🔫 DUKE CARBINE

Overview

The Duke Carbine is GTA 6's high-fire-rate assault rifle — a fictional in-universe weapon manufactured by Duke Arms, Leonida's premier domestic firearms company. Where the Assault Rifle (AK-pattern) prioritizes damage per round and the Modular Carbine (AR-15-pattern) prioritizes versatility, the Duke Carbine's identity is defined by its 850 RPM fire rate — the highest of any assault rifle in GTA 6. This blistering rate of fire means the Duke Carbine puts more rounds downrange per second than any competing rifle, creating a suppressive fire capability that keeps enemies pinned behind cover and punishes anyone who exposes themselves for even a fraction of a second. The trade-off is lower per-round damage (24 per shot — the lowest in the assault rifle class) and moderate accuracy that degrades noticeably during sustained fire. The Duke Carbine is the assault rifle for players who prefer aggressive, forward-pressing combat where fire volume matters more than individual shot placement. The weapon is the foundation of the Duke Arms family — a three-weapon platform that includes the Spec Ops (short-barrel CQB variant) and Assault Sniper (DMR variant), all sharing common controls and ergonomics so players can switch between Duke weapons without relearning muscle memory.

Damage & Stats

Base damage is 24 per round — lowest in the assault rifle class, below the Modular Carbine's 28 and the Assault Rifle's 34. However, the 850 RPM fire rate produces 340 theoretical DPS, identical to the Assault Rifle's output and exceeding the Modular Carbine's 350. The Duke Carbine achieves competitive damage output through volume rather than per-round punch. Killing unarmored targets requires 5 rounds (0.35 seconds), armored targets approximately 8 rounds (0.56 seconds). The 30-round magazine empties in 2.1 seconds — the fastest magazine dump of any assault rifle. Reload is 2.0 seconds standard, 1.6 seconds speed reload. Effective range is 100 meters — shorter than the Modular Carbine's 150 meters but adequate for the vast majority of GTA 6's combat encounters. Recoil is moderate: 2.8 degrees vertical climb per shot, but the high fire rate means the weapon climbs faster than competitors during sustained fire — the total climb after a full magazine is greater despite the per-shot recoil being average. Headshot multiplier is 2.5x (60 damage) — not a one-shot kill against armored targets, but the fast fire rate means a second headshot arrives within 0.07 seconds. The Duke Carbine's burst-fire mode (3-round burst) is worth noting: it fires three rounds at an accelerated 1,000 RPM micro-burst rate with tighter accuracy than full-auto, making it effective at medium range where sustained auto fire would scatter.

Tactical Analysis

The Duke Carbine is the weapon of aggression. Its high fire rate serves two tactical functions: first, sustained automatic fire suppresses enemies behind cover, preventing them from returning fire and creating windows for flanking movement; second, the fast time-to-kill at close-medium range means enemies who step out of cover are punished before they can acquire you. The optimal engagement style is aggressive advancement: fire in 8-10 round bursts while moving from cover to cover, keeping enemies' heads down while closing distance. At 50-80 meters, the Duke Carbine's volume of fire overwhelms the Assault Rifle's damage advantage because hits land faster. Beyond 100 meters, accuracy degradation makes the weapon inefficient — switch to burst-fire mode or transition to a precision weapon. The burst-fire mode deserves tactical emphasis: three rounds at 1,000 RPM with tighter grouping than full-auto creates a pseudo-precision capability that extends the weapon's effective range to approximately 130 meters. Use burst mode at range, full-auto in close. The Duke Carbine pairs well with a shotgun for room clearing (the carbine handles hallways and approaches; the shotgun handles doorways and corners) or a Marksman Rifle for long-range backup. Avoid pairing with another high-fire-rate weapon — ammunition consumption is already a concern.

