If you’re looking for the best Battle Rifle to use in Modern Warfare 2, you’ve come to the right place. Below we’ll walk you through our ranking of each Battle Rifle in turn, exploring each of the 4 guns’ strengths and weaknesses so you can understand exactly how to use each one, and which is the most competitive Battle Rifle right now.
What is the best Battle Rifle in Modern Warfare 2?
The best Battle Rifle in Modern Warfare 2 is the FTAC Recon. It may only hold 10 bullets by default, but 10 bullets are all you need when you factor in the FTAC Recon’s best-in-class damage and controllable recoil. It’s easy to use, its upgrade potential is high, and it can drop enemies very quickly at any range. What more do you want?
Here is our tier list of the best Battle Rifles in Modern Warfare 2:
Below we’ll explore the strengths and weaknesses of each of the Battle Rifles on offer in MW2, and why they deserve their rank in the above Battle Rifles tier list.
FTAC Recon
Boasting the highest damage in its class, the FTAC Recon is the strongest and most competitive Battle Rifle in MW2 right now. Its main downside is that it only takes 10 Round Mags by default instead of the other Battle Rifles’ 20. But considering its stopping power, 10 bullets is more than enough in both semi-auto mid-to-long-range fights, and full-auto close quarters engagements. It’s a very reliable weapon, one which packs a punch but also remains controllable thanks to its comparatively low recoil - which you can improve even further with the right set of attachments. Learn how with our guide to the best FTAC Recon loadout in Modern Warfare 2.
TAQ-V
The TAQ-V, based on stats alone, is a very formidable Battle Rifle. It focuses hard on long-range prowess, matching the FTAC Recon’s low fire rate in order to keep the recoil as steady as possible over long ranges. While it beats out all other Battle Rifles in terms of effective range, the TAQ-V can’t quite match the FTAC Recon’s combo of controllability and punishing damage. But it’s a close run thing. The TAQ-V is still a hell of a gun. Learn how to make the most of it with our Modern Warfare 2 best TAQ-V loadout guide.
Lachmann-762
The Lachmann-762 is the first Battle Rifle you’ll gain access to in Modern Warfare 2, but sadly it represents a very noticeable step down in controllability and reliability from the FTAC Recon and TAQ-V, thanks to its high recoil. Its only real advantage over the above weapons is a slightly superior rate of fire, allowing for quicker follow-up shots and a stronger spray-and-pray attack at full-auto. But this isn’t enough to topple its far more controllable and higher-damage brethren. Nonetheless, the Lachmann-762 is a decent foundation on which you can pile the attachments mentioned in our Modern Warfare 2 best Lachmann-762 loadout guide to create a very effective rifle build.
S0-14
if you thought the Lachmann-762’s recoil was bad, oh boy. The S0-14 kicks like a mule, making it near-impossible to use at full-auto, and challenging to use as a mid-to-long-range semi-auto rifle too. It’s strong if you are able to land your shots, matching the TAQ-V’s damage and at a higher fire rate too. Sadly, even with the ideal attachments, it’s not quite reliable enough as a primary weapon to justify taking it over any of the above Battle Rifles. But if you need or want to use it, you’d best consult our Modern Warfare 2 best S0-14 loadout guide to make the most of it. Well, that’s all the Battle Rifles on offer in Modern Warfare 2, and by now you’re well aware of our opinion on which is the best and which is the worst. If you want to gain a more complete idea of the current gun meta then check out our Modern Warfare 2 best guns tier list. You can also consult our guide on the best Sniper Rifle in MW2 if you want to go the whole hog with the biggest, heaviest long-range weapons in the game. Alternatively you can look to the future of MW2 with our guides on the Modern Warfare 2 Hardcore mode, and on the Warzone 2.0 release date. Activision Blizzard are currently the subject of a number of legal actions, labour disputes and allegations of workplace harassment. Rock Paper Shotgun will continue to write about these issues, as well as covering Activision Blizzard games as part of our commitment to cover subjects of interest to our readers. The latest news can always be found under our Activision Blizzard tag.
