Insurgency: Sandstorm Best Machine Guns (Ranked Worst To Best)

Updated:

05 Aug 2023

Believe it or not, the machine gunner class in this game is a sleeper. Most people just glance over it and rarely pick it up. Most of the time, you’re going to be able to pick the class because almost nobody wants it, but let me tell you. This class is amazing in the PvE game mode against a huge horde of bots.

It’s also really good in PvP if you know how to position yourself correctly. Most of the time, you won’t be moving from an objective, and this class is best used when defending against enemies who are pushing you. I’ll be ranking the machine guns by their strengths and not by anything else, so with that, let’s get into the article!

6. PKM

This is a modern Kalashnikov turned into a machine gun.

For our first machine gun on the list, we have the PKM or Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy, but we’ll stick with the PKM cuz it’s easier to say. When it comes to this machine gun, it doesn’t cost a lot of supply points, has an average rate of fire for a machine gun, decent penetration, and some recoil that can be managed.

You can fire it from your hip, but overall, I don’t recommend it. It can be quite hard to do that. You can still do it if you want to, but make sure to fire in short bursts. The machine gun is good at giving fire support to your team and holding down choke points.

PKM Stats:

Cartridge - 7.62x54mmR
Vertical Recoil - 34
Horizontal Recoil - 30
Muzzle Velocity - 825 m/s
Rate of Fire - 652 rpm
Penetration - 426 pp
Magazine Capacity - 100 rounds
Reserve Ammunition - 1 Box
Supply Points - 3
Weight - 26%

What PKM Excels In:

It’s good at giving fire support to your team.
It doesn’t cost a lot of supply points, so you can bring additional equipment with you.
You can fire it from the hip in short bursts.

How To Get PKM:

You can obtain this machine gun when you pick the gunner class on the Insurgent Forces.

5. M240B

The ammo box for this machine gun looks like a sack.

This machine gun comes from the belt-fed family; they are gas-operated, and they chamber 7.62x51mm NATO rounds. It was produced and adapted by NATO in the late 1970s, and it still sees wide use in the field. When it comes to the game, it was added in the 2019 update. It has a hell of a lot of recoils, so it’s not recommended to shoot from the hip, even if you shoot in short bursts.

The best use of this machine gun is finding a good place to put your bipod down and wait for the enemies to get into your crosshairs. It has a high rate of fire and great penetration, but sadly, it only comes with 50 rounds in the ammo box. The majority of your points will go towards applying attachments to it, and you should attach an extended magazine.

M240B Stats:

Cartridge - 7.61x52mm NATO Armor Piercing
Vertical Recoil - 42
Horizontal Recoil - 48
Muzzle Velocity - 853 m/s
Rate of Fire - 706 rpm
Penetration - 645 pp
Magazine Capacity - 50 rounds
Reserve Ammunition - 1 Box
Supply Points - 4
Weight - 25%

What M240B Excels At:

It’s great at stopping technical pick-up trucks.
It can penetrate through most walls.
It has a high rate of fire, which is good in the PvE game mode.

How To Get M240B:

You can get this machine gun when you pick the gunner class in the Security Forces.

4. M249

‘Murica hell yeah!

It’s time to give some freedom to the people with the classical M249. It was introduced to the United States forces back in 1984, and since then they’ve been using it. It also has the nickname SAW. The machine gun is gas-operated, air-cooled, and can quickly change barrels if needed.

But thankfully, you won’t be doing that in the game, as it’s not been implemented. The main purpose of this weapon is heavy suppression, and you shouldn’t be taking it on objectives or pushing with it. The aiming speed of the weapon is low, and it uses smaller rounds when compared to other machine guns.

M249 Stats:

Cartridge - 5.56x45mm NATO
Vertical Recoil - 34
Horizontal Recoil - 29
Muzzle Velocity - 915 m/s
Rate of Fire - 741 rpm
Penetration - 321 pp
Magazine Capacity - 200 rounds
Reserve Ammunition - 1 Box
Supply Points - 3
Weight - 26%

What M249 Excels At:

It’s great for heavy suppression.
It has a lot of ammo in its magazine or ammo box.
It’s amazing in the PvE game mode due to the high amount of ammo it has in its magazine, making it perfect for mowing down enemies.
Great for defending objectives against pushing enemies.
It comes with a stock bipod.

How To Get M249:

You can obtain this weapon when you pick the gunner class in the Security Forces.

3. MG3

The modernized version of the MG42.

Here we have the MG3, which is a modern version of the MG42, which used 7.92x57mm Mauser rounds. Those are pretty big rounds if you ask me, but the wonderful creation uses 7.61x51mm. They are smaller, but they can still put a hole through someone. No matter where you are on the map, you should be shooting this machine gun in short bursts.

Because if you don’t, you’ll run out of ammo damn quickly. That’s because its rate of fire is 1000. The biggest downside is that it has only 50 rounds in its ammo box, but thankfully you can attach an extended magazine, which bumps it up to 100.

MG3 Stats:

Cartridge - 7.61x51mm NATO Armor Piercing
Vertical Recoil - 38
Horizontal Recoil - 42
Muzzle Velocity - 820 m/s
Rate of Fire - 1000 rpm
Penetration - 622 pp
Magazine Capacity - 50 rounds
Reserve Ammunition - 1 drum/box
Supply Points - 4
Weight - 25%

What MG3 Excels At:

It’s amazing at long-distance combat.
Due to the high rate of fire and muzzle velocity, it’s amazing against huge hordes of enemies.
It’s wonderful at defending and stopping enemies from pushing.
Great for creating choke points.
It’s good for taking down helicopters.

How To Get MG 3:

You can obtain this machine gun when you pick the gunner class in the Insurgent Forces.

2. RPK

It’s another AK turned into a machine gun.

If you ever wondered why the AK is such a magnificent weapon, well, that’s because it can be turned into anything. From a machine gun to a deadly sniper rifle, anything that you want it to be pretty much. When it comes to the RPK, it comes with a stock bipod, it has identical iron sights to the AKM, and you can attach a drum magazine to it.

The best part about this machine gun is that you can shoot it from the hip. It’s great for pushing objectives; it uses a high-caliber round, and it doesn’t have a lot of recoil. The vertical recoil can be controlled, and for the horizontal one, you can attach a muzzle break to reduce it.

RPK Stats:

Cartridge - 7.62x39mm
Vertical Recoil - 28
Horizontal Recoil - 18
Muzzle Velocity - 745 m/s
Rate of Fire - 600 rpm
Penetration - 379 pp
Magazine Capacity - 30 rounds
Reserve Ammunition - 3 mags
Supply Points - 3
Weight - 25%

What RPK Excels At:

You can fire it from the hip without a problem.
The recoil is easily controllable.
You can push onto objectives with this machine gun.
It resembles the AKM, which is good for people who never played the gunner class but used an assault rifle.

How To Get RPK:

You can obtain this AK variant when you pick the gunner class in the Insurgent Forces.

1. M60

Say hello to my little friend, the M60.

I can’t believe that they added this machine gun to the game. This is my favorite machine gun in any video game or any media whatsoever. It sounds amazing, it looks amazing, and the best part is that you feel like Rambo while using it. The recoil of the weapon isn’t bad, and you can get used to it after using the weapon for a while.

But if you’re having issues with the recoil, just lower it with some attachments. It’s versatile, and it’s great in any situation. It’s great for defending, pushing, supporting, and taking down technical pickup trucks. The machine gun is also great for sniping people from afar and shooting in short bursts. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really should!

M60 Stats: