10 Best Assault Rifles In Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Ranked

Assault Rifles are the most versatile and useful guns in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Whether you need them for killing zombies or for shooting enemy heads in other game modes, Assault Rifles or ARs are always the most reliable choice. There are a total of 21 Assault Rifles in the game, with six of them being completely new and 15 continuing over from Modern Warfare 2 with slight changes.

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This list will rank the top Assault Rifles in the game, based on their popularity and stats. These rankings will be slightly subjective, as stats don't really tell you everything about a virtual gun. However, it's our aim to keep it as relatable for everyone as possible.

10 ISO Hemlock

Ammo Type

.556, .300 BLK

RPM

600

TTK

0.4s

Best Range

23.4 m

The ISO Hemlock is a fully automatic assault rifle that made its debut in Modern Warfare 2. It isn't the best AR in the game, but it comes with a very low recoil and good damage stats, making it a solid pick for new players. This weapon is available for everyone who unlocked it in the previous game due to the Carry-Forward feature of Modern Warfare 3.

RPM stands for Rounds Per Minute and measures the speed at which a gun can fire its bullets. It is also known as Rate of Fire.

Although the ISO Hemlock is a pretty solid gun, the reason it ranks so low on this list is that it has no particular specialty. With average stats across the board, the Hemlock brings nothing special to the table.

9 FR Avancer

Ammo Type

.556

RPM

923.1

TTK

0.39s

Best Range

34.9 m

The FR Avancer is the perfect gun for agile players who like to move a lot while shooting. Similar to an SMG, the FR Avancer doesn't do too much damage with each bullet but makes up for it with its rapid rate of fire. This is a bullpup rifle that works best when paired alongside a sniper rifle.

The problem with the FR Avancer is that it has a lower magazine of 25 when compared to most other assault rifles with 30. It also isn't too great for ranged fights and needs to be paired with other guns to make it effective.

8 TAQ-56

Ammo Type

.556

RPM

625

TTK

0.48s

Best Range

30.5 m

One of the most overpowered guns of MW2, the TAQ-56 or the Scar-L is still a very good choice for an assault rifle in Modern Warfare 3. The TAQ-56 comes with a heavy recoil that can be tamed down using attachments such as an XTEN Phantom-5 Handstop to turn it into a no-recoil blaster just like it was in the previous game.

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The only reason the TAQ-56 doesn't place higher on this list is due to its limited range. The gun excels in medium-ranged battles but doesn't perform too well in long or short-ranged fights, which are very important in this game.

7 Kastov-762

Ammo Type

7.62

RPM

600

TTK

0.4s

Best Range

27.9 m

The Kastov-762 is a fully automatic assault rifle in MW3. This gun is essentially the AK47, which has made its way into some of the most popular shooting games of all time. The Kastov-762 has one of the fastest TTK in the game and hitting two-shot headshot kills with it is incredibly satisfying.

TTK stands for Time to Kill, and it is the amount of time in which an opposing player can be killed using a specific weapon.

Like the AK47, the Kastov 762 also has a high amount of recoil, which makes the gun tougher to control, especially during longer-range fights. Although the high recoil can be slightly reduced by making a good build, it is still not good enough to put the Kastov any higher on our list.

6 DG-58

Ammo Type

.556

RPM

209.8

TTK

0.39s

Best Range

35.6 m

The DG-58 is a three-round burst assault rifle that is similar to the Type 95 of the original Modern Warfare 3. The base version of this gun is good, but maxing it out to level 25 makes it extremely consistent. At the highest level of upgrade, this gun shoots precise burst shots and has minimal recoil, especially at a medium range.

What lets this gun down is its slow Time to Kill. The DG-58 takes around 1.14 seconds to kill, which is by far the slowest on this list. Opting for the DG-58 involves a trade-off: low recoil and precision against a slower rate of fire.

5 MTZ 556

Ammo Type

7.62

RPM

810.8

TTK

0.37s

Best Range

26.7 m

The MTZ 556 unlocks at level 12 and is the perfect Assault Rifle for players just starting the game. This gun has the quickest fire rate out of any assault rifle and works best at shorter ranges, making it similar to an SMG in some ways. The recoil and handling of this gun are also very stable, making it even better for newer players.

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Adding a Shadowstrike Suppressor to this gun as well as other attachments makes it even better, especially in the new War game mode introduced in MW3, where you can beam down enemies within seconds using the MTZ.

4 SVA 545

Ammo Type

5.45

RPM

681.8

TTK

0.44s

Best Range

31.8 m

The SVA 545 is similar to the DG-58 and comes with a burst-fire mode. This burst mode fires two shots with every press of the trigger, which makes it slightly harder to control and handle. Not everyone likes to use the SVA 545, but if you can learn how to master it, it can be extremely fatal.

This is also the Assault Rifle with the longest range in the game and an incredibly quick fire rate, making it extremely viable, especially in game modes such as Warzone.

3 M4

Ammo Type

.556

RPM

810.8

TTK

0.44s

Best Range

26.7 m

The M4 has been an iconic gun throughout FPS history and has appeared in several Call of Duty titles throughout the years. This Assault Rifle returns in Modern Warfare 3 as one of the best guns in the game with its high rate of fire and easy-to-handle recoil.

The M4 is a great choice for short and medium-ranged battles and is an all-round solid gun, especially if you have a good build for it. As good as it is, however, it falls behind the top two guns in this list by a long margin, mainly due to it having lower overall damage and DPS as well as having a higher TTK.

2 MCW

Ammo Type

.556, .300 BLK

RPM

714.3

TTK

0.42s

Best Range

26.7 m

The MCW is arguably the best Assault Rifle in Modern Warfare 3. This is the most popular Assault Rifle among players for good reason. The recoil control of this rifle is exceptional, and it performs well at both close and medium range, making it the best gun for most fights you will encounter in the game.

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To top it off, the MCW also has one of the best accuracy for an Assault Rifle especially if you have the right build for it. The MCW is a perfect gun for most players in the game, but it just loses out on the top spot to the Holger 556.

1 Holger 556

Ammo Type

.556

RPM

588.2

TTK

0.41s

Best Range

36.8 m

The Holger 556 is the only rifle that can compete with the MCW for the top spot on this list. Both of these guns are great to use, and it usually comes down to player preference of which one they like more. One of the main reasons the Holger 556 beats out the MCW is that it performs well even at long ranges.

This gun also does way more damage than the MCW, even though it has a slower rate of fire. The versatility of the Holger 556 combined with its low recoil, high damage, and ranged fighting ability gives it the top spot, making it the best assault rifle in MW 3.

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