Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has now been integrated into Call of Duty: Warzone, giving players a slew of extra weapons to use in Activision’s free-to-play battle royale shooter. A fan-favorite weapon that has made its triumphant return is the M16, and it’s usable in Warzone thanks to the integration of both games. The M16 has been featured in the Call of Duty games for years now and is one of the most beloved in the history of the series.
Despite that, it can be tough to use — which is where we come in. You’ll want the right attachments, sidearms, and perks to make the most out of this weapon. These are some of the best M16 loadouts to use in Call of Duty: Warzone.
Recommended reading
- The best M13 Warzone setup in Call of Duty: Warzone
- Best places to land in Call of Duty: Warzone
- Best settings for Call of Duty: Warzone
M16 overview
The M16 is ideal for players who like to battle it out from afar. Due to its three-burst semi-auto fire style, the M16 works best from medium- to long-range and — if used correctly — can take enemies out in just a few bursts. Having said that, it’s difficult to use since you need to be accurate with your shots. Aside from that, the default version of the M16 has super-high vertical recoil, meaning you’ll want to quickly adjust your aim to place your crosshairs back on your foes. Still, if you can learn to master its recoil, you can take enemies out quickly in Call of Duty: Warzone.
Long-range
The best way to use the M16 is at long-range, and there are attachments you’ll want to use to enhance its performance in these situations. For starters, you’ll want to equip the Infantry Compensator Muzzle to improve the weapon’s vertical recoil handling. Without this, you’ll likely have trouble adjusting your shots since the M16’s vertical recoil is particularly hard to handle.
Then, we highly advise using the 20.5-inch Task Force Barrel to increase the damage range, bullet velocity, and overall damage. This attachment will, however, lower your vertical and horizontal recoil control. If you find that the recoil is just too much to handle, you can swap this attachment for the 20.5-inch Match Grade, as it has less of an impact on the weapon’s recoil.
Next, we recommend utilizing some sort of Optic with the M16 since its iron sights aren’t great. It’s a personal preference, of course, but we like something with magnification, like the Visiontech 2X or the SUSAT Multizoom. It’s ultimately up to you, though. If you’re comfortable with the iron sights, even better — you can use a different attachment in its place.
To vastly improve the weapon’s vertical and horizontal recoil control, use the Field Agent Foregrip Underbarrel. Even though this attachment will slow you down slightly, it’s worth using for the boost in control. Finally, we highly recommend using the 45 Rnd Speed Mag Ammunition to increase your magazine size and your reload speed. In Warzone, the time to kill (TTK) is high, so you’ll need lots of ammo. Alternatively, you can use a bigger clip, but you do run the risk of slowing your aim down sights (ADS) speed with anything larger than 45 rounds.
Here’s the list of attachments for the long-range loadout.
| Muzzle | Infantry Compensator |
| Barrel | 20.5” Task Force |
| Optic | SUSAT Multizoom |
| Underbarrel | Field Agent Foregrip |
| Ammunition | 45 Rnd Speed Mag |
Since the M16 is best used at long-range, we recommend coming equipped with a secondary that’s good for close-quarters engagements. Something like a shotgun or SMG will work wonders and complement the M16. In terms of perks, Warzone pretty much requires you to use Cold-Blooded, Ghost, and either Tune-Up or Amped. Everything else is a personal preference. We like using Semtex grenades and stuns as our lethal and tactical equipment, respectively.
All-around/silenced
Normally, we like to recommend three loadouts for Warzone weapons, but since the M16 is pretty much only viable at medium- to long-range, there aren’t a ton of other options. Still, there’s one more setup you might want to try, and it’s one that will come in handy at medium range — especially for aggressive players. First, equip the Agency Silencer Muzzle so you don’t show up on the enemy’s radar when shooting and to increase your ADS time. On top of that, it allows you to aim while going prone or “drop-shot,” which is a tactic many players like to use to easily rack up kills.
This next attachment is key for those medium battles. Use the 16.3 Titanium Barrel to give the weapon a major boost to its fire rate. You’ll find that you can fire off more shots even faster with this attachment, which will keep you alive during medium — and in some cases, close — range. Again, we highly recommend an optic of some sort, perhaps one with less than 2X magnification like the Hawksmoor. Since this setup excels at medium range, you won’t need a scope with high magnification as you did with the first loadout.
Once again, stick with the 45 Rnd Speed Mag Ammunition for the reasons stated above. You’ll need extra ammo since the stock mags have 30 rounds in them. Finally, go with the Airborne Elastic Wrap to increase your ADS speed and to give you a boost to flinch resistance. Keep in mind, this class is not great at long-range, as the recoil will likely be hard to manage. Don’t try to pull off those long-range kills because you’ll only alert the enemy of your location without securing the elimination.
Below are the attachments you should use:
| Muzzle | Agency Silencer |
| Barrel | 16.3” Titanium |
| Optic | Hawksmoor |
| Ammunition | 45 Rnd Speed Mag |
| Rear Grip | Airborne Elastic Wrap |
As for a secondary, you can go either way with this class. On the one hand, you might want something that works great in long-range situations like a sniper. Or perhaps you’ll want something that can keep you safe in close-quarters situations like a shotgun or SMG. It comes down to playstyle, but we advise that you come equipped for close-quarters situations. As for perks, stick with what we mentioned above: Cold-Blooded, Ghost, and either Tune-Up or Amped. When it comes to equipment, we actually recommend thermite or molotovs, which are great for running and gunning. The same goes for stuns or flash grenades. You can also use the Heartbeat Sensor, though since most people use the Ghost perk, it won’t be as effective.
Editors' Recommendations
- Warzone: Tips and tricks to conquer Rebirth Island during Season 3 Reloaded
- The best Warzone landing spots for all maps during Season 5
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II release date, trailers, gameplay, and more
- Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 release date, trailer, gameplay, and more
- The best Perks in Call of Duty: Warzone during Season 5
