Modern Warfare 4 weapon tier list: the best guns, ranked S to C
All 24 primary guns ranked on kill speed, handling and how long you wait to unlock them, plus what to level first.
Quick answer
Han 86, Hyeon Burst, VEL 46 and ISO Nightshade are S tier. The Han 86 and ISO Nightshade unlock at level 4 and the VEL 46 at level 5, so the best guns in the game are yours within the first few ranks. The M4 sits in A tier because the Han 86 kills quicker at every range. For a sniper, start with the KG-7 Vulcan at level 4. Skip the Striga, Mosin-Nagant, Astaroth .57 and Warlord.
Modern Warfare 4 launched with 24 primary guns, and getting all of them means grinding to level 55. I ranked them on how fast they kill and how long you wait to use them, because a brilliant gun at level 52 is no use to anyone on day two. Kill times come from each gun’s best build, and I took points off for heavy recoil, clumsy handling and anything that makes you wait for something you already have.
Tier list
Unlocks at level 4. Overall S, close S, mid S, long A.
How it plays 740 rounds a minute and 30 in the mag. Out to 40 m it has the quickest kill times of any assault rifle: 243 ms up close and 254 ms in the mid range, then 355 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch The recoil takes some learning. A barrel and a grip take some of the edge off.
It costs nothing and it’s the best rifle in the game. Level 4 and you’re in.
Unlocks at level 21. Overall S, close S, mid S, long A.
How it plays Fires in bursts at 375 rounds a minute with 30 in the mag. Kill times are 260 ms up close, 260 ms out to 40 m and 390 ms from 40 to 80 m, and it’s the easiest rifle to keep on target.
The catch Miss a burst and you can’t walk the next shots onto them. The reload is long too.
Flat kill speed to 40 m and light recoil. Burst guns scare people off and the numbers say they shouldn’t.
Unlocks at level 5. Overall S, close S, mid B, long C.
How it plays 952 rounds a minute and 40 in the mag. Kill times are 252 ms up close, 367 ms in the mid range and 480 ms from 40 to 80 m, the quickest of any SMG at every range.
The catch From 40 m out, a rifle beats it comfortably.
Quicker than the ISO Nightshade at every range and it holds ten more bullets. Level 5.
Unlocks at level 4. Overall S, close S, mid B, long C.
How it plays 923 rounds a minute with 30 in the mag. Kill times are 260 ms up close, 400 ms in the mid range and 518 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch The magazine is smaller than the VEL 46’s and every range is a touch slower.
Level 4, close to the VEL 46 in speed and easy to pick up. A good first gun.
Unlocks at level 14. Overall A, close A, mid B, long B.
How it plays 810 rounds a minute and 30 in the mag. Kill times are 296 ms up close, 337 ms in the mid range and 422 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch The Han 86 beats it at every range by 50 to 80 ms, and you get the Han 86 ten levels sooner.
A solid, forgiving rifle with a famous name. Just not the best one.
Unlocks at level 34. Overall A, close A, mid A, long B.
How it plays 600 rounds a minute with 30 in the mag. Kill times are 300 ms up close, 317 ms in the mid range and 457 ms from 40 to 80 m. Every bullet hits hard.
The catch The recoil is heavier than the Han 86’s and it doesn’t unlock until level 34.
Strong from 10 to 40 m, but no quicker than the two rifles you have by level 21.
Unlocks at level 27. Overall A, close A, mid A, long B.
How it plays 645 rounds a minute and 25 in the mag. Kill times are 279 ms up close, 320 ms in the mid range and 419 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch Heavy vertical kick and a small magazine until you unlock a bigger one.
On par with the M4 on paper and harder to handle. Good, but you already have better.
Unlocks at level 30. Overall A, close B, mid B, long C.
How it plays 1,110 rounds a minute and 71 in the mag. Kill times are 307 ms up close, 407 ms in the mid range and 517 ms from 40 to 80 m, so it keeps pace with the ISO Nightshade past 10 m.
The catch The reload takes close to four seconds.
The SMG people forget about. The magazine alone makes it worth a go.
Unlocks at level 9. Overall A, close A, mid A, long A.
How it plays 821 rounds a minute and 60 in the mag. Kill times are 276 ms up close, 327 ms in the mid range, 386 ms from 40 to 80 m and 444 ms beyond.
The catch It’s heavy to move with and there’s a short pause before the first round leaves.
Quicker than the M4 at every range, with sixty rounds behind it. Hold a lane with it.
Unlocks at level 4. Overall A, close A, mid B, long B.
