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Best MW3 SMGs for the current meta

We have tested and listed the best Modern Warfare 3 SMGs so you can put your enemies to the sword and keep up a pressure nobody can match.

Best MW3 SMGs: three different compact submachine guns atop a blurred background.
Paul Kelly's Avatar

Published:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 

What is the best MW3 SMG? The submachine gun is a vital tool for any self-respecting operator. The lightweight weapon pairs increased player mobility with devastating close-range damage – often using a lower-caliber round but with an incredibly high rate of fire.

The Modern Warfare 3 release date is approaching quickly, so we’ve gathered the best Modern Warfare 3 SMGs to give you the most powerful options for your starting weapon. SMGs are suited to the smaller MW3 maps – ones where you can rush your enemies, and bring home a Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer win every time.

Best Modern Warfare 3 SMGs

Here are the best SMGs in MW3:

  • Rival 9
  • Striker
  • Jack Ferocity Renetti

Best MW3 SMG: a compact SMG with a glowing outline sat on an orange background.

Rival 9

The Rival 9 is a hyper mobile, accurate SMG that lends itself more to players who have mastered the smoother MW3 movement. It perhaps lacks the sheer damage of something like the Striker, but with our best MW3 Rival 9 loadout, this gun has little to no recoil, and with the added suppressor, nobody will hear you coming.

Attachments

  • Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
  • Underbarrel: XRK Edge BW-4 Handstop
  • Stock: Bruen Flash V4 Stock
  • Rear Grip: Rival Vice Assault Grip
  • Magazine: 50-Round Drum

Best MW3 SMGs: A submachine gun with a glowing outline atop an orange background.

Striker

With impressive damage up close, the Striker is a SMG that rewards accuracy. We have built the best MW3 Striker loadout which lowers gun kick and recoil, adding a large magazine to the setup so you can take on the entire enemy team without having to reload.

Attachments

  • Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
  • Barrel: Striker Recon Long Barrel
  • Stock: Lachmann Mk2 Light Stock
  • Underbarrel: XTEN TX-12 Handstop
  • Magazine: 60-Round Drum

Best MW3 SMGs: a handgun with a customer 3D printed shell.

Jak Ferocity Renetti

Although our best MW3 Renetti loadout is technically a pistol, it can be transformed into an SMG by using MW3 aftermarket parts. The conversion kit takes the handgun and adds a stock, a 3D printed body, and enables a fully automatic firing mode that can shred opponents up close.

Attachments

  • Aftermarket Parts: Jak Ferocity Carbine Kit
  • Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
  • Optic: Slate Reflector
  • Ammunition: High Grain
  • Magazine: 50-Round Drum

Those are the best MW3 SMGs for the current meta – you can rely on these weapons whether you’re using them as an aggressive primary, or as a pairing for one of the best MW3 assault rifles. Our best MW3 MCW loadout is a heavy-hitting assault rifle that can push your damage out to the maximum.

When he's not writing guides at PCGamesN, PK is usually found waiting for the respawn timer in League of Legends, hanging around a tavern in Baldur's Gate 3, or fighting his way through the Settled Systems in Starfield. PK's extensive knowledge of video games is matched only by his extensive wardrobe of flannel shirts, which he has been curating since he was born, proving he was always meant to be a games journalist. He watches an episode of Star Trek every night before bed, and he loves toast, even though it makes him feel a bit sick. Buttery goodness exacts a heavy toll, one that he's willing to pay.