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Best Assault Rifle in Modern Warfare 2Every Assault Rifle in Modern Warfare 2 ranked from best to worst

Every Assault Rifle in Modern Warfare 2 ranked from best to worst

Three soldiers in Modern Warfare 2 carrying rifles wait by a wall outside.

Which is the best Assault Rifle in Modern Warfare 2?ARs are the bread and butter of most builds in Call Of Duty games, and Infinity Ward knows this. WithCall Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2they’re providing players with 8 strong and varied Assault Rifles to choose from while putting together their loadouts - and one of them is a strong contender for the best weapon in the game.

Below we’ll walk you through each of the Assault Rifles in Modern Warfare 2, and rank them from best to worst so you know which ones to spend time unlocking and upgrading over the coming weekend.

5 Best Modern Warfare 2 Weapon LoadoutsUnsure what gun to choose in Modern Warfare 2? Confused which weapons pair best with one another? Look no further. The answers to your questions (and more) lie within the video above.Watch on YouTube

5 Best Modern Warfare 2 Weapon Loadouts

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What is the best Assault Rifle in Modern Warfare 2?

The best Assault Rifle in Modern Warfare 2 is the Kastov-74U, an extremely powerful rifle that combines best-in-class stopping power with high mobility. It kicks upwards a fair bit and is best suited for aggressive close-range fights, but with the right attachments the Kastov-74U is still fairly easy to control for mid-range engagements too.

Here are the best Assault Rifles in Modern Warfare 2:

Below we’ll explore each gun in greater detail, exposing each AR’s strengths and weaknesses and why it deserves its place in the above tier list.

Kastov-74U

Modern Warfare 2 beta screenshot showing the Kastov in a weapon container, with the stats on the left.

The Kastov-74U acts as a hybrid between Assault Rifle and SMG with its light frame and great handling speeds. What you may not expect is that it hits harder than any other Assault Rifle in MW2, with a whopping 77/42/38/35 damage profile to head, torso, stomach, and limbs at close range. It’s therefore fantastic choice for running-and-gunning if you want to land fewer shots to kill an enemy than if you used even thebest SMG in Modern Warfare 2.

You will have to contend with some strong recoil and a lower fire rate than with many of its rivals, but it’s well worth it. Learn how to kit it out to mitigate its recoil and turn it into one of the strongest weapons out there with ourModern Warfare 2 best Kastov-74U loadoutguide.

M4

Modern Warfare 2 beta screenshot showing the M4 in a weapon container, with the stats on the left.

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.

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 so powerful right now. If you want to know how to kit it out to be as strong as possible, check out ourModern Warfare M4 loadout guide.

STB 556

Image credit:Activision

A close-up of the STB-556 Assault Rifle in the Modern Warfare 2 Gunsmith screen.

The STB 556 (perhaps more commonly known as the AUG) is the ideal choice if you’re looking for an Assault Rifle that can go toe to toe with Battle Rifles, Marksman Rifles, and even Sniper Rifles at mid-to-long range. The low recoil and excellent range allows you to easily delete enemies at ranges beyond 30 metres. And when pushed to the max with the right set of attachments, the STB 556 is just ridiculously controllable. I’m talking virtually no recoil. It almost feels unfair.

The only reason it’s not quite as high up as it could be in our tier list is because the STB 556’s lower fire rate means its DPS at close-range is not quite strong enough to contend with the M4 or Kastov-74U. But over long distances, the STB 556 wins out - particularly when you give it the attachments we recommend in ourModern Warfare 2 best STB 556 loadoutguide.

Lachmann-556

Modern Warfare 2 beta screenshot showing the Lachmann 556 in a weapon container, with the stats on the left.

The Lachmann-556 acts as a sort of hybrid between the M4 and the STB 556. It’s very similar in feel to the M4 but offers a slightly longer-ranged, lower-recoil approach. Like the STB 556, this makes the Lachmann-556 ideal for holding longer sightlines without going the whole hog and swapping your Assault Rifle out for a semi-auto gun.

Kastov 762

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Activision

A close-up of the Kastov 762 Assault Rifle in the Modern Warfare 2 Gunsmith screen.

The Kastov 762, Modern Warfare 2’s version of the AKM or AK47, is a punchy Assault Rifle worthy of consideration when putting together your next Assault Rifle class. It’s less forgiving than the M4 or Lachmann-556, but it beats out both in pure damage. In fact, it has the highest damage per shot of any Assault Rifle in the game.

Players should use their attachment slots to mitigate the Kastov 762’s high recoil, but once they do they’ll find it to be a powerful and reliable weapon, well-suited for mid-range encounters. To learn how to kit it out correctly, check out ourModern Warfare 2 Kastov 762 loadoutguide.

Kastov 545

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Activision

A close-up of the Kastov 545 Assault Rifle in the Modern Warfare 2 Gunsmith screen.

However, this leaves it in a bit of an odd place. It’s an Assault Rifle that wants to be an SMG, but it’s also not as much of an Assault Rifle that wants to be an SMG as the Kastov-74U. I do tend to use the 74U for my close-range Assault Rifle loadout - although if you want to give the 545 a good try, we’ve put together a surprisingly strongModern Warfare 2 Kastov 545 loadoutfor your perusal.

TAQ-56

A close-up of the TAQ-56 Assault Rifle in the Modern Warfare 2 Gunsmith screen.

It feels good when the shots land, but for consistently landing kills and earningKillstreaks, you’re probably better off using a faster Assault Rifle.

M16

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Activision

A close-up of the M16 Assault Rifle in the Modern Warfare 2 Gunsmith screen.

Hopefully our tier list of the best and worst Assault Rifles in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has given you a firmer idea of the current gun meta heading into theModern Warfare 2 beta. If you want a full idea of the meta, then check out ourModern Warfare 2 best gunsguide. You can also check out our guide on thebest Perks in Modern Warfare 2to help round out your ideal Assault Rifle loadout.

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