Battlefield 5 Best Assault Weapons
The Assault class excels at medium to long-range combat thanks to its monopoly on assault rifles and semi-automatics. Ranked Assault Weapons in BF5 from Worst to Best.
#1 GEWEHR 43
The weapon is unlocked for the Assault kit at class rank 1. The Gewehr 43’s primary asset is its high damage, which is tied with the Selbstlader 1916 and Karabin 1938M for best in class amongst the semi-automatic rifles. It kills consistently with three body shots out to 103m, being further capable of a two-hit kill at medium range if one is a headshot. Its high bullet velocity allows it to perform better at range than most other semi-automatics, and as such can be paired with a Medium Range Scope to function similar to a Recon Self-Loading Rifle.
These strengths are compensated for by a low magazine capacity of 10 rounds, slow default reload using 5-round stripper clips, highest recoil in its category, and lowest fire rate in its category at 300 RPM (on par with Karabin 1938M and M1 Garand with Heavy Load specialization), the latter of which can leave users vulnerable when faced with fully automatic weapons at close range.
Gewehr 43 Details
- Unlocked at: Assault Rank 1
- Fire modes: Semi-Automatic
- Rate of Fire: 300 RPM
- Max Damage: 45
- Bullet-Velocity: 760 – 860 m/s
- Partial Reload: 2.25 seconds
- Empty Reload: 3.15 seconds
- Magazine: 10 Rounds
#2 STG 44
The STG 44 is the Rank 13 weapon of the Assault class and the last assault rifle acquired from class progression. It shares some statistical similarities with the Sturmgewehr 1-5, with both weapons having the same muzzle velocity and magazine capacity. The STG 44 has the second slowest full-auto fire rate out of the assault rifles at 600 RPM, beating only the Ribeyrolles 1918. This gives the STG 44 a modest time-to-kill at closer ranges and helps mitigate the weapon’s heavy per-shot recoil which is the second-highest among the assault rifles. Despite this, the slower firing rate means the STG 44 can achieve accurate shots at a decent range. To assist with its accuracy, the STG 44 has very low first-shot recoil, which extends to its fourth bullet, making burst firing extremely effective for further ranges. The STG 44 has a solid magazine size of 31, which complements the weapon’s slower fire rate compared to the other assault rifles, allowing the weapon to stay in the fight for longer. The reload is a bit on the slower side, which can be detrimental during close-quarters combat.
STG 44 Details
- Unlocked at: Assault Rank 13
- Fire modes:
- Automatic
- Semi-Automatic
- Rate of Fire: 600 RPM
- Max Damage: 25.1
- Bullet-Velocity: 600 m/s
- Partial Reload: 2.40 seconds
- Empty Reload: 3.10 seconds
- Magazine: 31 Rounds
#3 M1 GARAND
Statistically, the Garand can be categorized amongst the middle-range, clip-loading semi-autos of the Turner SMLE and MAS 44, it being a relatively high fire rate rifle with a potential to kill in three hits out to 30m, four at 100m and five at all other ranges. There are several minor differentiating characteristics, however, with the most notable departure lying with Garand’s controllability, reloading method, and capacity. By default, the M1 features the lowest vertical recoil of any of the semi-autos, which allows accuracy to be maintained even at high fire rates. Muzzle velocity is also a respectable 780 m/s, outperforming the long-range semi-automatics such as the Gewehr 43 in this regard. The weapon is also fed by an en-bloc clip, which prevents magazine “topping-up” possible on stripper clip-fed rifles in exchange for a uniform partial reload speed and faster empty reload. These favorable characteristics combined are paid for by an eight-round magazine capacity – two bullets less than the standard fare – which limits the number of targets the user can engage before reloading. Overall the soft recoil allows the user a higher degree of precision, required to make up for the reduced capacity.
M1 Garand Details
- Unlocked at: Company Coins
- Fire modes: Semi-Automatic
- Rate of Fire: 300 – 360 RPM
- Max Damage: 40 – 45
- Bullet-Velocity: 780 m/s
- Partial Reload: 3.0 seconds
- Empty Reload: 2.7 seconds
- Magazine: 8 Rounds
#4 M2 CARBINE
With the exception of velocity, the M2 Carbine is statistically different from the M1A1 Carbine, the most notable of which is the addition of select-fire capabilities. It is also fairly distinct amongst assault rifles – whereas all of its contemporaries kill in four hits, the Carbine is a minimum five-body shot kill. This means that damage is consistently lower than all other assault rifles regardless of range; however, this is offset at close range by its very high rate of fire which allows for the second quickest minimum achievable time-to-kill in its class, behind the M1907 SF. Combat at the range is further aided by relatively low recoil and semi-automatic capability. Magazine and ammunition capacity are also above average for the class, rounding out the weapon’s versatility.
M2 Carbine Details
- Unlocked at: Default
- Fire modes:
- Fully Automatic
- Semi-Automatic
- Rate of Fire: 830 RPM
- Max Damage: 20.1
- Bullet-Velocity: 610 m/s
- Partial Reload: 2.20 seconds
- Empty Reload: 3.05 seconds
- Magazine: 31 Rounds
#5 PIAT
Compared to the Panzerfaust and M1A1 Bazooka, the PIAT deals more damage with a larger blast area of 5m outer and 1.5m inner and with much greater destructive performance against structures. Uniquely, this allows the gadget to function effectively as an anti-infantry weapon, as well as having the greatest per-hit damage against armor. The PIAT is also the fastest-loading launcher of the three.
In exchange for these statistical advantages, the PIAT has a higher ricochet chance in addition to the severely limited range when used in a direct-fire role. Its projectile suffers constant deceleration after firing, and is nearly doubly susceptible to gravity than the Panzerfaust and more than triple that of the Bazooka, resulting in high drop. This can make hitting moving targets especially troublesome, requiring a high degree of compensation.
In spite of this, the weapon has some mechanical provisions to assist with calculating drop. By opening the minimap while aiming, the user can observe the impact point of a projectile, relative to their elevation. This can allow them to adjust to a spotted enemy or marked position. The significant drop can also allow players to hit tanks on their top armor, where they present a much larger target and potentially killing turret machine gunners or attack positions from cover by staying out of the direct line of sight. This can present a problem when shooting from indoors or with overhead cover, as compensating for distance may cause the projectile to hit a ceiling or window frame when firing.
PIAT Details
- Unlocked at: Assault Rank 11
- Fire modes: Single-Shot
- Max Damage: 170 (Impact) – 90 (Blast)
- Bullet-Velocity: 40 m/s
- Reload: 2.9s
- Magazine: 1
That’s all you need to know about what the best assault weapon is in Battlefield 5. For more tips and tricks on the game, subscribe to the Nipidro channel. We have also listed some other helpful articles down below.