How it plays Semi-auto marksman rifle, 315 rounds a minute and 20 in the mag. Kill times are 297 ms up close and 411 ms from 40 to 80 m, the quickest of the three marksman rifles at range.
The catch It’s semi-auto, so every shot has to land.
Level 4, and it kills like a rifle from a distance. Most people skip it.
Unlocks at level 4. Overall A, close C, mid B, long S.
How it plays Bolt-action sniper with 10 in the mag. One hit kills at any range. The bullet travels at 740 m/s, aiming takes 550 ms and the next round takes about 1.6 seconds to chamber.
The catch The launch tuning on one-hit weapons means taking a hit while you aim spoils the shot.
The sniper to start with. Level 4, ten rounds and the fastest bullet of the three.
Unlocks at level 52. Overall B, close S, mid A, long B.
How it plays 705 rounds a minute with 30 in the mag. Kill times are 255 ms up close, 327 ms in the mid range and 440 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch Level 52. By the time it arrives, the Han 86 is quicker at every range.
A fine gun at a bad price.
Unlocks at level 39. Overall B, close A, mid A, long S.
How it plays 413 rounds a minute and 20 in the mag. Kill times barely change with distance: 290 ms up close, 291 ms in the mid range, 327 ms from 40 to 80 m and 385 ms beyond.
The catch At that fire rate you can’t afford a miss, and it’s clumsy in close fights.
Great on long lanes and awkward everywhere else. One for big maps.
Unlocks at level 55. Overall B, close B, mid A, long B.
How it plays Bullpup rifle, 673 rounds a minute and 20 in the mag. Kill times are 312 ms up close, 312 ms in the mid range and 421 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch Level 55 is the last unlock in the game, and the magazine is small.
Decent numbers at the end of a very long walk.
Unlocks at level 46. Overall B, close A, mid C, long C.
How it plays 800 rounds a minute and 40 in the mag, with a suppressor built in. Kill times are 300 ms up close, 462 ms in the mid range and 608 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch Kill speed falls off sooner than on the VEL 46 or the ISO Nightshade.
Quiet and sneaky, and slower than two SMGs you have before level 6.
Unlocks at level 4. Overall B, close C, mid B, long A.
How it plays 587 rounds a minute and 100 in the mag. Kill times are 356 ms up close, 357 ms in the mid range and 391 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch The slowest up close of the automatic guns.
Fine for sitting on a lane, and it’s there at level 4 if you want it.
Unlocks at level 44. Overall B, close A, mid A, long S.
How it plays 554 rounds a minute and 50 in the mag. Kill times are 291 ms up close, 292 ms in the mid range, 323 ms from 40 to 80 m and 378 ms beyond. That’s the best long-range kill speed of any automatic gun.
The catch One of the heaviest guns in the game: very slow to move and aim, with punishing recoil.
Lethal on a lane and a chore everywhere else.
Unlocks at level 11. Overall B, close B, mid B, long C.
How it plays 10 in the mag and 90 rounds a minute. It aims in 260 ms, moves quickly and hits for 1.6 times on headshots. With a good build it kills in about 390 ms at mid range and 710 ms from 40 to 80 m.
The catch Follow-up shots are slow and you pay for every miss.
Fun to quickscope with. The MAR-9 kills quicker and unlocks seven levels sooner.
Unlocks at level 50. Overall B, close C, mid B, long S.
How it plays Semi-auto sniper with 7 in the mag. One hit kills at any range. Aiming takes 548 ms and the bullet travels at 600 m/s.
The catch Level 50 for a sniper with a slower bullet than the KG-7 you had at level 4.
Worth the wait if you want a quick second shot.
Unlocks at level 4. Overall B, close A, mid C, long C.
How it plays Semi-auto 12-gauge with 6 shells in the mag and 150 rounds a minute.
The catch Short range and a small magazine.
Level 4 and ruthless in a corridor. Useless once the fight opens up.
Unlocks at level 18. Overall C, close B, mid C, long C.
How it plays 651 rounds a minute and 25 in the mag. Kill times are 340 ms up close, 473 ms in the mid range and 606 ms from 40 to 80 m. It has the best movement and recoil control of any SMG.
The catch It’s the slowest SMG to kill with.
Nice to move with and slow to kill with.
Unlocks at level 36. Overall C, close C, mid C, long C.
How it plays Bolt-action marksman rifle with 5 in the mag. A body shot won’t kill, so you need a headshot or a second round, and the bolt takes over a second to cycle.
The catch A two-shot kill from 40 to 80 m takes about 1.26 seconds.
Satisfying when the headshots land. Slow when they don’t.
Unlocks at level 25. Overall C, close C, mid B, long A.
