Light Machine Guns | Weapons Battlefield 4 Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
The LMGs are the kind of weapon designed typically to support soldiers in the battlefield. Their characteristics are the relatively long range, large capacity of the magazine and also strong recoil. They are ideal for continuous barrage and for suppressing the enemy. If properly used, they can pose a considerable threat for the enemy snipers, as well as for clusters of enemies. Their greatest downside is their hip-shooting accuracy and the long reload times.
Light machine guns can be used in two ways: mobile and stationary. By using the bipod, the gun improves in terms of stability and that is when it poses the greatest threat to snipers of the opposing squad, as well as for the other distant targets. The cost of using the bipod is the lowered value of the LMGs for a mobile fight at close ranges, because the bipod replaces the front grip. A stationary gunner should also consider mounting the X3,4-4 scope onto the gun, or the Magnifier X2 for maximum effectiveness against distant targets. Fighting in constant movement, with the use of this kind of gun is a far cry. Regardless of the accessories attached to the gun, most LMGs are inferior, when it comes to accuracy, and often the rate of fire, especially to carbines, assault rifles and PDWs. This is not to say, however that the LMG user is without any chances against gunmen using one of the above, at close quarters. Thanks to the high capacity for suppressive fire, and their capacious magazines, a support soldier, equipped with an LMG can pepper the enemy with incessant torrent of lead, which not only inflicts decent damage, but also confuses the enemy and weakens his accuracy, by blurring his vision and causing the sight to wobble. With appropriate attachments, the tremendous recoil of the LMGs can be alleviated, during fights at close quarters, but there is nothing to help while hip-shooting in motion. In such a situation, killing the enemy may prove to be more of a matter of luck (or the enemy's incompetence) than the gunner's skills. While fighting at short and medium ranges, always use the optical sights to target. The only exception if a fight face-to-face, when the enemy is, literally, at hand.
Unlike with most weapons in Battlefield 4, equipping the LMG with laser sight rarely makes sense because increasing the accuracy of the hip shot by the several percent makes not that much difference. Since you should be using the optical sights at close quarters (the laser sights do not influence accuracy in this case), a way better choice is the flashlight, which will blind the enemy who, since he is under fire, will be additionally suppressed. This way, you can strengthen the effect of confusion and make it more difficult for the enemy to fire an accurate shot.
In this chapter, you will find a list of the hidden characteristics of the weapons, the comparison (described in the Commentary) and a few hints concerning the suggested accessories. Still, you should remember that these are only common-sense hints whose aim is, predominantly, not to bring harm (e.g. by emphasizing the downsides of the LMGs) but, there is nothing in your way if you just want to experiment in order to adjust the weapon to a more specialist use, which in turn decreases its universal character. The hints that refer to the accessories concern only those, whose mounting directly translates into altering the weapon's statistics, i.e. the barrel, the underslung element and the laser. The remaining accessories are completely optional, dependent on the preferences ad your experience with the game.
U-100 MK5
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | --- |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~65 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | very short |
FULL RELOAD TIME | very short |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | high |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | low |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | low / low |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | short |
The first LMG that you put your hands on is, basically, a slightly modified assault rifle with larger magazine. As a result, it behaves much like its cousin but, it is an LMG of the lowest rate of fire , of the available ones. Its recoil is relatively easy to counteract because it does not carry away vertically, and the raising of the barrel is easy to correct. The considerable precision of the first round makes it easy to hit distant targets with this weapon.
Suggested accessories: Laser, Angled grip, Muzzle brake.
TYPE 88 LMG
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | 4 000 |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~65 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | very long |
FULL RELOAD TIME | very long |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | low |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | high |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | high / high |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | long |
Type 88 is a quick-firing LMG with a huge magazine and low automatic fire accuracy. The vertical recoil is only a bit larger than in the case of the U-100 but, its horizontal recoil is almost twice as large. The accuracy of the initial round is not impressive so, the Type 88 is definitely not for those who prefer precision and it is way better for shorter-range fights.
Suggested accessories: Bipod/ Stubby grip, Compensator .
