Single Player[]
The M240 is first seen used by American forces in liberating an Afghan city, and then by Makarov's terrorists during the attack on Zakhaev International Airport. The purpose for using Western firearms is apparently to divert suspicion from the Ultranationalists to a western perpetrator, but strangely, it is seen being used by Ultranationalists in other missions as well. It is also used by Ranger LMG gunners with various attachments such as the Red Dot Sight, ACOG scope, or without attachments. In comparison to the MG4 , which is commonly found amongst arctic Ultranationalists, the M240 has a much larger amount of ammo capacity as well as the commonality of mounted optics, although it has a little more recoil.
Special Ops[]
Juggernauts will always use this weapon in Special Ops, usually with a Red Dot Sight, but they may use other weapon attachments, especially the ACOG sight and occasionally the Holographic Sight. The M240 also appears as a starting weapon for Armor Piercing. When used against Juggernauts, the M240 is very effective, capable of killing one in about 1/3 of a magazine.
Multiplayer[]
The M240 has mild recoil for a light machine gun, but enough to throw off aim at medium to long distances if firing full-auto. As a result of this, a Grip or the Holographic Sight are recommended. The weapon has a slightly obstructive iron sight (identical to the M16A4's), the third fastest reload time for an LMG, low damage, and an extremely high rate of fire. Scavenger is a good choice as the weapon expends ammunition quickly, however as an LMG two one-hundred round belts is sufficient for most occasions. If used with both a Grip and Red Dot Sight, the M240 can be very effective at all ranges if burst firing is used effectively. The lack of damage dropoff means it is most effective at long range, where it will still down a player in three shots with Stopping Power, or four without it in normal circumstances. Because of the lack of damage dropoff or increase, using a silencer - with or without Stopping Power at close range is extremely ill-advised, as it still takes either 4 or 5 shots to kill, meaning the player will be overwhelmed by all of the SMGs, most Assault Rifles, and even other LMGs. This weapon suffers from a glitch that causes you to show up on enemy radar even when using the silencer. This does not render the silencer completely useless though, as it removes the muzzle flash may get in the way of the sights when firing. The M240 has the lower damage of the LMGs, balanced with its extremely high rate of fire. The M240 excels greatly in Hardcore, where it delivers one-hit kills at any range at a very high rate of fire with some mild, easily controllable recoil. The high rate of fire and high capacity makes this weapon a premier choice for bullet penetration kills. Along with poor iron sights, the M240 suffers from very high muzzle flash when fired automatically. The Holographic Sight is a solution to both problems; the sight is elevated, therefore the player will see a notably lower amount of flash. Also, due to a glitch in game, the Holographic decreases the recoil of the M240 to a more manageable level, similar to the M16A4. The weapon's high fire rate is useful in making the M240 a versatile weapon. The fire rate allows the M240 to do fairly well at close range while hipfiring compared to other LMGs. Stopping Power does not have a significant effect on the M240 due to the high fire rate, making other Tier 2 perks more viable options, such as Hardline for more air support and Lightweight for running and gunning (though this is ill-advised, LMG's are at their best when used as a support role for holding areas and objectives). It can help with defending flags in Domination or general objective based game types such as Headquarters and Demolition. The M240 can also reach its potential in tight, high traffic areas because, as mentioned before, the high fire rate can make the M240 quite useful as it can provide constant suppressing/covering fire. Sleight of Hand Pro is recommended due to the longer sight raise time without the perk. It also performs quite well as an overwatch weapon with any optic plus a Grip with Bling, having moderate, mostly visual recoil that can down a target surprisingly fast, with or without Stopping Power.