How it plays Three rounds in the mag, and one hit kills at any range. The bullet travels at 620 m/s and the next round takes about 1.6 seconds to chamber.
The catch You need half a second after a sprint before it will fire, the slowest of the three snipers.
A miss is a death sentence. This one is for big maps.
Unlocks at level 32. Overall C, close B, mid C, long C.
How it plays Pump-action shotgun with 14 in the mag and 105 rounds a minute.
The catch The reload is slow, and it does the same job as the Rezi 12.
No reason to pick it over the Rezi 12, which you get at level 4.
Tap a gun to see how it plays, what it costs you and what it’s worth.
How the tiers work
A kill time is how long a gun takes to drop a full-health player, so lower wins. I measured it at 0 to 10 m, 10 to 40 m and 40 to 80 m, and the close, mid and long ratings go on that number alone. That's how the KG-7 Vulcan ends up S tier at long range and C tier up close, and still lands in A overall.
The overall tier is where recoil, handling, magazine size and unlock level come in. A gun that wins on paper but fights you every time you pull the trigger isn't winning. Levels here mean Soldier Rank, and Create-a-Class opens at level 4.
S tier
Nothing beats the Han 86, and you get it as a starter. Out to 40 m nothing else in the assault rifle class kills quicker, with 243 ms up close and 254 ms in the mid range. The recoil takes some getting used to. Stick a barrel and a grip on it before you decide you're just bad at it.
Then there's the Hyeon Burst, which will start arguments. Burst guns get written off because missing that first burst feels awful, and fair enough. But it kills in 260 ms from point blank right out to 40 m, the recoil is light and it's the easiest rifle here to keep on target. The reload is long enough to check your phone. It unlocks at level 21, which makes it the first S tier gun you actually have to wait for, and the Hyperburst Apex attachment doesn't take up one of your slots.
The SMGs are closer than the board makes them look. The VEL 46 kills quicker than the ISO Nightshade at every range, by 8 ms up close and 33 to 38 ms further out, and it carries ten more rounds. The ISO unlocks a level earlier and its Apex tags whoever you hit. Past 40 m both lose to a rifle, so don't pick one for the open stretches and then moan about it.
Why the M4 is A tier
Everyone expects the M4 to be top. It has the name, 810 rounds a minute and more attachment options than you'll ever sort through, and it's a lovely, forgiving rifle. It still loses to the Han 86 at every range, by 53 ms up close, 83 ms in the mid range and 67 ms from 40 to 80 m. The Han 86 is yours at level 4 and the M4 wants level 14. Good gun, just parked next to a better one that turns up sooner.
A tier
Kastov 762 hits harder per bullet than the Han 86 and is at its best from 10 to 40 m. It also kicks more and doesn't arrive until level 34, by which point you've had two rifles that kill quicker for ages. The Patriot XMR matches the M4 on paper, only with a 25-round mag and a heavy vertical kick. I wouldn't grind for either.
Hardly anyone mentions the PPSh-41. It fires 1,110 rounds a minute out of a 71-round magazine and past 10 m it keeps up with the ISO Nightshade. The reload is nearly four seconds, so empty the mag before you bother.
Type 73 is the odd one in A tier, a machine gun that kills quicker than the M4 at every range and carries 60 rounds. It's slow to move with and pauses before the first round leaves, so park it on a lane or a hardpoint and keep it out of sprint-and-shoot fights. The MAR-9 is the other quiet one, a semi-auto marksman rifle you get at level 4 that kills at long range quicker than the other two marksman rifles. For a sniper I'd learn on the KG-7 Vulcan. One hit kills at any range, you have it at level 4 and its bullet is the fastest of the three.
B and C tier
B tier is guns you take because you like them or because a map suits them, and C tier is the ones I'd skip. The Oden and APOC-338 are the B tier guns worth a look. Both kill quicker than almost anything at long range, both pay for it in handling, and on a big map they get a lot more interesting.
