Modern Warfare 3 Season 4 is here, which means there are a few changes to our list of the best guns in Modern Warfare 3. Since launch, a plethora of new weapons have been introduced, while others have seen all manner of buffs and nerfs, meaning this list looks vastly different compared to how it did even a few months ago.
Last season saw new guns in the form of the FJX Horus, MORS, and BAL-27, and now Season 4 has brought with it the world-famous Kar98k marksman rifle, along with the Superi 46, a much lesser-known SMG. All these have joined an enormous roster of guns already, since you can also use all of the guns from Modern Warfare 2 here, but don’t worry — those aren’t being considered here. For the most part, MW3 weapons are better.
Here’s our list of the best guns in Modern Warfare 3 that you should be using if you’re looking to rank up quickly in multiplayer in Season 4.
Modern Warfare 3 best guns to use in Season 4
The best weapons in Modern Warfare 3 are:
- MCW (assault rifle)
- Rival-9 (SMG)
- Kar98k (marksman rifle)
- BP50 (assault rifle)
- MTZ-556 (assault rifle)
- BAS-B (battle rifle)
- FJX Horus (SMG)
- SVA 545 (assault rifle)
- MORS (sniper rifle)
- BAL-27 (assault rifle)
Turns out that even seven months on from launch, the classics are still the best, because the MCW still tops our ranking. The fully automatic assault rifle is the textbook definition of a jack-of-all-trades gun, but it performs that role so well, because you can kit it out for every type of engagement.
The Rival-9 is still in second place as the best SMG in the game, but the Kar98k comes straight in at third place immediately after being added to Modern Warfare 3. It was always going to be a strong gun, but nobody was ready for quite how powerful the modernized version of this WW2 classic would be. It takes the place of the FJX Horus, which has been bumped down to seventh place, while the BP50 holds its own as the second-best assault rifle.
The RAM-7 was previously the third-best assault rifle, but that has now been replaced by the MTZ-556, while the BAS-B battle rifle holds the sixth spot. The rest of the list is the same, with the SVA 545, MORS, and BAL-27 rounding out the list.
1. MCW (assault rifle)
Kicking things off is the MCW, which is unlocked at rank 44. Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t have real weapon names, so the MCW is best known as the ACR from previous installments. Which is all to day, the MCW is a very reliable assault rifle that is fully automatic, with consistent range, recoil, and damage.
Essentially, with the right attachments, the MCW becomes a laser beam. Any of the heavy barrels do the job — we’d recommend the 16.5” MCW Cyclone Long Barrel — along with any vertical grip, though we found the Bruen Pivot to be the best (which requires leveling the SVA 545 to level 12 first). As for the rest of the attachments, an optic is always a good shout for enhanced visibility, alongside any combination of muzzle/stock/rear grip that assist with recoil control and bullet velocity.
For more on how to kit out this weapon, see our dedicated MCW loadout page.
2. Rival-9 (SMG)
The Rival-9 wasn’t considered to be one of the best guns in MW3 on launch, but it has quickly risen to the top thanks to its fast fire rate. It packs a huge punch when you get up close and personal. As the meta has developed, running and gunning has solidified itself as a very strong style of play, particularly in Season 2.
Bearing that in mind — that you won’t often be engaging with enemies beyond a few meters away — you want to manage the recoil to an extent while also maintaining the weapon handling and mobility. We recommend the Rival Vice Assault Grip in the rear grip attachment slot, along with the Rival IGS-800 Barrel to deal with most of the recoil issues. Make sure you also stick the 9mm High Velocity ammunition on to deal the most damage.
3. Kar98k (marksman rifle)
The Kar98k may not have been in the game for very long but it doesn’t take a genius to realize this marksman rifle is ridiculously powerful. Much like the MCW, you can kit the Kar98k out for fast-paced quick-scoping — thanks to how prevalent that playstyle is in Modern Warfare 3 — or you can treat it like a classic sniper rifle and play much slower. Either approach is viable because it deals so much damage per shot.
For a quick-scoping playstyle, you’ll want to opt for the Bryson Carbine-S Barrel, as it significantly buffs the mobility. In fact, all the attachments are geared toward buffing your mobility, most notably the Repeller Tac Stock and Target Sling, the two of which go hand-in-hand in improving the aim down sight speed. The optical attachment you choose is really down to you, but we found a 2.5x zoom was the perfect blend between speed and distance, as you can pick enemies off from further out with it if you need to. There’s also the XTEN Phantom-5 Handstop underbarrel grip as the fifth attachment, as it buffs the aim down sight speed further.
For more details on how to kit out this quickscoping machine, check out our Kar98k loadout page.
4. BP50 (assault rifle)
Following an introduction in Season 2, the BP50 (also known as the F2000 from Call of Duty games of old) took a while to find its place in the meta. Now that the dust on the meta is settled, we can safely claimed it as one of the best guns in Modern Warfare 3. It’s an assault rifle with a ridiculously fast fire rate, which makes it better suited to short-to-medium range gun fights rather than taking foes down from afar.
