You can also equip the steady hands talent which gives you 25 % less recoil when you pop onto cover for just a sec . Makes a world of difference . That with striker make the LVOAC a laser and that gun is very hard to control because of their rate of fire which also makes it extremely attractive for an AR . The M 4 is a lot easier to control in my opinion , but you can play with both and make your own decision . For PVE in my opinion SMGs are extremely weak and I have a very strong Alpha with 38 % CHC 120 % CHD 90 % Head Shot before I pulse and get another 20 % on each . But that ' s if I ' m hitting all head shots . The ARs are King like Rezhyn says . You can hit from a distance hard as heck and when you do get head shots having the right mods on your gun you do MASSIVE damage . Pun intended . I know terrible , but it ' s Thanksgiving . I ' m in a good mood . Not being privy to Barret ' s chest because I ' m on PS 4 , I either run 4 Alpha 2 striker or 4 Alpha Savage Gloves and a Specialized Back Pack . I like them both , but I lean toward the Savage Specialized as I like when I heal myself , it gives me close to 3 bars and not 1 and a half . Just my preference . Enjoy though .