Modern Warfare's Awesome Gunsmith, A Brief Review

Every COD game since Black Ops included some version of the Pick-10 system for create-a-class. The system let you spend 10 slots on gun attachments, perks, killstreaks, and equipment like grenades n such. It was a lot more freeing than the previous system where you had to pick 1 attachment, 3 perks, 3 killstreaks, and 1 grenade. With Pick-10, if you wanted your loadout to have more weapon attachments at the cost of a perk, baby, you got it.

Modern Warfare's Gunsmith system is the fully evolved form of Pick-10. Gunsmith allows you to select 5 attachments per weapon, period. Already we're off to a great start. Then you can select 3 killstreaks, 3 perks, 2 pieces of equipment, and 1 field upgrade (powerup).

What makes this awesome is that Gunsmith can dramatically change the look and stats of your weapon. These are drastic changes you can feel in gameplay. In-fact, that you can turn the big n' beefy battle rifle Scar-H into a cute and tiny carbine, mirroring their real-life counterparts. 

Matching variants up with their real-life counterparts through attachments and skins is what keeps me playing MW. Yeah, that's right, I'm a bit of a gun scientist myself. I remember playing shooters like Joint Ops and being surprised they not only included an M16, but also one with a red dot sight as a different weapon. That detail was shocking to 15-year-old me and if he could see me now, he'd be happy about Gunsmith and not so happy about 27-year-old me, like, as a concept. 

Okay, it's not perfect, because MW doesn't have the licensing for many of its weapons so some look like Wish.com versions of the real thing. Also, some attachments don't change the look exactly how they would in real life, and sometimes the blueprints that you need to perfect a look are locked away behind dumb, time sensitive "seasons". 

But hey, this is the first version of Gunsmith and it's still great. Enough talk let's look at some of my variants with how they look in real life.

M4A1

The basic M4A1 looks like an M4A1. No surprises here besides sandy colored bits here and there. In MW, this carbine is classified as an assault rifle. I opted to not customize a basic M4A1 in favor of other variants as there's a dumb limit on the number of variants you can have per weapon platform.

M4 Commando

My take on the Colt M4 Commando includes a carry handle. Like the real life weapon, this one is perfectly sized for more close engagements due to its lighter weight, short barrel, smaller overall length when compared to the M16 it's based on. It's the perfect submachine gun for when you both want a compact weapon and still want 'em to die good with intermediate cartridges. 

The carry handle for the M4 in COD is shiny because I've only now unlocked it. The regular textured carry handle was locked behind a timed reward that I've missed. Hooray for seasons.

M16A4

This M16A4 is a beaut' I tell ya what. The longer barrel lets ya engage targets at longer distances and the foregrip keeps your aim steady. This is probably my favorite firearm because I played waaay too much Blackhawk Down back in the day, and I actually owned a cheap airsoft M16A4. My take on this weapon includes harder hitting .458 SOCOM rounds for maximum stopping power at the cost of ammo capacity and mobility. There's also room for a mid-ranged sight.

Have any of ya'll played Blackhawk Down on PC? 

DDM4 V7 SLW

So there's this company called Daniel Defense (lol) that makes weapons based on the M4. Shocking, I know, but hey, specific parts are in the game to make the DDM4 V7 SLW and that's exactly what I've done. I like this a lot because it has more mobility than the basic M4 with virtually no detriment to anything else besides recoil control.

SCAR-H

Called the Scar 17 in Modern Warfare, in real life, the SCAR-H STD is a big daddy battle rifle firing a cartridge one size larger than the M16 family of assault rifles. In game, its mobility is somewhat sluggish, and the ammo capacity of the default box magazine is pitiful. Still, those rounds hit hard with decent accuracy. 

SCAR-H PR 

This version of the Scar-H, the Scar-H Precision Rifle, does exactly what it says on the tin. It's perfect for support roles in game if you like severely hampered mobility thanks to its longer barrel, heavier stock, and 30 round magazine. But, hey, if you're running around with this goliath murder stick lie Rambo then you're not a particularly good camper. I suggest trying this configuration on Shoot House.

SCAR-H CQC

Rounding out the versatility of this beastly platform is the CQC, close quarters combat, version. My approximation includes a "no stock" attachment because the game won't allow for folding stocks. Also, there wouldn't be much different from the the Standard Scar-H otherwise, even with the shorter barrel and laser sight. Yeah, so this build is one of my favorites because it hits super hard and can compete with other SMG users in close range, requiring less rounds to secure a kill. 

Plus, look at it, ain't it cute?

