Band Of Brilliance

In Call of Duty 4, the MP44 is the same in appearance to the Call of Duty 2 version, and it uses the same skin. The recoil levels are slightly higher than in Call of Duty 2, but not quite as much as the original game. The MP44's accuracy and damage are both fairly high, and it is the only automatic rifle in the game with no aim sway. However, being the 68 year old rifle it is by the time Call of Duty 4 takes place, it doesn't have any available attachments. This is too much of a flaw for some, but others accustomed to the Call of Duty 2 iron sights (or those that prefer iron sights in general), adjust to the rifle quickly.

The StG 44 (for the given nomenclature in Call of Duty: World at War) is quite useful in Singleplayer, but since the PPSh-41 is found more frequently in the Eastern Front campaign missions, the StG 44 is mainly used as a backup weapon that takes the place of a long range rifle, due to the lack of spare ammunition from other StG's found on the battlefield. It is effective at nearly all ranges, due to its low recoil and manageable rate of fire. The weapon is not usually encountered until the levels Ring of Steel, Heart of the Reich, and Downfall.

In multiplayer, the StG 44 is unlocked at level 37. Its moderate power and low rate of fire made it a let down in the eyes of many players. However, it has little recoil and can be controlled quite easily. Its good accuracy and range make it a good choice for mid- to long-range fighting. It is a popular weapon in Hardcore modes for the reasons previously mentioned, the fact that it is usually a one-shot-kill in close and medium range combat (unless a flash hider is equipped, in which case it becomes a two shot kill at medium range), and the fact that it is fully automatic, making it more usable in CQC than other rifles while mostly maintaining their usefulness at range. Unfortunately, the StG is not particularly effective in CQC outside of Hardcore, but Steady Aim combined withStopping Power or Double Tap can remedy this. This is the only rifle that is reliable enough to hip fire, as it is given the qualities of an SMG and rifle. It is recommended to hip fire in closed areas and aim through the iron sights to pick off enemies at a distance, or shoot enemies the open.

The StG 44 is one of the few guns that equally benefits heavily from either Stopping Power or Double Tap (most guns are only effective with one of the two). It benefits from Stopping Power, because of its low ROF and power, and it benefits from Double Tap, because of its already low recoil. Overall, Stopping Power is more effective because it reduces ammo consumption, while Double Tap increases it. This only applies to Core; in Hardcore the StG becomes considerably better with Double Tap, whereas Stopping Power has almost no effect.

Trivia

• There was a special attachment device made for the weapon called the Krummlauf. It was basically a bent barrel with a periscope sighting device attached, which allowed soldiers to shoot around corners without exposing themselves to enemy fire. It was also intended for tank crews to allow them to engage infantry who were too close to a tank to be engaged with any other weapon. However, this modification was rarely used, as bullets would often break through the curve of the barrel, causing a dangerous explosion of metal and rendering the barrel useless. Although, at close range, when the bullet was destroyed inside the curve, it had a shotgun like effect.
• Another developed, but rarely used device, was the Zielgerät 1229 code-named Vampir. This consisted of a scope and an infrared "spotlight", used as a night-vision device, similar to the ones found on late-model Sdkfz. 251 Half-Tracks. However, this was cumbersome to use and expensive to produce.
• All Call of Duty games that include this weapon have the player holding it by the grip in their left hand, but in Call of Duty: World at War, the player holds the magazine with their left hand (although in 3rd person, you still hold it by the grip). The weapon's barrel would heat up very quickly in real life, so holding it by the magazine was customary.
• The STG-44 is correctly not seen until later levels of World at War, because it gained prominence in, and after, 1944.
• Throughout the Call of Duty series, the StG varies in thickness. In World at War it is very thin and in Call of Duty 4 it is thicker.
• Until Modern Warfare 2, the STG-44 has been seen in every past installment (excluding mobile games and finest hour).
• On The Military Channel's Top Ten Combat Rifles; the STG-44 was #9.
• The telescopic sight is incorrectly depicted in multiplayer. It used a ZF4 scope mount which attached to the right side of the gun, not on the top of the gun.