Best Modern Warfare 3 AR class loadouts: Attachments & setups ranked

Assault Rifles are always a strong option in MW3, as they provide the perfect balance of damage, ease of use, and versatility. Here are the best Modern Warfare 3 AR loadouts in Season 5 to make the most of these meta weapons. 

There’s a good reason why Assault Rifles are the most used gun class in Call of Duty. These extremely versatile guns are competitive on every map in the franchise in a way that no other weapon type can match.

MW3 is no exception to this rule, with ARs making up a large bulk of the most used guns. Even so, they aren’t all equal with some being top-tier meta and others not even viable. 

To help you determine which is which, this guide ranks every assault rifle from worst to best as of Season 5. This list does not include any MW2 weapons, as these aren’t competitive in most cases. 

Best MW3 Assault Rifles ranked

There are currently 10 Assault Rifles in Modern Warfare 3, with the STG being the latest addition. We will update this list later when we better understand where the STG ranks.

Below are all 9 MW3 Assault Rifles ranked from best to worst:

1. SVA 545
2. MCW
3. BP50
4. Holger 556
5. MTZ-556
6. RAM-7
7. BAL-27
8. DG-56
9. FR 5.56

Best MW3 Assault Rifle loadouts in Season 5

These are the five best assault rifle loadouts to use in Modern Warfare 3 Season 5:

5. MTZ-556

Dexerto

Best MTZ-556 MW3 Loadout

• Muzzle: Zehmn35 Compensated Flash Hider
• Barrel: MTZ Drifter Heavy Long Barrel
• Stock: JAK Cutthroat
• Underbarrel: XRK Edge BW-4 Handstop
• Rear Grip: Bruen TR-24 Assault Grip

The MTZ-556 is perhaps the most underrated assault rifle in MW3. It lacks the long-range capabilities of the other entries on this list, so it’s not for everyone, but that isn’t as much of a concern for multiplayer where most maps are on the smaller side. Even though it lacks the range of its peers, the MTZ-556 has excellent damage and manageable recoil control, making it a very competitive option.

4. Holger 556

Dexerto

Best Holger 556 MW3 Loadout

• Muzzle: Wrathguard Compensator
• Optic: JAK Glassless Optic
• Stock: RB Addle Assault Stock
• Underbarrel: DR-6 Handstop
• Rear Grip: MORN-20 Grip

The Holger 556 is a true jack-of-all-trades assault rifle, offering a great balance of recoil control, damage, and mobility. Though it doesn’t excel in any one particular area, its well-rounded nature makes it a strong choice on just about every map and game mode. If you are the kind of player who likes to have one gun to master and doesn’t enjoy swapping loadouts, this is your best option to use in Season 5.

3. BP50

Dexerto

Best BP50 MW3 Loadout

• Muzzle: Zehmn35 Compensated Flash Hider
• Barrel: Lore-9 Heavy Barrel
• Stock: Con30 Padded Stock
• Underbarrel: XRK Edge BW-4 Handstop
• Rear Grip: TRST-IV Grip Tape

While the JAK Revenger Kit is still viable, the Aftermarket Part’s hefty nerfs back in Season 4 mean you are better off running the base gun these days. Thankfully, the base BP50 is excellent, with it having superior mobility and handling to almost every other assault rifle in MW3. Add in its extremely impressive TTK of just 280 ms, and the BP50 is easily one of the strongest ARs in Season 5.

2. MCW (JAK Raven Kit)

Dexerto

Best MCW MW3 Loadout

• Conversion Kit: JAK Raven Kit
• Muzzle: Zehmn35 Compensated Flash Hider
• Barrel: Second Line Mammoth Heavy Barrel
• Optic: JAK Glassless Optic
• Underbarrel: XTEN Phantom-5 Handstop

The MCW equipped with the JAK Raven Kit is the second-best AR in MW3. The conversion kit turns the weapon into an AR-SMG hybrid, turning an otherwise slow-handling AR into a fast, mobile weapon. With how fast-paced multiplayer is these days, this version of the MCW is much preferred over the base version, which simply doesn’t deal enough damage to be viable anymore.

1. SVA 545

Dexerto

Best SVA 545 MW3 Loadout

• Muzzle: Zehmn35 Compensated Flash Hider
• Barrel: STV Precision Barrel
• Optic: JAK Glassless Optic
• Underbarrel: DR-6 Handstop
• Rear Grip: Citadel Grip

The SVA 545 has once again risen the ranks of MW3 ARs and is now multiplayer’s strongest assault rifle. This is in large part due to its fantastic damage output, with the SVA 545 having the fastest TTK on any AR at just 271 ms. It isn’t just powerful either, with the SVA 545 being one of the most balanced ARs in the game, offering exceptional recoil control, plus solid mobility and handling.

Be sure to watch this space as the MW3 meta will certainly shift over time. In the meantime, check out all the weapon changes in Season 5, he slate of maps present in MW3 right now, or the best Warzone AR loadouts to use in Call of Duty’s battle royale.