Ok guys! Thanks so much for all the help! (this can be locked)

If you change the weapons through the Lua, you still have to make sure the weapons are loaded ingame. Also, if you mess with the weapons in the wrong spots within the game's loading sequence, everyone else's game will crash in multiplayer (the host doesn't crash, but everyone else does). You'll notice the FakeConsole's weapon related commands are in the crashing section of the list.

If you know which properties to change in the Lua, then you know how to do it through an ODF file. The difference between the two ways is that:
1) you need to know what will cause crashes in the Lua
2) you need to know how to setup a custom side for the ODF changes

Considering there is mod tool documentation (jedi creation doc goes over custom sides) and many other tutorials on setting up custom sides, I would expect that way would be easier for you guys to learn. The correct info on messing with weapons from within the Lua scripts is only posted in a few scattered topics on Gametoast.

thanks, now I have my own weps up and loading!