guns.
MP44 (fully automatic) - An accurate assault rifle, it can get people from a fairly long distance away. Although it will take a few hits to kill, if you are confident enough it can work. It is slightly more powerful than the MP40 and the clip lasts only slightly less time than with the MP40.
Kar98k (bolt-action) - Very similar to the Mosin-Nagant. The sight is a little bit larger so it has slightly less accuracy. Its rate of fire is higher than the Mosin's, but the difference is almost imperceptible. The difference between these two lies in preference.
Scoped Kar98k - Most people prefer all Allied snipers over this one, but that doesn't mean it is bad. People still do well with it, most just prefer the sights of the Allied scopes. In essence all snipers are the same so if you are good with one, your probably good with the others.
Gewehr (semi-automatic) - This gun is almost the same as the Tokarev, but a lot prefer the Tokarev over it. The Gewehr takes a long time to reload but it has a 10-round clip that can last long enough to kill the enemies around you before you have to reload.
~~ Others ~~
Trench Gun/Shotgun - Alot of people hate this gun because it is the only gun that is a one hit kill at close range. If you are in close quarters with one, say good-bye because you are probably dead. You may get lucky and get someone who can't get a good shot and you may kill them, but don't count on it. Official noob weapon of CoD2.
Thompson (fully automatic) - This gun is good for medium to close range combat, you can hit people far away but you will usually waste your time. The 20 round magazine and high rate of fire make it good if you have a good lock on the enemy, otherwise you leave yourself open when it reloads.
M1 Garand (semi-automatic) - Great gun, two hits in chest and it will kill. Not good for close range but it is still fairly effective due to it being semi-automatic. It has 8 rounds in a clip. When you have only a few rounds left before reloading, just shoot them into the ground or a wall so the gun will reload because you cannot reload mid-clip.
M1A1 Carbine (semi-automatic) - Basically a pistol with accuracy. Its very light, fairly weak, but it has 15 rounds in a clip which make it last a while before you need to reload. Many people prefer it because it has one-hit-kill melee and it is one of the fastest guns to bash with.
Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) - As its name says it is automatic. It has 20 rounds in a clip, and is a very powerful gun. The clip takes a while to load so try not to reload with an enemy near as you will be a sitting duck. Great accuracy.
Springfield - A sniper rifle. According to most it is the best sniper in terms of accuracy. Most prefer it to any other sniper.
Grease Gun (fully automatic) - A fairly accurate SMG. Some prefer it to the Thompson because of that. It has a slower rate of fire. It is all a matter of preference.
~~ British ~~
Lee-Enfield (bolt-action) - The ten round clip makes this gun go for a long time before you need to reload. You can reload only 5 rounds at a time. Great power, decent weight. It is only superior to other rifles in the clip size.
Scoped Lee-Enfield - Same as Lee-Enfield. Second best in terms of accuracy, next to the Springfield.
Sten (fully automatic) - Has a 32 round clip, which will last you fairly long. Its accuracy is only good to a medium distance, otherwise its pointless to try.
Bren (fully automatic) - Similar to the BAR in many respects, including, accuracy, weight, and rate of fire. It is only good for medium range combat. If you are good enough you can effectively fire long range but usually only medium.
~~ Russian ~~
PPSh (fully automatic) - Best all around SMG. It has an amazing rate of fire and an incredible 72 round clip. These two combine to make a deadly combination. It has bad accuracy so it is only good for rushing and camping.
PPS42 (fully automatic) - Same gun as PPSh basically. It has a smaller clip, 32 round, and some might say it has a slightly lower rate of fire. It is very accurate to a decent distance. Good gun if you want the accuracy and are willing to give up the 72 round clip.
Mosin-Nagant (bolt action) - Has a 5 round clip and is the most accurate bolt-action. Good for long range and medium range.
Scoped Mosin-Nagant - Considered by most to be the most powerful sniper in the game. Very accurate, of course it is a sniper rifle.
Tokarev (semi-automatic) - Not a very good gun next to all the other russian weapons. It will get the job done but most prefer the Mosin.
~~ German ~~
MP40 (fully automatic) - This gun is good for close quarters. It has a slower rate of fire than some other SMG's which keeps the 32 round clip good for longer than most other guns.
MP44 (fully automatic) - An accurate assault rifle, it can get people from a fairly long distance away. Although it will take a few hits to kill, if you are confident enough it can work. It is slightly more powerful than the MP40 and the clip lasts only slightly less time than with the MP40.
Kar98k (bolt-action) - Very similar to the Mosin-Nagant. The sight is a little bit larger so it has slightly less accuracy. Its rate of fire is higher than the Mosin's, but the difference is almost imperceptible. The difference between these two lies in preference.
Scoped Kar98k - Most people prefer all Allied snipers over this one, but that doesn't mean it is bad. People still do well with it, most just prefer the sights of the Allied scopes. In essence all snipers are the same so if you are good with one, your probably good with the others.
Gewehr (semi-automatic) - This gun is almost the same as the Tokarev, but a lot prefer the Tokarev over it. The Gewehr takes a long time to reload but it has a 10-round clip that can last long enough to kill the enemies around you before you have to reload.
~~ Others ~~
Trench Gun/Shotgun - Alot of people hate this gun because it is the only gun that is a one hit kill at close range. If you are in close quarters with one, say good-bye because you are probably dead. You may get lucky and get someone who can't get a good shot and you may kill them, but don't count on it. Official noob weapon of CoD2.