Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 has 8 different Assault Rifles. Each has its strengths, weight, and ways to optimize.

There are situations in which certain weapons perform better than others. However, some ARs are better than others in more than one aspect.

This guide will show you the best Assault Rifles in CoD Modern Warfare 2, why, and the context in which they can be better than others in their class.

MW2 Assault Rifle Tier List

Tier List AR

With eight different weapons in the same class and dozens of others in different classes, it’s nearly impossible not to have redundancy in the game.

Once you figure out which of the weapons has the best overall performance, chances are players won’t use the others.

That said, the absolute optimal gun is rarely a sure thing. The best way to do something in a competitive video game is frequently a topic that causes a lot of debate.

In CoD MW2, at least for now, things are not that different. However, it’s already possible to see that some ARs can perform better than others, depending on the context.

Like many other tier lists, we are going to list the guns from S to D tier, going S, A, B, C, and D for the worst guns.

You can check the table or keep reading for more detailed information on each tier and weapon.

WeaponRankingDescription
Kastov 762SThe most powerful and reliable Assault Rifle in MW2
Lachmann 556AGreatest medium to long-range damage
M4BVery balanced and easy to use
TAQ 56BAll-rounder that is more effective in the hands of experienced players
Kastov 74UBPretty much a weaker version of the Kastov 762
STB 556BPowerful and light but has no damage at long-range
M16CIt has good damage, but it is a burst rifle with no automatic mode
Kastov 545DBy far the worst AR in Call of Duty MW2

D Tier

The weapons in D-Tier probably shouldn’t even be in the game.

They are outperformed by almost, if not all, other weapons in the same class. There seems to be no reason to use them besides grinding its gold camo to unlock platinum camo for your other guns.

Kastov 545

Kastov 545

The Kastov 545 is generally seen as the worst rifle in the game. It is outperformed by pretty much every other weapon in the game, and its existence is not justifiable right now.

It doesn’t perform as well as the other ARs in any range. It is safe to say that every other assault rifle can outperform the Kastov 545 in more than a few things.

Besides having another assault rifle in the game, I can’t really see why Activision decided to make this weapon the way it is.

C Tier

C-Tier assault rifles are not the worst in the game, but it still is pretty hard to ever justify using them aside from grinding for camos.

They are not super ineffective when compared to the next higher tier. However, the other assault rifles still outperform them significantly.

M16

M16

The M16 seems to have the best TTK of the Assault Rifle. If three bullets hit the upper chest of your enemy, you did all you needed.

Those three bullets can easily find their target when fighting closer targets since it only requires you to pull the trigger, or click, once.

That said, the thing that makes the M16 so powerful is also its greatest weakness.

This is a burst rifle, which makes it much harder to compete with targets from medium to long distances.

Although it is somewhat reliable up close, and its burst can down someone incredibly fast, it won’t ever be able to compete with the others.

Other close-range assault rifles have pretty good TTK and an automatic mode, which makes choosing the M16 as your close-range weapon quite questionable.

B Tier

These weapons are okay. They do their job and do it pretty well. They might not be the most optimized guns in the game, but it is not like you are at any considerable disadvantage when you go with one of these.

In fact, it might be the other way around. Some weapons might be considered better but are harder to control.

For instance, there are rifles that outperform the M4, but the mighty all-rounder is by far one of the easiest assault rifles to use.

Similarly, few weapons are as deadly as the STB 556 up close.

M4

Gold Camo M4 Gunsmith 1

This weapon is pretty good at everything. It’s not great at everything, but it gets the job done, which is why you can’t really say this is a bad gun, but it won’t ever be mentioned as the best.

Other weapons outperform the M4 in specific things, except fire rate, which is fine. You can still use this assault rifle when playing on any map and be efficient enough.

This might be why the M4 is the first weapon available in CoD MW2. Its TTK is decent, its recoil is relatively controllable, its Aim Down Sight Speed is also pretty good, and it doesn’t feel too heavy.

Generally speaking, if you just want to randomly join a game and feel what Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is like, the M4 is a great weapon.

Suppose you feel more comfortable with something you can rely on in almost any situation. In that case, the M4 is probably the gun for you.

Kastov 74U

Kastov 74U

The Kastov 74U is another gun with a surprisingly powerful assault rifle that feels like an SMG due to how fast it is.

It has the potential to take down someone with two shots as long as you get one bullet in the head. It still deals pretty good damage with or without the headshot and is relatively reliable at medium distances.

Unfortunately, it is not great from far away, which is usually the case for assault rifles that feel like SMGs. Yet, you might consider using it as a support weapon to a sniper rifle or a Lockwood MK2.

STB 556

STB Build

The STB 556 is one of my favorite weapons in the game. Up close, it is a light, powerful gun with one of the greatest TTKs you can get from an automatic rifle.

That said, its damage drops pretty harshly when your target is far from you. The further they are from you, the more drastically your damage drops.

For that reason, it is tough to rank this weapon higher. That said, this weapon is still one of the best you can use on maps that feel crowded with lots of close-range combat.

It is light, powerful, easy to control, and has an impressive rate of fire. It also works very well as a secondary weapon for snipers.

A Tier

The A-tier weapons are not that further away from the B-tier ones, but they are slightly more consistent. They can outperform the B Tier ones when used by experienced hands.

In other words, if your aim and spacial awareness are on point, you can probably do much more damage by using an A-tier weapon than a B-tier one.

TAQ 56

TAQ 56 loadout

The TAQ 56 is a very consistent weapon, which is why we are ranking it so high. This weapon is an all-rounder, much like the M4, but better.

However, there’s a crucial difference. Since its rate of fire is not as good as the M4, you have to make those shots count. As long as you can hit your target, this weapon will perform incredibly better than the M4.

Think of it as a high-skill version of the M4 if you want. You can’t just hold down the trigger mindlessly and hope it works.

However, if your aim is good, you will most likely win most gun fights thanks to the TAQ 56’s amazing TTk at all distances.

Lachmann 556

Lachmann 556

This Assault Rifle is outperformed by all others except the Kastov 545 at close range. However, no other Assault Rifle is more reliable and damaging at medium to long range than the Lachmann 556.

It has the potential to take down enemies with two shots as long as one hits the head, which is incredibly powerful for an automatic weapon with such a good rate of fire.

It might not be the best to use in maps with tight spaces and corridors, but in every other map, it probably will outperform most of your enemies’ firearms.

S Tier

The very existence of an S-Tier is already a reason for debate. Some consider that S-Tiers should only exist for weapons that are broken.

Some believe S-Tier should be reserved for things that are not necessarily broken but are still better than they should be.

This tier is reserved for weapons that are clearly superior to all others in most, if not all, aspects. These weapons are not just excellent; they clearly are the better choice.

If you are playing competitively or your goal is just to win, you want to use the weapons in this tier.

Kastov 762

MW2 Kastov

The Kastov 762 feels a lot like they mixed the TAQ 56 and the Kastov 74U.

It hits really hard, has a satisfactory sound design, and even its rate of fire makes you unable to waste all shots.

This is one of the few weapons in the game that is automatic, decent at all ranges, and has the potential to take down enemies with two shots.

If you hit your enemy in the head at least once, any other shot guarantees they will be on the ground.

This gun has a somewhat hard-to-control recoil, but you can definitely handle that using a Kastov 762 loadout that controls the recoil.