Assault rifles are fully automatic weapons and are probably the most popular type of weapon in Siege. That’s because they excel at almost everything in the game. Most of them inflict high damage per shot, have low range damage drop-off, decent magazine size, and manageable recoil.

They are most effective at medium range and everyone who has a considerable amount of experience with Siege knows that most enemy engagements in the game happen at that range. That’s why assault rifles are the weapon of choice for most players. You just can’t go wrong with them.

10. R4-C

https://youtu.be/tz5em1gJNLc?si=3KgZviHWtxVkSMvv&t=51

R4-C used to be the number one assault rifle in Siege, or at least one of the top five. However, it was nerfed by having its compatibility with high-powered scopes removed when it’s used by Ash, who, just a few months ago, was the only operator that can use the R4-C assault rifle. With the addition of Ram in the game, however, the R4-C can be considered among the very best assault rifles once again because she can equip it with a scope 1.5x or 2.0x.

That’s not to say that the R4-C isn’t a viable primary weapon for Ash who can only equip it with 1.0x sights. That’s because it still has its rate of fire which is very fast compared to most assault rifles in the game. Its recoil is also very manageable despite its fast rate of fire, and that makes it a very effective weapon for close to medium range engagements. It’s just that if given a choice between the R4-C and another assault rifle that can be equipped with a high-powered scope, most players would run with the latter.

What makes R4-C great:

• Its best feature is its rate of fire which is very fast compared to most other assault rifles in the game, and because of that rate of fire, it can really make quick work of enemies at close to medium range
• Despite its very fast rate of fire, its recoil remains surprisingly manageable. I say surprisingly because if you just look at its recoil pattern image, you’d think that it’d be very hard to control, but it’s not.
• If you’re using operator Ram, the R4-C can be equipped with a scope 1.5x or 2.0x and both are perfect for close to medium range encounters as they provide a good amount of zoom without sacrificing a lot of peripheral view

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 39
• Fire Rate - 860
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 30

9. MK17 CQB

https://youtu.be/hI_A7FeKzyk?si=XDPQ-8rodtx4_KC7&t=118

What makes the MK17 CQB great and very unique compared to the other assault rifles in the game is its compatibility with Blackbeard’s Rifle Shield. It only takes one bullet to the head for an operator to get killed in Siege so of course, it’s always best to avoid a headshot from your opponent. The Rifle Shield that can be put on the MK17 CQB by Blackbeard prevents the player from getting a bullet to the head immediately as soon as they encounter an enemy.

Because instead of the bullet going directly to the player’s head, it’ll break the Rifle Shield first, and two can be placed on the MK17 CQB. Meaning when the first one breaks, it can be replaced with another one. Other than that, the best qualities of the MK17 CQB are its high damage and very low recoil. Because of its low recoil, the user can afford to run it with attachments that add benefits other than recoil control. Attachments such as the angled grip which will allow the user to go into aim-down-sights stance faster or the extended barrel which will make the weapon’s damage higher.

What makes MK17 CQB great:

• It’s compatible to the Rifle Shield which Blackbeard uses to protect himself from freak headshots or getting a bullet to the head immediately during an enemy engagement, which helps a lot in winning one on one encounters
• The damage it inflicts per shot is up there among the highest in the assault rifle category. It can even be increased due to the MK17 CQB’s compatibility with the extended barrel attachment
• Its recoil is very low and that allows the user to freely equip it with attachments that provide other benefits than additional recoil control like the extended barrel and angled grip attachments for example

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 44
• Fire Rate - 585
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 20

8. 552 Commando

https://youtu.be/8IOrvVakbnU?si=k-WsuntvhESJhSXS&t=212

The 552 Commando is available for Grim and IQ to use as their primary weapon and is actually one of the reasons why those two operators are popular. Of course, the main reason why they’re popular is their special gadgets, but the 552 Commando’s strengths contribute a lot to why players love them. The 552 Commando is easily one of the most balanced assault rifles in the game since it has really good damage per shot, has a rate of fire that is quite fast, has a decent magazine capacity, and best of all, its recoil is manageable.

