How to carry 2 primary weapons in MW3

Double the firepower.

A team of four soldiers. Three are firing weapons, while one hides from bullets using a riot shield.
Image via Sledgehammer Games

In the heat of battle, sometimes one gun just isn’t enough. If you want to carry two primary weapons in Modern Warfare 3, you’ll need to know how vests work.

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Vests in Call of Duty dictate the equipment you can bring onto the battlefield, along with some helpful perks to maximize your gameplay. Thankfully, one of the vests allows you to ditch your secondary weapon for a primary weapon, letting you dual-wield the game’s most powerful guns.

How to equip two primary weapons in MW3

MW3's Gunner Vest, in the game's Loadout system.
The Gunner vest is perfect for those who prefer to shoot their way out of trouble. Screenshot by Dot Esports

To use two primary weapons in MW3, you will need to equip the Gunner Vest or Overkill vest in the loadout menu. Doing so will remove the limitation on your secondary weapon spot, allowing you to ditch the pistols and launchers in favor of another primary gun.

As the Gunner vest is unlocked earlier, I recommend starting there, especially given it also has some other handy benefits such as deploying you with maximum ammo and making it quicker to reload your weapon. The Gunner vest is unlocked at level 20.

Tip:

The Overkill vest, which unlocks at level 50, also gives you the option to run two primary weapons—or even two secondary weapons if you want! However, it’ll cost you a Field Upgrade, so we suggest sticking to the Gunner vest.

How to equip the Gunner or Overkill vest to get two Primary Weapons in MW3

To equip the Gunner or Overkill vest and carry two primary weapons:

  1. Go to the Weapons tab on the MW3 multiplayer screen.
  2. Select a custom loadout that you want to carry two primary weapons in.
  3. Select the Vest section, directly above the first primary weapon.
  4. Choose the Gunner Vest or the Overkill vest.
  5. Return back to your loadout and select a second primary weapon.
The loadout screen in MW3, with the vest section highlighted in blue.
The vest section sits directly above the loadout. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Should you run two primary weapons in MW3?

Running two primary weapons in MW3 gives you incredible versatility, making it a popular choice for players.

For example, if your main loadout is a sniper rifle, that makes you incredibly dangerous at long range, but an easier target in close-quarters combat. The sniper just isn’t built for small rooms and tight corridors, and if your first shot doesn’t kill your opponent, chances are you are doomed.

However, if you run the Gunner vest, you can equip an SMG to your secondary weapon slot, meaning you can swap to it when you feel the need.

Personally, I’m not much of a sniper, but I do like running an assault rifle focused on long-range kills, so having an SMG in my back pocket for maps like Skidrow or Favela where I’m ducking in and out of buildings is ideal.

Keep in mind, having two heavy primary weapons will reduce your mobility while running around the map, so take that into consideration if you’d like to be able to traverse the map quickly.

Now that you know how to equip two primary weapons in MW3, be sure to experiment with a number of combinations and adjust where needed depending on the map or game type!

Author
Image of Matt Porter
Matt Porter
Associate Editor. Matt has been writing about Call of Duty for almost 10 years, with bylines at Gfinity, Dexerto, and a spell as CharlieIntel's editor. Matt is experienced in all things CoD, including multiplayer, Warzone, and esports.
Author
Image of Nicholas Taifalos
Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com