Weapon manuals are how you unlock guns in MW4 DMZ. Extract with a weapon’s manual and you can buy that weapon at the Gunsmith whenever you want. They drop mostly in Weapons Lockers, Safes and Irradiated Containers, and they are rare. In the containers we counted, about 1 in 160 had a manual. This guide covers how manuals work, where they drop, the fastest way we know to farm them and what every weapon costs at the Gunsmith once you have it.
- A weapon manual unlocks that weapon at the Gunsmith for good once you extract with it.
- Weapons Lockers gave a manual in about 1 in 20, Safes in about 1 in 48. Most other containers almost never had one.
- Irradiated Containers are the jackpot. All 11 we saw opened had a manual.
- The armory in Operation Iron Citadel is full of Weapons Lockers, which makes it our pick for farming.
- A duplicate manual turns into $5,000 cash and disappears.
- The JOKR is the manual we would hunt first. It is the priciest gun at the Gunsmith and the best answer to tanks.
How Weapon Manuals Work in MW4 DMZ
Every weapon at the Gunsmith starts locked, apart from a few you already own. To unlock one you need to find its manual in a match and extract with it. From then on you can buy that weapon at the Gunsmith as often as you like, paying its build cost plus whatever attachments you add. The Gunsmith itself opens at DMZ level 10, see our FOB guide.
Every manual is a $5,000 item. You get that cash when you extract with it on top of the unlock. If you already own the weapon, the duplicate manual just turns into the $5,000 and is gone, so there is no point in hoarding them.
You do not need a manual to use a gun in a match. Anything you pick up you can fight with, and a weapon you extract with goes to your stash as a single copy. The manual is what lets you buy it again and again.
Click to enlarge A locked weapon at the Gunsmith. Extract its manual to unlock it, and the game hints at military containers and Safes. 
Where to Find Weapon Manuals
Every locked weapon at the Gunsmith tells you its manual turns up more often in military containers and Safes. Our numbers agree. These are the containers that gave a manual in the containers we counted.
| Container | Found / opened | Rate in our data |
|---|---|---|
| Irradiated Container | 11 / 11 | every one we saw |
| Elite Weapons Locker | 3 / 3 | every one we saw, but only three |
| Weapons Locker | 4 / 82 | about 1 in 20 |
| Safe | 5 / 242 | about 1 in 48 |
| Military Locker | 2 / 121 | about 1 in 60 |
| Military Bag | 2 / 245 | about 1 in 120 |
We also saw single manuals in a Filing Cabinet, a Basic Weapons Locker and a Footlocker. The common civilian containers, like Duffels, Caches and Computers, never had one in our data.
Elite Weapons Lockers sit behind keys. The three we saw were in the armory of Operation Iron Citadel and at NuriGO Mall, and every one had a manual. That is too few to give a rate, but if you have the key, open it. Our keys guide shows which doors lead to which rooms.
Our own manuals came from the same kind of places. We found the Type 73 in a Filing Cabinet at Cheonwang Peak Array, the Rezi 12 in a Weapons Locker at the Netshin Tech Complex, the VEL 46 in a Military Locker at the Re-Education Center, the M4 in a Tool Chest at the Citadel Prison Yard and the RPG-8 in a Weapons Locker in the Iron Citadel armory. The JOKR and Kastov 762 manuals came out of our Irradiated Containers.
Click to enlarge The Type 73 manual from a Filing Cabinet at Cheonwang Peak Array. 
Click to enlarge The Rezi 12 manual from a Weapons Locker at the Netshin Tech Complex. 
Best Way to Farm Weapon Manuals
Weapons Lockers are your best regular source, so go where there are a lot of them. Our pick is the armory in Operation Iron Citadel. It is packed with Weapons Lockers in one spot, and it is where our RPG-8 manual came from. Our Iron Citadel loot run shows the whole route.
Click to enlarge The RPG-8 manual from a Weapons Locker in the Iron Citadel armory. 
