Best Guns in Modern Warfare 4

The best gun in Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer is the Cronen Osprey, the assault rifle added in Season 1. If you still run the HAN 86 from launch week, each kill inside 25 m takes you 52 ms longer. Unlock the Osprey at Tier 16 of the Season 1 Battle Pass, then import the build code below.

Osprey kill time out to 25 m

272 ms

HAN 86 kill time, ms

243 → 324

Instant-hit range since Nov 10

3.91x

All numbers are for core Multiplayer, where you have 100 health. They count chest hits with no attachments, unless a build is named.

Kill times are our math from damage and fire rate. Aim times, sprint times and part effects come from one stat dataset updated after Season 1.

What are the best guns in MW4 right now?

Four guns sit in the top tier of all three tier lists updated after Season 1. They are the Cronen Osprey, Hyeon Burst, ISO Nightshade and KG-7 Vulcan. The VEL 46 and M4 are top tier on two of the three, so they join them.

S tier holds the six guns worth leveling first in core 6v6.

Two Season 1 updates shaped this list. Season 1 (November 5) rebalanced more than a dozen guns and added the Osprey and the CSG-35. Then the November 10 update made bullets hit instantly 3.91x farther than before.

Why is the Cronen Osprey the best assault rifle?

It wins the whole fight, from raising the gun to the last hit. The Osprey aims in 240 ms and fires 882 rounds per minute, so five hits take just 272 ms.

A fight starts when you raise the gun, not when you land the first hit. So add aim time to kill time and compare the rifles at 20 m.

The Osprey is highlighted because it finishes first: 512 ms in total.

The Axion is only 3 ms behind, but its bullets land instantly only out to 23.5 m. The Osprey's land instantly out to 29.5 m. The Axion also unlocks late, at Player Level 52.

The HAN 86 needs 574 ms in total. A patch on October 28 removed its upper-torso damage bonus. A kill now takes 5 hits instead of 4: 243 ms → 324 ms.

In a match, the Osprey's numbers play out like this:

• SMG player at 20 m: you win. From 12 m to 25 m the Osprey kills in 272 ms, and every SMG needs 300 ms or more.
• SMG player around a corner: you lose. An SMG fires 110 ms after a sprint, and the Osprey needs 210. Stop sprinting before doorways.
• Target past 25 m: the Osprey needs a sixth hit, 340 ms in all. Fight from cover or close the gap.

So hold mid range and let SMG players come to you.

What is the best Cronen Osprey build?

Run the build that steadies your aim and shakes the enemy's. Its build code is A02-43QCD-CXJDX-MS11.

With both slower parts on, the Osprey takes 272 ms to aim. A bare Kastov 762 takes 280 ms, so you stay quick.

Big map? Swap the ammo for 5.56 NATO High Velocity.

Since November 10, a bullet lands instantly out to about its speed in m/s divided by 20. The Osprey's bullets fly at 590 m/s, so that is 29.5 m, and High Velocity pushes it to 35.4 m.

Past that line the bullet needs travel time, so you lead a moving target. The swap costs you the extra enemy flinch.

Is the Hyeon Burst still good after the nerf?

Yes. The Season 1 nerf only cut the first burst of its Hyperburst Apex Attachment, from 30 to 23 damage. That part turns the gun full-auto after the first burst.

The base gun got a buff instead. Its mid-range damage went from 24 to 25, so two bursts on target always kill there.

The Hyeon fires three rounds per trigger pull. Land all three on the chest or higher inside 21 m, and the enemy drops in 143 ms.

That is almost twice as fast as the Osprey. But one round in the stomach or an arm means a second burst: 322 ms.

Shaky aim? Skip it and stay on the Osprey. A single low hit erases the whole advantage.

What is the best SMG?

The ISO Nightshade, because it holds its fastest kill farther out than its rivals.

Up close, the three top SMGs are only 10 ms apart. Range and magazine size decide the pick.

Season 1 moved the first two in opposite directions. The ISO's best range grew from 10.5 m to 11.7 m. The VEL 46's shrank from 10.1 m to 9.7 m.

Pick by how you play:

• You spray and chase: VEL 46. Its 40 rounds cover missed shots and a second enemy without a magazine part.
• You reached Battle Pass Tier 36: CSG-35. It aims in 210 ms, the fastest here. Its 28 rounds run dry fast, so fit the 40 Round Mag first.

Past 12 m, every SMG loses to the Osprey. Close the distance or don't take the fight.

What is the best sniper?

The KG-7 Vulcan. One shot kills from the stomach up, out to 67.6 m, and you own it from Player Level 4.

Two marksman rifles aim much faster, and that is why you keep dying to them. They pay for it in range.

Holding a long lane? KG-7 Vulcan. A stomach hit still kills, so you don't need perfect aim.

Pushing with a one-shot gun? Mosin-Nagant, from Player Level 36. It aims 200 ms faster, but a stomach hit deals 93 and the enemy lives.

How do you set up these builds?

Every build here has a code, so you don't have to pick parts one by one. These are the codes for the other S-tier guns.

The ISO and KG-7 builds include an Apex part, which unlocks at the gun's max level.

The short barrel on the KG-7 build cuts aim time from 550 ms to about 506. It pays in range: one-shot kills end at 53 m, not 67.6 m.

Now put a code into the game:

A missing part unlocks as you level that gun. Once unlocked, it works on every weapon that takes it.

So shelve the HAN 86, level the Osprey, and take your fights at mid range.

FAQ

Are LMGs worth using in MW4?

No. The APOC-338 kills in 216 ms but needs 510 ms to aim, against 240 for the Osprey. Its reload runs 7.1 seconds.

Do these picks work in Warzone and DMZ?

Not one to one. These numbers are for core Multiplayer with 100 health, and the other modes rank guns differently. The instant-hit change from November 10 does apply to every mode.