M4A1


 * For the similar rifle, see M4 Carbine.

The M4A1 is an assault rifle featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare: Mobilized, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
"Fully automatic with low recoil. Effective at medium range."

- Create-a-Class description

Campaign
In the campaign, the M4A1 is introduced in "Blackout" as the SOPMOD variant, sporting a Red Dot Sight, an AN/PEQ-2A laser module, a silencer, and an M203.

During the campaign, the regular M4A1 is always equipped with a foregrip and a Tasco red dot scope, while the Grenadier version is fitted with its grenade launcher and a Holographic Sight, though the Holographic Sight is not available for multiplayer. All variants are equipped with the AN/PEQ-2A.

The Special Air Service uses the M4A1 SOPMOD in the missions "Blackout," "Safehouse," "Ultimatum," "All In," and "No Fighting In The War Room." Force Recon Marines use the M4A1 Grenadier in "The Bog," "War Pig," and "Shock & Awe." Captain Price always wields a suppressed M4A1 except in his flashback missions.

Multiplayer
The M4A1 can be modified with an M203, Red Dot Sight, suppressor, or ACOG Scope after having completed the respective marksman challenges. The M4A1 is an excellent weapon in the right hands, with moderate damage and fairly low recoil. However, the M4A1 has fast, large idle sway making it more difficult to aim properly at long range. The M4A1 shares ammunition with the M16A4 and the G36C. The M4A1 Carbine is one of the most commonly used weapons in online multiplayer on all platforms, due to its low unlock level and good stats.

As stated above, the M4A1 is not particularly effective at long range due to its large idle sway. However, the M4A1 is ideal in both close quarters and mid-range combat due to its high rate of fire, decent hipfire accuracy, and low recoil. Steady Aim also makes the M4A1 even better up close. Stopping Power improves further upon the weapon's versatility, making it deadly at all ranges, and Bandolier aids the player's longevity in combat by offering a large supply of ammunition.

The weapon's low damage output is mitigated by its high rate of fire and very low recoil, allowing for accurate automatic fire at both short and medium ranges and even burst fire at longer ranges. Whether equipped with optics or a grenade launcher for assault or a suppressor for stealth, the M4A1 remains effective in almost all combat situations.

Weapon Attachments

 * Grenade Launcher
 * Red Dot Sight
 * Silencer
 * ACOG Scope

Gallery

 * For the full gallery, see M4A1/Gallery. For camouflage images, see M4A1 Carbine/Camouflage.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The M4A1 returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, this time with a tan finish like many other weapons in the game.

Single Player
The M4A1 is first seen in "S.S.D.D.," (notably as the first weapon in the game) when the player helps train the locals, and seen in almost every mission after that. The M4A1 is commonly used by the Rangers and Task Force 141, as it is the standard assault rifle for the two factions.

In right hands the M4A1 can be a very deadly weapon mainly due to high rate of fire, low recoil, and good accuracy. However, it also sways four degrees, making it somewhat difficult to aim. Firing in short bursts makes for accurate medium-to-long-range fire.

A unique "SOPMOD" version of the weapon is used only in "The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday" and in "The Gulag." The SOPMOD M4A1 is equipped with a silencer, Red Dot Sight, and M203. However, in "The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday" the silencer is detached later in the mission. Albeit rarely, there's also an ACOG version of this in the level "The Hornet's Nest", "Of Their Own Accord" and "Contingency" obtainable from fallen allies.

In "Museum", the silenced M4A1's pickup icon is different than usual. It appears to be the unused M4A1 with a silencer and a Tasco Sight from Call of Duty 4, a theory reinforced by the name "M4A1 Suppressed", which they share.

Multiplayer
In Multiplayer, the M4A1 becomes available at level 4 as a default weapon, when Create-a-Class is unlocked. The M4A1 is very similar to the ACR, firing 50 RPM faster but having slightly higher recoil. These traits arguably make this rifle inferior to the ACR because the higher RPM is barely noticeable in contrast to its ever-present higher recoil and lower range.

However, even this small increase in fire rate may make the difference at close range, especially in conjunction with Stopping Power. Since this weapon excels at close range, perks like Marathon and Lightweight can be used to close the gap between player and opponent. If total stealth is preferred rather than speed or power, Cold-Blooded can prove to be effective. In addition, perks increasing ammunition availability such as Scavenger or One Man Army are very useful since the rifle uses ammo quickly due to its rather fast fire rate. Steady Aim makes the M4A1 a powerhouse in close quarters. Overall, the M4A1 is one of the most versatile weapons in multiplayer, though often overlooked because of its early unlock.

The M4A1's slight recoil forces the user to burst fire at long range, which makes it more suited to medium to close range while the ACR is more accurate at long range when firing full-auto. The M4A1 benefits greatly from Stopping Power due to its relatively low damage, making it kill in four shots at even the highest ranges. It has almost no benefits from Stopping Power in Hardcore modes, due to the M4A1 being one-hit-kill at close and mid-range, and two at long range. However, with Stopping Power, it will be able to one-shot players if a headshot is made at long ranges, but the effects are generally useless.

