Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Weapons Guide and List

In this Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Weapons guide and list, you will discover not only a complete list of guns in Call of Duty but also a full CoD guns guide.

On this page and throughout this site, we will provide specific guides to all 50 of the weapons in Modern Warfare 3, revealing to your their relative strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to select the right weapon for your playstyle, map, and game mode of choice.

In order to make this guide easier to navigate, we have split it up into 9 different sections, one for each class of weapon in MW3.

Modern Warfare 3 Weapons List – Assault Rifles

Out of all the weapons in MW3, players will have the most variety with Assault Rifles as there are 10 different guns in game to choose from.

Assault rifles tends to be well-balanced overall and are competitive in both close-quarters combat and long-range combat. Of course, the effectiveness of any weapon depends on the skill of the user.

Here is a list (list in unlock order):

M4A1
M16A4
SCAR-L
CM901
TYPE 95
G36C
ACR 6.8
MK14
AK-47
FAD

To learn more about each of these guns, you can check out our Modern Warfare 3 Assault Weapons Guide.

Modern Warfare 3 Weapons Guide – Sub Machine Guns

Overall, sub machine guns tend to fire faster than assault rifles in CoD MW3, but offer less damage, range, and accuracy in return.

This may not seem like a good trade off at first glance, but keep in mind that when you hit someone with a bullet that is holding down their sights (aiming) experiences a lot of kickback, throwing their aim off.

As a result, oftentimes striking with first bullet will give you all the time you need to make up for these weapons’ low power, accuracy, and range, particularly in close-quarters combat.

There are six different submachine guns players can have access to in Modern Warfare 3:

MP5
UMP45
PP90M1
P90
PM-9
MP7

You can learn more about each of these weapons in our Modern Warfare 3 Sub Machine Gun Guide.

CoD MW3 Weapons List – Light Machine Guns

Light machine guns tend to have relatively low accuracy and mobility, but make up for it with massive clips and decent damage.

Really, what Light machine guns bring to the table is the ability to hold enough ammo to take out more than a few opponents without reloading as well as take out players hiding behind light cover.

The downside of course to these weapons is they definitely suffer in close-quarters battle, where both assault rifles and sub machine guns have the edge.

Players can unlock 5 total light machine guns in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3:

L86 LSW
MG36
PKP PECHENEG
MK46
M60E4

You can get more info on each of these weapons in our Modern Warfare 3 Light Machine Guns Guide.

Call of Duty MW3 Weapons Guide – Sniper Rifles

There are two types of CoD players: those that love sniper rifles, and those that hate them. There is no middle ground.

Sniper Rifles offer the most powerful and accurate shots of any class of weapon in the game, but also are much harder to aim than other weapons and have a very slow fire rate. If you do not take someone out on the first shot of using a Sniper Rifle, you are going to have a hard time killing them.

Barrett .50ca
L118A
Dragunov
AAS50
RSASS
MSR

For a guide to using Sniper Rifles, check out our Modern Warfare 3 Sniper Rifles guide.

CoD Weapons Guide – Shotguns

Using a shotgun in Modern Warfare 3 gives you unparalleled power in close-quarters combat, but then leaves you unable to fight players from long range.

Shotguns are perfect for locking down buildings or short passage-ways where the enemy cannot engage you from long distances. Shotguns are best used in a cooperative setting where you are protecting your teammates in close quarters, whereas longer-ranged weapons are generally best for the “run and gun” playstyle.

There are quite a few shotguns in Modern Warfare 3:

USAS 12
KSG 12
SPAS-12
AA-12
Striker
Model 1887

For more details on each of these shotguns, check out our Modern Warfare 3 Shotgun Guide.

Modern Warfare 3 Weapons – Riot Shield

The Riot shield is a specialty “weapon” in CoD which allows a player to equip themselves with a shield. This shield does not do too much on its own, but it can block what seems to be an unlimited number of bullets (at least a full 180 rounds from an Assault Rifle) without cracking.

Learn more in our Modern Warfare 3 Riot Shield guide.

CoD MW3 Weapons – Secondary Weapons List

There are three classes of secondary weapons: Machine Pistols, Handguns, and Launchers.

List of Handguns:

USP .45
P99
MP412
44 Magnum
Five Seven
Desert Eagle

Get a guide on each of these handguns in our Modern Warfare 3 Handguns Guide.

List of Machine Pistols:

FMG9
MP9
Skorpion
G18

Discover which Machine Pistol is my hands-down favorite in this Modern Warfare 3 Machine Pistols Guide.

List of Launchers:

SMAW
Javelin
Stinger
XM25
M320 GLM
RPG-7

Learn more about how all the launchers work and the best methods for using each one in our Modern Warfare 3 Launchers guide.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Weapons Guide – Conclusion

You now have a great idea of how all the weapons work in Modern Warfare 3. By picking the best weapons for your map, game mode, and overall strategy, you will be able to boost your K:D ratio and win more games. Your next step is to match up the best weapons with the right perks for your particular map and game mode and just to practice regularly. If you want more strategies for Modern Warfare 3, check out Kosh Guide:

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