Gunsmith and the beta arsenal
Modern Warfare 4 Weapons
Modern Warfare 4 launches with 24 primary weapons, 8 secondaries, and a melee — 28 Apex Attachments in the official grind list, more than 500 attachments, and no weapon-platform trees. Level an assault rifle and its attachments can move to other rifles in the class. Apex parts sit outside the five Gunsmith slots and unlock when a gun hits max level. Gunny, the gunnery-sergeant helper, will assemble a build from what you have unlocked.
The beta named a large slice of that pool. Use the tier list for what actually won gunfights, and loadouts for full classes. The loadout planner is the interactive version.
Named weapons from the open beta
Assault rifles: Han 86, M4, Hyeon Burst, Kastov 762, Patriot XMR, plus Axion on a default loadout only. SMGs: ISO Nightshade, PPSh-41, X-58 Nyx, and Wz. 55 Striga in the campaign mission. Shotgun: Rezi 12. LMGs: FiNN and Type 73. Marksman: MAR-9 and Oris 8.6. Snipers: KG-7 Vulcan and Signal .50. Pistols: Krait P68, .50 GS, Sang 9mm on a default class. Launcher: PILA. Melee: Combat Knife.
Vault Signature Weapons — Kastov 762 Voltspine, ISO Nightshade La Sombra Venenosa, Rezi 12 Shattered Code, Oris 8.6 Volt-Edge, Combat Knife Sombra Besada — are blueprints with Apex parts, not extra base guns. See Vault Edition.
| Weapon | Class | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| M4 | AR | Best all-rounder in most beta lists |
| ISO Nightshade | SMG | Best CQB, later nerfed but still S |
| Kastov 762 | AR | Heavy recoil, Vault Voltspine |
| Oris 8.6 | Marksman | Bolt-action pace, high TTK if you hit |
| KG-7 Vulcan | Sniper | One-shot potential, 72 weapon levels |
| Rezi 12 | Shotgun | Semi-auto; Enforcer Apex goes pump + slugs |
Apex Attachments and Gunny
An Apex does not eat a Gunsmith slot. Kastov 762 has two: Kastov 545 (caliber conversion) and Kastov Arc (RF pulse that disrupts infantry and vehicles). Rezi 12 Enforcer is a pump conversion with explosive slugs. KG-9 Drillcharge is the max-level Apex on the KG-7 Vulcan — projectiles that bore into cover then detonate — not a ninth gun. Vulcan sat at 72 levels in the beta, so treat Apex as a prestige carrot, not a day-one assumption.
Gunny is for players who hate menus. It reads your unlocked attachments and builds toward a playstyle. It will not beat a tuned loadout from someone who already knows the recoil pattern, but it will keep a new account from running a bare barrel into ranked. Camo tracks span Multiplayer, DMZ, and Warzone: nine mastery camos if you finish three per mode.
Ballistic Authority, in gun terms
Hipfire bloom is gone. The shot travels where the weapon is pointed. That buffs SMGs and shotguns that used to paint a cone, and it buffs confident AR hipfire in stairwells. It does not remove recoil or idle sway. If you are still missing, the problem is the pattern, not a hidden penalty. Pair this with the settings page so your ADS multiplier matches the new precision.
For the ranked night question — “what do I use?” — skip this hub and open the tier list. For how a class is put together, open loadouts.
Related intel
Section hub
Field questions
Frequently asked questions
How many guns does MW4 launch with?+
Twenty-four primaries, eight secondaries, and a melee, plus 28 Apex parts and more than 500 attachments. The beta showed a subset.
Do I have to level a weapon platform to unlock the next gun?+
No. Platform trees are gone. Attachments share by weapon class.
What is an Apex Attachment?+
A sixth, gun-specific part unlocked at max weapon level. It does not consume a normal Gunsmith slot.