Your best bet is to reduce the recoil a touch though by using attachments such as the STER45 Skyfury Compensator and the Lore-9 Heavy Barrel, both of which do assist with the bullet velocity and damage alongside helping the recoil. Supplement these with other recoil managing attachments and stick an optical sight on it for good measure for the best results.
Our BP50 loadout guide explains more about how to unlock and build this impressive assault rifle.
5. MTZ-556 (assault rifle)
In Modern Warfare 3, the MTZ-556 has the fastest fire rate out of all the assault rifles, which means it isn’t a great fit for ranged engagements. However, it does mean it’s essentially a very hard-hitting SMG, so you should be comfortable running and gunning with it in your hands. It’s taken a while for this gun to show up in the top ten, but Season 4 has finally seen it come into its own in the meta.
The goal with the MTZ-556 should be trying to mitigate the recoil while also enabling it to be mobile and versatile. The T51R Billeted Brake muzzle deals with this recoil, while the MTZ Clinch Pro Barrel will assist in ranged engagements. You may want to go for an optical attachment as the iron sight isn’t ideal and that can also help with fights where you must aim down the sights, then for your other attachments, look for anything that will assist with the mobility. Grip and stock attachments are usually best for this.
6. BAS-B (battle rifle)
All the weapons in this list are fairly similar: fully automatic guns that are best at varying ranges. The BAS-B is no different. The first and only battle rifle on the list, this is the gun you want to switch to if our MCW build above still doesn’t have enough range for you. It doesn’t fire quite as quickly as the MCW, but each bullet packs way more of a punch, and once you have some recoil-managing attachments on there, you can put a longer-range optic on it, such as one of the 2.5x options.
When you’re in the opening levels of using the BAS-B though, we have just a few recommended attachments. The Bruen Venom Long Barrel is a no-brainer thanks to the range it adds, and the 30-round mag — or the 45-round once you unlock it — ensures you can mow down multiple enemies without needing to reload. We’d also recommend the Ravage-20 Heavy Stock, which you unlock once the BAS-B has reached level seven.
For more on how to kit out this weapon, see our dedicated BAS-B loadout page.
7. FJX Horus (SMG)
Now that the WSP Swarm been nerfed, the FJX Horus (new as of Season 3) has replaced it. It fills almost the exact same role, where you want to fire from the hip or use the tactical stance rather than aiming down the sights.
You can do this by equipping attachments such as the Ruse-90 Light Barrel to buff your movement and aiming speeds, the Point-G3P 04 laser to massively improve your accuracy when firing from the hip, and the Lockgrip Precision-40 underbarrel to help manage the recoil.
For more on how to kit out this fast-firing machine pistol, see our dedicated FJX Horus loadout guide.
8. SVA 545 (assault rifle)
The SVA 545 is the first assault rifle you’ll unlock in the game, so while you’re grinding for the MCW and AMR9, it’s the one you want to be using. As soon as you unlock create-a-class you can equip it, and it comes with one very interesting perk: the first shot fires two bullets, almost simultaneously. This isn’t just the first shot of the magazine though; if you tap fire, you can ensure every shot is a twofer. It’s not overpowered or anything, but it is a nifty trick if you can get the hang of it.
As is always the case with assault rifles, you’ll want to manage the recoil on this, so we recommend an underbarrel grip such as the VX Pineapple, a barrel attachment that can improve the range and damage, and other attachments that support recoil management. It’s one of the only guns in the game with decent iron sights though, so you don’t need to stick an optic on it.
Check out our best SVA 545 loadout with our dedicated guide.
9. MORS (sniper rifle)
The MORS is a railgun, which means you can hold down the fire button and charge shots up before letting loose. This results in by far the most powerful sniper rifle in the game, and while those shots do take a moment to charge, the fact it still outputs solid damage without charging it up means it’s the best choice for anyone looking to either quickscope or sit back and pick enemies off.
You do need to have the Photonic Charge Barrel equipped to enable this functionality however, and you should also gear the gun towards closer range engagements because with a sniper, this doesn’t harm your ability to also snipe at range. So to that end, equip attachments such as the SL Razorhawk Laser Light, Superlite-90 Stock, Quick Bolt, and OP-980 Grip.
Make sure you check out our full guide on the best MORS loadout in MW3 for full details on the attachments and the class to use it with.
10. BAL-27 (assault rifle)
Finally, we have the BAL-27. With the arrival of Season 3 Reloaded, it’s too early to place this any higher in this list, but it is certainly a solid shout because it plays the flex role so well. It has arguably the best iron sight in the game, which means you don’t need to waste an attachment slot on an optic, and it can play the role of both an SMG and an assault rifle.
By far the most crucial attachment for the BAL-27 is the Prowl-IV Barrel, which gives a serious buff to the bullet velocity and range while also preventing your shots from showing up on enemy radar. However, you’ll want to kit the rest of the build out to focus on elevating the close quarters combat elements, such as the Hammer Grip, Clarent Light Stock, and STOVL DR Laser Box.
Our guide to the best BAL-27 loadout in MW3 goes into more detail, so you can build this new gun exactly how you like it as soon as possible.
