Best Guns Meta Tier List (May 2024)

This tier list ranks all the best guns and weapons for multiplayer based on the Season 2 meta of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3). Learn the top 10 best guns to use in multiplayer, an overall tier list of the best guns, and the best guns to equip for each game mode!

Best Guns Lists
Best Guns Tier List	Best Ranked CDL Loadouts
Best Weapons Zombies	Best Guns Campaign

Best Meta Guns in Season 3

1. MCW

Best MCW Attachments
Muzzle	L4R Flash Hider
Barrel	16.5" MCW Cyclone Long Barrel
Rear Grip	RB Claw-PSL Grip
Underbarrel	Bruen Tactical Vertical Grip
Optic	DF105 Reflex Sight

The best gun in Modern Warfare 3 Season 2 is the MCW. With a default statline that rivals most meta Assault Rifle loadouts, this gun, when kitted, will offer excellent damage, an easy-to-control recoil pattern, and exceptional long-range accuracy.

To turn this menacing Assault Rifle into an unstoppable killing machine, we recommend equipping the L4R Flash Hider to further improve recoil and be able to gun your opponents from afar. Partner this with the 16.5" MCW Cyclone Long Barrel which should increase the maximum distance that your bullets can travel.

MCW Best Loadout and Build

2. RAM-9

Best RAM-9 Attachments
Barrel	Speedway V5 Short Barrel
Barrel	16.5" MCW Cyclone Long Barrel
Underbarrel	SL Skeletal Vertical Grip
Underbarrel	Retort 90 Grip Tape
Barrel	FSS Imperator Light Barrel

One of the new guns added in Season 2, the RAM-9 is a rapid-firing SMG with high mobility and weapon handling, perfect for those who prefer a run-and-gun playstyle.

Since you'll mostly be running around the battlefield with the RAM-9, the Speedway V5 Short Barrel attachment should speed up your ADS (Aim-Down-Sights) speed after sprinting if ever you bump into an enemy.

The Retort 90 Grip Tape and HVS 3.4 Pad should be more than enough to compensate for its poor recoil control, which should definitely lead you to more accurate shots when firing on enemies at medium-range.

Best RAM-9 Loadout and Build

3. SVA 545

Best SVA 545 Attachments
Muzzle	HMRES Mod Suppressor
Stock	Mane V6 Stock
Rear Grip	Demo 650 Grip
Magazine	45 Round Mag
Ammunition	5.45 High Grain Rounds

The SVA 545 is still one of the best Assault Rifles to use in Season 2 due to its overall balanced weapon stats with a slight kick in accuracy and fire-rate, making it one of the most versatile guns to use to date.

But one thing that should make this weapon a deadly force to be reckoned with, is the addition of the HMRES Mod Suppressor for stealthy platstyles since it completely hides you on the mini-map when firing, leaving your opponents confused on where they're getting killed from.

Since the suppressor punishes your recoil control, be sure to throw in a Demo 650 Grip and Mane V6 Stock to make up for it as these two attachments should help with gun control.

Best SVA 545 Loadout and Build

4. Rival-9

Best Rival-9 Attachments
Muzzle	Purifier Muzzle Brake S
Barrel	Rival-38E Fire Starter Barrel
Stock	EXF Close Quarters Assault Stock
Underbarrel	DR-6 Handstop
Rear Grip	Rival Vice Assault Grip

The Rival-9 is great for small maps like Rust and Meat as it lets you quickly kill your foes at close-ranged and also lets you move around faster as it has the fastest mobility and rate-of-fire out of all the SMGs.

While the damage output is certainly not the strongest, its Time-to-Kill (TTK) is impressive and quick enough for you to retaliate and eliminate an enemy if they spot and fire at you first—letting you play more aggressively during a match.

Similar to other SMGs, you'll mostly be sprinting around the map so make sure to have attachments like the DR-6 Handstop and Rival-38E Fire Starter Barrel to improve the Sprint-to-Fire statline.

Rival-9 Best Loadout and Build

5. Striker

Best Striker Attachments
Barrel	Striker Recon Long Barrel
Stock	FSS Priority Tactical Stock
Rear Grip	Sakin ZX Grip
Ammunition	.45 Auto High Grain Rounds
Optic	Slate Reflector

The Striker is one of the SMGs in Season 2 that's reliable enough to use at medium to long-range, however, this comes at the cost of its slightly slower rate of fire compared to the Rival-9.

Needless to say, this gun has the best recoil control among the SMGs, and is recommended for those who want to enjoy the faster rate of fire a Submachine Gun has, while also being able to kill opponents from afar.

Don't forget to equip attachments like the Striker Recon Long Barrel and the .45 Auto High Grain Rounds to further increase bullet travel time to increase the distance of your bullets even further!

