When you're playing Mafia Wars you wont get far without a strong arsenal of weapons.
It is maybe the most important thing if you want to succeed.
This combined with a good strategy plus a smart plan and you have yourself a very good recipe on how to win at mafia wars.
To expand you need to attack and always improve.
The best chances for you to win an attack is to have the best weapons.
It really is as simple as that.
You can be lucky of course, but you will always have a really good chance if you got the best and strongest weapons out there.
As I said earlier; if you want to succeed in Mafia Wars, it's crucial to have good weapons.
We have to think of two things when we talk about the best weapons in Mafia Wars; defensive and offensive Here are a short top-5 list of Mafia Wars Best Weapons: Offensive and attacking points in parentheses

Harpoon Cannon (88)

Pair of Typhoon Cleavers (70)

Cazador Assault Rifle (60)

Exploding Teddy Bear (55)

Avispa Machine Gun (54)

Defensive and defensive points in parentheses

Pair of Typhoon Cleavers (112)

ZPR Pulemut (65)

Love Birds (53)

Widow Maker (52)

Harpoon Cannon (51)

Black Widow (51)

These are the best weapons in the game.
Then you have a lot of other weapons who are very close to be as powerful as these in the top-5 list.
Those other weapons can also be very, very powerful and close to those in the top-5 list, but still not as powerful.
My suggestion is that you get a hold on these weapons in this top-5 list if you want to be in the group of the elite in Mafia Wars.
I got them all and I am really kicking some serious ass in the game right now.