Attachments & Mods

The Duke Carbine supports six attachment slots with the Duke Arms proprietary rail system. Optics: Duke reflex sight (1x — fastest acquisition, designed for the weapon), red dot, holographic, 3x prism scope, or 4x ACOG. The Duke reflex sight is unique to Duke-platform weapons and offers a slightly wider sight picture than standard red dots. Muzzle: Suppressor (standard noise reduction — unlike the Modular Carbine, the 5.56mm supersonic crack remains audible), linear compensator (Duke-specific — reduces muzzle rise by 30%, the strongest single attachment for controlling the high fire rate's climb), flash hider. Barrel: Standard 14.5-inch (balanced), 16-inch mid-weight (improved range and accuracy), or 11.5-inch SBR (reduces range to 70 meters but improves handling — approaches the Spec Ops variant's CQB performance). Magazine: Extended 40-round, coupled dual-mag (0.8-second swap), or 60-round drum (the drum on an 850 RPM weapon produces 4.2 seconds of continuous fire). Grip: Vertical foregrip (recoil reduction), hand-stop (improved ergonomics during rapid movement), or bipod. Stock: Duke tactical stock (fastest transition from sprint to aimed fire), adjustable precision stock (improved standing accuracy), or PDW brace (lightest configuration for maximum mobility).

Best Situations

The Duke Carbine is the best weapon for: aggressive advancing combat where suppressive fire enables movement, multi-enemy engagements at 30-80 meters where volume of fire matters more than precision, missions requiring sustained fire against waves of enemies (the Duke Carbine's DPS and magazine capacity handle protracted firefights efficiently), and players who prefer a "run and gun" style over positional shooting. The weapon excels during heist execution phases where the plan has gone loud and multiple hostiles are engaging simultaneously — the high fire rate means you can suppress one group while transitioning to engage another. The Duke Carbine's burst-fire mode also makes it viable for medium-range engagements that would normally require a different weapon. The Duke Carbine is the wrong choice for: stealth missions where single controlled shots are needed, engagements beyond 120 meters where accuracy matters, ammunition-scarce scenarios where the high fire rate wastes rounds, and PvP encounters against skilled players using precision weapons who can headshot you before your volume advantage matters. The weapon rewards aggressive positioning and fast reflexes over careful aim.

How to Obtain

The Duke Carbine is available at Ammu-Nation from early-mid game — it unlocks after the "Street Cred" mission where Jason establishes contact with Duke Arms' commercial distribution network. Base price is approximately $28,000 — moderately priced, reflecting its position as a mass-market assault rifle rather than a specialized platform. The Duke Carbine is also available as a mission pickup during several story missions and can be found carried by mid-tier gang enforcers. In GTA 6 Online, it unlocks at rank 15 for $35,000, making it one of the first assault rifles available. The weapon has one unique variant: the Patriot Edition, featuring an American flag hydro-dip finish, pre-installed linear compensator, and extended magazine — available from Ammu-Nation during the in-game July 4th event or purchasable year-round from the Grassrivers gun show contact at a premium. The Patriot Edition has a unique firing sound (slightly deeper bark) and a small American flag charm that dangles from the magazine well.

GTA Series History

The Duke Carbine represents GTA 6's first fully fictional assault rifle platform — a departure from the franchise's tradition of using thinly disguised real-world weapons. GTA III through GTA V used recognizable M4/M16 and AK-47 derivatives; GTA 6 introduces Duke Arms as an in-universe manufacturer with its own design language, lore, and product line. The decision to create a fictional platform allows Rockstar to design weapon stats around gameplay balance rather than real-world performance expectations — the Duke Carbine's 850 RPM fire rate would be unusually high for a 5.56mm carbine in reality, but within GTA 6's damage model it creates a distinct tactical identity. The Duke Arms brand appears throughout Leonida: billboards, gun store displays, and NPC conversations reference the company, establishing it as a significant element of the game world's commercial ecosystem. The three-weapon Duke family (Carbine, Spec Ops, Assault Sniper) mirrors real-world modular weapon programs where a single platform spawns multiple role-specific variants — a first for GTA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated April 25, 2026. For the full database, visit our Weapons Wiki Database.