The M4A1-S and the M4A4 form the backbones of the CT arsenal, being the most commonly purchased rifles on the Counter-Terrorist team. Despite facing avid rivalry from the Terrorist's AK-47, or even the SG 553 (also on the Terrorist team) both the CT M4s can hold their own in gunfights against a majority of weapons most commonly used in the meta.


However, despite being quite closely matched in appearances and stats, both M4s require drastically different playstyles which make the "better" weapon a hotly contested topic in the CS:GO community. So, let's get into the statistics that make these two similar rifles so different from each other in actual gameplay practice.

As mentioned before, both guns are very similar, however, there are key differences to point out, starting with damage.




At point blank, both firearms do identical damage. Both weapons (against unarmored targets) kill with one headshot, 4 chest and arm shots, three shots to the stomach and pelvis, and five shots to the legs, which makes both the M4s solid choices against unarmored targets, particularly with the M4A4, as we will get into later.


Both rifles sport a 70% armor penetration stat, which is on par with the FAMAS, but lower than the AK-47 and the Galil, and nowhere near as good as the SG 553. This means both rifles lose their ability to one-tap fully armored targets at any range. Both rifles do only 92 damage to the head, making them two-shots to kill against fully-geared, full-health opponents. The chest and arms drop down to a 5-shot kill for both rifles, while at least retaining a 4-shot kill for the stomach and pelvis areas. Legs remain unaffected as these areas of the body are not covered by armor.

By comparison, the AK-47 deals 36 raw damage along with 77.5% armor penetration, which makes the damage numbers for both of these rifles lower than that of the AK-47 and on-par with the budget Terrorist assault rifle, the Galil AR, which curiously sports a higher armor-penetration value compared to both M4's.



Note, removing the silencer does not increase damage whatsoever.




All rifles in CS:GO have a range cutoff at 8,192 units, which is further than any situation you will encounter in any official map.

Curiously, the M4A1-S has lower damage dropoff compared to the M4A4. To clarify, damage dropoff is the amount of damage the weapon loses over range compared to point-blank.



SlothSquadron's spreadsheet highlights the damage difference when hitting the head once with both rifles at 512 units, 1024 units, and 2048 units respectively. As the range increases, the
M4A1-S's damage pulls ahead, however in practice this doesn't change the shots to kill against fully-armored, full-health opponents. However, this can make a difference with slightly injured targets, where the M4A1-S would down such foe in one shot where the M4A4 would be unable to.


The unsuppressed M4A1-S does the same damage at range with the suppressor detached, and also has the same cutoff range.

The M4A4 fires at a respectable 666 (no, that isn't a typo) RPM, which is the fastest rate of fire among assault rifles, along with the AUG, FAMAS, Galil, and SG 553. The M4A1-S however, is on the slower spectrum for assault rifles, at only 600 RPM, which is tied with the AK-47.

Having damage and rate of fire in mind, the M4A1-S not only deals less damage than the AK-47, but also has the same rate of fire, making the A1-S one of the slowest, if not the slowest killing assault rifle in close-quarters. In this instance, the M4A4 ranks up at around mid-table for time-to-kill against other rifles in CQB. The rate of fire is a contributing factor to the M4A4 being deadly against unarmored targets. With aimpunch to the enemy on your side, the fast rate of fire and high damage, the M4A4 is deadly against unarmored opponents at any range.

Learning spray patterns is important to mastering weapons, and in the case of the two M4s, this is no different. With a lower rate of fire (and a smaller mag size), the A1-S has a smaller spray pattern compared to the faster-firing M4A4. In practice, this makes the M4A1-S easier to spray, and overall has lower spread than the M4A4 when spraying. However, those who master the spray pattern of the M4A4 can be greatly rewarded with a decent-damaging, fast-firing weapon. Both of these rifles have a smaller spray pattern compared to the AK-47.

However, with the unsuppressed M4A1-S, it's a different story. It has a larger and more random spray pattern compared to the suppressed M4A1 and the M4A4, and similar to the AK-47, only with lower damage and a lower rate of fire.


To clarify precision, higher precision has a lesser chance of bullets going everywhere when spraying/tapping than compared to a lower-precision weapon. Examples of low precision rifles are the Galil and the FAMAS, which, while having smaller spray patterns than more expensive rifles, generally have more varience in them, as well as lower first shot accuracy. making them less predictable each time.

