At a Glance
Police M4 is a base Assault Rifle that has quietly held the top "best budget AR" spot since the early game and has only gotten stronger as the talent pool has expanded. With a base damage of 46,918 per bullet, an 850 RPM cadence, a 30-round magazine, and a 2.4-second reload, this rifle is the foundation of nearly every entry-level DD build in the game. The 1.55x headshot multiplier is class-standard and the customization slot is fully open, which is the real selling point.
- Who this is for. Players building their first endgame AR loadout, returning players catching up on meta gear, or veterans rolling an Optimist or Boomerang variant on a flexible AR base.
- Talent flexibility. Police M4 takes any AR-class talent including Optimist, Boomerang, Killer, In Sync compatibles. This is the talent-experimentation rifle.
- Acquisition. Drops everywhere — open world, control points, DZ supply drops, story missions. One of the easiest ARs to farm for a god-roll.
- Best fit: Any DD or hybrid AR build, particularly Optimist-based sustained-DPS configurations.
Full Stats
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Base Damage | 46,918 |
| RPM | 850 |
| Magazine | 30 |
| Reload | 2.4s |
| Optimal Range | 35m |
| Headshot Multiplier | 1.55 |
Intrinsic Attributes (random roll)
The intrinsic on Police M4 rolls weapon damage and a secondary stat (CHD, HSD, damage to armor, damage to elites) randomly. Practical god-roll farming aims for 14-15% on the primary and 12-13% on the secondary, which is achievable in roughly 20-30 rolls of dedicated farming.
Customization Slot (open)
This is where Police M4 earns its keep. Unlike named or exotic ARs which lock the talent, Police M4's customization slot accepts any AR-class talent dropped from open-world generic ARs. You can roll Optimist, Boomerang, Killer, Outsider, Salvage, and a dozen others. The talent flexibility is the real reason Police M4 stays meta.
Built-in Mods
Standard AR slots — optic (4x marksman default), magazine, underbarrel, muzzle. No locks, all customizable. Stack stability and damage as your build calls for.
Weapon Talent: Customizable (Optimist Compatible)
"Customizable Talent Slot" — Accepts any AR-class talent from the open-world drop pool. Optimist, Boomerang, Killer, Outsider, and others available.
The mechanic is the absence of a fixed talent, which is unique to base weapons in the AR slot. You drop another AR with a talent you want, attach it to Police M4 in the customization screen, and now Police M4 runs with that talent. The catch is that you lose the donor weapon — talent transfer is one-shot — but the open-world drop rate makes that a non-issue.
In practice, Optimist is the most common Police M4 roll. Optimist scales weapon damage with rounds remaining in the magazine, which means Police M4 starts each mag at +30% damage and ramps down as you fire. It is the closest thing to a "free" damage talent the AR class has.
Boomerang is the second most common — every missed crit returns 20% bonus damage on the next hit, which is extremely forgiving in long fights. Killer is the on-kill CHC stacker for kill-chain rooms. Outsider rewards aggressive movement with weapon damage stacks.
Practical numbers from a verified Optimist + Vigilance + Memento setup:
- Body shot, full mag, Optimist max: ~61,000 per bullet
- Body crit, Optimist max + Vigilance: ~245,000 per bullet
- Headshot crit at full stack: ~380,000 per bullet
- Sustained DPS, full mag, Optimist ramping down: ~3.2M average
The Optimist talent is the real DPS engine. By the end of the mag you have lost most of the bonus, but the first 15-20 rounds are doing significantly more damage than baseline.
Top Builds
Police M4 × Optimist × Vigilance 4pc
The classic Optimist-Vigilance build. Police M4 with Optimist gives you ramping mag-based damage, Vigilance scales weapon damage with health and adds a flat bonus at full armor, and the combined output rivals exotic ARs in standard PvE. This is the "first endgame build" template for new players.
Police M4 × Boomerang × Strikers Battlegear
The forgiving sustained-DPS variant. Boomerang refunds bonus damage on missed crits, Strikers stacks weapon damage on hits, and the 850 RPM keeps both engines fed. This is the build for players who do not have peak aim but still want competitive DPS.
Police M4 × Killer × In Sync × Memento
The kill-chain hybrid build. Killer gives 50% CHC after a kill for 10 seconds, In Sync flips weapon-skill damage on alternating crits, and Memento layers trophy stacks on top. This is the room-clear build, not the boss-fight build.
PvE vs PvP
In PvE, Police M4 is the most flexible AR in the game. With Optimist or Boomerang it competes with named and exotic ARs in sustained DPS, with Killer it becomes a kill-chain monster, with Outsider it rewards aggressive frame builds. The 35m optimal range works for indoor content, the 850 RPM is a clean rate-of-fire ceiling, and the 30-round mag plus 2.4-second reload is class-standard.
Where it falls off is the absolute ceiling. Eagle Bearer, Ridgeway's Pride, and Pestilence all out-DPS Police M4 in their optimal conditions. But Police M4 hits a higher floor on any condition, which is why it remains a default pick.
In PvP, Police M4 with a god-roll Killer or Outsider is competitive with most exotic ARs in TTK. The 850 RPM is one of the highest in the AR class, which means TTK on torso targets is around 0.4 seconds at full damage. Most ranked PvP players use a god-roll Police M4 as their primary or as a sidearm to a more specialized weapon.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons | | — | — | | Customization slot accepts any AR-class talent | Random rolls require farming for god-roll | | Optimist, Boomerang, Killer all available | No fixed exclusive talent like exotics | | 850 RPM is one of the highest in the AR class | Lower ceiling than exotic ARs in optimal conditions | | Drops everywhere — easy to farm | Talent transfer is one-shot, donor weapon consumed | | Best "budget DD" AR in the game | 2.4s reload is class-standard, no upside |
Comparison
Versus Honey Badger, Police M4 trades the locked premium roll for full talent flexibility. Honey Badger has higher floor, Police M4 has more configuration options. Most players keep one of each in stash.
Versus AK-M, Police M4 has higher rate of fire (850 vs 600 RPM) and lower per-bullet damage. AK-M is the precision-shot pick, Police M4 the volume-DPS pick.
Versus exotic ARs, Police M4 is the budget-tier alternative that gets you 80% of the way there with 20% of the farming time. The exotic ceilings are higher, but Police M4 is the AR you actually use most days.
FAQ
Is Police M4 still good after TU22? Yes. The customization slot has only become more valuable as new talents have been added to the AR pool. Optimist remains a top-tier talent.
What talent should I roll first? Optimist for sustained-DPS Vigilance builds, Boomerang for forgiveness, Killer for kill-chain rooms. Optimist is the most common first pick.
Police M4 or AK-M? Police M4 for higher rate of fire and aggressive close-range, AK-M for precision and longer engagements. Different tools.
How long to farm a god-roll? With Targeted Loot in Federal Triangle (rotates roughly every 6 weeks), 1-2 sessions is enough. Without targeted, 20-30 random AR drops average to a roll worth keeping.
Can I run Police M4 in raid? Yes. With Optimist and Vigilance it is a viable raid AR for any role that needs sustained AR DPS.
Closing
Police M4 is the AR every player should have a god-roll of. Talent flexibility, drop availability, competitive DPS — it ticks every box for a budget DD build and stays competitive into endgame raid content. Roll an Optimist or Boomerang variant and it will live in your loadout permanently.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-25 · TU22.1 · Verified vs in-game