The 13 Best Final Unlock Guns in Call of Duty History, Ranked

I have already gone through the best starting guns and the worst starting guns, so now I am flipping the list to the other end of the scale. These are the guns you grind for, the ones that take hours of multiplayer lobbies before you finally get your hands on them and then never want to put down. This is my definitive list of the 13 best final guns in Call of Duty history, meaning a weapon unlocked in the final stretch of a game's progression system, roughly the last 10 levels.

No. 13: The M8A1 in Black Ops 2 Rewards a Grind to Level 49

The M8A1 is the iconic four round burst rifle that was absolutely everywhere in the competitive days of Black Ops 2, and it is still all over the game if you are playing the ports right now, which is probably your only option. I have said a few times that I do not actually like this gun, and that is not because I doubt how good it is. I just am not a fan of the four round burst timing. I would rather spam a full auto weapon. That is just me.

I fully acknowledge the potential of the M8A1 was off the charts, and that is a good reason why all the pros were using it. The time to kill was dumb if you could stay on target with all four shots of the burst. Since you had to grind all the way to level 49 out of 55 to get it, I think it deserves to be on this list. And shockingly, this was not actually the final assault rifle you unlocked in Black Ops 2, but we will get to that one later.

No. 12: The MPC 25 in Black Ops 7 Remakes the MSMC With a Different Name

At number 12 is the MPC 25 in Black Ops 7, the final SMG unlocked in the game, even though the name is absolutely dumb. It is supposed to be a remake of the classic MSMC from Black Ops 2, which actually unlocked around the middle of that game's progression system, not the end, but whatever.

I have no clue why Treyarch felt the need to give it this name. I just hate the new Call of Duty games' tendency to not use real gun names, especially for the nostalgia bait weapons, but then for some of the guns they use the real names and it makes no sense. Why does modern Call of Duty have to use a fake name for the MSMC but they will use the AS Val? Either commit to real names or do not. I was supposed to say nice things about the MPC 25, but I ended up complaining about modern Call of Duty again, because that is what I have been doing since we got on the topic.

No. 11: The AS Val in Black Ops 6 Got to Keep Its Real World Name

At number 11, the AS Val in Black Ops 6. Again, I have no idea why the AS Val got to keep its real world name in this game while the MSMC had to be changed. The AS Val is the final assault rifle in Black Ops 6's progression, and it was pretty powerful, especially after the XM4 was nerfed.

It had the iconic built-in suppressor and a high fire rate balanced out by a small magazine, so you had to be smart when you were pushing enemies and how you positioned yourself. The time to kill was really fast, but you were going to have to reload it pretty frequently, so you could not just run into groups of enemies and expect to walk away in one piece.

No. 10: The Commando in Black Ops Became a Fan Favorite at Level 44

At number 10, the Commando in Black Ops was based on the Colt Commando, designed to be a smaller, more compact version of the M16, and the idea eventually evolved into the M4 rifle. In Black Ops 1, the Commando was one of the last assault rifles in the progression system, unlocked at level 44 out of 50, and it quickly became a fan favorite.

It had consistent damage, a solid fire rate, and super smooth handling, which made it really easy to pick off targets from any range, plus it had some really sweet sound effects and animations. Even though I was solidly on team Galil, which I always will be, I understand why people love the Commando. Since it was one of the final guns, here it is. But it actually was not the final assault rifle in this game.

No. 9: The G11 in Black Ops Was a Cold War Prototype That Never Went Into Production

Do you know what was actually at number nine? The G11 in Black Ops, one of the weirdest weapons in Call of Duty history. It was a prototype rifle designed during the Cold War, but it never got into full production because it was technically and logistically a nightmare. Treyarch did the research and got it into the game anyway.

If you actually used it, you knew how broken it was in the right hands. It was a very quick three round burst rifle with an extremely forgiving damage profile, capable of a one burst kill from basically any range as long as you were hitting the target above the waist.

Then it would treat you to one of the most bizarre reload animations in any first person shooter ever, especially on a dry reload, where your character has to turn the crank on the butt of the gun. As I put it, "It was weird." Hardly anybody was actually using the G11 because it was unlocked long after the FAMAS, but I love this thing. Whenever I boot up Black Ops 1 on the ports, I play a game or two with the G11 just for the nostalgia.

No. 8: The OSA in Infinite Warfare Was Banned From Competitive Play

Number eight is the OSA in Infinite Warfare. That game did an interesting thing where it had a whole weapon category just for throwbacks and remakes, though Infinity Ward must have been a little confused during development because plenty of gun remakes were not actually placed in that classic category. The OSA, which unlocked as the classic pick, was a remake of the ARX160 from Ghost. I am not sure anybody in 2016 would have considered a gun from Ghost to be a classic, but whatever.

The OSA itself was actually kind of insane, banned from competitive play because of the ridiculous time to kill in the hands of a player with good aim. It also had a built-in grenade launcher, and I do not know why, because precisely nobody actually used the ARX160 with a grenade launcher in Ghost.

Thinking about it more, I am pretty sure the OSA was only in the game because somebody at Infinity Ward wanted to preserve something from Ghost, even though their own community hated it. Infinite Warfare came out in 2016, just three years after Ghost, and the wave of Ghost apologists did not exist yet. Making a whole weapon class called Classics and putting a gun from the most hated Call of Duty game of all time in it is odd. It is brave. It is something.

No. 7: The Kar98k in World War II Invalidated Every Other Sniper

Number seven is the Kar98k in World War II, the final sniper rifle in the game and an absolute monster when it launched. Sledgehammer took a really long time to nerf it, probably because they wanted people to feel rewarded for grinding through the Mountain Division. The Kar98k was so good it basically invalidated every other sniper in the game.