Optics are a good choice for the M4A1 as some players find the flip-up Iron Sights to be obstructive, although others may find them to be perfectly usable. The Red Dot Sight is often seen used with the weapon. The Holographic Sight is seen much less often, but can be slightly better for aiming at targets at close range. The ACOG Scope is surprisingly effective, though one's ability at close ranges will be affected negatively. When used with a silencer, muzzle flash is reduced significantly, making such a setup quite effective for both stealth and close quarters battles.

Weapon Attachments

 * M203
 * Shotgun
 * Red Dot Sight
 * Holographic Sight
 * Silencer
 * Heartbeat Sensor
 * ACOG Scope
 * Thermal Scope
 * FMJ
 * Extended Mags

Gallery

 * For camouflage images, see M4A1 Carbine/Camouflage.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
The M4A1 Carbine is featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized with two variants, the original 3-round burst M4 Carbine, and the fully automatic M4A1. The M4 Carbine and M4A1 have the same rate of fire, but the M4A1 has much more stopping power. However, it has the 2nd slowest rate of fire of all the assault rifles in the game.

The M4A1 is very similar in appearance compared to the console and PC one in Call of Duty 4. It has the same reload animation, and it is only found with a red dot sight and foregrip in single player as well, but that is where the similarities end. First of all, the weapon has a higher damage than the Call of Duty 4 version, as it can perform a one shot kill if it is aimed at the chest at any range. Second, it has a higher rate of fire, and, lastly,like all the weapons of Modern Warfare: Mobilized, it has almost no recoil when aiming down the sights.

Singleplayer
In single player, the M4A1 is a starting weapon in the last few missions of the American campaign, and in the middle of the British campaign. Since it has a high rate of fire, and only 120 extra rounds to start with, it usually runs out of ammo before the end of the level. It only appears once in the American campaign and once in the British campaign, making this rifle extremely rare.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, it is the first weapon unlocked for the Coalition faction, taking 50 kills to unlock. Due to its high rate of fire and low recoil, it is favored by many players.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The M4A1 makes its return in ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. ''The M4A1 has a new look; a matte black finish, a custom charging handle assist, redesigned stock, slightly different iron sights and straight magazines. As in previous installments, a foregrip is mounted by default. From pick-up icons of the M4A1 in gameplay videos of Modern Warfare 3, it is referred to as an "M4". It is also seen in later missions with an ACOG Scope or M203 Grenade Launcher.

Singleplayer
The M4A1 is the first weapon to be used in the campaign, being Frost's weapon at the start of Black Tuesday. It is a starting weapon in Goalpost, Return to Sender, Down the Rabbit Hole, and Dust to Dust. It can also be found in Persona Non Grata.

Multiplayer
The M4A1 is unlocked as soon as Create a Class is unlocked at Level 4. It has low recoil and a fast rate of fire. The damage up close is high, but the damage at range is very low, making the M4A1 more suited to close-quarters. Because it has the fastest kill time of all the assault rifles at close range, as well as one of the fastest reload times, the M4A1 is a great choice for an aggressive style of play. Stalker is useful in this regard, allowing you to strafe enemies at mid-close range and to quickly check corners while aiming down your sights. The M4A1 sports slightly greater recoil than in previous installments, but the Kick proficiency is not required for long-range engagements, freeing up the proficiency slot for other useful options, such as Attachments or Focus. Because of the considerably cluttered iron sights, optical attachments are recommended.

Weapon Attachments

 * Red Dot Sight - Unlocked at Weapon Level 2
 * Suppressor - Unlocked at Weapon Level 5
 * Grenade Launcher (M203) - Unlocked at Weapon Level 8
 * ACOG Scope - Unlocked at Weapon Level 11
 * Heartbeat Sensor - Unlocked at Weapon Level 14
 * Holographic Sight - Unlocked at Weapon Level 17
 * Shotgun (attachment) - Unlocked at Weapon Level 20
 * Hybrid Sight - Unlocked at Weapon Level 23
 * Extended Mags - Unlocked at Weapon Level 26
 * Thermal Scope - Unlocked at Weapon Level 29

Proficiency

 * Kick - Unlocked at Weapon Level 4
 * Impact - Unlocked at Weapon Level 9
 * Attachments - Unlocked at Weapon Level 12
 * Focus - Unlocked at Weapon Level 16
 * Breath - Unlocked at Weapon Level 22
 * Stability - Unlocked at Weapon Level 28

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance
It is seen in the campaign in the missions "Through the Mountains", "Dam Approach", "Lights Out", "Dangerous Cargo", and "Hurricane Ivan." The M4 looks like the M4 in Call of Duty 4. It has a high rate of fire, moderate recoil, medium damage, and has three attachments. These are the Red Dot Sight, Scoped, and M203.

