The best guns in Black Ops 7

Black Ops 7 Season 1 is here, and as a result, the best guns have shifted. The new season, being dubbed the biggest content update in Call of Duty history, has added two new primary weapons, both unlocked via the battle pass, with another four coming soon through mid-season events.

This means that at the time of writing, there are 25 contenders for our list of the best guns in Black Ops 7 Season 1, with that number sure to increase with subsequent major updates. We've spent the time since Black Ops 7 launched playing countless hours of multiplayer, testing as many weapons as possible, in order to find the definitive list of the best guns in the meta right now.

As always, this guide will be updated as various weapons are buffed, nerfed, and new ones are added to the game, but at the moment in Season 1, these are the best guns in Black Ops 7.

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Best guns in Black Ops 7

Here are the best guns in Black Ops 7:

1. M15 Mod 0
2. Dravec 45
3. Maddox RFB
4. Warden 308
5. Kogot-7
6. Ryden 45K
7. M8A1
8. Shadow SK

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1. M15 Mod 0 (assault rifle)

First up, and to nobody's surprise, we have the M15 Mod 0. Known as just the M15, this is the very first gun you have access to when you unlock loadouts, and as is usually the case in Call of Duty games, it's a very jack-of-all-trades assault rifle. It can kill up close and at range, it has moderate recoil but nothing too extreme, and it sports fairly high damage.

When you kit it out with the right attachments, it also turns into a laser beam. You can delete enemies from across the map, barely missing a shot, if you equip attachments such as a longer barrel, a compensator, and either underbarrel or rear grips. This is the gun most players are using in multiplayer right now, and for good reason.

You can read more about the specific attachments you should use in our guide to the best M15 loadout.

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2. Dravec 45 (SMG)

Despite Black Ops 7 leaning heavily in favor of fast-paced playstyles, SMGs in Black Ops generally aren't quite as strong as you'd expect. That said, the Dravec 45 is a force to be reckoned with, mostly because you can also dominate with it at range because it doesn't have too much recoil.

You're going to want to focus on close-quarters combat though, so focus on using attachments that buff the handling and mobility, along with the hipfire accuracy. Equip a laser and one of the shorter barrels, but also stick on the Accelerated Recoil Springs fire mod because when you do engage in combat further than a few feet away, you want to be able to hold your own.

Check out a complete guide to our recommended best Dravec 45 loadout here.

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3. Maddox RFB (assault rifle)

Oh hello, old friend. The Maddox RFB is one of the two new weapons in Season 1, but it's also a familiar face, as it was a mainstay in the Black Ops 4 meta. It has quickly found its way into the Black Ops 7 meta too because, even though it has some fairly sizable recoil, it has a bigger magazine by default than most assault rifles, and it can melt enemies in seconds.

So with your build, you'll want to manage that recoil and improve the damage range by equipping muzzle, barrel, and grip mods that contribute to that playstyle. The Buffer Springs recoil mods attachment is also a necessity. Don't forget about mobility and handling entirely though because this gun still needs to be able to compete up close, so an appropriate stock attachment is handy in that regard.

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4. Warden 308 (marksman rifle)

Sniping has changed considerably in Call of Duty over the years. You'd be forgiven for thinking the best way to play with a sniper rifle is to take it slow and pick players off from afar, but actually, quickscoping is the way forward these days, a playstyle popularized during Modern Warfare 2 in 2009. Games like the original Black Ops tried to combat it by making sniper rifles harder to quickscope with, but eventually, they started embracing it.

You may be saying, "but the Warden 308 isn't a sniper rifle, it's a marksman rifle!" and you'd be correct. However, despite bolt-actions usually being preferred for quickscoping and the Warden 308 being semi-automatic, the sniper rifle options are limited in Black Ops 7. Therefore, this is the gun of choice, and it deals enough damage to warrant it. Put a zoomed-in scope on it if you like, along with attachments that improve the aim down sight speed, handling, and damage.

Our best Warden 308 loadout guide will help you pick the specific attachments you need, and what's even better is that a high-zoom scope isn't mandatory if you'd rather run a red dot or holographic instead.

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5. Kogot-7 (SMG)

Black Ops 7 is a fast-paced shooter, as explained in the Dravec 45 section above, and the new Kogot-7 SMG, also introduced with Season 1 alongside the Maddox RFB, is perfectly suited to it. You're not going to be competing with enemies at a great distance here because this fast-firing MP7-alike has a lot of recoil, but what it is capable of is shredding up close, without even aiming down the sights.

That's what you should gear your Kogot-7 build towards: hipfiring. With attachments such as the Hawker Ported Comp and Convergence Box Laser, which both massively improve the hipfire spread, alongside underbarrel and stock attachments that improve the mobility and handling, you can hurtle around the map, demolishing enemies up close. It also has the fastest fire rate in the game, at 952 rpm.

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6. Ryden 45K (SMG)

Next up on our list is another SMG that competes toe-to-toe with the Kogot-7, but is just pipped to the post for that same sort of playstyle. The Ryden 45K has a fire rate just a smidge slower than the Kogot-7, but it has slightly more manageable recoil and you unlock it at the very start of the game.

As you level it up though, you'll want to take advantage of that fire rate and handling, by equipping attachments that enable that playstyle. Anything that buffs the sprint to fire speed, hipfire accuracy, and movement speed is a no-brainer. When possible, you want to be close enough to your foes that you don't even need to aim down the sights, so hipfiring becomes your go-to.

Find out which specific attachments you should use in our guide to the best Ryden 45K loadout.

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7. M8A1 (marksman rifle)

The M8A1 is one of two returning weapons from Black Ops 2, and back then, it used to be a true beast, arguably the best gun in the game. It's not quite at that level in Black Ops 7, so Matt Scronce, the Black Ops 7 design director, hasn't gotten his wish, but it isn't far off, as it still features in our list of the best guns in the game.

This is a three-round burst weapon, previously considered an assault rifle but one that now finds itself in the marksman rifle category. It's capable of eliminating enemies in just one pull of the trigger, two at most, and is suited to players who like to play slower, holding angles and picking enemies off from afar. Use attachments that help manage the recoil and increase the damage range —just try not to get into close-range combat if you can help it and pre-aim around corners.

Want more detail on the attachments and classes? Read our guide on the best M8A1 loadout.

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8. Shadow SK (sniper rifle)

If the Warden 308 doesn't tickle your fancy, feast upon the Shadow SK instead. This is a sniper rifle by default, and it's by far the best of the three options in the game at the moment as it's semi-automatic but still deals considerable damage. It's still worth focusing on quickscoping though, because there's little room for sniper rifles in Call of Duty to be slow-paced weapons these days.

You want as many attachments as you can get to enable this, so we'd recommend using Gunfighter for the extra three, then focusing on aim down sight speed, recoil control, and general mobility as the areas to buff. The only attachment we recommend leaving unchanged is the optic, and as long as you counter it with other recoil-buffing attachments, the LW Trigger fire mod is excellent to improve your fire rate.