Rust Weapon Skins Guide: AK-47, LR-300, Thompson and MP5
How skins for Rust's Assault Rifle, LR-300, Thompson and MP5A4 compare on choice, price and value as of October 14, 2026, from budget picks to collector pieces.
Four guns carry most of Rust's mid- and late-game fighting: the Assault Rifle (everyone calls it the AK), the LR-300, the Thompson and the MP5A4. Their skin markets are very different. One has hundreds of options, mostly under a dollar. Another has no skin under a dollar at all. One has a $600-plus collector piece, and one has nothing over $20. This guide covers each gun's skin market as of October 14, 2026.
The four guns at a glance
Market cap and median price come from rustskins.gg's market cap data as of October 14, 2026. Skin counts include items in the catalog that can't be traded. Individual prices later in the guide are lowest Steam listings on the same date.
| Gun | Skins in catalog | Priced skins | Combined market cap | Median Steam price | Craftable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assault Rifle | 344 | 285 | $7.42M | $0.94 | Yes, Workbench 3 |
| LR-300 | 103 | 95 | $1.72M | $1.18 | No |
| Thompson | 86 | 70 | $3.35M | $2.02 | Yes, Workbench 2 |
| MP5A4 | 103 | 81 | $2.89M | $1.54 | Yes, Workbench 3 |
Crafting matters for skins. You can pick a skin when you craft a gun, or apply one later at a repair bench. Facepunch's wiki lists the LR-300 as not craftable, so you'll usually find it in crates and reskin it at a bench.
Whatever you pick, the gun performs the same. When Facepunch first planned to sell Workshop skins in 2015, it was clear that "these are just skins, they don't offer any differing properties." A $600 MP5 shoots exactly like a default one.
Assault Rifle: the deepest market
The Assault Rifle has more skins than any other item in Rust, and most are cheap. Of 285 priced skins, 151 list under $1. If you want a different look every wipe, this is the gun to do it on.
At the high end, the market belongs to two 2017 skins. The Glory AK47 lists at $279.98 with an estimated 1,274 copies. The Alien Red lists at $167.38 with about 3,580. Community skin databases tag both as having a glowing, modified sight. The AK-47 Victoria, a 2018 skin, sits in between at $55.00.
The most valuable AR skin by market cap is a different kind of skin: the Comics AR, a 2021 store release. It lists at $18.55, but with about 37,577 copies its total value beats every older rarity. The Kiss AR is a popular mid-range choice at $10.98.
Browse the full range in the Assault Rifle skins category.
LR-300: lots of choice, no premium tier
The LR-300 has 95 priced skins and a median of $1.18, but no skin above $20. The priciest is the Polymer LR300 at $16.53, a 2018 skin with about 2,845 copies and only 13 Steam listings. The Cold Hunter LR 300 is next at $9.75.
By market cap, the 2025 Heat Seeker LR leads at $3.18, on volume with about 31,478 copies. The Redemption LR, at $4.91, is another widely owned option.
Because the gun can't be crafted, LR-300 skins are probably applied less often than skins for guns players build every wipe. That may help explain why the category is worth less than the Thompson or MP5 despite having more skins than the Thompson. If you like the LR, you can skin it well and cheaply. See the LR-300 skins category.
Thompson: no bargain bin
The Thompson is the odd one out: none of its 70 priced skins lists under $1, and its median is $2.02, the highest of the four. Even the most widely owned option, the Tempered Thompson with about 92,146 copies, lists at $2.08.
The priciest Thompson skin is the Glory Thompson at $15.45, a 2019 skin with about 2,001 copies that shares its name with the Glory AK47. By market cap, the Heat Seeker Thompson leads, listing at $10.06 with about 35,324 copies. The Blackout Thompson at $4.25 matches the Blackout clothing set, one of the most valuable sets in the game.
Browse the Thompson skins category.
MP5A4: cheap staples and the rarest prices
The MP5A4 has both ends of the market. The Heat Seeker Mp5, a 2025 store skin with about 71,281 copies, lists at $5.03 and leads the gun by market cap. Twelve priced MP5 skins list under $1.
At the top are some of the rarest weapon skins in Rust, all from November 2016. The Tempered Mp5 lists at $647.25 with about 499 copies, the Military Camo MP5 at $230.00 with about 180, and the Digital Camo MP5 at $134.86 with about 204. Read those prices carefully. The Tempered Mp5 had only 5 Steam listings and a best Steam buy order of $468.39. Its cheapest third-party listing was under $400.
See the MP5A4 skins category.
Matching across guns
Several skin lines cover more than one of these guns. That makes it easy to build a consistent loadout, and it's part of why some lines hold value.
- Heat Seeker: LR, Thompson and MP5 versions, all released in 2025 with large supplies.
- Glory: an AK47 from 2017 and a Thompson from 2019 share the name, and both are priced well above their gun's median.
- Tempered: a widely owned Thompson and a very rare MP5, which shows a shared name doesn't mean a shared price.
- Blackout, Comics and Redemption: each has skins for two or more of these guns, and Blackout and Comics have matching clothing.
Buying tips
- Budget players: the AR and LR-300 have the most choice under $1. For the Thompson, plan on about $2.
- Collectors: the 2016 MP5 skins and 2017 AR skins have tiny supplies and thin listings. Expect wide gaps between asks and bids, and take your time.
- Value-minded players: high-volume skins like the Comics AR or the Heat Seeker line have deep order books, so they're easier to resell.
- Always compare. For weapon skins, the cheapest third-party listing often sits 20% to 35% below Steam's lowest listing. The price comparison tool shows the spread for each skin.
