TL;DR: In 4.6, make a 7.62 rifle your main close- and mid-range AR. The ACE32 is the safest pick. The M762 kills faster if you can hold its spray, and the Groza is the best you can get from an air drop. Keep the M416 as your second AR or long-range spray gun, because it has by far the fastest reload. Your 5.56 rifles were not nerfed in any official 4.6 note. They fell behind because 7.62 rifles got +1 to +2 base damage in 4.2 and less firing shake in 4.6. On a Level 2 vest, every 7.62 AR now kills in 4 body hits and every 5.56 AR needs 5. That works out to about 40–100 ms of theoretical time-to-kill. If your AUG felt broken on launch day, part of that was a real bug: PUBG MOBILE confirmed abnormal AUG recoil at 60+ FPS and fixed it on 10 Sep 2026. Version 4.7 goes live on 12 Nov 2026. Its betas so far change no damage numbers. What they add is a staged reload, which helps the slow-reloading 7.62 guns most, and a new Canted Foregrip whose stats haven't been published yet.
Still from the official "V4.6 Midnight Hunters Themed Gameplay" video, 2:26 (YouTube). © PUBG MOBILE / KRAFTON, Level Infinite.
1. The pain point: "my 5.56 shakes, the 7.62 doesn't"
Within hours of 4.6 going live, r/PUBGMobile filled up with the same complaint.
"Have anyone noticed that devs added increased shake to 5.56mm guns? It is impossible to play with AUG anymore. Yet 7.62mm guns have even less shaking now… (notice I'm not talking about recoil, but aim shake)" — u/RevolutionaryRun9751, r/PUBGMobile, 9 Sep 2026
A week later, the subreddit's 4.6 Classic Mode feedback thread said the same thing:
"Haven't enjoyed the additional aim shake on the M416 or Aug in particular, accuracy has generally suffered despite several attempts of tweaking sensitivity to compensate." — u/endlessxcircle, 4.6 Classic feedback thread, 17 Sep 2026
Not everyone agrees the 7.62 guns needed help. In the same thread, u/BushkaOnPubG (the handle matches YouTube creator The Bushka) wrote:
"The 762 weapon buffs were not required, the guns performed great already. They have also done nothing to stop the complete reliance of the player base on the Aug and the m416." — u/BushkaOnPubG, same thread, 17 Sep 2026
So two things are true at once. Players feel 5.56 got worse, and many still use 5.56 anyway. The rest of this guide sorts out what's official, what's math and what's feel.
2. What 4.6 actually changed (official)
Table 1: Official 4.6 weapon changes (live 9 Sep 2026)
| Weapon | Ammo | Official 4.6 change | Numbers published? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACE32 | 7.62 | Base damage 46 → 47. Less vertical and horizontal recoil. Adjusted firing animation speed and camera shake. | Damage only |
| AKM | 7.62 | Slightly less camera and animation shake while firing. Adjusted firing animation speed and recoil. Steadier single and auto fire. | No |
| M762 | 7.62 | Same as AKM | No |
| Honey Badger | 7.62 | Same as AKM | No |
| Mk47 | 7.62 | Same as AKM | No |
| Groza | 7.62 | Same as AKM | No |
| M416, AUG, SCAR-L, QBZ, G36C, M16A4, FAMAS | 5.56 | No change listed | n/a |
Sources: official Version 4.6.0 patch notes, pubgmobile.jp (9 Sep 2026); V4.6 update announcement; Midnight Hunters event page.
Key takeaway: none of the 4.6 notes touch 5.56. If your M416 feels shakier, it is either relative (every 7.62 got steadier around it), an unlisted change, or one of the bugs below. The patch notes can't tell you which.
GIF: official "V4.6 Midnight Hunters Themed Gameplay" video, 2:25–2:27 (source), published 8 Sep 2026 by PUBG MOBILE.
