Automatic weapons tend to universally deal far higher damage, and armor-piercing ammo can be used on armored targets.

Actually automatic weapons compared to semi-auto and bolt action weapons tend to deal far lower damage. Automatic weapons deal higher damage per second which is great for unarmoured targets. Armour-piercing rounds are useful, but an Assault Rifle with armour-piercing 5mm rounds(-25 DT) will not penetrate power armour. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages and to completely ignore one type is to be severely disadvantaged.

The highest damage of any automatic weapon is the Automatic Rifle at 40, the highest damage of any single shot weapon(not counting shotguns) is the YCS/186 at 140. There is a slight difference.

The only power armor it will not pierce is enclave armor, and the only time you will fight those guys is the dam. The assault carbine with AP rounds will pierce T51-B so it's actually a great anti armor and brotherhood weapon. And don't forget the light machine gun and 12.7SMG with appropriate ammo types will almost kill everything the game can trow at you.

Reasons to use non-automatic weapons:

1) Automatic weapons svck for long-range work, and the scoped ones svck for sniping.

2) Ammo efficiency. Automatic weapons will deliver more damage per second, but non-automatic ones will deliver more damage per unit of weight; on hardcoe, it matters. If you're generally low on ammunition and resupply is difficult (in Dead Money, for instance), or If you're low on caps, high-caliber semi- or lever guns are more cost-effective than autos.

3) And Stay Back only applies to shotguns. There are no automatic shotguns.

4) Repair cost with Jury Rigging. Top-tier automatic weapons are repaired with either relatively rare Service Rifles (unless you're willing to routinely stealth-murder NCR soldiers for the rifles) or are in a rarely-found class of their own, whereas Brush Guns can be repaired with Varmint Rifles that are common as dirt.

I highlighted the word "almost" because that is the exact point why there isn't just one type of weapon in this game. You could kill almost anything with just automatic weapons just like you could kill almost anything with single shot weapons. You need both types in order to be completely effective.

I've always preferred the lever action rifles to the autos.

Currently RPing a cowboy so no autos here.

Those guns that use .45-70 gov't ammo, pack a serious punch. But having a automatic as a secondary weapon when s&@!% hits the fan, isn't a bad idea either. Its why I usually go with grunt and the cowboy perks in a playthrough.

Meh, I prefer explosives. Sure, you could put 4 .308 rounds into those 4 guys, or 16 auto rounds, but why not just one hefty explosive from Annabelle or Mercy?

Or even a hand grenade.

Just played through Dead Money with an Explosives-oriented Courier who had the Mad Bomber perk. Forget Holorifle and Automatic Rifle; it's the Tin Grenades and MFC grenades that really rule this DLC. After all, you don't even need to deplete Ghost People's hitpoints, only to cripple a limb...

This is how i play:

Shotguns=close combat (mostly inside small buildings NOTE i dont use VATS)

Automatic rifles, machineguns/miniguns ETC. =hit and run, and against large ''military campaigns'' against armies of enemies, where u have to spray a area.

grenades, and grenade rifles (explosives) ETC. =i always carry a few grenades, but grenade rifles and machineguns and stuff like that i use for artillary like combat against groups of enemies, or very though enemies like Deathclaws.

rifles, snipers= in all combat situations where stealth is a big thing, although i use sniper rifles against Deathclaws often.

Small arms= low lvl creatures.

melee= i always tend to carry something with me, but rarely use it (well used it quite alot in OWB).

Hope it helped u just a little to see how the different weapons could be used. Peace

There's also weapon repair kits, the components aren't that rare. It's how I repair my large rifles, most of the time. For me Jury Rigging is more useful for (a) repairing armour and (b ) repairing expensive guns with cheap ones to sell.

I lean more towards bolt-action or semi-auto guns. I do keep an automatic rifle or SMG on me, but it's mostly for when I get surprised. I've been having a lot of fun with the assault carbine recently - the combination of its AP properties and cheapness and abundance of ammo means I can be a lot more liberal with trigger discipline and aiming.

Because some automatic weapons eat ammo like candy.
You blow through tons of ammo in one go.
The lazor rcw chomps through huge ammounts of ammo for 1 or 2 kills.

Sometimes, you're better using none automatic guns, they're better at distances, more stable and you have ammo at the end of it.
No less flow or ease of use for most.

Which is my point exactly. You can rely on WRKs for maintenance but not for profit- not until you complete Dead Money or Old World Blues, anyhow.

AC is the do-it-all gun; the only type of enemies for which it might be less than optimal is those with little DT but lots of hitpoints.

Try the Bozar with trigger discipline and match loads (and appropriate skills and strengths OFC) allot of times it will 1 shot kill legionaries and NCR troopers and its pin point accurate so you can basically snipe with it.

I don't know what it is, but I just don't like automatic weapons (in Fallout that is. Love them in real life). I played both 3 & NV without power armor and with a shotgun. I don't use VATS, so it gets up close and personal for me. There is something just satisfying about playing that way for me. I need a crapload of stimpaks though.

Bozar
Pinpoint accurate

Maybe if it's a very thick and blunt pin.

because single shot weapons are awesome OP

Saves you a lot more ammo to use semi-auto, but I never really tried to use a fully automatic weapon for any length of time, doesn't feel right.

I only use full-autos if i'm getting overwhelmed by cazadores. I like to conserve ammo

All types of weapons are useful in different situations, as others have said but single shot weapons are more weight/dmg efficient in hardcoe and high-end ones effective in very hard difficulty and/or DLCs. Personally I always carry a semi-auto pistol (Lil' Devil or Joshua's pistol), a Riot Shotgun(one of my two mainly used weapons, it is great on it's own right but with the right perks it goes to eleven. Medium-ish to close range only of course), a sniper rifle(either Hunting Rifle/Panciencia or Christine's COS Rifle. Primary main weapon) and lastly an assault rifle type(assault carbine or with PN an Infiltrator). I also carry a knife(combat or bowie for later game stages, very high dps) or a katana(when not gone in the Divide yet. Again, high dps), when I don't think an enemy or enemies deserve spending bullets on.

My built is highly focused on sneak(primarily) and normal critical dmg, both outside and in VATS, with guns. With this choice of weapons(The sniper rifle specifically) I managed to beat couriers mile without chems(other than rad-x/radaway), not one scratch and, other than one or two lucky bastards, everything got one shotted. I don't remember if it was Hard or Very Hard though.

So every weapon type has it's benefits, but damn if semi-autos/lever-action ones don't deal [censored] load of damage!

Because they are less effective over long-ranges; man-up, get a rifle and improve your aim!

Rather take people out with a silenced rifle with one shot, not alerting any other guards, then go loud and inaccurate with a sub machine gun.

But, I dont trust somone with the "I lied" rage face as their avatar.... Although, I can barely talk

Because the only good fully-automatic weapons are the one from Dead Money, and the miniguns.

The rest of them just svck.