# Cronen Squall vs M4 in MW4

URL: https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/cronen-squall-vs-m4/
Updated: 2026-11-04

M4 is ahead on 8 of the 12 key stats that both weapons report; Cronen Squall is ahead on 2, and 2 stats are tied. M4's biggest lead is magazine size (30 rounds against 20 rounds). Cronen Squall's is horizontal recoil (6.3 against 17.1). Fire rate and magazine size are Activision's numbers; the other key stats are community-reported by CODMunity, read November 4, 2026.

[Open both in the compare tool](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/?w=cronen-squall,m4) [Build with Cronen Squall](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/?w=cronen-squall) [Build with M4](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/?w=m4)

Same class: Assault Rifle

## Official numbers

*Official numbers for Cronen Squall and M4, from Activision's launch weapon sheets*

| Stat | [Cronen Squall](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/cronen-squall/) | [M4](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/m4/) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fire rate (higher is better) | 673 RPM | 810 RPM Ahead |
| Magazine size (higher is better) | 20 rounds | 30 rounds Ahead |
| Reserve rounds (higher is better) | 80 rounds | 90 rounds Ahead |
| Total rounds (higher is better) Magazine plus reserve | 100 rounds | 120 rounds Ahead |
| Unlock level | Player Level 55 | Player Level 14 |
| Weapon levels | 67 | 72 |
| Apex Attachment | Cronen Maelstrom | M4 Hurricane |
| Apex blocks | Laser and Underbarrel | Barrel and Magazine |

From Activision's launch weapon sheets. A damage table and time to kill are not published.

## About Cronen Squall and M4

### Cronen Squall

Open-bolt bullpup rifle with long-range accuracy, controllable recoil and heavy damage.

Apex Attachment, Cronen Maelstrom: Guided missile you steer with an infrared laser while aiming down sights. It also fires unguided but loses effectiveness at long range. It blocks laser and underbarrel attachments.

### M4

Fully automatic, highly adaptable service rifle that Activision pitches as effective in most engagements.

Apex Attachment, M4 Hurricane: Converts the M4 into a top-loading, high-capacity 5.7x28 mm variant that is lighter, more agile and fires faster. It blocks barrel and magazine attachments.

## Community-reported stats

Community-reported Base values with nothing attached, read from [CODMunity](https://codmunity.gg/weapon-stats/mw4) on November 4, 2026. Unverified.

Across the 31 rows with a direction, Cronen Squall is ahead on 8 and M4 on 17; 6 rows are tied and 0 rows are not compared because a weapon has no value.

- Official numbers: M4 is ahead on magazine size (wide), fire rate (clear), total rounds (clear), and reserve rounds (clear); Cronen Squall leads no row of this group.
- Mobility: M4 is ahead on ADS movement speed (clear), firing movement speed (narrow), strafe speed (narrow), movement speed (narrow), tactical sprint speed (narrow), crouch movement speed (tiny), and sprint speed (tiny); Cronen Squall leads no row of this group.
- Handling: Cronen Squall is ahead on drop speed (clear) and ADS out speed (moderate), and M4 is ahead on reload time (wide), ADS speed (wide), and raise speed (narrow). Level on sprint to fire speed.
- Recoil: Cronen Squall is ahead on horizontal recoil (very wide), and M4 is ahead on vertical recoil (clear), horizontal gun kick (moderate), and vertical gun kick (tiny). Level on ADS idle sway and ADS gun bob.
- Range and bullets: Cronen Squall is ahead on bullet penetration (wide) and bullet velocity (clear); M4 leads no row of this group. Level on damage range.
- Hip fire and flinch: Cronen Squall is ahead on hip turn sway (very wide) and hip gun bob (moderate); M4 leads no row of this group. Level on hip idle sway and flinch received.
- Fire rate and ammo: Cronen Squall is ahead on headshot multiplier (moderate); M4 leads no row of this group.

Brackets give the size of the gap as a share of the larger value: tiny under 2%, narrow under 5%, moderate under 10%, clear under 20%, wide under 40%, very wide above.

