Any Modern Warfare 2 (2009) fans in the house? Who remembers the AA-12 automatic shotgun that tore lobbies to complete shreds? Well, the newest Modern Warfare 3 release might have just the perfect replacement for you AA-12 spammers: the Riveter.
In close-quarters map, the Riveter on its own is already a force to be reckoned with thanks to its fire rate that’s far superior to any other MW3 shotgun. But with the right attachments, it’s even more dangerous.
Here are the best loadout, attachments, and more to pair with the Riveter in MW3 multiplayer.
Best Riveter build and class setup in Modern Warfare 3
Best Riveter attachments in MW3
- Laser: FTAC Grimline Laser
- Stock: Seraph-14 Heavy Carbine Stock
- Barrel: JCX-L Suppressed Barrel
- Underbarrel: Operator Foregrip
- Magazine: 30 Round Mag
![The Riveter shotgun from Modern Warfare 3, with attachments applied.](png/image-24873d9.png)
The Riveter is a fully automatic shotgun in MW3 that does light to moderate damage at short to mid-range. It’s actually surprising the amount of range you can get out of the Riveter, but the damage you’ll deal any further renders the weapon useless.
If you’re just starting out with the Riveter, I would suggest bringing it with you into a Zombies match with a weapons XP bonus activated. You should get a lot of levels very quickly.
Consistency up close is our aim here, and the accuracy of the Riveter when firing from the hip is quite impressive with these attachments. The Operator Foregrip in particular gives a handy boost to hip-fire sway and accuracy. Just to ensure someone slightly out of range doesn’t escape, we’re doubling the magazine size with the 30 Round Mag.
The JCX-L Suppressed Barrel also helps keep you off the radar while giving a boost in pellet velocity, and the Grimline Laser makes it even easier to hip-fire. Unless the enemy player is at “longshot” distance, you should really never be using ADS with this Riveter.
If you want to improve range at the cost of your suppressed barrel, we recommend the SA Draven-20 Long Barrel for a substantial damage range increase.
Our ideal class build and attachments are meant for keeping to short-range engagements, with a bit of fun strapped to the back to assist the team. As such, I wouldn’t use this loadout (or the Riveter at all) on larger-scale maps like Wasteland or Afghan.
Best class setup for Riveter in Modern Warfare 3
- Vest: Demolition Vest
- Secondary: JOKR
- Tactical: Stun Grenade
- Lethal: Semtex x 2
- Field Upgrade: Munitions Box
- Gloves: Scavenger Gloves
- Boots: Lightweight Boots
- Gear: Tac Mask
The Demolition Vest is our pick here, leaning heavily into Lethal grenade options with the Semtex. I also found the Thermobaric Grenade handy and recommend it for tactical use when keeping enemy operators off of points of interest, like in the Hardpoint and Domination game modes.
I’ve also strapped a JOKR to my back because why not? Rain down missiles on enemy positions and take out killstreaks with a single shot. The Munitions Box, plus the Demolition Vest’s grenade uptime, ensures you’re loaded up for every fight with plenty of grenades and ammo, especially given the Riveter chews through your reserves very quickly.
Now that you know the best Riveter loadout in MW3, it’s time to get out there and absolutely tear through the enemy.