Looking for the best guns in Modern Warfare 2? The Modern Warfare 2 beta is about to slide into its second weekend, and a meta has already become clear. There’s no need to stumble your way through the loadout menu in a desperate attempt to find the best guns, though, as we’ve figured it all out for you!
In this guide, you’ll find a list of the best guns in Modern Warfare 2, so that you can quickly throw together the perfect loadout and rack up some easy kills.
With everything from Assault Rifles to Sniper Rifles available in the Modern Warfare 2 beta, we’re here to help you cut through the trash and find the best of the bunch. Take a look below at our Modern Warfare 2 best guns tier list:
Below, we’ll break down each of these guns and explain their current ranking.
It might be called the Lachmann Sub in-game, but this weapon has another name that you’re much more likely to recognise. The Lachmann Sub is Modern Warfare 2’s MP5 and, unsurprisingly, it’s phenomenal. It offers fast movement speed and an incredibly quick time to kill without compromising on accuracy, making the Lachmann Sub the best gun in Modern Warfare 2 right now.
To learn more about the top-tier SMG that everyone wants to try out, then take a look at our best Modern Warfare 2 MP5 loadout guide.
It’s a tale as old as time. A bunch of soldiers running around in a 6v6 deathmatch, and every one of them is wielding an M4. Classic. Modern Warfare 2 doesn’t change the pace at all, with the M4 currently ranking as the best assault rifle in the beta. It’s fast, it’s powerful, and it’s accurate.
With Modern Warfare 2’s blisteringly fast time to kill, you can gun down just about anybody at lightning speed with the M4. It’s reliable, and it absolutely deserves a slot in your class setup. Check out how best to kit it out with our best Modern Warfare 2 M4 loadout guide.
We’ve just told you that the M4 is an amazing gun, so how would you like to try an M4 adapted into an SMG? That’s the FSS Hurricane, and it’s a hurricane in both name and spirit. With a 50-round magazine, the Hurricane can unleash a torrent of bullets that’ll tear through any opponent. It’s also remarkably accurate, so you can comfortably trade fire with enemies at medium range without needing to worry.
The FTAC Recon is a semi-automatic battle rifle, meaning it’s slower than the M4 and SMGs listed above, but it still packs a punch. If you’re struggling in medium-long range encounters and need something that can strike from a distance with accuracy and damage, the FTAC Recon is the gun for you. The low time to kill across Modern Warfare 2 means that you’ll only need to land one or two shots before scoring another kill.
The Expedite 12 is the only shotgun available in the Mdoern Warfare 2 beta, and it's more than powerful enough to stop an enemy in their tracks. However, there's an issue that you might want to consider before putting this powerhouse into your loadout. Modern Warfare 2 has a few changes from previous COD titles, and some are greatly impacting the gameplay. These are the changes to in-game audio making footsteps louder, and the very fast time to kill.
These have promoted a playstyle that greatly favours camping, rather than moving around the map. If you can find a tight area to camp that benefits the Expedite 12's short range, it'll be the perfect weapon. However, in wider areas that offer a longer line of sight on enemies, you'll want something with more range to land hits from a distance. That's where weapons such as the M4, the Lachmann Sub, and the FSS Hurricane take the crown.
The Signal 50 is Modern Warfare 2's Barratt 50-Cal, which means it'll probably prove very popular when Warzone 2 rolls around. In multiplayer modes, it packs a powerful punch that should drop enemies in one hit. However, it isn't as versatile as a trusty SMG or assault Rifle, as the Signal 50 is most effective at long range.
Sure, you can quickscope, but dropping enemies with a quick spray of the Lachmann Sub is a faster and more effective method. The Signal 50 is a sturdy secondary that you can rely on to get a kill across the map, but you should opt for something faster as your main weapon.
The Lachmann-556 is the gateway to the much better Lachman Sub (MP5), but it’s still a strong assault rifle. However, it’s a tricky weapon to get, as you’ll need to make a new class, equip an Expedite shotgun, and then equip the Overkill perk. This should pop the Lachmann-556 in your second weapon slot.
Admittedly, that’s a lot of work for an assault rifle when the M4 is right there and available from the start. However, the Lachmann-556 is still worth a go, as it sacrifices an inconsequentially small amount of damage in exchange for increased range and accuracy. If you’re using a weapon on the M4 frame in your first slot and need a trusty secondary, the Lachmann-556 is a great choice.
The Kastov-74U is a versatile weapon that has the power of an assault rifle and the snappy speed of an SMG. The recoil can be tough to manage at a distance, but if you need a weapon to use that can drop an enemy at lightning speed while running and gunning, the Kastov-74U is a formidable choice. However, the M4 has comparable power and handling while offering an improved fire rate and much higher recoil control, so we’d recommend opting for the classic M4 in most situations.