It fired quickly, the handling speeds were nuts, and the one-shot kill range was pretty ridiculous. All of those great traits almost made me forget that the reload animation was literally impossible, because the character somehow shoved a stripper clip diagonally underneath the scope, and the stripper clip was bigger than the chamber it was being loaded into. Sledgehammer might have been exaggerating when they said they did a bunch of research for the guns in that game, but whatever.

The Kar98k was a grind and it definitely lived up to the title of being a final unlock, so here it is. I did not like this game overall, but I love pointing out the weird issues with it.

No. 6: The AK-47 in Modern Warfare 2 Was Basically a Copy of CoD4's Version

Number six is the AK-47 in Modern Warfare 2. So fine, you win.

When it came to functionality, it was basically a copy paste from CoD4. If you were running Stopping Power, it was virtually always a two-shot kill, and the fire rate was pretty respectable for something that hit that hard. The only reason I am hesitant to say I liked it is that I appreciated the other rifles in the game more, and I think the SCAR was a better choice for a slower firing two-shot kill rifle. But that is just me. People loved the AK-47, it was the final unlock, and here it is.

No. 5: The M8A7 in Black Ops 3 Was a High Skill Sequel to the M8A1

Number five is the M8A7 in Black Ops 3, the futuristic sequel to the iconic M8A1. It functioned a little differently from its older sibling but still appealed to the same mass audience. The burst delay was longer, but the burst fire rate was a bit faster.

The damage profile was still generous enough to get a one burst kill from basically any distance as long as you put in the time to get accurate and stay consistent. It is a pretty high skill weapon if you ask me.

In a game with jetpacks and wall running, I think some people were probably a bit disappointed that this was literally the final gun you unlocked, because if you do not like that kind of weapon, you are probably hoping for something else as a reward for your grind. But at the end of the day, this was still one of the most insane guns in the game in the right hands, and it literally required reaching the final level of the progression to unlock it.

No. 4: The Model 1887 in Modern Warfare 2 Took a Grind to Level 67

Number four is the Model 1887 in Modern Warfare 2. You probably forgot how much of a grind it was to get this thing, because it was the most infamous gun in the game due to how broken it was at launch in a camo mode. But that crazy reputation kind of made people forget that you had to grind all the way to level 67 out of 70 to get your hands on it.

Almost everyone back in Modern Warfare 2 got into a modded lobby at least once and left at max rank with everything unlocked, so you might have literally never known this gun was a grind. But this lever-action shotgun secondary was supposed to take forever to get, and assuming you did not get into a max XP lobby for free, you were going to be grinding for dozens of hours to reach it.

Was it worth it? Of course it was, absolutely worth it. As I put it, "I'd grind for 50 hours if it meant I could snipe people with double shotguns like Terminator at the end of it."

No. 3: The BAR in CoD World War II Dominated Before It Could Be Patched

Number three is the BAR in CoD World War II. I remember when this game came out, people were just calling it the bow because it was almost identical to a weapon from Sledgehammer's previous game, Advanced Warfare, that already carried that nickname. It was an assault rifle with a solid fire rate, zero recoil, classic iron sights, and a completely stupid three shot kill range.

Since the game had so many technical problems at launch, Sledgehammer literally did not have the time to patch it effectively aside from an emergency patch that went out a few days after release. So for the first month or so of the game's life, the BAR was dominating and there was no reason to use anything else once you finally unlocked it.

It was a long grind, so there were some people who literally never got to use it before the emergency patch went live, but whatever, it is definitely one of the best final unlocks in Call of Duty history. I still think it is kind of funny that Sledgehammer got a ton of hate from the community about that weapon in Advanced Warfare, and then in World War II they brought it back and just changed one letter in the name.

No. 2: The A94 in Black Ops 2 Was the Actual Final Assault Rifle at Level 55

At number two, the A94 in Black Ops 2. Remember when I said the M8A1 was not the final assault rifle in the game? This is the payoff. The A94 was the absolute monster you got unlocked at level 55 out of 55, and it is one of my favorite weapons in Call of Duty history.

The accuracy was awesome, the damage was fantastic, and the range values were super consistent. It also had one of the best reload animations you could ever ask for. Since the first couple rounds of the burst came out faster than the rest, you could cheese some really quick kills.

But even if you did not land the fast shots, it did not matter, the time to kill was bonkers, and that is why I love the gun. It slapped. But it is still not the absolute best final unlock in Call of Duty history.

No. 1: The MP7 in Modern Warfare 3 Is the Best Final Unlock in Call of Duty History

To me, that honor goes to the MP7 in Modern Warfare 3, the most broken SMG in Call of Duty history. The 2011 version of the MP7 was the definition of an S tier weapon, and it was the quickest permanent unlock I have ever spent after hitting the prestige button.

It had a stupid fire rate, zero recoil, perfect iron sights, and a damage profile that seemed like it belonged on a light machine gun. This thing was just so smooth, so strong. As I put it, it might have been a massive balancing issue at the end of the day, but it was so much fun to use.

You had to grind all the way to level 74 out of 80 to get it, and if you played classic Modern Warfare 3, you know how slow those final 20 levels were. It really felt like climbing a mountain to reach this thing, and it was so rewarding when you finally got it.

Then you hit the prestige button, the game asked if you wanted a reward for it, and you immediately went and permanently unlocked the MP7, so you could breeze through the next cycle. To me, this is the best final unlock in Call of Duty history.

So tell me, which of these final unlock guns do you think actually deserves the top spot?