Table 2: Official 4.6 known issues that hit ARs
| Fixed (JST) | Officially acknowledged issue | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 2026, ~16:24 | AUG firing recoil abnormally increased at 60+ FPS settings | This lines up with the launch-day "AUG is unusable" posts (9 Sep). It was fixed server-side about a day later. |
| 10 Sep 2026, ~16:24 | ACE32 screen shook when using iron sights or a red dot | Early ACE32 impressions were worse than the gun now plays |
| 15 Sep 2026, ~17:55 | ACE32 tilted the wrong way when leaning | Peek-fighting with the ACE32 was unreliable for the first week |
Source: official 4.6 known-issues log, pubgmobile.jp (log last updated 20 Oct 2026). JST = UTC+9.
What to do: if you judged the AUG or ACE32 on 9–10 Sep, test them again. The bug-era footage you see online doesn't show how they play now.
Official 4.6 video, 2:16 (source).
3. The stat sheet: every AR in one table
PUBG MOBILE doesn't publish a full stat sheet. It only publishes changes. Below, 7.62 base damage comes from official patch notes. Everything else comes from the community database Liquipedia (PUBG Mobile), and each cell is labelled.
Table 3: Assault rifle stats (as of 21 Oct 2026, 4.6 live)
| AR | Ammo | Base dmg | Dmg source | Sec/shot | RPM = 60 ÷ sec/shot | Mag (ext.) | Reload (s) | Fire modes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M416 | 5.56 | 41 | Liquipedia | 0.085 | 706 | 30 (40) | 2.1 | Single/Auto |
| AUG | 5.56 | 41 | Liquipedia | 0.085 | 706 | 30 (40) | 3.66 | Single/Auto |
| G36C | 5.56 | 41 | Liquipedia | 0.086 | 698 | 30 (40) | 3.8 | Single/Auto |
| QBZ | 5.56 | 41 | Liquipedia | 0.092 | 652 | 30 (40) | 3.66 | Single/Auto |
| SCAR-L | 5.56 | 41 | Liquipedia | 0.096 | 625 | 30 (40) | 2.2 | Single/Auto |
| M16A4 | 5.56 | 41 | Liquipedia | 0.075 | 800 | 30 (40) | 2.2 | Single/Burst |
| ACE32 | 7.62 | 47 | Official (4.6) | 0.092 | 652 | Sources disagree: 25 (35) on Liquipedia vs 30 (40) on esports.net | 3.66 | Single/Auto |
| AKM | 7.62 | 50 | Official (4.2) | 0.100 | 600 | 30 (40) | 2.9 | Single/Auto |
| M762 | 7.62 | 48 | Official (4.2) | 0.086 | 698 | 30 (40) | 2.9 | Single/Burst/Auto |
| Groza | 7.62 | 49 | Official (4.2) | 0.080 | 750 | 30 (40) | 3.0 | Single/Auto (air drop) |
| Honey Badger | 7.62 | 45 | Official (4.2) | 0.090 | 667 | 30 (40) | 3.8 | Single/Auto |
| Mk47 | 7.62 | 50 | Official (4.2) | 0.100 | 600 | 20 (30) | 3.36 | Single/Burst |
Sources: base damage for 7.62 from the official V4.2 announcement (6 Jan 2026), with ACE32 updated by V4.5 (4 Jul 2026) and 4.6 (9 Sep 2026). All other cells from Liquipedia PUBG Mobile Portal:Weapons (page rev. 27 Oct 2025; weapon infoboxes rev. 24 Jun 2025), retrieved 21 Oct 2026. ACE32 magazine also from esports.net. RPM is computed.
Caveats you should know:
- Liquipedia's own infoboxes still list pre-4.2 damage for 7.62 rifles (for example ACE32 45, Groza 45). That's why this table uses official numbers for 7.62. For 5.56 there is no official base-damage change in any note from 4.1 to the 4.7 betas, so 41 is the best public figure.
- Version 4.4 (May 2026) gave all ARs "slightly higher damage at close to medium range" without numbers. 4.1 (Nov 2025) cut AR damage at long range, also without numbers. Real close-range damage may sit slightly above "base". The exact values are not published.
- Recoil, shake and sway values are not published for any AR.
4. Damage history: how 7.62 pulled ahead
The 4.6 shake change gets the attention, but the bigger shift came eight months earlier.
