The Custom SMG is the cheapest submachine gun you can build in Rust and the fastest firing gun in the game. It takes an SMG body, 8 high quality metal and a metal spring, it sprays 600 rounds a minute from a 30 round magazine, and it runs on the cheapest ammo there is. Each bullet hits softer than a Thompson or MP5A4 round, but inside 30 metres that does not matter much, which is why the Custom SMG is the gun most players carry for door camps, roams and monument runs in the first days of a wipe.
This Custom SMG Rust guide covers its full stats, how to craft and research it, every ammo type, how it compares with the Thompson and MP5A4, the best attachments, where to loot one, what it recycles into and the habits that make it win fights.
What Is the Custom SMG in Rust?
The Custom SMG is a makeshift submachine gun built around an SMG body. The game describes it as a rapid firing machine gun that gives up accuracy and distance for speed, and that sums it up. It shoots faster than anything else you can hold, it fires cheap pistol ammo, and it costs less high quality metal than any other gun that uses an SMG body.
Its weak points are damage per bullet and range. At 30 damage a shot it is the softest of the three SMG body guns, and its spread and slow bullets make it hard to land shots past 30 or 40 metres. Most players treat it as a stepping stone: the first automatic gun of a wipe, then a backup or a turret gun once a Thompson, MP5A4 or AK is in the box. Our Rust weapons guide shows where it sits in the full progression.
Custom SMG Stats
| Stat | Custom SMG |
|---|---|
| Damage | 30 per pistol bullet (x2 on a headshot) |
| Rate of fire | 600 RPM (10 rounds a second) |
| Magazine | 30 rounds |
| Ammo | Pistol Bullet, HV Pistol Ammo, Incendiary Pistol Bullet |
| Recipe | 1 SMG Body, 8 High Quality Metal, 1 Metal Spring |
| Crafted at | Workbench Level 2 |
| Craft time | 25 seconds |
| Blueprint | 60 scrap at a research table (Workbench 2) |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Stack size | 1 |
| Despawn time | 40 minutes on the ground |
| Shortname | smg.2 |
| Item ID | 1796682209 |
A naked player has 100 health, so 4 body shots or 2 headshots drop them. At 10 rounds a second, a magazine empties in 3 seconds of full auto, which is enough to kill several lightly armoured players if you keep the spray on target. Against a full metal kit the low damage per bullet starts to hurt, and that is the point where players move up to a Thompson or MP5A4.
How to Craft a Custom SMG in Rust
Once the blueprint is learned, stand at a Workbench Level 2 and craft it from 1 SMG Body, 8 High Quality Metal and 1 Metal Spring. It takes 25 seconds. There is no wood in the recipe, unlike the Thompson, and it needs about half the high quality metal of an MP5A4.
The SMG body is the part that limits you. It cannot be crafted or researched, so every body comes from crates, scientists or recycled SMGs. The metal spring can be crafted at a Workbench Level 3 from 2 HQM and 50 scrap, but most players loot springs from barrels and crates in the early game.
To learn the blueprint, put any Custom SMG in a research table with 60 scrap, or unlock it on the Workbench 2 branch of the tech tree. Research is cheaper if someone already handed you the gun. If you want the full cost of a batch of guns and ammo, the Rust crafting calculator adds it up for you.
Custom SMG vs Thompson vs MP5A4
Rust has four submachine guns. Three of them, the Custom SMG, Thompson and MP5A4, are built from an SMG body. The Handmade SMG is a cheaper Workbench 1 gun that needs no body at all.
| SMG | Damage | Fire rate | Magazine | Recipe | Workbench |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom SMG | 30 | 600 RPM | 30 | SMG Body, 8 HQM, 1 spring | Level 2 |
| Thompson | 37.5 | 462 RPM | 20 | SMG Body, 10 HQM, 1 spring, 100 wood | Level 2 |
| MP5A4 | 37.5 | 600 RPM | 30 | SMG Body, 15 HQM, 2 springs | Level 3 |
| Handmade SMG | Lower | Fast | Small | 5 HQM, 200 metal fragments, 1 spring | Level 1 |
Custom SMG vs Thompson. The Custom SMG fires faster and holds 10 more rounds, while the Thompson hits 25% harder per bullet and stays more accurate at range. Up close the Custom SMG often wins the trade on sheer volume. Past 30 metres, take the Thompson.
Custom SMG vs MP5A4. The MP5A4 has the same fire rate and magazine but 37.5 damage a bullet and better accuracy, so it is simply the better gun. It costs a Workbench 3, 15 HQM and 2 springs, though, so the Custom SMG is what you run until you get there.
Custom SMG Ammo
The Custom SMG fires all three kinds of pistol ammo. All of them are crafted from metal fragments and gun powder, which is what makes the gun so cheap to run.
| Ammo | Recipe | Makes | Workbench | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistol Bullet | 10 metal fragments, 5 gun powder | 4 | Level 1 | Everyday fights, 30 damage |
| HV Pistol Ammo | 10 metal fragments, 10 gun powder | 4 | Level 2 | Faster bullets for longer shots |
| Incendiary Pistol Bullet | 10 metal fragments, 10 gun powder, 5 sulfur | 3 | Level 2 | Setting fire to wood and players |
A full 30 round magazine of standard pistol bullets costs about 75 metal fragments and 38 gun powder. That is roughly a third of the gun powder a rifle magazine needs, which is why you can spray freely with a Custom SMG in a way you never would with an AK.