The TAQ-56 is the final assault rifle that you can unlock in the Modern Warfare 2 beta, and it doesn't quite seem worth the effort at this stage. While it proves to be a formidable weapon that can pump out plenty of damage, it does so with a slower fire rate and less control than the M4 or Lachmann-556.
That means the TAQ-56 isn't able to hold its own in the current meta, where speed is king. The TAQ-56 is definitely one to watch, though, as it seems poised to steal the show once Modern Warfare 2 releases and there are more attachments to play with.
The Lockwood MK2 is the first Marksman Rifle on our list, so the natural comparison is the Signal 50 from above. Like the Signal 50, the Lockwood isn't cohesive to the current meta, making it a strong secondary when you need to do a spot of sniping, but a poor main weapon for Modern Warfare 2's fast multiplayer.
The Lockwood MK2 has a similar fire rate to the Signal 50, but with much lower damage, range, and accuracy. It trades this off for greater control and mobility, but their slow pace means that recoil should rarely be a problem for either the Lockwood or the Signal. With that in mind, we'd recommend sticking with the Signal 50 rather than using the Lockwood, as it'll land a one-hit kill much more consistently.
Shifting over to LMGs, those looking for speed, power, and increased range should try the 556 Icarus. It’s certainly not one of the best guns in Modern Warfare 2, but it’s the best LMG available in the beta. However, with great power comes great recoil, so while the 556 Icarus is able to maintain power at a distance, it’s going to be tough to land those shots.
Unless you’re willing to stick it out through some hectic recoil while grinding to unlock attachments that’ll improve its control, we’d recommend opting for one of the other weapons listed above.
The Rapp H fills a similar role to the 556 Icarus, with high power and incredibly sharp recoil. However, the Rapp H has worse accuracy and mobility, so it doesn’t really keep up in the incredibly fast-paced slaughterhouse of Modern Warfare 2. Speed is the name of the game in Modern Warfare 2’s beta, and the Rapp H won’t be able to compete with the more popular assault rifles and SMGs.
Many of those opting to use the 556 Icarus will most likely do so to unlock the M16, but it isn’t worth the trouble. The M16 fires in a three-round burst that’s far too weak and difficult to control, meaning you’ll fail to kill the enemy unless you can land a headshot on the final shot of the burst. If you don’t manage to score a kill on your first M16 burst, we doubt you’ll get another chance, as the current M4 and MP5 meta will cut you down with speed before you even get a chance to react.
The LMS is the weakest of the Marksman Rifles. Its main benefit is a higher fire rate, but it doesn't match the semi-auto power offered by the FTAC, and it isn't able to get one-hit kills like the Lockwood or the Signal 50.
Surprisingly, it also has worse recoil control, mobility, handling, and accuracy compared to the Lockwood MK2. That makes the LMS the worst of the bunch and worth avoiding in its current state.
The Lachmann-762 is a powerful battle rifle, just like the FTAC Recon, but it comes with a few key weaknesses. It has lower recoil control, mobility, handling, and damage when compared to the FTAC, with the only benefits being a slightly longer range, higher fire rate, and a bigger magazine.
Since the improvements to the fire rate and range are minimal, the key difference to consider here is that magazine. The Lachmann-762's base model has a 20-round magazine, compared to the 10-round magazine offered by the FTAC. However, the FTAC is generally stronger and much easier to control, meaning that while the FTAC might hold less bullets, it should hit more consistently.
The Fennec 45 is another weapon that simply pales in comparison to others in its class. With lower damage, range, accuracy, recoil control, and mobility when compared to the Lachmann Sub, the Fennec just doesn't have a place in the current meta. It unlocks rather late at level 25 too, so you'll likely have settled into the Lachmann Sub long before you gain access to this inferior weapon.
While the FFS Hurricane does have plenty of similar stat drops, especially in recoil control and mobility, it does offer a significant trade off that makes it better than the Fennec. That's the 50-round magazine, which beats out the Fennec's 30-round mag. With the Lachmann Sub offering speed and the Hurricane offering power, the Fennec isn't worth using in the current meta.
The Sakin MG38 just doesn’t feel very strong. There’s no other way to put it. With high recoil and a high fire rate, the Sakin is hard to control. It’s powerful and able to drop enemies with ease if you can land a few shots, but landing them is a challenge. This is only a beta, so things could change drastically before the next beta weekend or the full launch, but the Sakin simply isn’t worth using in the current meta. Stick to the M4 or Lachmann Sub for now. You won’t regret it.
That covers every gun available in the Modern Warfare 2 beta, but there's plenty more to learn if you want the best loadout. Check out our lists of the best perks and best killstreaks in Modern Warfare 2 if you're eager to perfect your loadout. If you want to jump into the beta, take a look at our guide on the Modern Warfare 2 beta dates and start times to learn when you can play on PC and Xbox.
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