The M4A1-S, having a lower spray pattern, as well as a slower rate of fire, unsurprisingly has better first-shot accuracy. The M4A4 does favorably as well, also beating out the AK-47 in this regard.

The unsuppressed A1-S performs poorly, with precision lower than that of the A4 and with the suppressor on, and on-par with the FAMAS.

The M4A1-S has 20 bullets in a magazine with 40 in reserve, which is definitely on the shallow side. Three full magazines of spraying and you will be left helpless flailing with your knife or resorting to a weaker pistol. The M4A4, on the other hand, holds 30 bullets in a magazine with 90 in reserve, which is the same as other rifles like the AUG, SG 553, and AK-47, with the Galil being the sole rifle that holds more ammo.

Keeping this is mind, 60 bullets total is not a lot, 20 rounds in a mag means you will be constantly reloading after every engagement, and spamming through walls not recommended. The low rate of fire helps to conserve what little ammo you are equipped with the M4A1-S, but it's important to pick your shots accurately and at the right time.


With a suppressor equipped, the M4A1-S is dead silent when firing compared to every other rifle in the game. The M4A4 is significantly louder when firing in third-person and first-person, meaning that it would be easier to get silent, swift kills with the M4A1-S compared to the M4A4, which might be a contributing factor to choose an M4A1-S over an A4, depending on the playstyle.

Interesting to note: no tracers are shown when firing the M4A1-S, where with every other assault rifle, it would show tracers after every third bullet, adding to its stealth factor.



With the suppressor attached, the M4A1-S is the longest assault rifle in the game, with the sniper rifles only being longer. With this, and the everlasting bug of gun barrels being visible through walls, it's important to check what corners you might be camped in and adjust to avoid being spotted and taken down. To adjust this, you can take the suppressor off, but bear in mind that you will be helpless when performing this procedure. Holding a grenade or switching to a pistol can hide you.

While not the most significant point, it may be important to note and people unaware of the long barrel of the M4A1-S can be spotted and taken down easily.

Fun fact: the M4A4 conceals the character model more than the Desert Eagle.


Both M4s move at 225 units per second when equipped. To give some examples of movement speeds compared to other popular weapons, the AK-47 (215 units per second) the FAMAS (220 units per second) and oddly, the MP7 SMG (220 units per second) all move slower. In short, the two M4s are the speediest rifles in terms of movement speed in CS:GO.

Worth noting: the CT-exclusive rifles all move faster compared to the Terrorist-exclusive rifles.

It all comes down to personal preference.

The M4A4 is an all-around great weapon. It has a higher fire rate and higher accuracy compared to the AK-47, but sacrifices raw damage and a one-tap headshot against armored opponents. Compared to the M4A1-S, it favors a more "hard-line" approach, great for challenging enemies around corners and mid-range gunfights. It has double the bullets that the M4A1-S comes equipped with, and for that reason, it doesn't punish you for missing too many shots. The rifle is also great for mid-long range combat. While not as accurate as the A1-S or scoped rifles, the A4 justifies itself with impressive first-shot and bursting accuracy, while at the same time, being very competitive at close-quarters combat.

The M4A1-S may sound inferior in certain areas. It has a fire rate that of the AK-47, but with lower damage and armor penetration, it has hardly any ammo in its magazine and also in reserve, but in-game, when playing to the gun's strength, it can be a very strong rifle, even among compelling rifle choices. Its in-built suppressor allows for silent, mid-long range takedown kills, while sporting more competitive damage at range compared to its CT counterpart. It can be very useful against stationary snipers when playing from entrenched or covered positions. While a small mag size might hold the M4A1-S from being great against multiple targets, it can easily be countered by good aim and trigger discipline. Practice makes perfect, and the M4A1-S rewards players with good trigger discipline, accuracy, and the element of surprise.

While the debate of the superior M4 might linger in people's minds - it's actually the playstyle that these rifles demand makes them better or worse, depending on the situation. The two M4s are very popular firearms, and choosing the correct one for your taste is critical for your success. The purpose of this guide was not to make people walk away debating which one is better - it's meant for people to decide which one may be better for them based on their stats and differences.

Thanks for reading this guide, and I hope that it has helped you choose the rifle that asserts your needs. A thumbs-up would be greatly appreciated!

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