With the different meta changes that happened throughout the years, some players are still unsure whether it is best to buy a budget rifle or an SMG in certain round situations. The goal of this article is not only to help you choose, but also to make you understand in which situations one weapon is better or worse than the other.

Some players like to say it’s just about preference (ignoring the economy aspects for now), but it can be a bit more than that, as different weapons deal different damage, have different movement speeds and have different damage drop-off values. Given these, each one has situations in where they can excel over the other.

Rifles vs SMGs

Choosing which weapon to buy goes beyond personal preference, as the spots you’ll be playing severely matter when deciding your investment. The most straightforward analysis is the following: if you’re going to be playing in long range situations, budget rifles are the way to go. But if you decide to go close-quarters, there’s no doubt than an SMG is your best friend.

The damage values from the three weapons are all very similar, but when looking at the prices, the difference is abysmal - $1200 for the UMP, while you pay at least $2000 for a rifle (Galil, as the Famas is $2250).

Even at middle ranges, the UMP makes a very good case for itself. But let’s analyze each weapon - below the analysis you can find the recoil pattern of each weapon (left) and the compensation you need to apply with your mouse to make it shoot straight (right).





Galil

Price: $2000

Reward: $300

Ammo: 35/90

RPM: 666

The budget rifle of the Terrorists is widely accepted as a better weapon than its CT counterpart Famas. Contrary to it, it only has an automatic fire mode, while having a semi-decent recoil pattern. The difference of price from the main Terrorist rifle is only $700, making it a somewhat uncommon buy due to the cheaper alternatives (e.g.: SMG class).





Famas

Price: $2250

Reward: $300

Ammo: 25/90

Rate of fire: 666 (automatic)/800 (burst)

The budget rifle of the Counter-Terrorists. Has two fire modes, fully automatic and triple burst and, contrary to popular belief, a bigger RPM potential if used in burst. But the recoil gets way harder to control that way, which is why it is rarely seen being used. Most people don’t like it because of the weird recoil pattern as well as some inconsistencies in its damage. But then again, it’s always a matter of opinion and preference.

UMP

Price: $1200

Reward: $600

Ammo: 25/100

Rate of fire: 666

Commonly known as the strongest SMG due to its damage output and damage drop-off over distance, there was even a time where one of the best professional players in the world used it more than rifles. Its versatility and high movement speed make it a really viable buy on every type of round, even more against unarmored opponents. It’s also relatively accurate if shooting when moving, if the target is not far away, making yourself hard to hit against the slower rifles.

When choosing which weapon to buy, you should consider the spot you're going to playing on, as well as the economy level. If you're going to play in close-quarters (inside a building or near choke points), my recommendation is that you go straight to the UMP. Having good movement speed while shooting semi-accurate near your targets make you a really opponent to beat if playing with heavier weapons such as rifles. Just remember to stay mobile and avoid stopping to play the "spray-and-pray" game against an opponent that has superior armory.

On the other hand, if you're going to be playing long range engagements, you're generally better off playing with a rifle, as tapping long range it's usually the best option. You can also tap with an UMP, but the damage drop-off over distance makes the time to kill way larger than it should, giving enough time to your opponents to turn on and kill you.

Regarding economy, if the money is low but you still need to buy, UMP is a must. Even if you have money for a rifle, you're better off using that difference to buy armor and/or utility that could make the difference. Since the spray pattern can get a bit wild if shooting from farther distances, Kevlar is a must have to avoid being aim punched.

You should have in account personal preference - a lot of people complain about the usability of budget rifles and for that sole reason choose to go with SMGs. If money is seriously low, you can even choose to go with a Mac-10, as it can seriously eat through armor in close quarters combat due to its high fire rate, while giving the high money reward characteristic of the SMGs.





Different Maps, Different Strategies

The same way you wouldn’t use the same strategies in different maps, the same ideology can be applied in terms of weapons, to some extent. Looking at Vertigo – a map that is mainly close quarters combat, with a lot of small choke points: just looking at this fact alone makes it a good map to use an UMP over the budget rifles (when unable to buy an AK47/M4, obviously). But if you’re playing Train, maybe you’re better off with Rifles, unless you’re playing a specific spot, like Popdog or pushing Ivy on the CT side.

Take your time trying out each weapon in Deathmatch and aim servers to really understand the strong and weak points of each one. Try them out on different maps and different situations, maybe even on retake servers, as those strive to be able to emulate real match situations. One good exercise to practice recoil control is to stand at different distances from a blank wall and just shoot, trying to get all the bullet holes around the same place – the furthest you get from the wall, the harder it is.

As always, I appreciate any feedback regarding the article you’ve just read – you can reach me via Twitter for any comments you’d like to give. Thank you for reading.

Credits for the recoil patterns belong to CSGO Skills.

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