Weapon mod

, while they have appeared in one way or another in Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout 3, appear as an active feature for the first time in Fallout: New Vegas.

Fallout
Only Smitty can perform modifications in Fallout, and the only weapon he can upgrade is the Winchester P94 into a Turbo Plasma Rifle.

Fallout 2
In Fallout 2, you can pay a mechanic to upgrade certain weapons for you.

List of available weapons

 * Desert Eagle .44 → Desert Eagle (Exp. Mag.)
 * .44 Magnum Revolver → .44 Magnum (Speed Load)
 * AK-112 Assault Rifle → Assault Rifle (Exp. Mag.)
 * Colt Rangemaster Hunting Rifle → Scoped Hunting Rifle
 * FN FAL → FN FAL (Night Sight)
 * Wattz 1000 Laser Pistol → Magneto-Laser Pistol
 * Wattz 2000 Laser Rifle → Laser Rifle (Ext. Cap.)
 * Glock 86 Plasma Pistol → Plasma Pistol (Ext. Cap.)
 * Winchester P94 Plasma Rifle → Turbo Plasma Rifle
 * Flamer → Improved Flamer
 * Big Frigger Power Fist → Mega Power Fist
 * Cattle Prod → Super Cattle Prod

List of merchants

 * Valerie, in Vault City
 * Skeeter, in Gecko
 * Eldridge, in New Reno
 * Algernon, in the basement of New Reno Arms. Works for free.

Fallout 3
The only upgrades seen in Fallout 3 are scopes, the occasional use of silencers, and the use of extended magazines. Other differences between unique weapons do not technically count as weapon mods, seeing as there is only one of each unique weapon.

Fallout: New Vegas
Most New Vegas's weapons can be modified with several mods.

There are multiple weapon mods for every weapon, and a maximum of three weapon mods can be attached to any one weapon. Once any weapon mod is attached it is permanent, so be wise in what you want to attach. For example, while an extended magazine is almost always beneficial, a scope has pros and cons. It may increase maximum range, but it may also worsen your ability to aim closer to yourself, making it harder for close combat.

Weapon mods can be found at certain weapon merchants, including the Silver Rush and the Gun Runners in New Vegas.

Mods are attached by having both the weapon and the mod in your inventory, then going to the weapons page on the Items tab within your PipBoy, highlighting the weapon you want to mod, and looking to the right of the info pane to see what button or key to use to open up the mod screen for that weapon. After you have selected a mod, the weapon name will have a + after it to show it has been improved. Modding a weapon also increases it's value.

It also good to note that a player cannot modify unique items.

Appearances
appear in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas.