M4

Infinity Ward’s best FPS shooter of the year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, is making a return with some revamped graphics and additional content in the mix. The series is coming back with an arsenal of new weapons that can pump out some real damage. The M4, which can be obtained early in Modern Warfare 2, is one of these lethal weapons.

The M4 is one of the most familiar guns in the Call of Duty series, and it has returned in great form for Modern Warfare 2 as a reliable, powerful, and accurate weapon suitable for both medium and close range depending on the attachments you add to it. It may take you a few matches to get used to the slightly greater recoil if you’re still used to previous iterations of the M4, but it’s still controllable enough that you can justify placing your attachments in areas other than recoil control if you wish.

M4 Overview

The M4 assault rifle (AR) is a staple of the Call of Duty franchise. Regularly appearing in the Modern Warfare series, the rifle features a fast rate of fire alongside low levels of recoil. These features are often featured in the early stages of a new game as players attempt to build the best Modern Warfare 2 M4 loadout.

Overall, the time-to-kill of the M4 is very low, and the consistency with which you can land quick sprays and drop enemies is ultimately why this gun is the best assault rifle in Modern Warfare 2 right now. If you want to know how to kit it out to be as strong as possible.

Design

The design of the M4 is based on a real-life Colt M4.

Weapons Platform

The M4 is part of the M4 Platform, which is one of the weapons platforms available in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) and Warzone 2. This is the first weapon you can unlock in the M4 Platform in Modern Warfare 2, shown within the in-game Gunsmith as the first weapon receiver.

The M4 Platform is manufactured by Tempus Armament, which is a Weapons Platform Progression Map. By leveling up each receiver, you will unlock attachments that can be used across all weapons within the platform. The M4 AR and four other weapons—the M16, the 556 Icarus LMG, the FTAC Recon Battle Rifle, and the FSS Hurricane SMG—can be unlocked in the COD: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer beta. As implied by their titles, upgrading the M4 Receiver will turn the M4 Platform into an entirely new weapon with unique features!

Read: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Weapons

M4 Stats

The M4 is one of the most popular and versatile weapons in Modern Warfare 2. With its pre-builds, you can transform it from an assault rifle into an LMG or an MP. Especially as the latter variant, the Hurricane, the M4 provides fear and terror at shorter distances.

The M4 is also notorious for its weird iron sights, which are not ideal for long-range duels. It becomes increasingly difficult to balance a strong sight with the required level of recoil control. As for its positional control, the M4 works best in close, medium, and long-range gunfights. Expect to take out players in open spaces with ease, but don’t go gunning for snipers on the far-out rooftops, as you’ll probably end up losing those encounters.

Damage

In terms of damage per bullet, it is amongst the weakest of assault rifles, tied with the ACR and the F2000. The M4 will deal four to five-shot kills if not using stopping power; stopping power makes one fewer bullet required to kill an enemy in all circumstances. Its low damage is offset by an impressive rate of fire, although not to the degree of the F2000s. It will fire at an impressive 857 RPM.

Fire rate

The gun features a semi-auto and fully automatic firing system, allowing users to spray down enemies on the go. This is ideal for users that are hopping into the game for the first time and getting a feel for the Modern Warfare 2 6v6 Core Maps. Ideally, you could nail some CQB SMG users too, but be careful around those types.

• 800 RPM (SP)
• 857 RPM (MP)

Accuracy

The M4 is a highly accurate weapon. One may find hip-fire accuracy to be particularly important in multiplayer modes, as quick reflexes and in-game movement are essential in overpowering opponents. Thus, the 4MW Laser Box plays an important role in this M4 class setup, which does a lot more than simply improve hip-fire accuracy.

Recoil Control

The recoil pattern for the M4 without any attachments is unstable and borderline unusable in competitive multiplayer modes. However, attachments improve recoil control and hip-fire accuracy considerably, enhancing one’s gameplay in relatively smaller maps.

Mobility

The M4 offers players average levels of mobility. For a boost in mobility, selecting the No Stock attachment gives you a fighting chance against any fast-moving submachine gunners hurtling around the map.