The widest gaps across both tables are horizontal recoil (Cronen Squall 6.3 against 17.1), hip turn sway (Cronen Squall 10.8° against 20.9°), and bullet penetration (Cronen Squall 21.0 in against 13.0 in).

CODMunity lists no stat change for the Cronen Maelstrom.

M4 Hurricane, community-reported effects from CODMunity: Vertical gun kick +104% (worse), Magazine size +67% (better), Total rounds +67% (better), and Horizontal gun kick +58% (worse).

### Attachment effects reported for Cronen Squall

The community-reported attachments for Cronen Squall with the largest change to a key stat, according to CODMunity.

- [60 Round Drum](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/60-round-drum/) (magazine): Magazine size +200% (better).
- [30 Round Mag](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/30-round-mag/) (magazine): Magazine size +50% (better).
- [Locus PX3 Canted](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/locus-px3-canted/) (optic): Vertical recoil −30% (better).
- [RVX9 Thermo](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/rvx9-thermo/) (optic): Vertical recoil −30% (better).

### Attachment effects reported for M4

The community-reported attachments for M4 with the largest change to a key stat, according to CODMunity.

- [60 Round Drum](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/60-round-drum/) (magazine): Magazine size +100% (better).
- [45 Round Mag](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/45-round-mag/) (magazine): Magazine size +50% (better).
- [No Stock](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/no-stock/) (stock): Vertical recoil +30% (worse).
- [Corvus LVL-40](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/corvus-lvl-40/) (muzzle): Horizontal recoil −25% (better).

*Community-reported base stats of Cronen Squall and M4 from CODMunity, row by row*

| Stat | [Cronen Squall](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/cronen-squall/) | [M4](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/m4/) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobility |  |  |
| Movement speed (higher is better) | 4.55 m/s | 4.70 m/s Ahead |
| ADS movement speed (higher is better) | 2.24 m/s | 2.51 m/s Ahead |
| Sprint speed (higher is better) | 6.07 m/s | 6.18 m/s Ahead |
| Tactical sprint speed (higher is better) | 7.11 m/s | 7.26 m/s Ahead |
| Crouch movement speed (higher is better) | 2.16 m/s | 2.20 m/s Ahead |
| Strafe speed (higher is better) | 3.48 m/s | 3.60 m/s Ahead |
| Firing movement speed (higher is better) | 3.96 m/s | 4.15 m/s Ahead |
| Handling |  |  |
| ADS speed (lower is better) | 305 ms | 240 ms Ahead |
| ADS out speed (lower is better) | 340 ms Ahead | 370 ms |
| Sprint to fire speed (lower is better) | 210 ms Tie | 210 ms Tie |
| Reload time (lower is better) | 3533 ms | 2600 ms Ahead |
| Raise speed (lower is better) | 967 ms | 933 ms Ahead |
| Drop speed (lower is better) | 600 ms Ahead | 667 ms |
| Recoil |  |  |
| Vertical recoil (lower is better) | 50.4 | 40.6 Ahead |
| Horizontal recoil (lower is better) | 6.3 Ahead | 17.1 |
| Vertical gun kick (lower is better) | 17.1 | 16.9 Ahead |
| Horizontal gun kick (lower is better) | 3.5 | 3.3 Ahead |
| ADS idle sway (lower is better) | 0.40° Tie | 0.40° Tie |
| ADS gun bob (lower is better) | 0.09° Tie | 0.09° Tie |
| Range and bullets |  |  |
| Bullet velocity (higher is better) | 660 m/s Ahead | 590 m/s |
| Damage range (higher is better) An index: 100 is the weapon's own damage range, and attachments scale it | 100% Tie | 100% Tie |
| Bullet penetration (higher is better) | 21.0 in Ahead | 13.0 in |
| Hip fire and flinch |  |  |
| Hip idle sway (lower is better) | 1.31° Tie | 1.31° Tie |
| Hip gun bob (lower is better) | 1.09° Ahead | 1.15° |
| Hip turn sway (lower is better) | 10.8° Ahead | 20.9° |
| Flinch received (lower is better) | 0.29x Tie | 0.29x Tie |
| Fire rate and ammo |  |  |
| Headshot multiplier (higher is better) | 1.30x Ahead | 1.20x |

"Ahead" marks the better value of a row; "not reported" means no value, not zero.

