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Escape from Tarkov · Rifle

M4A1 spray pattern

In Escape from Tarkov, the M4A1 climbs almost straight up for the first 7 rounds, drifts to the right, then sweeps hard to the left, tightening into a jitter as the magazine empties. Here's the shape, the numbers, and how to control it — then drill it into muscle memory on SprayTrace.

M4A1 recoil control path — Escape from Tarkovaim Training model

Your mouse path — start on the crosshair and follow it down. The bullets climb the opposite way; this is the movement that cancels them.

The numbers

GameEscape from Tarkov
ClassRifle
Fire rate800 RPM
Magazine30 rounds
Vertical recoil11.0° climb
Horizontal recoil5.0° sweep
Full spray~1.88s (25 rounds)
Recoil reset0.38s off trigger

A characteristic recoil model that captures the weapon's real climb, direction and rhythm for training — not a pixel-exact plot of the in-game spray. In Escape from Tarkov the sideways recoil shifts with attachments and stance, so read the side-to-side here as a typical path, not the only one.

How to control it

Controlling the M4A1 spray

  1. Pull down to cancel the climb. The M4A1 rises about 11.0° over its first burst — drag straight down to keep the crosshair on target as it climbs.
  2. Counter the horizontal sweep. After the climb the pattern swings 5.0° across — the spray drifts right, so ease left first, then pull hard right as it sweeps back left.
  3. Reset between bursts. Recoil fully resets after about 0.38s off the trigger — tap-fire or burst at range, spray up close.
  4. Drill it, then let it vary. At 800 RPM a full 25-round spray plays out in ~1.88s. Trace it in SprayTrace at 20% speed and ramp to full, then switch to the Wander drill: it keeps this climb and re-rolls the sideways kick each run, closer to how the gun behaves across attachments and stances.
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