Every figure shows its source. Where a source is missing, the number is a placeholder — and it is never written as fact.

By GamGem ResearchLast updated 6 Oct 2026

What changed — 28 Jan 2025: price $3,000 → $2,900.

CS2 weapon · Rifle · CT side M4A4

Valve: “Good accuracy, with ammo to spare.” More accurate but less damaging than its AK-47 counterpart, the M4A4 is the full-auto assault rifle of choice for CTs.

5 m20 m30 m40 m60 m
Target & armour
Buy M4A4 when…

You can land several hits — a helmeted head takes 2 even up close.

Valve’s buy menu: “Consider in full buy rounds.”
Buy recommended$2,900
$4,100 buys it with Kevlar and a helmet and leaves $200.
Price
$2,900
game data
Kill reward
$300
game data
Damage
33
game data
Armour pen
70%
derived
Fire rate
667 RPM
derived
Ammo
30 / 120
game data
Reload lock
3.07 s
game data
Run speed
225
game data
Penetration
2.0
game data
Accurate range
27.71 m
derived

Damage & kill outcomes @ 30 m

Hits to kill, by zone and armour
ZoneNoneKevlarHelmet
Head112
Chest455
Stomach344
Arms455
Legs555

Head vs Kevlar + helmet at 30 m: 85 damage per hit → 2 hits to kill · TTK 90 ms.

derived · damage × range modifier^(units ÷ 500) × zone × armour, rounded down

Armour breakpoints

Where head hits-to-kill change, 0–60 m
no armour
  • 0 m – 60 m+1 hit
Kevlar
  • 0 m – 60 m+1 hit
Kevlar + helmet
  • 0 m – 60 m+2 hits
Against Kevlar + helmet: no change out to 60 m.

Damage over distance

  • Head · no armour
  • Head · helmet
  • Chest · Kevlar
  • Chest · no armour
Here: 85 damage per hit at 30 m.

1st shot spread

Sure to hit a 30 cm plate to27.71 m

At 30 m the first shot can land up to 16 cm from the crosshair.

derived · 0.1524 m ÷ (spread + inaccuracy) — Valve’s own 30 cm plate

Spray — the first 10 bullets

Phase
10 bullets · 0.81 s of fire at 667 RPM · 20 left in the magazine.Inside the first 10 — the part guides say to learn first.

The AK’s shape, milder: up, then right, then back left. source

Valve’s recoil inputs: kick 23 · direction variance 70 · same recoil seed as the M4A1-S.Valve’s file holds these inputs, not the path the bullets take — so no path is drawn here.

Firing mode guidance

  • spray6+ shots · inside 13.9 mCommit and pull down
  • burst2–3 shots · 13.9–27.71 mStop, then reset between bursts
  • tap1 shot · past 27.71 mReset fully between shots
At 30 m: tap.rule · ours: tap past its standing accurate range (27.71 m), spray inside half of itSpread still varies shot to shot — a guide, not a guarantee.

What beats the M4A4?

Weapon · edge30 m · headCost
Hits to kill from Valve’s file at your distance and armour — not win rates. Shotguns left out: pellets decide.

Economy context

  • M4A4 + Kevlar + helmet$3,900$200 left
  • M4A4 + Kevlar$3,550$550 left
  • M4A4 alone$2,900$1,200 left
  • FAMAS + Kevlar + helmet$2,950$1,150 left
Kill reward $300 — 10 kills pay the gun back. Armour: Kevlar $650, with helmet $1,000 (Valve’s items_game.txt).

Counterplay tips

  • Fight it beyond 27.71 m: past its standing accurate range even the first shot is not sure to land.
  • Catch it moving: on the move its first shot is only sure within 1.1 m.
  • It needs 5 chest hits at 15 m against armour — trade it rather than duel alone.
  • It moves at 225 u/s — expect it to reposition quickly.
  • Drop its holder first: they lose a $2,900 gun, and each kill it makes pays them $300.

No — 2 hits to a helmeted head at 30 m (85 each).

Buy now or save now?with $4,100

If you lose0 kills1 kill2 kills
+$1,400after winsrisky$1,600 nextrisky$1,900 nextrisky$2,200 next
+$1,900a half’s first lossrisky$2,100 nextrisky$2,400 nextrisky$2,700 next
+$2,400risky$2,600 nextrisky$2,900 nextrisky$3,200 next
+$2,900risky$3,100 nextrisky$3,400 nextrisky$3,700 next
+$3,400the caprisky$3,600 nextbuy$3,900 nextbuy$4,200 next
rule · ours: buy when a lost round still leaves $3,900 for it with full armour. Loss bonus and kill reward: Valve’s source

Share this scenario

30 m · Kevlar + helmet · head2 hits to kill · 90 msBuy recommendedM4A4
gamgem.com/counter-strike-2/weapons/m4a4#30m-helmet-head

Sources & evidence

Damage · armour · range
weapons.vdata · 10f3693c · 2026-09-23
Price · kill reward
$2,900 · $300
Fire rate · magazine
667 RPM · 30/120
Range modifier · penetration
0.97 · 2
Description · buy-menu lines
csgo_english.txt
Loss bonus · armour prices
gamemode_competitive.cfg · items_game.txt
Valve’s files, read 2026-10-06:weapons.vdataitems_game.txtgamemode_competitive.cfg

All the maths runs in your browser, from Valve’s weapon file (10f3693c, 2026-09-23).