MG4

The MG4 is a light machine gun appearing in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It does low damage, but is very controllable.

Multiplayer
Unlocked at level 16. Of all the LMGs, the MG4 has the lowest damage per second, the longest reload and the least recoil. Because of this, it is one of the least used LMGs in Multiplayer. It is, however, a very effective weapon. It is the only LMG that is effective full auto even without the Grip. Without a grip, it is about as accurate as the M4A1. Likewise, when used with a Grip, it is essentially an LMG version of the ACR, with no damage loss over range, larger magazines and the slower handling of an LMG like lower movement speed and longer time to aim down the sights. Even with the ACOG, this weapon can be fired full auto with minimal loss of accuracy, though the shooter must follow the target while holding down the trigger. These qualities make the MG4 an average weapon at short and medium range as it will be overpowered by any other weapon with higher damage per second. It excels at longer range battles, where accuracy trumps power.

The MG4 can actually be quite a valuable weapon at long range. Since LMG's have no damage drop off with range, the MG4 will kill in as many bullets as one of the higher damage assault rifles (the SCAR-H or the TAR-21 for example, if they all have or don't have stopping power) but it has barely any recoil with a grip, and has a higher rate of fire than both of those weapons. Since it has almost as little recoil as the ACR, it actually can be much more useful at long range because of its higher damage at longer ranges and it's slightly quicker rate of fire, along with the 100 round pouch. However, the slow movement and slower time to bring up the sights can be a deal breaker for many, making the MG4 one of the hidden gems of the LMG's.

Unfortunately, the MG4's iron sights are slightly off, as the rear sight is lowered compared to front sight. Bullets will land at the top of the thicker part of the sight. This problem is easily solved through the use of any optic besides the iron sights. Most players consider Bling with Grip and Red Dot Sight, Holographic Sight, or ACOG the best setup, however a Thermal Scope can be surprisingly effective on certain maps such as Underpass, Estate, or Wasteland. A Silencer is ill-advised on the MG4 since it decreases the damage from 30 to 20, meaning without stopping power it will take 5 shots to kill at any distance (4 with stopping power). It also has a glitch that shows the shooter on the radar even if a silencer is attached.

Many players may be bothered by its slow reload (as it is the slowest in the game), but there are few options to mitigate it. Sleight of Hand is one of the obvious perks to counteract the slow reload, also the benefit from Sleight of Hand Pro then makes the MG4 shine because the sighting time is decreased. One Man Army is actually faster than reloading the MG4 with the added benefit of replenishing ammo and equipment. Using the Extended Mags attachment for the weapon is another solution; giving the MG4 all 200 rounds belt in one large magazine and thus no reload (unless if more ammunition is picked up).

While playing Split-Screen multiplayer (Local Multiplayer), you cannot see the Heartbeat Sensor on the gun. This also applies when you are aiming down the sight, along with most (if not all) guns.

Weapon Attachments

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

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
The MG4 appears in Modern Warfare: Mobilized as one of the two LMGs in-game. The MG4 shares the same basic appearance as its Modern Warfare 2 counterpart, but the ammunition is stored in a box as opposed to a cloth bag. The MG4 has a lower rate of fire, but makes up for it with higher damage per bullet. The MG4 is only used by the Insurgency in the levels Interception, Needle in a Haystack, To The Rig, Winter Assault, and Last Chance.

Trivia

 * The MG4, when equipped with FMJ, appears on the HUD as Explosive Rounds. As seen here.
 * The MG4 is tied with the RPD for longest reload time of any primary weapon in Modern Warfare 2.
 * The MG4 is the only machine gun in the Call of Duty series that uses a cloth ammo pouch.
 * The MG4 shares the same glitch as the M240 and M9. When fired with a silencer, you still appear as a red dot on enemy radar.
 * The pickup icon for the MG4 shows it mounted with its default carrying handle.