Handling

The handling traits of the gun are relatively straightforward: the hip-fire spread is moderately sized, the player will move at the Assault Rifle default speed, and the reload times are the fastest in its class, tied with the M16A4 and ACR. The M4 has a 30-round magazine by default.

Range

The M4 offers decent range across the board, allowing users to pick off enemies in the open spaces of the Atrium over at the Valderas Museum, or pick off enemies in close quarter situations or Alleways of the Mercados Las Almas Market Map. 

Additionally, you can pretty much get a feel for the game, paired with the crowded and compact sections of the buildings, towns, and apartments featured in the Ground War Battle Maps. Just remember, it doesn’t have the best range in the game as bullet velocity drops the farther it travels, making it impossible to use in the longer sight lines. Make sure to stay away from sniper encounters in Ground War Mode.

Rank up

To rank up a weapon, spend time in MW2 with it equipped. While the M4 will always gain a constant flow of XP while equipped, players can speed up the process by using it to slay enemies, take down killstreaks, and complete objectives. And they will gain even more weapon XP for the M4 if they activate a weapon-oriented XP token before an MW2 match begins.

M4 Blueprints

Blueprints allow users to access weapons earlier in their level progression and weapons platform progression trees, enabling players to access powerful weaponry earlier in the game. These come pre-built with custom attachments and weapon skins for players to enjoy unique weapon builds and experiences. Blueprints can be viewed in the armory section of the weapons tab. Currently, no blueprints are available for the M4, and they will be listed once the game officially launches.

Unlocking the M4 in Modern Warfare 2

You don’t need to unlock the M4 in the Modern Warfare 2 beta since it is the first open assault rifle available.

The M4 is the first weapon in the assault rifle’s progression tree, and by leveling it up, you will unlock some others along the way, such as the M16. Whether this is the case for the full game remains to be seen. Until then, make the most of it!

Attachments

Modern Warfare 2 guns can have a maximum of five attachments, not including the receiver. If you’re using the M4, the five attachments will maximize your damage potential while allowing for higher recoil and slightly faster movement.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 reimagines the Gunsmith system so you can adapt your weapon to your personal playstyle. At level 4, you’ll gain access to the classic M4 weapon. This automatic assault rifle features numerous attachments. The Modern Warfare 2 Open Beta only allows you some attachments, as all of them unlock during the full game on October 28. There is still enough that you can play around with right now to customize the M4 to work best with your playstyle needs.

For the M4 in Modern Warfare 2 beta, there are 10 attachments: Muzzle, Barrel, Underbarrel, Laser, Optic, Stock, Rear Grip, Receiver, Magazine, and Ammunition.

Muzzle	Bruen Spearhead SuppressorEcholine GS-X SuppressorKomodo Heavy CompForge-Tac Castle CompC400 Door KnockerDemon Helix 17Forge-Tac DreadnaughtShred CP90 CompensatorSakin Tread 40 Comp
Optic	Cronen Mini Red DotSZ ReflexSZ Lonewolf OpticForge-Tac Delta 4Thermo-Optic X9DS Warme ZielfernrohrSZ MiniSchlager 4XHybrid FirepointHMW-20
Stock	No StockOrdnance Ravage-8Demo Fade Pro StockTempus P80 Strike StockDemo Precision Elite FactoryCorio Precio FactoryAssault T60 Stock
UnderBarrel	FSS Sharkfin 90VX Pineapple Vert GripSPW 40MMForge-Tac Ripper 56Lock Grip Precision-40
Rear Grip	D15 GripSakin ZX GripXten GripPhantom GripSupport CP90 Grip
Barrel	14″ Carbine Shroud Barrel7.5″ Tempus Firebrand BarrelTempus Trench Pro419MM EXF BarrelTempus Hightower 20″ Barrel11.5″ T-H4 BarrelLX-97 Torque BarrelBull Rider 16.5’’ Barrel
Laser	4MW Laser BoxCorvus PEQ Beam-5
Ammunition	5.56 Frangible5.56 Armor Piercing

Alternative

If you find that the M4 doesn’t quite cut it for you, then there are other options for you to try out, such as the MP5 or FSS Hurricane. They are both SMGs, but they are both pretty fast and powerful, compensating for any damage loss or decreased range that you may face compared to an AR like the M4.