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Weapons

M4 - Assault Rifle specs

MW4 M4: published assault rifle unlock, base ammunition, weapon levels and attachment details, with official source caveats.

10/19/2026 MW4 Wiki Team Last updated: 11/11/2026 6min read

M4 at a glance

M4 is one of Activision’s 8 launch assault rifle entries. The official roster contains 33 weapons: 24 Primary Weapons, eight Secondary Weapons and one Melee Weapon. That total excludes Tactical and Lethal equipment, older cosmetic labels and duplicate Blueprint variants. This record uses the October 19 launch article, checked October 26, rather than treating earlier Beta cards as the current specification. M4 is the adaptable service-rifle entry. Hurricane changes it to a top-loading 5.7x28mm configuration and blocks Barrel and Magazine attachments. Base M4 capacity therefore cannot stand in for a configured Hurricane capacity, which this launch block does not quantify.

Specifications

Published launch figures from Activision, checked 2026-11-11. Not stated denotes an absent figure, never zero.

FieldPublished value
ClassAssault Rifle
Player unlock (table when present)Level 14
Available Criteria (individual block)Unlocked at Player Level 14.
Weapon levels72
Rounds (base)30
Reserve ammo90
Fire Rate (source unit)810 RPM
Attachment TypesOptic, Muzzle, Barrel, Underbarrel, Magazine, Rear Grip, Stock, Laser, Ammunition
Apex AttachmentM4 Hurricane

In-game description

Fully automatic and highly adaptable, this iconic service rifle excels in most combat engagements.

The publisher’s description above explains the intended role of M4. It should be read alongside its own numeric block: 72 weapon levels, 30 base rounds, 90 reserve rounds and 810 RPM. These are published fields, not measurements made by this wiki. Descriptive terms about power, stability or speed do not establish a damage table, a time-to-kill result or a tested advantage against a particular opponent. The configuration and mode still matter when interpreting such claims.

How it fits the class

Axion provides a same-class reference: its launch block lists 30 rounds, 90 in reserve and 705 RPM. M4 lists 30 rounds and 90 in reserve. Compare these base configurations before adding an Apex or a capacity attachment. A larger ammunition count describes ammunition available before replenishment; it does not establish more kills, a faster reload or better handling. Other class members are linked below so this comparison remains part of the complete roster.

Ammo and supply

The official launch reserve for M4 is 90 rounds, separate from the 30 loaded rounds. Reserve is ammunition outside the current magazine or feed, not a magazine attachment to add to its capacity. This entry does not infer a pickup amount, resupply interval or shared ammunition pool from a cartridge name. In DMZ, access and replenishment depend on the deployment and FOB systems; the article’s launch reserve field does not locate a specific ammunition cache or promise the same inventory after looting.

Magazine options

The launch block supplies 30 base rounds for M4. Its attachment categories are listed separately below, and the article does not enumerate every magazine capacity or reload duration. Do not add a chambered round to the published figure or import an extended magazine from an older game. Any Apex description that explicitly changes the feed or capacity describes a different configured weapon. Keep the original base count visible so a later build comparison can distinguish the source specification from the selected attachment setup.

Gunsmith attachment slots

The published categories for M4 are Optic, Muzzle, Barrel, Underbarrel, Magazine, Rear Grip, Stock, Laser, Ammunition. Its Apex is M4 Hurricane. A top-loading, high-capacity M4 variant chambered in 5.7x28mm. Taking inspiration from other bullpup designs, this agile rifle is light, maneuverable, and boasts a higher rate of fire. Blocks Barrel and Magazine Attachments. Apex Attachments are equipped separately and do not consume an ordinary attachment slot, but the source may explicitly block individual categories for a conversion. Read those restrictions before planning a combination. Weapon progression unlocks shared attachments for compatible weapons, while Weapon Prestige relocks attachments on the weapon being Prestiged. The Gunsmith reference explains that progression context.

October 28, 2026 tuning changes

Infinity Ward published these figures in the first MW4 weapon tuning pass, dated October 28, 2026. The full pass covers fifteen weapons and is collected on the weapon tuning page.

StatPrePostChange
Max Damage Range9901020+3%

What is not measured yet

Infinity Ward states that Multiplayer and DMZ have bespoke tuning. Record the mode, patch date and exact configuration when measuring damage, recoil, effective range or time to kill; published cyclic rate alone cannot supply those results. The October 23-25 patch notes distinguish implemented fixes from proposed future tuning.

How to unlock it

M4’s Main Player Levels unlock table lists Player Level 14. Its individual Available Criteria entry agrees: Unlocked at Player Level 14. This is a player progression requirement, distinct from the 72 weapon levels listed for attachment progression and access to Weapon Prestige. Create-a-Class opens at Player Level 4. In DMZ, unlocked weapons can be purchased through the FOB Gunsmith with sufficient DMZ Cash; looting, Weapon Manuals and the FOB Vendor provide other acquisition routes described by Activision. A cosmetic Blueprint name is a separate entitlement, rather than a replacement for these base progression rules.

Other entries in this class

Axion / Han 86 / Hyeon Burst / Kastov 762 / Patriot XMR / Oden / Cronen Squall

Sources

Activision launch roster and weapon details - reviewed 2026-11-11.

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