While the devs did just recently increase the recoil of the 552 Commando, it remains very manageable, especially if the player equips it with attachments that provide additional recoil control. What’s more is that IQ can equip it with a scope 1.5x, and Grim can even equip it with a scope 2.0x. And since its stock recoil is manageable, the user can equip it with just one attachment that provides recoil control and still be able to control its weapon kick quite well.

What makes 552 Commando great:

• It’s compatible with high powered scopes. IQ can equip it with a scope 1.5x, and Grim can choose between the scope 1.5x and the scope 2.0x. Both of which are great for close to medium range combat
• Its rate of fire is quite fast for an assault rifle and it inflicts heavy damage per shot. Both of those qualities make it so that this weapon can really make short of of enemies at close to medium range
• Its stock recoil, despite the devs making it higher recently, remains manageable, and because of that, players can equip it with just one attachment that provides more recoil control and still be able to have good stability with it

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 43
• Fire Rate - 690
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 30

7. G36C

https://youtu.be/sCXs4m8yVFk?si=3IQKnYxsFk4nJqDi&t=59

The G36C, available to operators Ash and Iana, is one of the most popular assault rifles, not just in Siege but across many other Ubisoft shooter games like The Division for example. Like the 552 Commando above, the G36C is very balanced, and because of that, it feels very easy or convenient to use. It inflicts a good amount of damage per shot, has a fast rate of fire, is compatible to the scope 1.5x, has a good magazine size, and on top of all of that, its recoil is very manageable.

There’s really no reason to not like the G36C, and that’s why it’s loved by many Ash and Iana players. Its scope 1.5x provides the perfect amount of zoom for close to medium range because while it allows the user to see enemies well, it also doesn’t sacrifice a lot of peripheral view. And since its recoil is very manageable, the user can afford to equip it with just one recoil control providing attachment while the other provides another benefit like higher damage or silenced gunshots for example.

What makes G36C great:

• Both Iana and Ash can equip it with a scope 1.5x and that’s great for the usual distance they operate in because it provides a good amount of zoom while also not sacrificing a lot of peripheral view
• Its stock recoil is very manageable so the user can afford to equip it with a non-recoil control providing attachment like the extended barrel, suppressor, or angled grip.
• It’s a very balanced assault rifle which also has decent damage, fast rate of fire, and good magazine capacity. Which makes it a weapon that is very easy to use and is very reliable for all kinds of situations

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 38
• Fire Rate - 780
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 30

6. 556XI

https://youtu.be/68lQElsp3OE?si=wJwaikq5jUMwP74Z&t=561

If you look at all the weapon stats in this list, you’ll notice that the 556XI assault rifle is among the ones with the highest damage. That’s very impressive considering the fact that it also has a good rate of fire, decent magazine capacity, and is compatible with high powered scopes such as the scopes 1.5x, 2.0x, and 2.5x. The best thing is, that applies for both of the operators that can use the weapon which are Thermite and Osa. That makes the 556XI undoubtedly one of the best assault rifles in the game.

On top of all that, its recoil is also very easy to manage, and that’s always good because it allows the user to equip it with non-recoil control providing attachments without getting punished with a strong weapon kick. I personally usually run it with a vertical grip for additional recoil control and a suppressor on its barrel for stealth benefits. However, there’s probably a lot of other players in the game that would be able to control its weapon kick even with an angled grip and a non-recoil control providing attachment on its barrel.

What makes 556XI great:

• It's among the assault rifles with the highest damage in the game, and that’s really good for making short work of enemies, especially at close to medium range where Thermite and Osa usually excels in
• It’s compatible to many high-powered scopes such as the scopes 1.5x, 20.0x, and 2.5x, and that’s great for the user’s accuracy because the better you see your enemy, the better you’ll be able to hit them
• Its stock recoil is very manageable so most users can afford to just run it with one recoil control providing attachment, and others who are great at recoil control can probably run it with two non-recoil control providing ones

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 47
• Fire Rate - 690
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 30

5. M4

https://youtu.be/qVArzqvzo68?si=MOjvxHvDmIojPFZl&t=100

The M4 is Maverick’s unique assault rifle and is the choice by many, if not most Maverick players. That’s obviously because it’s fully automatic, unlike the alternative which is the AR-15.50, which is often mistaken as an assault rifle but is more of a marksman rifle. The M4 features high stopping power which is great for Maverick’s gameplay because it involves a lot of times when Maverick has to shoot opponents through the murder holes he’s created with his Breaching Torch.

