The best LMGs in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, ranked

A battlefield is a dangerous place. Bullets fly everywhere, armored vehicles trying to ruin your day and a whole host of soldiers trying to separate you from your life. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is no exception to this rule. You’ll find that you’re continuously getting shot at, and the only way you’re going to survive is by having the best weapons in your loadout.

Unfortunately, they did not make the Light Machine Gun for the high octane world of Call of Duty multiplayer. It’s quite cumbersome, which means your mobility is going to be somewhat limited. They do have their uses, though. If you find yourself in a squad battle, then they’re perfect for laying down suppressing fire. You can give your team a better chance to advance your massive amount of ammunition or tear holes through the bodies of any sorry enemy to step in your way.

This guide looks at the much beleaguered LMS and decides which one is the best one for you.

6. PKM

The PKM kicks like a mule that’s just had a red hot poker jammed into its private parts. This effect means that the recoil on it makes it very difficult to use unless you’re willing to put the time into figuring it out. It also doesn’t lay down a wall of bullets, more like a cloud, as it has a pretty slow fire rate, but it does inflict a massive amount of damage on anything that you do manage to hit. So there is that. Stat-wise, all of the LMGs are close, but the PKM will output the most damage if you can hit the target.

5. M91

The M91 packs a lot of ammo in its clip, so you’ll spend a lot less time reloading than you would with the others in this guide. It also fires an incredible amount of bullets in a short space of time, and these will cause a hell of a lot of pain to anyone dumb enough to get in your way. On the downside, however, is the fact that it takes forever to lock onto anyone, and it will cut back and forth from side to side so severely that you’re more than likely going to hit a few walls before the person that you’re aiming at. This weapon should be used more to secure an area than running and gunning as its mobility (even for an LMG) is rather poor.

4. MG34

The MG34 has all the right spots nailed down with a brilliant rate of fire, massive damage, and hardly any recoil. It will also punch its way through nearly anything your enemies may choose to hide behind, meaning there is no escape from this weapon of death. This World War II weapon is a favorite in the Call of Duty community, so it is no surprise it made its way back in Modern Warfare. What holds it back, though, is only a 50 round drum and an excruciatingly long wait to reload.

3. SA87

When is an LMG not an LMG? When it’s the SA87, of course. This weapon has more in common with an assault rifle than it does with an LMG, which means it’s light and agile. It also carries a ton of bullets in a clip and causes a ton of serious death to anyone in its patch. It has much less ammo, only carrying 30 rounds in a clip, but easily has the best mobility of the batch.

2. Bruen MK9

The Bruen MK9 excels in the mid to long-range battle. Its accuracy is the best in its class and can be modded essentially into an assault rifle-LMG hybrid if you are using the proper attachments. Its recoil control can also be easily managed, making it one of the most accurate weapons on this list, although it does take a hit to its damage output in doing so.

1. Holger-26

If you unlock the Holger-26, you find an LMG that matches the SA87 in mobility, but with better control, a faster fire rate, and a ton more shots before needing reloading. This weapon is probably the most versatile of the LMGs, which earns our number one spot, especially if you are playing Warzone and need to travel long distances.

Neil Gray contributed to this feature article.