Best primary weapons in Modern Warfare 3

Your primary weapon in Modern Warfare 3 is your main source of damage, so you'll want to unlock and use the very best guns available to gain an advantage over your opponents.

As Modern Warfare 3 has a huge selection of weapons to pick from, we've listed the 8 best primary weapons below to help narrow down your choices. If you want to have two powerful primaries on the go, check out our page explaining how to carry two primary weapons.

For more weapon assistance, we also have individual pages on the best assault rifles, sniper rifles, SMGs, LMGs, shotguns, and marksman rifles.

Best primary weapons in Modern Warfare 3

Going off their base stats, potential with attachments, and community observations and place in the current meta of best weapons, there are eight primary weapons we recommend using in Modern Warfare 3:

• MCW
• DG-58
• Holger 556
• Longbow
• Striker
• Rival-9
• Pulemyot 762
• Bas-B

Keep in mind that although we've based this page off raw stats and community observations, our best primary picks are subjective. They may not necessarily be ones you agree with or find the best to use.

With that in mind, here's more detailed information on the eight best primary weapons in Modern Warfare 3:

MCW (Assault Rifle)

How to unlock: Reach player Level 44.

Base Damage: 44 Headshot, 37 Upper Torso, 34 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 26.7m for effective damage range and 45.2m for minimum damage range, with 710 m/s bullet velocity.

Base Rate of Fire: 714.3 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 240 ms.

Remember the ACR from the original Modern Warfare 2? The MCW is basically the newest version of this fan-favourite gun. If you're not familiar with it, the MCW is such a good assault rifle to wield in large part because of its very light frame, which means it has amazing recoil control even before attachments are added. It's a very easy gun to use in almost all types of encounters in MW3, but the MCW is best utilised for picking off enemies at medium to long-range.

You need the right build to make use of this versatile assault rifle, so here's our recommended attachments for the MCW in Modern Warfare 3:

• Optics: MK.23 Reflector
• Barrel: 16.5" MCW Cyclone Long Barrel
• Muzzle: L4R Flash Hider
• Rear Grip: RB Talon-X3 Grip
• Ammunition: 5.56 Nato High Grain

For more details on how to play the MCW, check out our dedicated MCW loadout page.

DG-58 (Assault Rifle)

How to unlock: Reach player Level 25 and make Active at the Armory, then complete three daily or bonus challenges.

Base Damage: 61 Headshot, 48 Upper Torso, 44 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 35.6m for effective damage range and 44.4m for minimum damage range, with 720 m/s bullet velocity.

Base Rate of Fire: 209.8 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 240 ms.

Even if you're not a fan of burst assault rifles, we recommend trying out the DG-58 at least a few times to see if it converts you, as it has such a good TTK (time to kill) the limited burst firing doesn't really matter. With the right attachments, you can pick off enemies with only a few DG-58 bullets, even from longer ranges.

You need the right build to make use of this burst assault rifle at medium and long-range, so here's our recommended attachments for the DG-58 in Modern Warfare 3:

• Barrel: DG-56 LS18
• Optic: SZ Mini
• Muzzle: Casus Brake
• Comb: FSS Last Stand
• Underbarrel: FTAC Ripper 56

For more details on how to play the DG-58, check out our dedicated DG-58 loadout page.

Holger 556 (Assault Rifle)

How to unlock: Reach player Level 37.

Base Damage: 58 Headshot, 46 Upper Torso, 42 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 36.8m for effective damage range and 47m for minimum damage range, with 690 m/s bullet velocity.

Base Rate of Fire: 588.2 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 260 ms.

The Holger 556 may have a slower rate of fire when compared to other full-auto assault rifles in Modern Warfare 3, but it has the best damage to make up for this. The slower rate of fire means it's easier to control as well, making the Holger 556 one of the best primary weapons to use as long as you don't mind a slower assault rifle.

You need the right build to make use of this powerful assault rifle, so here's our recommended attachments for the Holger 556 in Modern Warfare 3:

• Optic: Slimline Pro, Cronen Mini Dot, or Cronen Mini Pro
• Muzzle: Shadowstrike Suppressor or Sonic Suppressor
• Underbarrel: SL Skeletal Vertical Grip
• Stock: RB Addle Assault Stock
• Ammunition: 5.56 NATO High Grain Rounds or 5.56 Overpressured +P

For more details on how to play the Holger 556, check out our dedicated Holger 556 loadout page.

Longbow (Sniper Rifle)

How to unlock: Reach player Level 4.

Best build: Quickscope or medium-range.

Base Damage: 240 Headshot, 180 Upper Torso, 120 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 12.7m for effective damage range and 63.5m for minimum damage range, with 770 m/s Bullet Velocity.

Base Rate of Fire: 111.1 rpm.

Base ADS Speed:: 550 ms.