That means that when he’s trying to do that, he only has a small window of opportunity, so the high stopping power of the M4 really helps in increasing his chances of downing an opponent before they’re out of his line of sight. The M4 also has a surprisingly fast rate of fire and low recoil. I say surprisingly because a fast rate of fire and low recoil doesn’t usually go hand in hand. What’s great is that the M4 is compatible with the scopes 1.5x, and 2.0x, which really ups the user’s accuracy as with these scopes, they’d be able to see their opponents well.

What makes M4 great:

• Maverick’s M4 assault rifle has high stopping power, so an opponent, especially at close to medium range, can be downed in just a few shots, and that’s perfect for Maverick’s gameplay
• The M4 also has a fast rate of fire for an assault rifle and on top of that has a low recoil. So even though it fires bullets rapidly, the user will find its recoil to be manageable especially with the right attachments
• The M4 is compatible to high-powered scopes like the scopes 1.5x, and 2.0x, which will greatly increase the user’s accuracy and are perfect for close to medium range encounters

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 44
• Fire Rate - 750
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 30

4. AK-74M

https://youtu.be/57SY0U3foiY?si=vn-PHqe6Cnyg8eZa&t=5

Nomad’s AK-74M is a seldomly talked about assault rifle, and is probably really underrated in the Siege community. That might be because it doesn’t have a lot of attachment options which makes it less customizable compared to the other assault rifles in this list. Inherently though, the AK-74M is a great weapon because it inflicts high damage per shot, is compatible with many high powered scopes like the scopes 1.5x, 2.0x, and 2.5x, has a manageable weapon kick, and most importantly, has a high magazine capacity.

The average magazine capacity for assault rifles is around thirty per magazine. The AK-74M can fire forty bullets before needing to reload, and that helps a lot in Siege especially during encounters with more than one enemy. A high magazine capacity lessens the chance that your weapon’s magazine will run out of bullets during an encounter, and few things are more inconvenient than having to reload in the middle of combat, because it decreases your chances of finishing off your enemy, and it increases your chances of being killed instead.

What makes AK-74M great:

• Nomad’s AK-74M has high stopping power per shot, and coupled with its decent rate of fire, this weapon can really make quick work of enemies, especially at close to medium range.
• The AK-74M has a higher than average magazine capacity, which really helps in Siege when it comes to encounters with multiple enemies as it lessens the chances of your weapon having to reload in the middle of combat
• The AK-74M assault rifle is compatible with a lot of high powered scopes like the scopes 1.5x, 2.0x, and 2.5x. This allows the user to shoot their enemies with pinpoint accuracy as they’ll be able to see them well.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 44
• Fire Rate - 650
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 40

3. POF-9

https://youtu.be/_XcGJYqEi6E?si=Rspf-e-Ee0XqKmz2&t=47

The POF-9 assault rifle is the newest weapon in Siege and is accessible by playing operator Sens. It ranks so high in this list because it has all the qualities you’d want for your primary weapon. At thirty-five damage per shot, its stopping power is very decent. Honestly it is a bit on the low end compared to the other assault rifles in this list but it more than makes up for it when it comes to its other great qualities. Its rate of fire is quite fast, and it’s compatible with scopes that provide higher levels of zoom like the scopes 1.5x and 2.0x.

Most importantly, however, is its huge magazine capacity. At fifty bullets per magazine, the POF-9 is among the assault rifles with the biggest magazine capacity. This magazine size is almost on the level of some of the game’s light machine guns. This allows Sens to perform suppressive fire for a long time before reloading which fits their gameplay a lot, because Sens is a backline support operator. Its recoil is also surprisingly quite easy to manage despite what its recoil pattern image says.

