I think I've found the actual best gun in the Battlefield 6 beta, and it's not the M87A1

It's no secret that the M87A1, the only shotgun in the Battlefield 6 open beta, is completely broken, especially with slug rounds that let it cross-map players in one tap. In fact, Battlefield community lead Kevin Johnson has confirmed that this weapon has already been toned down on the latest internal build. Ignoring the elephant in the room, I've found the real best gun so far in BF6: the M4A1.

This is one of only two carbines in the Battlefield 6 open beta, and both are incredibly strong, giving you the best of both worlds between the range of an assault rifle and the rapid handling of an SMG. To the dismay of many, most of Battlefield 6's beta maps are small or medium. In other words, they're perfect for carbines. Oddly enough, though, the M4A1 is the first, most basic one you have access to, but it has some advantages over the M417.

Dealing 25 damage per shot and boasting a blazing 900rpm, the M4A1 will outgun SMGs up close (it has great hipfire by default) and even assault rifles at medium range. The supposed downside of this firehose is its recoil and bullet deviation, though the former is easily fixed with a Compensated Brake and one of the vertical grips.

What helps the M4A1 truly shine, in my eyes, is the relatively early unlock of Soft Point bullets that simply punch up your headshot damage multiplier to x1.7 (a prime example of BF6's overtuned attachments), and a 36-round magazine that lets you quickly dump a full mag down range. It's basic, but it's downright dirty when you know how to play around the M4A1's engagement range, darting in and out of cover, and taking advantage of its breezy handling to be aggressive.

After unlocking all the attachments and fiddling around with the best loadout for the M4A1, here's what I've settled on:

• Muzzle: Compensated Brake
• Barrel: 14.5" Carbine
• Underbarrel: Ribbed Vertical
• Magazine: 36RND Magazine
• Ammunition: Soft Point
• Ergonomics: Improved Mag Catch
• Scope: RO-M 1.50x

You can easily make some changes based on your playstyle, though, like adding the Standard Suppressor for some stealthiness, or the 6H64 Vertical underbarrel for even more recoil control. Now to hope EA doesn't take notice and nerf my beloved blaster into the ground, though then I'd probably just fall back on my second favourite, the M417.