Irradiated Containers are the other way in. They are rare to find, but every one we saw opened at Reactor 02 had a manual inside, often with a Legendary or Ultra weapon as well. Our Irradiated Container guide covers where to find them and how to open them.
Be ready for some bad luck. Manuals are random, and a lot of players on r/DMZ keep finding the same few while the guns they want never drop. You cannot pick which manual you get, so the only fix is opening more of the right containers.
Every Weapon Manual and Its Build Cost
Each of the 33 weapons at the DMZ Gunsmith has its own manual. Once it is unlocked, this is what the base weapon costs to build. Attachments and extra attachment slots come on top.
| Class | Weapons and build cost |
|---|---|
| Assault rifles | HAN 86 $6,000, M4 $6,250, Hyeon Burst $5,250, Kastov 762 $5,500, Patriot XMR $6,500, Oden $6,250, Axion $5,750, Cronen Squall $6,750 |
| SMGs | ISO Nightshade $4,250, VEL 46 $4,500, WZ.55 Striga $3,500, PPSh-41 $3,750, X-58 Nyx $4,000 |
| Shotguns | Rezi 12 $4,000, Warlord $3,500 |
| LMGs | Finn LMG $8,000, Type 73 $7,500, Apoc 338 $7,750 |
| Marksman rifles | MAR-9 $6,500, Oris 8.6 $7,000, Mosin-Nagant $7,500 |
| Sniper rifles | Astaroth 57 $24,000, KG-7 Vulcan $16,000, Signal 50 $14,000 |
| Pistols | SANG 9mm $1,000, Krait P68 $1,000, .50 GS $4,000, Mojave .357 $2,500 |
| Launchers | PILA $25,000, RPG-8 $10,000, JOKR $50,000, PM-40 Anvil $30,000 |
| Melee | FSS Carbon Edge 1095 $250 |
Most guns cost less than $10,000 to build, so the manual is the real gate, not the cash. The launchers and sniper rifles are the exception. Every weapon and its camos are also in our DMZ camo challenges hub.
Which Weapon Manual to Look for First
The JOKR. It is the most expensive weapon at the Gunsmith at $50,000, and that price tells you what it is worth. It locks on to vehicles and strikes them from above, which turns tanks and boss fights from a chore into a few shots. We already preferred it over the RPG-8 for the tank in our DMZ Orders guide.
For everyday fights, an assault rifle like the M4 or Kastov 762 is the safer pick. They are cheap to rebuild every time you lose one, and they cover almost every situation.
What does a weapon manual do in MW4 DMZ?
It unlocks a weapon at the Gunsmith. Extract with the manual and you can buy that weapon there as often as you like, as long as you pay its build cost in DMZ Cash.
Where do you find weapon manuals in DMZ?
In military containers and Safes, like the game says on every locked weapon. In our data Weapons Lockers gave one in about 1 in 20, Safes about 1 in 48, and every Irradiated Container we saw opened had one.
What is the best way to farm weapon manuals in MW4 DMZ?
Loot every Weapons Locker you can, and the armory in Operation Iron Citadel has a lot of them in one place. Irradiated Containers are the other big source, because all 11 we saw opened had a manual.
What happens if you extract a duplicate weapon manual in DMZ?
You get the $5,000 in cash and the manual is gone. It does not stay in your stash, so you cannot keep or sell duplicates.
Do you need a weapon manual to use a gun in DMZ?
Only to buy it at the Gunsmith. You can still pick up any weapon in a match and use it, and a weapon you extract with goes to your stash as a single copy.
When does the Gunsmith unlock in MW4 DMZ?
At DMZ level 10. Before that you can still find and extract manuals, so it pays to bring every one home.
Which weapon manual should you look for first in DMZ?
We would go for the JOKR. It is the most expensive weapon to build at $50,000, and a launcher that locks on to vehicles makes tanks and bosses a lot easier.
Still missing that one manual?
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