General

 * When sensitivity is at ten and the player is turning to the right, the M4A1 appears to be missing a rail on the right side of the handguard; this modeling error is most likely for the purpose of saving memory and space.
 * The M4A1's fire selector is modeled on semi-automatic, even though it fires in fully-automatic.
 * The pickup icon for the M4A1 in Call of Duty 4 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer are the same, despite the actual weapons having very notable physical differences
 * It is always found with a purely cosmetic grip, unless a Grenade Launcher, Shotgun or FMJ is attached.
 * It has been in every main installment of the Modern Warfare series, a distinction it currently shares with the AK-47, P90, RPG-7, M16A4, Dragunov, Desert Eagle, USP .45, Javelin, Stinger, and the Barrett .50cal.
 * In every game it has been in, it has had different iron sights.
 * In all games except for Call of Duty 4, the grip is missing in Create-A-Class/inventory menu.
 * It has appeared in every primary Modern Warfare series game.
 * The M4A1 is one of the most used weapon by any of the Military/Army in the Modern Warfare series, which includes the United States Marine Corps, U.S. Army Rangers, and the Delta Force.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

 * The lower receiver of the M4A1 has "BLUE4" written in tape; the M16A4 shares these markings. "BLUE4" is a reference to BluFor, the opposite of OpFor, which is applied to all NATO forces. It also says, "Property of U.S. Government, Caliber 5.56mm, M4A1 Carbine" over the magazine well, regardless of what faction for which the player is fighting.
 * In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition for Wii, the M4A1 is referred to as the "M4 Carbine" in multiplayer. In campaign, it is correctly referred to as the "M4A1". This is also true for the PC.
 * The M4A1's serial number is "L141583"
 * The M4A1 SOPMOD has the same pickup icon as the M4A1 Grenadier in single player.
 * The M4A1 and the M16A4 has the same firing sound.
 * The M4A1 SOPMOD with iron sights that is found in "Ultimatum" (via "give all") is having the correct pickup icon of the default M4A1 SOPMOD.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

 * The emblem received for getting 500 headshots with the M4A1 reads "M4 Carbine" instead of "M4A1."
 * The M4A1's foregrip disappears in multiplayer when equipped with FMJ, although the animation still looks like the player is holding a foregrip.
 * The M4A1 and M16A4 share reload animations.
 * The Create-a-Class pic has no forearm.
 * Attaching an ACOG Scope to an M4A1 in multiplayer causes pickup text to change from "M4A1" to "M4 ACOG Sight."
 * Like the AK-47 and ACR, this weapon's designation with a grenade launcher is "M4A1 Grenadier."
 * In the Create-A-Class icon, the M4A1 lacks its grip.
 * In the Museum, the M4A1 has a different pickup icon, it looks as if it has a Tasco Sight.
 * After you blow your cover in The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday you lose the silencer and you M4A1 SOPMOD becomes a M4A1 Grenadier w/ Red Dot Sight.

Call of Duty: Mobilized

 * The M4A1 lacks the grip in it's Inventory icon.
 * It is the most powerful, but slowest firing assault rifle in-game.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

 * In the 'Tango Down' Multiplayer trailer the M4A1 can be seen with no foregrip when it's being reloaded; however, the player still assumes the position of holding a foregrip, most likely due to it being an unfinished model at the time.
 * The pick up icon and Create-A-Class image lacks the grip.
 * Despite the fact that M4A1 can fire 30 rounds before reloading, the magazine's model is that of a 20-round magazine for some reason.
 * The ACR, CM901, M4A1, and many other assault rifles seem to have a similar sound when firing with a Suppressor in MW3.
 * In the beginning of Down the Rabbit Hole, an M4A1 with every attachment can be found, but it cannot be picked up.
 * In Singleplayer, the M4A1 always has the zoom of an ACOG Scope when aiming down the sight, regardless of which optic is attached, with the exception of the Hybrid Sight, when using the Holographic part of the sight.
 * In the beginning of Black Tuesday, Frost cocks the M4A1 using the charging handle. But soon after, it goes back to its regular reload animation.
 * This is the first time the M4A1 uses a Magpul.
 * The M4A1 and the ACR share the exact same sound effects when reloading.
 * In the Spec Ops mission "Smack Town" the M4A1 has an M203 grenade launcher, a Red Dot Sight and Extended Mags.
 * The SOPMOD Variant of the M4A1 doesn't appear at all.
 * When looking from third person, the grenade launcher is not placed directly in front of the magazine, unlike in first person.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance

 * The scoped version's HUD icon has a grip, while the red dot, M203, and normal HUD icon have no grip on them.
 * The M4 has a grip in first-person view, but it is not held as if it had grip.