Guns kill fast and wake the neighbourhood. This page covers how Aiming levels, what each level does, hit chance by gun type and how to train without drawing a horde. Updated for Build 42.21 Stable and 42.22 Pre-Release, November 2026.
Aiming XP comes from hits, not damage or kills: each shot pays XP equal to the number of targets it hit, so a shotgun blast into a crowd pays the most. Below Aiming 5 that XP is multiplied by 2.7. Misses give nothing but still make noise (one source).
| Book | Levels | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Aiming I | 1 to 2 | x1.5 |
| Aiming II | 3 to 4 | x2.5 |
| Aiming III | 5 to 6 | x4 |
| Aiming IV | 7 to 8 | x6 |
| Aiming V | 9 to 10 | x8 |
Reloading books carry lower multipliers. More on skill books.
| Type | Base hit chance | Targets per shot | Range | Noise radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shotguns | 65 to 70 | Up to 9 | 8 to 15 | 200 |
| Pistols and revolvers | 50 | 1 | 8 to 18 | 60 to 120 |
| Rifles and carbines | 45 to 50 | 1 to 2 | 20 to 40 | 70 to 170 |
Each Aiming level adds 4 to hit chance. Distance, moving, stance, darkness, moodles and especially panic lower it. Cap guns have 0 hit chance and teach nothing. Every gun and calibre is on weapons and ammo.
Ammo is best in police stations, gun stores and hunters’ basements (basements, loot locations). A shotgun is heard 200 tiles away: see stealth and noise.
| Source | Aiming |
|---|---|
| Police Officer | +4 |
| Veteran | +2 |
| Hunter | +1 |
| Target Shooter trait | +1 |
Aiming VHS tapes give 500 XP in total. (One source: pindrop.gg.)
All 23 firearms in our item database. Noise radius is how far zombies hear the shot.
| Gun | Ammo | Damage | Noise radius | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | – | – | – | – |
| B-F Pistol | .44 Magnum | – | 120 tiles | – |
| Double Barrel Shotgun | 12 gauge | – | 200 tiles | – |
| JS-2000 Shotgun | 12 gauge | – | 200 tiles | – |
| JS-14 Rifle | 5.56x45mm | – | 150 tiles | – |
| JS-3T Tactical Shotgun | 12 gauge | – | 200 tiles | – |
| L94 Rifle | .30-30 | – | 160 tiles | – |
| L92 Carbine | .357 Magnum | – | 120 tiles | – |
| M1911 Pistol | .45 ACP | – | 70 tiles | – |
| M16 | 5.56x45mm | – | 150 tiles | – |
| M1A Rifle | 7.62x51mm | – | 170 tiles | – |
| M9 Pistol | 9x19mm | – | 100 tiles | – |
| Magnum | .44 Magnum | – | 120 tiles | – |
| Magazines & clips | – | – | – | – |
| MSR788 Rifle | 7.62x51mm | – | 170 tiles | – |
| MSR700 Rifle | 5.56x45mm | – | 150 tiles | – |
| MSR7T Tactical Rifle | 7.62x51mm | – | 170 tiles | – |
| Patrol Revolver | .357 Magnum | – | 100 tiles | – |
| Sawed-off Double Barrel | 12 gauge | – | 200 tiles | – |
| Sawed-off JS-2000 | 12 gauge | – | 200 tiles | – |
| SN38 Revolver | .38 Special | – | 60 tiles | – |
| Trapper Carbine | .45 ACP | – | 70 tiles | – |
| Tritium Pistol Sights | – | – | – | – |
Every shot is a dinner bell. We divided each gun’s top damage by how far the shot is heard, to find the guns that hit hardest for the attention they draw:
| Gun | Damage | Noise radius | Damage per noise |
|---|
The score is ours, scaled by 100 to keep it readable. It ignores ammo supply, so check the Ammo column before you commit.
Shoot groups with a shotgun while below Aiming 5, when XP is multiplied by 2.7, and read Aiming I first.
XP comes from hits; misses give nothing.
Each level adds 4 to hit chance.
A shotgun: it can hit up to 9 zombies per shot, but it is the loudest.
Hit chances and XP rules come from one Build 42.19 guide and are marked. Sources: PZFans Aiming. Your game is the final word: if it disagrees with us, tell us and we will fix the page.