LSAT
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | 11 000 |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~65 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | long |
FULL RELOAD TIME | long |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | low |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | low |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | low / low |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | medium |
LSAT is a gun ideal for clearing narrow corridors and laying down barrage at medium distances. The accuracy of the initial shot is rather low but, the relatively low vertical and horizontal recoil make it possible to conduct continuous fire into one point with satisfactory precision. The medium-sized magazine and the long reload times result in the fact that it is better to find a safe place to conduct fire.
Suggested accessories: Bipod/ Stubby grip, Compensator , Flashlight.
PKP PECHENEG
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | 19 000 |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~75 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | medium |
FULL RELOAD TIME | medium |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | low |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | very high |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | high / high |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | long |
PKP is one of the most powerful LMGs, of all the available ones. Additionally, its range is the longest of all. The price that you need to pay for that is a strong recoil, both vertical and horizontal so, it is difficult to say that the automatic fire is precise over medium and long distance. It works better while firing short bursts, at which point its accuracy increases - especially in combination with bipod.
Suggested accessories: Bipod/ Stubby grip, heavy barrel.
QBB-95-1
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | 28 000 |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~65 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | short |
FULL RELOAD TIME | short |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | very high |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | very low |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | low / very low |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | short |
QBB is another assault rifle designed to conduct long, continuous fire at the enemy positions. It is considerably more accurate than the other LMGs and it is easy to control its recoil without using the bipod. It is definitely one of the better choices of the soldiers who advocate mobility and direct fight.
Suggested accessories: Laser, vertical grip, Muzzle brake.
M240B
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | 37 000 |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~75 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | medium |
FULL RELOAD TIME | medium |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | very low |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | very high |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | low / medium |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | very long |
Just like PKP Pecheneg, M240B can be characterized with large damage and long effective range. The low recoil after the initial shot, makes the bursts quite accurate but, the recoil after the successive shots makes it virtually impossible to conduct precise automatic fire, during which the gun carries away a bit more to the right. In return, it is a bit faster than the PKP Pecheneg.
Suggested accessories: Bipod / Stubby grip, Compensator , Heavy barrel.
MG4
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | 48 000 |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~65 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | medium |
FULL RELOAD TIME | medium |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | low |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | medium |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | low / high |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | very long |
MG4 is one of the fastest of the available LMGs and, at the same time, surprisingly accurate after fitted with appropriate accessories - even while conducting automatic fire. It is equipped with the largest magazine available in this class and, the reloading times are among the shortest ones. This makes the weapon to fight even against multiple enemies, over short distances. With a bit of luck and skill, you can carry it through a corridor swarming with enemies and leave no one alive - and all of this by holding down the trigger.
Suggested accessories: Laser, Stubby grip / vertical grip, Compensator .
M249
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~65 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | medium |
FULL RELOAD TIME | medium |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | low |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | medium |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | high / medium |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | very long |
M249 is another quick-firing LMG with a big magazine and, unfortunately, a considerable horizontal recoil. During the automatic fire, the weapon spreads to the right, still, the fire is more condensed than in the case of the majority of weapons in this class. The low recoil after the initial shot makes the precision of bursts decent.
Suggested accessories: Bipod / Stubby grip, Compensator , Heavy barrel.
RPK-12
STATISTIC | VALUE |
POINTS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK | |
MAXIMUM REACH/EFFECTIVE RANGE | <8~65 meters |
TACTICAL RELOAD TIME | very short |
FULL RELOAD TIME | very short |
RECOIL AFTER THE FIRST SHOT | high |
RECOIL OF SHOTS IN SUCCESSION (BURST, AUTO) | low |
RECOIL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT | very low / very low |
STABILIZATION TIME AFTER THE LAST FIRING | short |
The last LMG is another assault rifle which has been altered so, it works in similar conditions but, it has a larger magazine. Immensely accurate, thanks to the barely sensible horizontal recoil and, the large precision of the initial shot makes it ideal for medium and long distances. One of the best choices of aggressive support soldiers who are more like assault soldiers.
Suggested accessories: Laser, Angled grip, Muzzle brake.