Best Akimbo Pistols loadouts in MW3, from attachments to perks in Season 3 Reloaded
When used correctly, Akimbo Pistols can be some of the strongest weapons in MW3, and I've rounded up the perfect attachments and perks that you can use to up your game with the dualies.
We all have nightmares about that one player speeding around the map with their Akimbos, outgunning even the strongest Assault Rifles and SMGs in the game with ease. Thankfully you can now become that pistol machine that's paired so perfectly with a good old slide cancel. You'd be surprised how effective Akimbo Pistols are still in Season 3 Reloaded, as their chaos is often underestimated by the opposition.
These are the best Akimbo Pistols loadouts in MW3
COR-45
- Laser: 1MW Pistol Laser
- Rear Grip: Akimbo COR-45
- Trigger Action: XRK V21 Heavy Match
- Magazine: 30 Round Mag
- Conversion Kit: XRK IP-V2 Conversion Kit
This COR-45 loadout is the best Akimbo Pistols that you can use in MW3, giving you speed and accuracy to dominate opponents in close-range encounters.
Click to enlargeAs the akimbo aspect is, unfortunately, an attachment, we only have four slots to work with here, but thankfully this build is fully optimised to ensure as tight of a hipfire spread and as much movement as possible.
While you could opt for no extended magazine, the 30-round mag gives you much greater flexibility when spamming your shots, letting you fire freely until the enemy drops to the floor. Pairing this with the 1MW laser and XRK V21 trigger action lets you fire quicker and more accurately to enhance your effectiveness.
Additionally, the introduction of the XRK IP-V2 Conversion Kit in Season 2 Reloaded has enhanced the weapon's bullet velocity, which both aids in taking down enemies faster and your effectiveness over range - which are both crucial for an Akimbo setup.
This is one of my favourite builds to use in Modern Warfare 3, as it just lets you run around and have some fun. Of course, I've run into many a situation where I've died because my target exceeds the limited range of this build - but it is nearly unbeatable in CQB situations. You might just want to steer clear of it as a Search and Destroy loadout!
Additionally, almost every pistol has had its movement speed buffed by 4% in Season 3 Reloaded, which helps massively when using the Akimbo attachment. Being able to speed around just a bit faster with a weapon like the COR-45 helps you close the distance to enemies and catch them off guard - giving you the opportunity to steal a kill.
TYR
Click to enlarge- Barrel: ZIU-16 Heavy Long Barrel
- Laser: XTEN Sidearm-L400
- Stock: Ivanov Support Brace
- Rear Grip: Akimbo TYR
- Trigger Action: Ullr's Fury
Coming in a very close second place is this Akimbo TYR loadout, which focuses far more on power than speed. One well-placed shot with this gun will take an unsuspecting enemy down, so emptying all ten in close quarters is pretty much guaranteed to get you a kill.
Where this loadout benefits over the others on this list is its superior range. You can't expect to be effective beyond a few feet with an Akimbo setup, of course, but the attachments listed here will help you out when an enemy is that bit further, and you'd be surprised at how effective it can be.
It was also buffed back in Season 2 Reloaded, increasing the Near-Medium Damage Range from 11.43m to 15.24m - which will help you a lot when taking down targets and will let you play faster and with greater freedom.
What better way to dominate in Season 3 Reloaded than with the Wild West combo, this set of dualies will have you up at sundown to face your enemies outside of the saloon.
Basilisk
Click to enlarge- Barrel: 10.5" FTAC Arrow
- Laser: Revo-LSD 7mW
- Trigger Action: Bryson HTA
- Ammunition: .500 Snakeshot
- Rear Grip: Akimbo Basilisk
While most of the weapons on this list are MW3 originals, the Basilisk's buffs in Season 2 have made it well worth running as an Akimbo loadout. The loadout from WZRanked above is your ideal way to run it too, giving you both accuracy and speed to dominate the battlefield.
These buffs have significantly increased the damage range across the board - especially when it comes to long-distance encounters, meaning that you're far more likely to earn those all-important one-hit kills.
There's even an increase to the lower-torse damage modifier from 1x to 1.2x, which is extremely helpful in Akimbo mode as you don't have full control over where each bullet lands.
I tend to favour harder-hitting Akimbo loadouts like the Basilisk and the aforementioned Tyr on larger maps, as their higher damage potential - especially over range - really helps me out in most gunfights that aren't face-to-face.