AK-47

Ah, the AK-47. It's an old timey assault rifle that everybody loves. I've never been a fan of it's looks and I rarely ever used any AK style rifles in any COD games. That is until I discovered this weapon has many forms....

AKS-74

In the 70's, a lighter, better designed version of ye old AK-47 debuted: the AKS-74. This guy here uses an intermediate cartridge and folding stock for easier handling in tight spaces. Also, intermediate rounds are easier to control when firing.

Anyway, for MW, I chose the "no stock" option as there's no way to fold the skeleton stock, and I've added it's bayonet to further differentiate it from the AK-12. This one is super great at stabbing. I like to go for the heart but that's just me.

AKS-74u

This baby AK is designed for what it sounds like: baby hands. But also, close quarters combat. In life it uses a more intermediate cartridge so I've added the same to my Modern Warfare version. While I'm bummed that it's specialized grenade launcher is absent, you can still add one if you'd like.

Anyway, it's fun to use mostly because it was a beast in Black Ops. 

AK-12

The AK-12 is as modern as the AK line of assault rifles get. This guy includes proper rail mounts, modern polymers and plastics instead of a wood furniture for lighter weight, and includes a telescoping stock. In-game, there's only so much to do to mimic the weapon, but I came up with something similar. It fires an intermediate round like it's real life counterpart, and it includes a stock that looks similar. 

There is an AK-15 blueprint that looks the same as the AK-12 but fires a larger round, in-game, by the way. I opted to not show it here as it looks 100% the same except the magazine is obviously shaped differently to accommodate the larger round. Also, since there's limited spots for custom weapons, I opted for this next variant instead...

RPK

This big boy light machine gun fires an equally larger round through a longer barrel. This increases it's range and, combined with a sturdy stock and huge, 75-round drum mag, it's perfect for mowing down nubs on Shipment 24/7. You have the quick ADS speed of the assault rifle class combined with the range and suppressive fire ability of an LMG. Stonks, ya'll, stonks.

Grau 556

The Grau 556 is the SG 556 in real life. Made by Sig Sauer, this assault rifle platform is versatile af. I opted to not show the base weapon in-game as the base weapon is actually the SG P556, a pistol version of the regular assault rifle. But of course, Modern Warfare still classifies it as an assault rifle. Anyway, the gun is semi-automatic in real life and fully auto in Modern Warfare. 

Cherries are optional.

SG 550 Sniper

Designed for Swiss security forcers, this pretty rifle sacrifices a LOT of mobility in Modern Warfare for effective range. Just look at those stats, ya'll, its basically a fully auto sniper rifle. The only thing holding it back is its variable zoom scope falling short when compared to true sniper scopes.. Still, it's a hoot n' a half to hunt other, proper snipers with it on ground war.

AUG

Here's another case where the base weapon in MW is actually a variant of a larger weapon. In-game, it's called the AUG,  and its a submachine gun based on the real-life AUG Para XS. This sub-machine gun fires its baby 9mm rounds very quickly and looks very stylish while doing so. Hooray for stylish murder sticks. 

I added a foregrip in lieu of a slimmer rubber pad on the stock, but you do you boo-boo when you make your own.

AUG A3 SF

This guy is more in-line with the original AUG assault rifle, right down to firing the medium sized .556 NATO round and it's telescope sight with integrated rails. Man, I wish you could actually add attachment to those rails.

I like that the base version of this weapon in game is in the sub-machine gun category, because that means all of the subsequent variants will have quicker ADS speed and faster overall mobility. 

AUG H-BAR

As a light machine gun, I'm gonna be honest with ya'll, the AUG makes no sense. But hey, there it is with it's longer barrel, drum mag, and stupidly bad mobility despite being a bullpup. You can also make this weapon match the real life DMR variant if you add a bipod to the front of the grip-- oh, wait, you can't add a bipod to the AUG at all in Modern Warfare. Bummer.

That should do it for now, my dudes. By now you can see how Gunsmith is a game changer for the COD series. It allows you to turn what most would call "just a gun" into a proper weapon's platform with variants designed for specific roles. You don't even have to copy real-life variants like an Elite COD Player such as myself. If you want to add the longest barrel, a long range scope, and remove the stock on a Scar-H, go for it. It's all about what you want out of the weapon and more options is always a good thing.

This one took longer than I anticipated to put together so I hope you've enjoyed it. If you want to see more wordy, esoteric video-game related stuff then let me know. I have a LOT more variants in Modern Warfare and there's other games with equally esoteric mechanics I can dig into.