Table 4: Official base-damage history, 7.62 ARs vs 5.56
| AR | Before 4.2 | 4.2 (6 Jan 2026) | 4.5 (Jul 2026) | 4.6 (9 Sep 2026) | 4.7 Beta 1–3 | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AKM | 48 | 50 | 50 | 50 | no change listed | +2 |
| Mk47 | 48 | 50 | 50 | 50 | no change listed | +2 |
| M762 | 46 | 48 | 48 | 48 | no change listed | +2 |
| Honey Badger | 43 | 45 | 45 | 45 | no change listed | +2 |
| ACE32 | 45 | 47 | 46 | 47 | no change listed | +2 |
| Groza | 48 | 49 | 49 | 49 | no change listed | +1 |
| M416 / AUG / other 5.56 | 41* | none listed | none listed | none listed | no change listed | 0 |
Sources: official V4.2, V4.5 and 4.6 notes as above; 4.7 Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3 notes. *5.56 value from Liquipedia.
Key takeaway: the ACE32 has been changed three times in three patches (+2, −1, +1). Treat its balance as unsettled, and recheck it in every patch note.
5. Shots-to-kill and TTK math
This is where the "7.62 feels better" claim shows up in numbers.
Inputs: 100 HP. Vest damage reduction is Level 1 = 30%, Level 2 = 40%, Level 3 = 55% (Google Play's PUBG MOBILE armor guide). Base damage and seconds per shot come from Table 3.
Formulas:
- Damage per torso hit = base damage × (1 − vest reduction)
- Hits to kill = ceil(100 ÷ damage per hit)
- Theoretical TTK (ms) = (hits − 1) × seconds per shot × 1000. The first bullet lands at t = 0.
Worked example (ACE32 vs Level 2 vest): 47 × 0.60 = 28.2 per hit. 100 ÷ 28.2 = 3.55, which rounds up to 4 hits. TTK = 3 × 0.092 s = 276 ms. Same for M416: 41 × 0.60 = 24.6. 100 ÷ 24.6 = 4.07, so 5 hits. TTK = 4 × 0.085 s = 340 ms.
Table 5: Hits to kill and theoretical TTK by vest (torso, no falloff)
| AR | No vest | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groza | 3 hits / 160 ms | 3 / 160 ms | 4 / 240 ms | 5 / 320 ms |
| M762 | 3 / 172 ms | 3 / 172 ms | 4 / 258 ms | 5 / 344 ms |
| Honey Badger | 3 / 180 ms | 4 / 270 ms | 4 / 270 ms | 5 / 360 ms |
| ACE32 | 3 / 184 ms | 4 / 276 ms | 4 / 276 ms | 5 / 368 ms |
| AKM | 2 / 100 ms | 3 / 200 ms | 4 / 300 ms | 5 / 400 ms |
| Mk47 (semi/burst) | 2 / 100 ms | 3 / 200 ms | 4 / 300 ms | 5 / 400 ms |
| M16A4 (semi/burst) | 3 / 150 ms | 4 / 225 ms | 5 / 300 ms | 6 / 375 ms |
| M416 | 3 / 170 ms | 4 / 255 ms | 5 / 340 ms | 6 / 425 ms |
| AUG | 3 / 170 ms | 4 / 255 ms | 5 / 340 ms | 6 / 425 ms |
| G36C | 3 / 172 ms | 4 / 258 ms | 5 / 344 ms | 6 / 430 ms |
| QBZ | 3 / 184 ms | 4 / 276 ms | 5 / 368 ms | 6 / 460 ms |
| SCAR-L | 3 / 192 ms | 4 / 288 ms | 5 / 384 ms | 6 / 480 ms |
Computed by this guide from Table 3 inputs and Google Play's vest values. AKM and Mk47 "2 hits, no vest" is exactly 2 × 50 = 100 damage. M16A4 and Mk47 have no full-auto mode, so their TTK assumes a perfect tap or burst cadence.
Table 6: Breakpoints the 4.2 damage buff actually moved
| AR | Vest | Hits before 4.2 | Hits now | Math (now) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AKM, Mk47 | None | 3 | 2 | 50 × 2 = 100 |
| M762 | Level 1 | 4 | 3 | 48 × 0.7 = 33.6, and 3 hits = 100.8 |
| Honey Badger | Level 3 | 6 | 5 | 45 × 0.45 = 20.25, and 5 hits = 101.25 |
| ACE32 | Level 1 | 4 | 4 | 47 × 0.7 = 32.9, and 3 hits = 98.7. That's 1.3 HP short of a 3-hit kill. |
Computed. "Before 4.2" uses the "from" values in the official 4.2 notes.
