With billions of dollars spent, millions of bullets fired, and thousands of expletives shouted, each November brings the promise of a new Call of Duty game. Whether they care to admit it or not, most gamers have found themselves, at some point in their lives, engrossed in the latest world saving campaign or addicting multiplayer mode. With people pouring hundreds of hours of their time into the biggest first person shooter on Earth, each person finds which guns feel right and which guns are the culprit for countless rage quits and a terrible K/D ratio. Only a select few of these weapons however, stand out as the franchise’s best killing machines.
Honey Badger
The Honey Badger is, in many ways, a very fitting name. Found in the most recent franchise installment, Call of Duty: Ghosts , the Honey Badger is slick, steady, and sneaky, much like the mustelid it’s named after. Coming readily equipped with a silencer it is used in many missions throughout the campaign and is a favorite in multiplayer. Its first shot recoil reduction allows for quick kills from afar while its fire rate overpowers those up close. Plus, did I mention that it has a really cool name? Hopefully we see more of the Honey Badger in future Call of Duty games.
KAR 98k
The KAR 98k is a slow shooting bolt-action rifle. It has a small clip and is terrible at close range, but what it lacks in fire rate it makes up for in sheer power. Capable of picking off enemies in one shot, the KAR 98k is one of the most powerful weapons found in the early Call of Duty games. Though not as good as the Allies’ M1 Garand, the KAR 98k allows players to go full on beast mode in multiplayer. Add on a scope and you’ll start picking enemies off one by one from far away. The only disadvantage of course is missing the first shot up close, in which case you’re screwed.
Model 1887
In many ways the Model 1887 was a joke before it was patched, but that’s why it’s on our list. Appearing in Modern Warfare 2 , the lever action shotgun, until fixed, was the most infuriating weapon in the entire game. One shotgun was powerful enough, but deciding to akimbo with two was a good way to make everyone hate you. It’s hard to understand just how overpowered this gun was for a time unless experienced first-hand. Watching the kill camera as someone duel wielding these bad boys killed you halfway across the map was beyond frustrating. Of course, that was unless you were the shooter; in that case it was fun as hell. Double shotgun damage with sniper-like range haunted many dreams before it was patched to severely hinder its capabilities. In some ways I wish it was never fixed.
MP40
If you’ve ever played the original Call of Duty campaign, you’ve definitely become accustomed to the MP40. Found on almost any dead Nazi, the MP40 finds its way into many players’ hands when they realize their clips are empty (hint: it happens often). Sure, it isn’t very accurate or good looking, but it is extremely effective at firing from the hip. Used in multiplayer it’s a spray and prayer’s best friend and doesn’t require much skill to use. That was of course until World at War , then, statistically speaking, it is the most powerful weapon in the game. Since then the MP40 can be found in almost every map of Nazi Zombies and is extremely helpful when battling the undead in the early rounds.
M16A4
For whatever reason, the M16A4 is fully automatic in the first Modern Warfare campaign. Rapid fire does this weapon injustice however, and should only be considered when firing three-round bursts. Like many things in life, people didn’t give the M16A4 the light of day because it was harder to pick up and be good with right away. And to be honest it still isn’t for everyone, in fact I hate it to this day, but when someone gets it, they really get it. Once players became more akin to the three-round burst, headshots became the norm. High power, low kickback and easy conservation of ammo made the M16A4 one of the best weapons in every installment of the Modern Warfare series.
Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle has terrible recoil. In fact I’m surprised that it isn’t mounted on its own bipod. The ridiculous kickback is of course because of the pistol’s ridiculous power. Those lucky enough to fire two quick shots on target are always awarded with a kill. Up close, the Desert Eagle is a treacherous nightmare for those packing light. When you’re not staring down its barrel in the first Modern Warfare campaign, chances are you’re leveling up in multiplayer just for a chance to fire it. Not to mention it looks cool as hell when you case it in gold.
Thompson Machine-Gun
Maybe it’s because of Saving Private Ryan , but whenever I think of World War 2, I think of the Thompson machine gun. This fast shooting weapon is the first rapid fire machine gun ever fired in Call of Duty . Nothing is more satisfying than mowing down Nazis, Captain Miller style, and its low recoil coupled with high damage and clip size makes it versatile for any situation. The Thompson is an enemy’s worst nightmare until you run out of ammo, then it’s up to the aforementioned MP40 to save you.
Barrett .50 Cal
First seen in the first Modern Warfare , the Barrett .50 Cal has found its way into many quick-scoper’s hearts. In fact, it’s partially responsible for the popularity of quick-scoping still found in Call of Duty today. Its semiautomatic fire rate and high damage allows players to charge in head on and go toe to toe with those wielding close range weapons. Multiplayer isn’t the only place where the .50 Cal is useful however. Remember in the first Modern Warfare campaign when you have to assassinate that guy from afar and no matter what you can only hit his arm? Yup, that’s with the Barrett .50 Cal! Funny story: I was one kill away from a nuke in Modern Warfare 2 when my 24 kill steak was ended by a 360 quick-scope with this monster. To this day that was my highest kill streak in any multiplayer game.
Ray Gun
A Nazi Zombie player’s best friend, the Ray Gun made its way onto the Call of Duty scene in World at War . The futuristic blaster is capable of killing zombies in one hit and is an essential piece of weaponry for anyone looking to rack up their Zombie round score. Arguably the most popular and most powerful of the Wonder Weapons, the Ray Gun is coveted by any mystery box customer and makes others water at the mouth out of sheer jealousy. Until World at War every weapon in Call of Duty was based on history, the Ray Gun bucked this trend and made Nazi Zombies the phenomenon that it is today.
M1 Garand
General George S. Patton once called the M1 Garand, “the greatest battle implement ever devised”. In Call of Duty , the famous general’s words couldn’t be truer. The World War 2 rifle isn’t only effective at medium to long range, but is often useful in short situations due to its semi-automatic build. Found in the earliest levels of the original Call of Duty , the M1 Garand quickly gives players a leg up over their Nazi counterparts firing with bolt-action equivalents (see: KAR 98k). In multiplayer its upgrade over bolt-action ensures those firing quick enough will score easy kills. Plus, the famous “pinging” noise as the clip ejects is reason in itself to make the M1 Garand #1 on our list.