9mm Daemon
Click to enlarge- Barrel: XTEN Windfall
- Laser: XTEN Sidearm-L400
- Trigger Action: Rapid 30 Trigger
- Magazine: 26 Round Mag
- Rear Grip: Akimbo 9mm Daemon
One particular weapon which has really popped up as a great choice in Season 3 Reloaded is the 9mm Daemon. This is due to a number of Akimbo-specific buffs, including the removal of the movement speed and damage penalties, decreased hipfire spread, and an increase to the lower torso, arm, and hand damage multipliers.
This completely overhauls the weapon in its duel-wielded format, making it more than viable to use in your games and an overall strong choice. While perhaps not as strong as something like the COR-45, you might prefer the feel of this loadout so I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.
Renetti
Click to enlarge- Laser: XTEN Sidearm-L400
- Conversion Kit: JAK Ferocity Carbine Kit
- Magazine: 24 Round Mag
- Trigger Action: Bruen Express
- Rear Grip: Akimbo Renetti
While the burst fire of the Renetti isn't as effective as you might expect compared to the single-fire options due to the significant recoil, it's still an absolute demon in super close quarters - making it perfect for those who know how to position.
The Bruen Express Trigger Action helps you unleash your bullets into your target as quickly as possible, and the 24 Round Mag gives you a little extra space to avoid any unfortunate reloads.
I personally like running this build on the smallest maps in the game like Shipment, as it isn't too effective beyond about 5m - but is perhaps the most effective pair of pistols when in another player's face.
The addition of the JAK Ferocity Carbine Kit in Season 2 Reloaded allowed me to increase both the min and max damage of the weapon though, which helps it a little bit over longer distances. That, alongside the buff in Season 3, which increases its damage at all ranges by 20%, really helped me stay effective no matter the distance.
WSP Stinger
Click to enlarge- Laser: 1MW Pistol Laser
- Stock: WSP Rampart-IV Stock
- Rear Grip: Akimbo WSP Stinger
- Magazine: 32 Round Mag
- Muzzle: STER45 Skyfury Compensator
If your trigger finger isn't the fastest, then this is the ideal way to build your Akimbo Pistols. The WSP Stinger is fully automatic and can rip through opponents in close proximity if you are able to control the recoil.
It does have a larger spread pattern and recoil kick than your standard semi-auto sidearms, but the high rate of fire more than makes up for this and ensures a consistent barrage of bullets.
There was even a nice buff back in Season 3, increasing the fire rate from 600rpm to 750rpm when the Akimbo Rear Grip is equipped. This increased the time to kill of the gun by a noticeable amount - you'll just need to make sure that you hit your shots!
This loadout is excellent if you like to run Sniper Rifles, as it gives you an automatic option that excels in the primary weapon's one area of weakness and can be a handy last resort for anyone who loves to quickscope too.
Best equipment & perks for Akimbo Pistols in MW3
Click to enlargeHaving the right perks can make or break an Akimbo Pistols loadout, so I'd recommend using all of our selections to ensure your success:
- Tactical: Battle Rage
- Lethal: Throwing Knife
- Field Upgrade: Dead Silence
- Gloves: Commando Gloves
- Vest: Gunslinger Vest
- Mag Holster: Gear
While you could opt for the Stim instead of Battle Rage, the latter's ability to continuously refresh your tactical sprint and health is more valuable in this scenario, as it keeps you healthy and on the move.
While Running Sneakers were the former go-to for perks in this build, the Gunslighter Vest introduced back in Season 3 has firmly taken its spot. This Vest gives you stamina refreshes after every kill, improved reload speed, max ammo for pistols, and lets you reload while sprinting too. These are all ready-made for Akimbo playstyles, and let you do what you do best in every single game.
Commando Gloves and Mag Holster go hand in hand as two perks that speed up your reload and ensure that you've always got a fully loaded weapon - as the aim with Akimbo Pistols is to always be spraying as much as possible so you'll need to reload a lot.
The Throwing Knife is also a nice lifeline whenever an enemy is just out of reach, giving you a quick alternative solution that is much more effective than a wayward spray of bullets would ever be.
With some new Akimbo Pistols loadouts in tow, get ready to jump into your next game and cause some close-range chaos for your enemies. You can find more guides like this on our MW3 homepage, including all of the best controller and audio settings, and the multiplayer level cap.