| Gun | Level | Why it sits here |
|---|---|---|
| Axion | 52 | Level 52 for a rifle the Han 86 beats at every range. |
| Oden | 39 | Great at distance, clumsy up close. |
| Cronen Squall | 55 | The last unlock in the game, with a 20-round mag. |
| X-58 Nyx | 46 | Quiet, but slower than the SMGs you have at level 5. |
| FiNN LMG | 4 | Steady at range and the slowest up close of the automatic guns. |
| APOC-338 | 44 | The best long-range kill speed of any automatic gun, and it barely moves. |
| Oris 8.6 | 11 | Fun to quickscope with, but the MAR-9 kills quicker. |
| Signal 50 | 50 | A good sniper you can't use until level 50. |
| Rezi 12 | 4 | Ruthless in a corridor and useless beyond it. |
| Wz.55 Striga | 18 | Best handling of any SMG, slowest kills of any SMG. |
| Mosin-Nagant | 36 | A body shot won't kill and the bolt takes over a second to cycle. |
| Astaroth .57 | 25 | Three rounds and the slowest sprint-to-fire of the snipers. |
| Warlord | 32 | A Rezi 12 with a long reload. |
Best gun in each class
| Class | Pick | Backup | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assault rifle | Han 86 | Hyeon Burst | Quickest to 40 m and free at level 4. |
| SMG | VEL 46 | ISO Nightshade | Quicker than every other SMG at every range. |
| LMG | Type 73 | APOC-338 | The Type 73 for anything mobile, the APOC-338 for long lanes. |
| Marksman rifle | MAR-9 | Oris 8.6 | Rifle-like kill speed at range from level 4. |
| Sniper rifle | KG-7 Vulcan | Signal 50 | Level 4, ten rounds and the fastest bullet. |
| Shotgun | Rezi 12 | Warlord | Same job, and you have it 28 levels sooner. |
| Pistol | Krait P68 | SANG 9mm | The quickest sidearm up close, at level 7. |
What to level first
At level 4 you get Create-a-Class and, with it, the Han 86, ISO Nightshade, Rezi 12, FiNN LMG, MAR-9 and KG-7 Vulcan. The VEL 46 follows at 5, the Krait P68 at 7, the Type 73 at 9, the Oris 8.6 at 11 and the M4 at 14. After that the Hyeon Burst arrives at 21, the PPSh-41 at 30 and the Kastov 762 at 34.
I'd run the Han 86 until level 5, switch to the VEL 46 the moment it lands, and make the Hyeon Burst the first thing you stop and level properly at 21. Everything past that is a side dish. Each gun levels on its own and unlocks its own attachments, but shared ones only unlock once and then work on every gun that can use them, so it's less grinding than it looks. Soldier Rank is the slow part, and there are quicker ways to level up than playing and hoping.
Starter setups
What you can put on a gun depends on that gun's own level, so these are built around what you get early. The first one is the VEL 46, which gets four recoil cuts by weapon level 10.
| Weapon level | Attachment | Slot | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | VB-46 Series 11 | Barrel | 4% less recoil. |
| 4 | FSS Crackdown | Muzzle | 6% less recoil, with a bit more sway while aiming. |
| 9 | V46 R-Skel Grip | Rear grip | 6% less recoil and 5% faster aim down sights. |
| 10 | FSS Fireline Grip | Underbarrel | 9% less recoil and 9% faster aim down sights. |
| 33 | 60 Round Drum | Magazine | A 60-round magazine. |
| 51 | XRK Herder 40 | Muzzle | Replaces the Crackdown for 7% faster aim down sights. |
The ISO Nightshade works the same way. The Crackdown muzzle comes at weapon level 4, the 40-round magazine at 10, the Herder 40 at 17 and the Fireline Grip at 23. The ZLR Carbon-900 barrel at 41 is the last piece worth chasing.
For the Han 86, I'd run the SA H86 465mm barrel for 4% less recoil, the XRK Mil-Tac Suppressor for a quieter gun that aims 6% faster, the Fireline Grip, the FTAC Griplord 80 rear grip for a steadier sight picture and the 45-round magazine. For the KG-7 Vulcan, take the TT Baem 12 barrel at weapon level 5, the TT Type 40 Comb at 6 for a steadier aim and the Schlager 7x optic at 19. One more thing before you build around an Apex attachment: a few of them block an attachment slot, so check what yours blocks first.
Sidearms
Best pistol is the Krait P68. It kills quickest up close and you have it at level 7. If you'd rather have something easy to control, the SANG 9mm holds up better at range than the rest. The .50 GS unlocks at 41 and the Mojave .357 at 48, and neither is worth a slot over the Krait unless you just like hand cannons.
Balance changes
The launch notes say players preferred the slower kill times from the second beta weekend, and the work since then went into balancing the guns against each other. SMGs got more efficient from close to mid range, and one-hit weapons got flinch and damage tuning, so taking a hit while you aim now costs you the shot.
Did this guide help?
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Guide by
Josh
Josh plays a lot of Arc Raiders and yells “friendly!” into proximity chat more than he should. He gets shot anyway. He’s also a horror fan who has quit more games at the first jump scare than he’ll admit, and he runs a Supermarket Simulator shop he’s weirdly proud of.
Up next in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Popular right now
-
GuidesMidgame
-
GuidesEarly game
-
GuidesMidgame
-
GuidesMidgame
Squad chat
Be the first