Best BAR loadout for CoD: Vanguard

Andrew Highton
call of duty vanguard bar

The BAR is another classic World War II gun that has featured in multiple Call of Duty games. It returns in stunning fashion for Vanguard, and our best loadout will apply the ideal Perks and attachments to increase its viability.

The Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR for short, is an iconic weapon in FPS games as the gun is an interesting hybrid of Assault Rifle and LMG. It only holds 20 rounds, but its power and precision can allow it to take aim at several people at once.

Call of Duty: Vanguard has several weapons all competing to be the main meta weapon, and the qualities of the BAR ensure that it’s in the conversation.

Best Vanguard BAR Gunsmith loadout attachments

cod vanguard bar ar
  • Muzzle: A2 Flash Hider
  • Barrel: Chariot 18″ Rapid
  • Optic: Zeiss G16 2.5x
  • Stock: Chariot WR
  • Underbarrel: M1941 Handstop
  • Magazine: .50 BMG 30 Round Mag
  • Ammo Type: Lengthened
  • Rear Grip: Stippled Grip
  • Proficiency: Hardscope
  • Kit: Fully Loaded

The A2 Flash Hider is great for reducing vertical and horizontal recoil and won’t take too long to unlock. There are several different ways you can go with the barrel, but we’ve opted for the Chariot 18″ Rapid to increase its fire rate by 25%.

A solid optic is the Zeiss G16 2.5x as the BAR has awesome range, and this will help you make the most of its capabilities. Whereas the Chariot WR recovers a lot of the lost recoil from equipping the Chariot 18″ Rapid.

Attaching the M1941 Handstop works wonders for the BAR’s recoil, the .50 BMG 30 Round Mag lets you hold 10 more bullets and massively increases firepower, and Lengthened ammo will give a huge buff to bullet velocity and effectively increase the weapon’s speed.

The favorite Stippled Grip returns to boost the gun’s vertical and horizontal recoil control, Fully Loaded is good in case your ammo supplies run low, and Hardscope is great for concentrated fire, especially with 30 rounds in a mag.

Best Perks to run with Vanguard BAR

cod vanguard ghost perk
  • Perk 1: Ghost
  • Perk 2: Radar
  • Perk 3: Overkill

Ghost will be selected by many in Call of Duty: Vanguard as it can effectively shield you from Spy Planes, Field Mics, and Enemy Intel, and is too valuable to pass up.

Another meta Perk is Radar as Vanguard uses Modern Warfare’s minimap system, so Radar will help to sniff out players who don’t have Subsonic rounds equipped.

The final option goes to Overkill as no matter the attachments we suggest, the BAR will always suffer some mobility issues, so Overkill will let you use a speedy SMG like the MP40 or M1928.

How to unlock the BAR in Vanguard

cod vanguard bar gun lying down

The BAR can be unlocked by players once they reach level 25 in the Multiplayer.

This isn’t too hard to reach, especially if you’re playing a lot of objective-based game modes, or even using the Zombies mode to gain Weapon XP.

Best alternatives to Vanguard BAR

For a drastic change of pace from the BAR, we’d suggest either going for a fully-fledged LMG like the MG42 or testing out your sniping skills with the 3-Line Rifle.


And that’s the best BAR loadout you can run in Call of Duty: Vanguard! Be sure to check out our Multiplayer review.

Image Credit: Activision / Sledgehammer Games

About The Author

A content creator for Charlie INTEL / Dexerto that earned a degree, wrote for PlusXP, Twinfinite, and Keengamer, before finally securing his dream job of being a professional video game writer. When not writing about games, he's very busy playing every game in existence and adding to his 11,000+ PlayStation Trophies and 150+ Platinums. You can contact him at [email protected].