The Longbow is making waves for a reason, as it's a one-shot sniper best used for quick scope kills, or at a medium range. It's also a very easy gun to unlock, available as soon as you get access to custom loadouts at player Level 4. If you have the Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 3, you also get early access to the Longbow's many attachments.

You need the right build to make use of this speedy sniper rifle, so here's our recommended attachments for a quickscope Longbow in Modern Warfare 3:

• Rear Grip: Demo 650 GRIP
• Bolt: SA-M Quickbolt
• Magazine: 10 Round Mag
• Laser: 10 Round Mag
• Ammunition: 7.62X39MM High Grain Rounds

For more of a medium and long-range build, check out our dedicated Longbow loadout page.

Striker (SMG)

How to unlock: Reach player Level 4.

Base Damage: 46 Headshot, 39 Upper Torso, 36 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 9.7m for effective damage range and 35.6m for minimum damage range, with 540 m/s Bullet Velocity.

Base Rate of Fire: 645.2 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 240 ms.

This new weapon is our pick for the best SMG to use in Modern Warfare 3 for both its effectiveness at short and medium-range, depending on your build. If you played the original Modern Warfare 2, you'll be more familiar with its old name, the UMP-45. It plays a lot like this old UMP-45, but the biggest difference is increased difficulty in just using its iron sights, so we recommend equipping an Optic to make up for this.

You need the right build to make use of this powerful SMG, so here's our recommended attachments for the Striker in Modern Warfare 3:

• Optics: MK. 23 Reflector
• Barrel: Striker Recon Long Barrel
• Stock: FSS Titan Stock
• Rear Grip: FTAC G-5 Exo
• Ammunition: .45 Auto High Grain Rounds

If you'd like more of a close-range build, then swap out the FSS Titan for the Lachmann MK2 Light Stock.

For more details on how to play the Striker, check out our dedicated Striker loadout page.

Rival-9 (SMG)

How to unlock: Reach player Level 25 and make Active at the Armory, then complete three daily or bonus challenges.

Base Damage: 37 Headshot, 31 Upper Torso, 31 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 10.2m for effective damage range and 45.7m for minimum damage range, with 450 m/s Bullet Velocity.

Base Rate of Fire: 909.1 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 190 ms.

The Rival-9 is a speedy SMG best used for close quarters encounters and when sneaking up on enemies. It deals excellent damage and has a huge rate of fire, so as long as you get to fire first and you're fairly accurate, the Rival-9 will have short work of your opponents at close-range.

To get the most out of its close-range potential, here's our recommended attachments for the Rival-9 in Modern Warfare 3:

• Barrel: Rival-38E Fire Starter Barrel
• Underbarrel: XRK Edge BW-4 Handstop
• Rear Grip: Rival Vice Assault Grip
• Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor S
• Magazine: 40 Round Mag

For more details on how to play the Rival-9, check out our dedicated Rival-9 loadout page.

Pulemyot 762 (LMG)

How to unlock: Reach player Level 4.

Base Damage: 54 Headshot, 49 Upper Torso, 45 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 38.1m for effective damage range and 45.7m for minimum damage range, with 810 bullet velocity.

Base Rate of Fire: 491.6 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 450 ms.

If you're not usually comfortable using LMGs, then the new Pulemyot 762 might change your mind, as with the right attachments it's a surprisingly stable and accurate gun for an LMG. You need the right build to make use of this unique LMG, so here's our recommended attachments for the Pulemyot 762 in Modern Warfare 3:

• Optics: SZ Mini
• Muzzle: VT-7 Suppressor
• Magazine: 75 Round Belt
• Stock: Ivanov HSS Ergonomic Stock
• Grip: Ivanov ST-70 Grip

For more details on how to play the Pulemyot 762, check out our dedicated Pulemyot 762 loadout page.

BAS-B (Battle Rifle)

How to unlock: Reach player Level 17.

Base Damage: 54 Headshot, 46 Upper Torso, 46 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 35.6m for effective damage range and 53.3m for minimum damage range, with 790 bullet velocity.

Base Rate of Fire: 666.7 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 260 ms.

The BAS-B is an excellent choice for your medium-range encounters, and with the right attachments can hold its own at longer distances too. With solid damage and recoil, the BAS-B is a great pick for those who want something that sits between an assault rifle and a marksman rifle.

You need the right build to make use of this battle rifle, so here's our recommended attachments for the BAS-B in Modern Warfare 3:

• Optics: KR V4 1X Riser
• Barrel: Wyvern’s Respite Long Barrel
• Muzzle: VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor
• Underbarrel: FTAC Tiger Grip
• Magazin: 30 Round Mag

For more details on how to play the BAS-B, check out our dedicated BAS-B loadout page.

Good luck racking up those kills in Modern Warfare 3!