Today, we will be going in-depth on the Time-to-Kill at various ranges on the M4A1-S vs M4A4. Ever since the M4A1’s inception, there have been countless debates and comparisons between the two. In this article we compare both and provide stats to find the right choice for you.

As of the 9/15/2015 patch, the M4A1-S was changed drastically:

- Reduced price to $3100
- Reduced Rate of Fire
- Increased base spread

This changed brought a much needed balance between the two rifles, bringing their usage in-game to around 50:50 for each. In this guide, we will be looking to see if what the M4A1-S lacks in Rate of Fire(ROF) can be made up in its Time-to-Kill (TTK) and Damage-per-Second (DPS).

The difference between the two rifles after the patch are as follows:

What you can draw from this information is that the M4A1-S has less Rate of Fire, but higher damage and penetration. Now, we will look into some in-game statistics on the guns.

Testing:

The following was tested at a variety of distances on the map Cobblestone, multiple times each to ensure consistency. This diagram shows the locations of where the specific wallbangs were tested at.

Each test was completed against a bot with full Kevlar armor and 100% health. The range was tested with the server command sv_showimpacts_penetration 1. This command shows the damage, range, and damage lost from object penetration, and whether the bullet was stopped or not. Here you can see an example of what it looks like in-game. (Note: sv_cheats 1 must be enabled to use this command)

Here are the results that followed the testing:

Data Analysis:

From this data, we can see that at close ranges, at around 20m, both rifles have nearly identical damage. The M4A4 will kill in 5 hits from this range, along with the M4A1-S, making the M4A4 10% faster at killing. However, differences can be seen emerging between the two after the 50m range. The M4A4 will take 6 shots, dealing 114 damage to get a kill, while the M4A1-S will only take 5 shots, dealing 110 damage to get a kill. This makes the M4A1-S 12.5% faster at killing from distances greater than 50m. A headshot at close range will still take 2 shots for either rifle. The M4A4 will kill 10% faster for a double headshot compared to the M4A1-S, as noted in the difference in rate of fire.

Now, how about wallbangs?
Wallbangs can be very effective on maps like cobblestone, such as clearing out Hut, or stopping terrorists from pushing from A Long by getting an easy kill through the wood on Alley. For wallbangs on an easy object like the wood on Alley, at 25m no difference can be seen between the two rifles. Both the M4A4 and M4A1-S take 6 shots each, totaling 102 damage to get a kill. As the range increases, the difference in the M4A1-S penetration can be seen. At only 30m it takes the M4A4 7 shots to get a kill for 105 damage, while the M4A1-S only takes 6 to deal 102 damage. This makes the M4A1-S 8% faster at killing from 30m for wallbangs, and 5% faster from 50m.
But looking at the data, one can notice that sometimes the DPS is lower than the TTK. How is this possible? The DPS was taken from the amount of shots needed to kill, the damage dealt, and the ROF of the gun. The TTK was taken from the bullets needed for a kill, and the rate of fire. This means that the TTK is a more real-world comparison between the two, and the DPS is a more analytical, and should only be used for data analysis like this.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, both rifles have their own strong and weak points. The M4A4 is better as a close range weapon, while the M4A1-S is better at further ranges. At ranges over 50m, the M4A1-S will kill faster than the M4A4. For wallbangs, the distance is lowered to 30m for the M4A1-S to be more effective than its counterpart. The M4A1-S will not suffer a damage drop off for wallbangs until 50m, while the M4A4’s damage will start to drop off after only 30m.

A general rule of thumb: 

- For chest shots: After 50m the M4A1-S will take 1 less bullet to kill
- For wallbangs: After 30m the M4A1-S will take 1 less bullet to kill

But just how far is 50m? Let’s look at some in-game examples on a familiar map like Dust 2:

(left) CT-Mid to Cat is 50m. (right) Mid to T-Spawn is 50m

(left) Back of Plat B-Site to Upper is 50m. (right) Cross to the front of Pit is 35m; back of Pit is 50m

From Back of A to Long is 60m

From the person having to solo B-Site, to the Mid player, each person's role varries for their team, and so should their weapon of choice. Hopefully this guide gave you a general idea of what range each rifle excels at, and helps make you make the correct choice between the two for your playstyle.