Key takeaways:
- On the vest you'll see most often mid-game (Level 2), the ammo type decides the hit count: 4 for any 7.62, 5 for any 5.56.
- On paper, the M416 and AUG are 23% slower to kill a Level 2 target than the ACE32 (340 vs 276 ms). Against the M762 the gap is 32%.
- These are best-case numbers. Missed shots, headshots, falloff past mid range and the unpublished 4.4 close-range bonus all move real TTK. The gap between the two ammo types is the part that holds up.
6. DPS, mag dump and reload
Table 7: Raw DPS, mag dump time and reload
| AR | Raw DPS = dmg ÷ sec/shot | Time to empty a standard mag = mag × sec/shot | Extended mag | Reload (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groza | 612.5 | 2.40 s | 3.20 s | 3.0 |
| M762 | 558.1 | 2.58 s | 3.44 s | 2.9 |
| M16A4 (burst) | 546.7 | 2.25 s | 3.00 s | 2.2 |
| ACE32 | 510.9 | 2.30 s (25 rds) or 2.76 s (30 rds) | 3.22 s or 3.68 s | 3.66 |
| AKM | 500.0 | 3.00 s | 4.00 s | 2.9 |
| Honey Badger | 500.0 | 2.70 s | 3.60 s | 3.8 |
| Mk47 (semi/burst) | 500.0 | 2.00 s | 3.00 s | 3.36 |
| M416 | 482.4 | 2.55 s | 3.40 s | 2.1 |
| AUG | 482.4 | 2.55 s | 3.40 s | 3.66 |
| G36C | 476.7 | 2.58 s | 3.44 s | 3.8 |
| QBZ | 445.7 | 2.76 s | 3.68 s | 3.66 |
| SCAR-L | 427.1 | 2.88 s | 3.84 s | 2.2 |
Computed from Table 3. Raw DPS ignores armor, recoil and misses. Reload times are Liquipedia's and are not officially published.
Key takeaway: the M416's real edge isn't damage. It's the 2.1 s reload, which is 0.8–1.7 s faster than every 7.62 AR. In squad fights where you reload behind cover, that matters. It's also the edge that 4.7's staged reload partly closes (section 8).
7. So which AR should you run?
Table 8: Pick by situation (4.6 live)
| Situation | Run this | Why (from the tables above) |
|---|---|---|
| Default ground-loot primary, most players | ACE32 | 4-hit kill on a Level 2 vest (276 ms). The only AR with an official 4.6 recoil cut and a damage bump. Its iron-sight/red-dot shake and lean bugs are fixed. |
| You can control heavy spray | M762 | Fastest ground-loot TTK vs Level 1 and 2 vests (172 / 258 ms). Steadier in 4.6. 2.9 s reload. |
| Air drop | Groza | Best raw DPS (612.5) and TTK (240 ms vs Level 2) in the class |
| Mid-range taps and bursts | AKM or Mk47 | 50 damage, 2-hit kill on no vest, 4 hits on Level 2. Slow cadence (0.100 s), so tap fire is fine. |
| Long-range sprays and fast reloads | M416 | 2.1 s reload. 5.56 has no official 4.6 changes, so your muscle memory still applies. |
| You love the AUG | Keep it, but re-test after 10 Sep | Its 60+ FPS recoil bug is fixed. On paper it matches the M416 except for the 3.66 s reload. |
| Two-AR loadout | ACE32/M762 + M416 | One 4-hit gun for fights plus one fast-reload gun for long sprays |
The honest caveat: nobody outside the studio can measure "shake". PUBG MOBILE says 7.62 got steadier but publishes no numbers. If an M416 still lands more of your bullets than an ACE32, the M416's lower damage per hit can still win. Test both in the Training Grounds at 50 m and 100 m before you commit.
8. What 4.7 changes: staged reload and the Canted Foregrip
Official V4.7 Beta 1 announcement art (PUBG MOBILE CMS, 23 Sep 2026).