Best Custom SMG Attachments
The Custom SMG takes a sight, a muzzle attachment, an underbarrel attachment and a magazine mod. Its recoil and spread are its biggest problems, so the best attachments are the ones that keep the spray on target.
- Holosight (12 HQM + 1 tech trash, Workbench 2). A clean red dot that makes tracking a target while spraying much easier. The first attachment to put on.
- Muzzle Brake (8 HQM, Workbench 2). Cuts recoil hard so the gun stays on target, at the cost of a little damage per bullet.
- Extended Magazine (10 HQM, Workbench 2). More rounds before you reload, which matters on a gun that empties in 3 seconds.
- Laser Sight (3 HQM + 1 tech trash, Workbench 3). Tightens hip fire for point blank fights in compounds and bases.
- Muzzle Boost (10 HQM, Workbench 2). Fires even faster. Fun, but it makes recoil worse, so most players pick the brake instead.
- Silencer (loot only). Hides muzzle flash and quiets the shots for roaming. The game files list it as not craftable, so you have to find one.
- Simple Handmade Sight (6 HQM, Workbench 1, known by default) and Weapon Flashlight (3 HQM, Workbench 1) are cheap early options.
Where to Find a Custom SMG
You do not need to loot the gun itself if you have the blueprint, because an SMG body plus 8 HQM and a spring is a full Custom SMG. Still, the gun drops in a few places, and finding one early lets you research it.
- Elite crates. About a 2.8% chance per roll, with 1 to 2 rolls per crate. They spawn at tier 3 monuments like Launch Site and Military Tunnels, on the oil rigs and in Underwater Labs.
- Military crates. Better for parts than for the gun. A military crate has about a 17% chance of an SMG body, and elite crates about 28%.
- Scientists. Monument scientists can drop SMGs and SMG bodies, but the chances are low.
- Research. 60 scrap at a research table turns any Custom SMG you find into a blueprint for the rest of the wipe.
What Does a Custom SMG Recycle Into?
Each part of the recipe comes back at the recycler‘s yield: 75% at the red Power Plant recycler, 60% at a powered green recycler, 50% unpowered and 40% at a safe zone recycler in Outpost or Bandit Camp.
| Recycler | HQM (average) | SMG Body | Metal Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Plant (red) | 6 | 75% chance | 75% chance |
| Powered green | 4 to 5 | 60% chance | 60% chance |
| Unpowered green | 4 | 50% chance | 50% chance |
| Safe zone | 3 to 4 | 40% chance | 40% chance |
Recycling a spare Custom SMG is the main way to get an SMG body back for a Thompson or MP5A4. Only recycle spares, though: the gun is worth far more in your hands or in a turret than the parts are in a box.
Custom SMG Tips
- Fight close. Inside 30 metres the Custom SMG out-sprays almost anything. Past that, tap in short bursts or change guns.
- Put a holosight on it first. The iron sights are poor, and the holo makes it far easier to track a moving player.
- Use it in turrets you expect to lose. An auto turret with a Custom SMG costs you 8 HQM when it dies, not an AK.
- Learn it early in a wipe. 60 scrap turns every SMG body you find into a gun, and bodies are much easier to find than whole guns.
- Upgrade when you can. Once you have a Workbench 3, every SMG body is worth more as an MP5A4.
Custom SMG Rust FAQ
How do you craft a Custom SMG in Rust?
Craft it at a Workbench Level 2 from 1 SMG Body, 8 High Quality Metal and 1 Metal Spring. It takes 25 seconds, and you need the blueprint first, which costs 60 scrap at a research table.
How much damage does the Custom SMG do?
30 damage per pistol bullet to the body, doubled on a headshot. A naked player dies in 4 body shots or 2 headshots.
How many bullets does the Custom SMG hold?
30 rounds of pistol ammo. An extended magazine adds more. Some older guides say 24, which was the magazine size years ago.
Is the Custom SMG better than the Thompson?
It fires faster (600 RPM against 462) and holds more (30 rounds against 20), but the Thompson hits harder at 37.5 damage and is more accurate. The Custom SMG is better at point blank range and cheaper to craft. The Thompson is better past 30 metres.
What workbench do you need for the Custom SMG?
A Workbench Level 2, both to research the blueprint and to craft the gun.
How much scrap is the Custom SMG blueprint?
60 scrap at a research table, the same as the Thompson. You can also unlock it on the Workbench 2 tech tree.
What ammo does the Custom SMG use?
Pistol ammo: standard Pistol Bullets, HV Pistol Ammo and Incendiary Pistol Bullets. It shares ammo with the Thompson, MP5A4 and the pistols.
What does a Custom SMG recycle into?
At a powered green recycler, about 4 to 5 high quality metal plus a 60% chance each of getting the SMG body and the metal spring back. Safe zone recyclers return 40%.
What is the Custom SMG item ID?
The Custom SMG shortname is smg.2 and its item ID is 1796682209.
Sources and Further Reading
- Recipe, workbench, craft time, research cost, stack size and despawn time: Rust game item files (items.craft.json via rust-game-icons)
- Damage, fire rate and item description: Facepunch Wiki, Custom SMG
- Magazine, aim cone and attachment effects: RustClash Wiki, Custom SMG
- Elite crate drop chances: Facepunch Wiki, Elite Crate