The best Modern Warfare 3 guns to use in Season 3 Reloaded

The best guns in Modern Warfare 3 list has gone through lots of changes since launch, as new weapons have been introduced while others have been buffed and nerfed.

A few weeks ago with Season 3, we saw the FJX Horus SMG and MORS sniper rifle added to the game, and joining them now with the arrival of Season 3 Reloaded is the BAL-27 assault rifle, which veteran Call of Duty players will recognize as being straight out of Advanced Warfare.

These three joined an enormous roster of weapons in the game already, especially thanks to the Modern Warfare 2 guns being carried over. But don’t worry, we’re not considering those in this list or we’d be here all day, and for the most part, the MW3 weapons are stronger anyway.

So if you’re wondering which are the best guns you should use when ranking up in MW3 multiplayer in Season 3 Reloaded, here are our top picks.

Modern Warfare 3 best guns to use in Season 3 Reloaded

The best weapons in Modern Warfare 3 are:

1. MCW (assault rifle)
2. Rival-9 (SMG)
3. FJX Horus (SMG)
4. BP50 (assault rifle)
5. RAM-7 (assault rifle)
6. BAS-B (battle rifle)
7. SVA 545 (assault rifle)
8. HRM-9 (SMG)
9. MORS (sniper rifle - new entry, from Season 3)
10. BAL-27 (assault rifle - new entry, from Season 3 Reloaded)

Even though it saw a minor headshot damage nerf at the turn of Season 3 and a slight knock to its hipfire capabilities with Season 3 Reloaded, the MCW is still the best gun in Modern Warfare 3 thanks to how reliable it is. It’s the most jack-of-all-trades gun you’ll find, as you can kit it out for long-range engagements — which our suggested attachments below are apt for — or to deal with enemies in close quarters if needed.

In fact, the rest of this list hasn’t changed much with the mid-season update - places two through eight are all the same, including the all new FJX Horus SMG. That gun goes toe-to-toe with the Rival-9 for the title of best SMG, while the BP50 and RAM-7 take second and third place respectively in the assault rifle category. The BAS-B is the best battle rifle and the sixth best gun overall, while the SVA 545 and HRM-9 round out the top eight.

In ninth place, the XRK Stalker sniper rifle has been replaced with the MORS, which is a sniper rifle that is actually a railgun. It’s much quicker to rechamber since you must only pull the bolt back and never reload, and you can fire charged shots, which are ridiculously powerful. Then we have the BAL-27 assault rifle which is the newest weapon on the list, because despite it still being early doors, it is incredibly versatile and capable in myriad situations.

1. MCW (assault rifle)

Image: Activision via Polygon

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)

Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision via Polygon

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. FJX Horus (SMG)

Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision via Polygon

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.

4. BP50 (assault rifle)

Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision via Polygon

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. RAM-7 (assault rifle)

Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision via Polygon

The RAM-7 was introduced in Season 1 and quickly found itself as a mainstay in the meta. It kicks like a mule but deals some serious damage. As such, you don’t want to kit it out for extremely long range, but it is one of the best choices at short to mid range for an assault rifle. A barrel or muzzle attachment that ideally silences the gun and helps with damage at range is key.

Alongside this, we recommend putting on an extended magazine thanks to how quickly the gun fires, then aiming to strike a balance between mobility, handling, and damage for the rest.

Tweak the attachments until you find the exact fit that works for you, or check out our guide to the best RAM-7 loadout in MW3.

6. BAS-B (battle rifle)

Image: Activision via Polygon

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. SVA 545 (assault rifle)

Image: Activision via Polygon

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.

8. HRM-9 (SMG)

Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision via Polygon

The final SMG on the list, the HRM-9 with our build is actually very strong at a slightly further distance than you’d expect most SMGs to be effective. With that in mind, the Sonic Suppressor S muzzle attachment is a godsend as it buffs the bullet velocity, damage range, and it makes you undetectable by radar when firing.

It does mean the recoil control takes a minor hit though, so you want to use other attachments that help bring that back up. Any underbarrel grip geared towards that will do the job — our choice is the VX Pineapple — along with a rear grip and stock attachment. We’d recommend an optical sight here too, though a basic one like the Slimline Pro or Slate Reflector is good enough.

Our full HRM-9 loadout guide has more details on how to best utilize this SMG and the attachments to kit it out with.

9. MORS (sniper rifle)

Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision via Polygon

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)

Image: Sledgehammer Games/Activision via Polygon

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.