Table 9: Weapon-relevant 4.7 beta changes
| Beta | Date | Change (official wording, condensed) | Who it helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beta 1 | 23 Sep 2026 | Staged reload: if an empty-mag reload is interrupted after the new mag is in, the next reload only needs the chambering step | Slow reloaders most: Honey Badger and G36C (3.8 s), ACE32, AUG and QBZ (3.66 s) |
| Beta 1 | 23 Sep 2026 | Less abnormal shake when aiming down sights in a vehicle, and more realistic recoil direction | Anyone shooting from vehicles |
| Beta 2 | 10 Oct 2026 | New attachment: Canted Foregrip (Classic) | Unknown until stats are published |
| Beta 2 | 10 Oct 2026 | G36C added to the Erangel: Subzero spin-off | Subzero players |
| Beta 3 | 15–22 Oct 2026 | No weapon changes (themed mode, Metro Royale) | — |
| Beta 4 | 23–25 Oct 2026 | Teased: new X-Suit, Gilt Sets, AI NPC. No weapon notes yet. | — |
| Live | 12 Nov 2026 | Global release | — |
Sources: official Beta 1, Beta 2 and Beta 3 notes. Release date and Beta 4 tease from PUBG MOBILE on X (12 Nov, Beta 4). Beta content "is not representative of the final version."
The Canted Foregrip, as shown officially
GIF: official "V4.7 Beta 2 Reveal" video, 0:34–0:38, posted by @PUBGMOBILE on X on 10 Oct 2026. It shows the "Canted Foregrip" pickup prompt, the grip on a rifle and first-person firing.
Same video, 0:36.
What we know: the name, that it's a Classic-mode foregrip, and what it looks like in the official reveal. What we don't know: its recoil, stability or ADS effects, and which guns accept it. These are not published in any beta note. Don't trust "+X% recoil control" claims until an official stat card or patch note exists.
Table 10: What 4.7 does and doesn't change about the 4.6 AR meta
| Question | Answer (as of Beta 3) |
|---|---|
| Any AR damage change? | No. None listed in Betas 1–3. |
| Any 5.56 recoil or shake fix? | No. None listed. |
| Does staged reload close the M416's reload edge? | Partly. It only helps when an empty-mag reload is interrupted after the mag swap. Full reload times are unchanged. |
| Canted Foregrip stats? | Not published |
| Rumoured Honey Badger/FAMAS rebalance? | Unconfirmed. It appears in no official beta note. |
9. Videos worth watching
Official: V4.6 Midnight Hunters Themed Gameplay (PUBG MOBILE, 8 Sep 2026). The firearm section starts at about 2:16.
Creator: "The TRUTH About The ACE 32 Buff | PUBG Mobile 4.6" (The Bushka)
Creator: "The TRUTH About The 4.6 Update Meta | PUBG Mobile" (The Bushka)
Creator: "Is ACE-32 Really Better Than M416 After 4.6 Update?" (Mew2, BGMI)
Creator: "PUBG MOBILE 4.7 BETA NEW FEATURES REVEALED!" (The Bushka)
Creator videos are linked for viewing. Their claims are the creators' own and are not checked against official data in this guide.
10. Method, sources and what isn't published
How the numbers were built: official patch notes come first. Where a stat has never been published officially, this guide uses Liquipedia's PUBG Mobile weapon database and says so in each table. Every derived value (RPM, DPS, hits to kill, TTK, mag-dump time) uses the formula shown next to it.
Table 11: Numbers that are NOT officially published (do not trust anyone quoting them as fact)
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Recoil, shake and sway values for any AR, before or after 4.6 | Not published |
| Size of the 4.4 "slightly higher close/mid-range damage" bonus | Not published |
| Size of the 4.1 long-range damage cut and its falloff curve | Not published |
| Canted Foregrip stats | Not published |
| Any 4.7 AR stat change | None announced as of Beta 3 |
| Reload times, fire intervals and magazine sizes | Not officially published. Community values from Liquipedia. |
| ACE32 magazine size | Sources disagree (25 vs 30). Check in game. |
| Head and limb damage multipliers in PUBG Mobile | Not published, so TTK here is torso-only |
Follow BitTopup for more PUBG Mobile UC news~