## Pick rates and tiers

Community-reported Other sites' own figures and opinions about Cronen Squall and M4, not Activision data.

*Community pick rates, tiers and builds for Cronen Squall and M4*

| Figure | Cronen Squall | M4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Multiplayer pick rate (CODMunity) | 2.0% | 5.6% |
| ggranked tier | Tier B, 915 ms time to kill | Tier S, 819 ms time to kill |
| DMZ Radar tier | Tier B | Tier S |
| Community builds listed | 2 Multiplayer and 1 DMZ | 3 Multiplayer and 2 DMZ |

## Latest official changes

The newest patch notes that change Cronen Squall or M4, as listed on this site.

No change to Cronen Squall is listed in the patch notes tracked on this site.

### M4: First weapon tuning update, October 28, 2026

- Max Damage Range changed from 990 to 1,020 (+3%).

[Patch notes of October 28, 2026](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/patch-notes/2026-10-28/)

## Weapon pages, builds and tools

- [Cronen Squall: stats, attachments and Apex Attachment](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/cronen-squall/)
- [M4: stats, attachments and Apex Attachment](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/m4/)
- [Best build for Cronen Squall](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/cronen-squall/best-build/)
- [Best build for M4](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/m4/best-build/)
- [Open Cronen Squall in the class builder](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/?w=cronen-squall)
- [Open M4 in the class builder](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/?w=m4)

## More assault rifles comparisons

### Other pair pages with Cronen Squall

- [Cronen Squall vs Hyeon Burst](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/cronen-squall-vs-hyeon-burst/)
- [Cronen Squall vs Han 86](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/cronen-squall-vs-han-86/)
- [Cronen Squall vs Axion](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/axion-vs-cronen-squall/)
- [Cronen Squall vs Kastov 762](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/cronen-squall-vs-kastov-762/)

### Other pair pages with M4

- [M4 vs Hyeon Burst](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/hyeon-burst-vs-m4/)
- [M4 vs Han 86](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/han-86-vs-m4/)
- [M4 vs Axion](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/axion-vs-m4/)
- [M4 vs Kastov 762](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/kastov-762-vs-m4/)

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: What do the Apex Attachments of Cronen Squall and M4 do?**

A: Cronen Maelstrom (Cronen Squall): Guided missile you steer with an infrared laser while aiming down sights. It also fires unguided but loses effectiveness at long range. It blocks laser and underbarrel attachments. M4 Hurricane (M4): Converts the M4 into a top-loading, high-capacity 5.7x28 mm variant that is lighter, more agile and fires faster. It blocks barrel and magazine attachments.

**Q: Where is Cronen Squall ahead of M4, and where is M4 ahead?**

A: On CODMunity's base values (community-reported, read November 4, 2026): Cronen Squall is ahead on horizontal recoil (very wide), hip turn sway (very wide), bullet penetration (wide), bullet velocity (clear), drop speed (clear), ADS out speed (moderate), and 2 other rows. M4 is ahead on magazine size (wide), reload time (wide), ADS speed (wide), vertical recoil (clear), fire rate (clear), total rounds (clear), and 11 other rows.

**Q: How often are Cronen Squall and M4 picked, and what tiers do they have?**

A: CODMunity's Multiplayer pick rate is 2.0% for Cronen Squall and 5.6% for M4, so M4 is picked about 2.8 times as often. ggranked places Cronen Squall in tier B and M4 in tier S. ggranked gives a time to kill of 915 ms for Cronen Squall and 819 ms for M4; that is the site's own calculation, not a published value. DMZ Radar places Cronen Squall in tier B and M4 in tier S. These are community figures, not Activision data: CODMunity and the tier lists, read November 4, 2026.

Community-reported values: CODMunity, read November 4, 2026. Official numbers: Activision launch posts, updated October 24, 2026. Unofficial fan site; see Data and assumptions for every source and gap.