Striker Best Loadout and Build

6. BP50

Best BP50 Attachments
Muzzle	Shadowstrike Suppressor
Underbarrel	Xten Phantom-5 Handstop
Magazine	45 Round Mag
Comb	Reliant-IX Comb
Stock	MOAT-40 Stock

Another new gun addition in Season 2, the BP50 is an Assault Rifle with impressive damage and accuracy, but is catered to a slower playstyle due to its poor mobility and ADS speed.

Nonetheless, you can still turn this into an aggressive weapon for risky offensive plays by equipping the Xten Phantom-5 Handstop and Reliant-IX Comb, so that you can fire through aiming-down-sights almost instantly after sprinting.

With the MOAT-40 Stock, you'll greatly improve your mobility, which should solve the issue with slow movement speed that comes with this weapon.

Best BP50 Loadout and Build

7. HRM-9

Best HRM-9 Attachments
Muzzle	Shadowstrike Suppressor
Underbarrel	Bruen Pivot Vertical Grip
Magazine	50 Round Drum
Rear Grip	PCS-90 Assault Grip
Optic	Slate Reflector

The HRM-9 is another SMG that comes with good recoil control even on full auto mode, making it great for quick kills at short to medium ranges. This gun has a lot of great CQB (Close-Quarters Combat) potential due to its high mobility stat, and is highly effective for pushing enemy defensive positions.

You can even play this out stealthily by attaching the Shadowstrike Suppressor S to make yourself undetectable by radar when firing. Then, attach the Bruen Pivot Vertical Grip and the PCS-90 Assault Grip to make recoil a non-issue entirely.

Best HRM-9 Loadout and Build

8. XRK Stalker

Best XRK Stalker Attachments
Barrel	KLX-09 Short Barrel
Stock	No Stock
Bolt	XRK Stalker Light Bolt
Rear Grip	XRK Factory Grip
Optic	Cronen Zero-P Optic

The XRK Stalker still outperforms the KATT-AMR in Season 2 when it comes to playing aggressively as the former has the ability to choose the No Stock attachment which speeds up the Sprint-to-Fire stat, allowing players to do quickscopes often.

In a game like Call of Duty, everything is fast-paced and you'll want to a Sniper Rifle that lets you move around the map with ease while also retaining a sniper's core aspects such as long-range capabilities and one-shot kill potential.

Best XRK Stalker Loadout and Build

9. Bas-B

Best Bas-B Attachments
Muzzle	VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor L
Barrel	Bruen Venom Long Barrel
Stock	Ravage-20 Heavy Stock
Magazine	45 Round Mag
Optic	SL Truesight 2.5x

The BAS-B allows you to kill an enemy fast without even aiming for a headshot as this heavy-hitting weapon has an impressive damage output partnered with a high rate of fire.

This gun is also perfect for those with average aim as they can also hit opponents at medium-range, and can even be improved to long-range as long as they have the Bruen Venom Long Barrel, Bruen Venom Long Barrel, and VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor L attachments equipped!

Perhaps the Bas-B's primary weakness is the slow movement due to its lackluster mobility stats. However, players can make up for this by smart positioning and patience.

Bas-B Best Loadout and Build

10. Holger 556

Best Holger 556 Attachments
Barrel	Chrios-6 Match
Rear Grip	Morn-20 Grip
Ammunition	5.56 Low Grain Rounds
Underbarrel	Bruen Pivot Vertical Grip
Optic	Slate Reflector

The Holger 556 is a jack-of-all trades Assault Rifle, perfect for those who don't want to lock-in to a specific playstyle as this weapon is overall average in terms of its other stats.

It's also versatile to use in both small and large-scaled Maps as it has the potential to take on enemies at any distance due to its excellent accuracy at range.

Perhaps the only minor issue with the Holger 556 is the recoil control, but you'll be able to compensate for this with the Chrios-6 Match, Morn-20 Grip, and 5.56 Low Grain Rounds attachments, as these three will definitely greatly improve the recoil of the Holger 556.

Holger 556 Best Loadout and Build

Best Guns Tier List (Season 3)

