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Best Shotguns in Modern Warfare 3

How to build the best Shotguns in MW3.

a soldier in white and black digital camo clothing running towards the camera from an explosion in the background with other soldiers behind them
Image credit: Activision
Jessica Orr avatar
Guide by Jessica Orr Senior Guides Writer
Published on

Whether you're after an extreme close-range one-shot weapon, or something with a little more range, it's good to know the best Shotguns in Modern Warfare 3 for your personal playstyle.

We've went over the three best Shotguns you can use in Modern Warfare 3 below, including how to unlock them and what their ideal attachments are.

For more help, check out our pages on the best assault rifles, best sniper rifles, and best SMGs.

Best Shotguns 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 three Shotguns we recommend using in Modern Warfare 3: the Lockwood 680, Lockwood 300, and Riveter, with the Lockwoods generally being the best of the three.

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

captain prive kneeling in grass holding a sniper rifle, with a huge mountain surrounded by misty clouds in the background
Image credit: Activision

With that in mind, here's more detailed information on the three best Shotguns in Modern Warfare 3:

Lockwood 680

How to unlock: Reach player Level 4.

Base Damage: 83 Headshot, 82 Upper Torso, 81 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 2.5m for effective damage range and 16.5 for minimum damage range, with 2.7 spread.

Base Rate of Fire: 150 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 391 ms.

menu view of the lockwood 680 shotgun and its stats
Image credit: Eurogamer/Activision

New to Modern Warfare 3, the Lockwood 680 might seem underwhelming at first glance, but kitted with the ideal attachments it's a great one-shot weapon to use at close-range. You won't get a great deal of range with it, even with the ideal attachments equipped, so make sure you're only using it for those close quarters engagements.

You need the right build to make use of this powerful one-shot Shotgun, so here's our recommended attachments for the Lockwood 680 in Modern Warfare 3:

  • Bolt: Express Light Bolt
  • Stock: Sawed Off Mod
  • Barrel: Bryson Hammerforged Long Barrel
  • Underbarrel: XRK Edge BW-4 Handstop
  • Guard: Matuzek Lightbearer Ergo Guard II

For more details on how to play the Lockwood 680, check out our dedicated Lockwood 680 loadout page.

Lockwood 300

How to unlock: Reach player Level 55 to activate unlock challenge.

Base Damage: 60 Headshot, 54 Upper Torso, 50 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 1.8m for effective damage range and 27.2 for minimum damage range, with 2.7 spread.

Base Rate of Fire: 174.4 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 391 ms.

menu view of the lockwood 300 shotgun and its stats
Image credit: Eurogamer/Activision

As a returning Modern Warfare 2 weapon, the Lockwood 300 can take a while to unlock if you don't have it as part of the Carry Over feature. However, it can be worth it if you're after one of the best one-shot ranged shotguns in Modern Warfare 3. You won't be picking off opponents from across the map, but the Lockwood 300's increased range means you can shoot earlier in close-range encounters.

To get the most out of its potential without losing too much range, here's our recommended attachments for the Lockwood 300 in Modern Warfare 3:

  • Trigger Action: Maelstrom Dual Trigger
  • Stock: Heist Stock Mod
  • Laser: VLK LZR 7MW
  • Guard: Demo Carbon Guard
  • Muzzle: Sakin DB 107

Riveter

How to unlock: Reach player Level 4.

Base Damage: 35 Headshot, 28 Upper Torso, 27 Lower Torso.

Base Range: 3.6m for effective damage range and 31.8 for minimum damage range, with 2.2 spread.

Base Rate of Fire: 400 rpm.

Base ADS Speed: 290 ms.

Image credit: Activision

The Riveter is new to Modern Warfare 3, and it has the best range of all shotguns currently available. To capitalise on its potential, we recommend increasing the Riveter's range even more. As an automatic shotgun, the Riveter isn't really designed for one-shotting enemies, but it's more forgiving if you miss a shot because of this.

To get the most out of its potential, here's our recommended attachments for the Riveter in Modern Warfare 3:

  • Ammunition: .410 Gauge Slug Shells
  • Barrel: JCX-L Suppressed Barrel
  • Optic: Slate Reflector or Cronen Mini Red Dot, or Cronen Mini Pro
  • Rear Grip: Phantom Grip
  • Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip

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

Good luck racking up those Shotgun kills in Modern Warfare 3!

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