What makes POF-9 great:

• Its huge magazine capacity allows the user to perform suppressive fire for a long-time before having to reload. This also allows Sens to deal with multiple enemies coming to them all at once.
• It’s compatible to the scopes 1.5x and 2.0x which are great scopes for close to medium range engagements as they’ll allow the user to see their enemies well while also not being at a disadvantage at close range
• It has a surprisingly manageable recoil even though it looks intimidating in its recoil pattern image. It also has a pretty fast rate of fire which will allow the user to take down an enemy fast at close to medium range.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 35
• Fire Rate - 740
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 50

2. Para-308

https://youtu.be/51ZpSE5JumA?si=53zcP1V-kU1nzs-2&t=451

The Para-308 assault rifle, available to operators Capitao and Brava, doesn’t have the huge magazine capacity that the POF-9 above has. But it ranks higher in this list because its damage is much higher. Among all the assault rifles in the game, the Para-308 is up there when it comes to stopping power. And while it doesn’t have a huge magazine capacity, it can’t be said that its magazine size is small, because it’s quite decent. It certainly is far from the small side.

What makes the Para-308 truly special is its low recoil. One could argue that its low recoil is due to its relatively slow rate of fire, however, its fire rate isn’t really that slow. It’s quite decent, and partnered with its high stopping power, it can down an enemy at any range in just a short time. What’s more is that the Para-308 is compatible with the scope 1.5x which is perfect for the range that Capitao and Brava usually operate in which is close to medium range. It used to be compatible with scopes that can provide higher levels of zoom but because the weapon was deemed too powerful, the devs decided to nerf it a bit by removing its scope 2.0x.

What makes Para-308 great:

• Among all the assault rifles in the game, the Para-308 is one of the top weapons when it comes to stopping power. With its high damage per shot, it can down an opponent at any range in just a short time
• The Para-308 is also compatible to all barrel attachments in the game, making it highly customizable, and when equipped with an extended barrel, its already high stopping power becomes even more powerful
• It has a really low stock recoil and that adds to its customizability because the user would be able to equip it with non-recoil control providing attachments without being punished with uncontrollable weapon kick

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 47
• Fire Rate - 650
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 30

1. V308

https://youtu.be/ZXA6CFhNs3E?si=a8iKQlVxpdxWyJyf&t=61

Lion’s V308 assault rifle tops this list because all the great qualities in the assault rifles we’ve discussed above are present in it. It’s seriously as close to a perfect weapon, which is rare in Siege because it’s constantly being balanced by the devs. At forty-four damage per shot, it has a high stopping power, and combined with its very decent rate of fire, it can take out opponents really fast, especially at close to medium range. Its stock recoil is also very manageable which allows the user to use it with non-recoil control providing attachments.

And it is indeed very customizable since it’s compatible with a wide variety of attachments, including high-powered scopes. It’s compatible with all sights from 1.0x to 2.5x, and of course, the high-powered ones will up the user’s accuracy by a lot. On top of all that, it also has a huge magazine capacity for an assault rifle, essentially making it a mini-LMG. Its huge magazine capacity will greatly help the user survive, even excel during encounters with multiple enemies.

What makes V308 great:

• It has a high stopping power partnered with a very decent rate of fire which will allow the user to down an opponent at any range in just a short time, but more especially at close to medium range.
• Its huge magazine capacity will allow the user to win against multiple opponents because it greatly lessens the chances of the V308 having to be reloaded in the middle of combat
• It has a very manageable stock recoil which adds to its customizability since the user will be able to equip it with non-recoil control providing attachments while still having good control over the weapon

Weapon Stats:

• Damage - 44
• Fire Rate - 700
• Mobility - 50
• Capacity - 50

Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:

You May Also Be Interested In:

• Rainbow 6 Siege Tier List [Rainbow 6 Siege Best Operators]
• [Top 10] Rainbow 6 Siege Best Weapons
• Rainbow 6 Siege Attachment Guide (R6 Best Attachments For Every Weapon)