Overall Guns Ranked

Tier	Guns
S Tier	・ MCW (Assault Rifle) ・ RAM-9 (SMG) ・ SVA 545 (Assault Rifle) ・ Rival-9 (SMG) ・ Striker (SMG) ・ BP50 (Assault Rifle) ・ HRM-9 (SMG) ・ XRK Stalker (Sniper Rifle) ・ Bas-B (Battle Rifle) ・ Holger 556 (Assault Rifle) ・ DG-56 (Assault Rifle) ・ RAM-7 (Assault Rifle)
A Tier	・ M4 (Assault Rifle) ・ Striker 9 (SMG) ・ Kastov 545 (Assault Rifle) ・ WSP Swarm (SMG) ・ Holger 26 (LMG) ・ TAQ Eradicator (LMG) ・ Bruen Mk9 (LMG) ・ KATT-AMR (Sniper Rifle) ・ Kastov 762 (Assault Rifle) ・ TAQ-56 (Assault Rifle) ・ Riveter (Shotgun) ・ Longbow (Sniper Rifle)
B Tier	・ AMR9 (SMG) ・ Pulemyot 762 (LMG) ・ HCR 56 (LMG) ・ M16 (Assault Rifle) ・ M13B (Assault Rifle) ・ Lachmann-556 (Assault Rifle) ・ Holger 556 (Assault Rifle) ・ Cronen Squall (Battle Rifle) ・ Haymaker (Shotgun) ・ Renetti (Handgun)
C Tier	・ MX9 (SMG) ・ RAAL MG (LMG) ・ RAPP H (LMG) ・ MTZ-556 (Assault Rifle) ・ SO-14 (Battle Rifle) ・ DG-58 LSW (LMG) ・ TYR (Handgun)
D Tier	・ FR 5.56 (Assault Rifle) ・ FTAC Recon (Battle Rifle) ・ Lachmann-762 (Battle Rifle) ・ Bryson 890 (Shotgun) ・ Lockwood 680 (Shotgun) ・ Bryson 800 (Shotgun) ・ KV Broadside (Shotgun) ・ MX Guardian (Shotgun) ・ Lockwood 300 (Shotgun) ・ Expedite 12 (Shotgun)

All guns from Modern Warfare 2 (2022) are available in MW3 via the Carry Forward mechanic.

Best Guns Tier List Criteria

Full Criteria

Category	Evaluation
Firepower	Determined solely by the Damage Ouput stat of a weapon.
Time-to-Kill	Refers to the amount of time required to kill enemy players and is based on the Fire Rate and Mobility statistics of a weapon.
Aiming Capacity	Determined by aim-related stats such as Accuracy, Range, Recoil Control, and Handling statistics of a weapon.

The guns are ranked according to firepower, accuracy, and time-to-kill (TTK) in Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer. Take note that the stats are based from the vanilla version of the weapons with no attachments included.

Best Guns for Each Game Mode

Domination

Best Guns for Domination
Striker	Rival-9	RAM-9

SMGs like the Striker, Rival-9, and RAM-9 are the best guns to use for Domination due to their mobility as you'll need to be quick on your feet transitioning between different capture points sprawled all over the map.

Domination Tips and Best Strategies

Team Deathmatch

Best Guns for Team Deathmatch
MCW	SVA 545

Team Deathmatch requires you to rack up a lot kills, thus using some of the assault rifles like the MCW and SVA 545 should be more than enough as you'll have all-around weapons that's useful for fighting from close to long-range distances.

Team Deathmatch Tips and Best Loadouts

Kill Confirmed

Best Guns for Kill Confirmed
Rival-9	MCW	BP50

Besides eliminating opponents in Kill Confirmed, you'll also need to collect their dog tags, this is where the Rival-9 comes in as getting close-ranged kills allows you to instantly pick up enemy dog tags instantly.

If you're depending on your teammates to get the tags, you can focus on killing by using powerful rifles like the MCW or the BP50.

Hardpoint

Best Guns for Hardpoint
Pulemyot 762	Riveter

In Hardpoint, the Pulemyot 762 and Riveter are great defensive weapons that can hold down objectives. They're both useful in sweeping out multiple enemies at once attempting to take the target area.

Hardpoint Rotations, Spawns, and Best Strategies

Search and Destroy

Best Guns for Search and Destroy
Bas-B	AMR9	XRK Stalker

Search and Destroy requires you to both attack and defend an objective, thus having an AMR9 for attacking, XRK-Stalker for defending, and the Bas-B for versatile gameplay are the best weapons that you should bring in your loadout when playing this game mode.

Ground War and Invasion

Best Guns for Ground War and Invasion
Longbow	KV Inhibitor	MCW

In large-scaled maps in Ground War and Invasion modes, you'll need long-range weapons such as the Longbow and KV Inhibitor sniper rifles to fend off enemies attacking you from afar.

If sniping isn't your bread and butter, you can opt for an MCW for an all-around tactical gameplay while traveling across the battletorn maps.

Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Related Guides

List of All Guns and Weapons

All Guns and Weapon Guides

Guns and Weapon Guides
Best Guns Tier List	All New MW3 Guns
All Returning Guns in MW3	Recommended Weapons for Challenges

All Guns and Weapons by Type

Guns and Weapons by Type
Assault Rifles	Battle Rifles
Submachine Guns	Shotguns
Light Machine Guns	Marksman Rifles
Sniper Rifles	Handguns
Melee Weapons	Launchers