"Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" Rifler Guide

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I love giving advice in video games, especially in first-person shooters.

What Is 'Rifling'?

"Rifling" in Global Offensive: Counter Strike is a term used to define the role of some of the best professionals that the game has to offer. It means someone with expert marksmanship and cat-like reflexes. To perfect the role, one must acquire the necessary skills with both Counter-Terrorist and Terrorist rifle weaponry.

Since each side has its own repertoire of rifles, it's important to practice your aim in casual matches before heading into the matchmaking arena. Rifling has been around since Counter Strike's pre-beta days over a decade ago.

In more modern days, players who choose to be riflers can choose between the Terrorist's AK47 and Galil and the Counter-Terrorist's M4 (unsilenced and silenced) and the Famas. We will take a look at what each weapon has to offer and how you can utilize your skills to become a legend in matchmaking.

counter-strike-global-offensive-rifler-guide — Internet Movie Firearms Data Base

1. The AK47

The favored weapon of choice when it comes to rifling is also one of the more difficult weapons in its class to master. Becoming talented with the AK47 requires the most practice and patience when aiming. Its recoil is above and beyond any of the other rifles of its nature, so it makes hitting your target not an easy task.

Although its recoil is outrageous in comparison to CT's other rifle selections, it still packs the biggest punch out of all these weapons. Its armor-piercing bullets and powerful impact make for an easy kill if you can land a well-placed shot on your foe.


Advantages	Disadvantages
Kills helmet wearers in one hit	Less accurate than CT counterparts
High damage output	Very high recoil
Fast reload	Loss of accuracy in longer bursts
High first-shot accuracy	Slower firing rate than the M4A1
High skill gap	Less mobility
Cheaper than CT counter parts	Can only be bought by Terrorists
Effective at all ranges	Loud firing sound, easy to reveal position
No side-to-side sway in first 8 shots	Sometimes inconsistent

2. Galil

The Galil is one of the rifles that you can purchase on the Terrorist side when you're facing economic turmoil, or if you're having no luck with the AK47. There are some people who actually prefer the Galil over the AK due to the increase in magazine size and decrease in cost. However, the Galil does a lot less damage in comparison to the AK.

There are definitely some people who think that the Galil is one of the stronger weapons in the game as far as rifles go. However, the obvious choice should be the AK47 if you're looking to get the most out of your rifling experience and statistics.


Advantages	Disadvantages
Largest magazine capacity	Less accurate than the AK & M4
ModeratedDamage	Lower damage than the AK
Cheapest rifle on Terrorist side	Loses accuracy in longer bursts
Moderate accuracy	High recoil
High rate of fire	Low movement speed
Decent penetration
Lower recoil than the AK47

3. The Famas

The Famas is one of the most reliable weapons in Global Offensive. It comes equipped with all the stats that a rifler would need. Although it is lacking somewhat in damage, it does have a higher magazine than the silenced version of the M4.

The Famas has been one of the more popular choices for the Counter Terrorist side because of its cheap price in comparison to the expensive unsilenced version of the M4. People who use the Famas enjoy its powerful accuracy and spray. Its recoil is a bit overwhelming at first but you can get the hang of it almost immediately after picking one up.


Advantages	Disadvantages
3-round burst capability	Slightly weaker than the AUG
Cheapest CT rifle	Low accuracy if fired in automatic
Very accurate at long range in burst	Low rate of fire if in burst mode
Highest fire rate in CSGO	Smaller mag than the unsilenced M4
Larger mag than the silenced M4	Long reload time

4. M4A1 Carbine (Silenced)

This weapon is the preferred rifle for a lot of players in Global Offensive. Not only does it cost less than its brother rifles, it also comes equipped with a silencer which can be extremely advantageous on various maps.

At first it was the European professionals who decided to trade out the unsilenced M4 for this silenced and inexpensive version. It didn't take long for the North American and South American professional teams to follow the same path. However, in recent years, it's become more apparent that the small clip size (20 rounds) compared to its brother's 30-round clip can be vital as well.


Advantages	Disadvantages
Fairly high damage per round	Lower damage per shot than the AK
Excellent at close to medium range	$200 more than the AK47
Accurate if shot in bursts	Not very accurate in long bursts
Silencer adds perfect stealth	Counter Terrorist exclusive weapon
Higher fire rate than the AK
Good mobility
Low recoil and accurate

5. M4A4 Carbine

The M4A4 carbine is a rifler's dream come true. This was before the silenced version of the rifle was released into Global Offensive. A lot of players fondly remember the M4A4 for its clip size and its damage output in comparison to the weaker and small mag sized M4A1-S.

The bullet penetration is well above any of the other rifles on the Counter Terrorism side. However, it's important to remember that dueling an AK47 player who is precise with his aim is dangerous, considering that it has less damage overall in comparison to the AK.

Overall both rifles, the silenced version and this version, are great rifles to become experts with. They have less recoil than the Terrorist rifles but they pack a smaller punch. If you find yourself in longer gun battles and running out of rounds in your clip early, switch over to the M4A4.


Advantages	Disadvantages
Larger magazine than the silenced M4	Costs more than the silenced M4
Larger amount of starting ammo then M4	No silencer
High rate of fire	Less damage than the AK47
Larger than average clip size	Less accurate in larger bursts
Good mobility

Important Warm-Up Exercises

Go into a deathmatch and try to finish one or two games with each of the rifles you want to practice with. So for example, do one entire game for the AK, one entire game for the M4A4, and then you can go into competitive matchmaking to try your luck.
Make sure you always practice the back-up rifles, no matter what, before heading into the matchmaking system. This will at least give you a backup plan if you start to fail or become inconsistent. Even though you think the Galil and Famas are trash, you should be able to use them if stressed economically.
Play with the intention to win, but no matter what, don't forget that you're playing a game which is also intended to have fun. If you start to notice a negative trend in your game play or attitude, address it or switch to another activity.
When you play as a rifler, you must always be capable of holding down one of the bombsites if you're playing as CT. If you're playing as a Terrorist, you should be capable of making clean entries into the bombsites and defending the bomb planter. These two ingredients, if consistently applied, can create a monster rifle player.