The Holger 556 is the perfect assault rifle for most playstyles inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.Inspired by the Heckler & Koch G36, the Holger 556 is a reliable assault rifle that has excellent accuracy, high damage per bullet, and a wide range of attachment options.

While this weapon doesn’t shine out of the box, the Holger becomes a devastating primary weapon once you install a few attachments. In this guide, we’ll be covering three excellent builds that make the Holger 556 the ultimate assault rifle for most playstyles, including a mid-range accuracy build, a fast-paced strafe build, and a more experimental Tac Stance build that makes the Holger a true jack-of-all-trades assault rifle.

Updated Jul 19, 2025, by Charles Burgar:The Holger 556 has a new conversion kit up for grabs in MW3’s second season. The JAK Backsaw Kit turns this weapon into an aggressive SMG that sports two barrels and a 100-round magazine. We’ve updated this guide to include a JAK Backsaw build for the Holger 556, covering everything from ideal attachments to powerful perk synergies.

Pros And Cons

The Holger 556 is already a fairly accurate weapon, but we can make this weapon comparable to the MCWwith a few attachments. We start by equippingany red dot opticto remove the weapon’s obtrusive iron sights. We recommend the Cronen Mini Pro if you played MW2.

We then use theSZ 1mw PEQlaser to improve the weapon’s aiming stability, making long-range combat far more consistent. For recoil control, we use theL4R Flash HiderandR8 Addle Assault Stock.Both attachments come with ADS penalties, so we use theDR-6 Handstopunderbarrel grip to gain some ADS speed back while also buffing our strafe speed.

This configuration gives the Holger some small but noticeable buffs that make it far stronger in mid to long-range gunfights.You’ll benefit from roughly 25% less recoil than normal and near-perfect aiming stability with this build.Paired with a clear red dot sight, you should be able to headshot enemies on head glitches or mounted surfaces with little issue.

Field Upgrade

Trophy System or A.C.S.

Any build will work with the Holger 556, sofeel free to use any perks and equipment you prefer.For a general use build, we recommend using theEngineer Vestas it greatly increases your Field Upgrade recharge time and gives you an extra gear perk.

For perks, theQuick Swap Glovesare great for using a backup weapon for close-quarters combat—in our case, theRenettipistol converted into a carbine.Covert SneakersandGhostwill let you run by most enemies without alerting them, andEODwill keep you alive against most lethal equipment.

Stealth Build Alternative

If you want to lean into a stealthy playstyle, swap the muzzle flash on the Holger for the Shadowstrike Suppressor. This will hide you from the radar at all times, provided you’re constantly moving.

Your choice of equipment is far less important than perks. A good CQC secondary weapon is ideal with this style of Holger build, ideally the Renetti or the WSP Stinger. The Engineer Vest doesn’t have access to Lethals, but you do get a second Tactical use. We recommend either Stims or Battle Rage.

Stimsare ideal for smaller maps where healing a few seconds faster is critical. For larger maps, useBattle Rageto give yourself infinite tactical sprint for six seconds. Field Upgrades will depend on the game types you frequent. TheTrophy Systemis great for counter enemy equipment, although don’t sleep on theACSfor objective modes like Hardpoint and Domination.

Aggressive playstyles can turn the Holger into an excellent mid-range dueling weapon byspeccing into strafe speed and sprint to fire time.We start by equipping ared dot opticto replace the weapon’s busy iron sights. TheCross-X Short BarrelandXRX Edge BW-4 Handstopboth greatly increase your strafe speed while also buffing your weapon handling.

Throw on theFSS OLE-V Laser, and now you can use your Holger as an AR/SMG hybrid. Finally, we use theShadowstrike Suppressorto stay off enemy radar during gunfights. If you dislike the visible laser while ADS, switch it for any aiming stability laser.

With all five attachments, this build will let you quickly weave in and out of cover without compromising on the Holger’s excellent accuracy.Your ADS strafe speed is 3.3 meters per second, a value that’s typically reserved for SMGs and pistols. If you aren’t aiming your weapon, that strafe speed increases to a whopping 5.3 m/s.

Trophy System

Strafe builds tend to bias aggressive play, so we’ll be recommending a build that mixes stealth and speed to give you an edge in most gunfights. TheInfantry Vestis a decent jack-of-all-trades vest that gives you Running Sneakers (Double Time) for free. We’ll want to close the gap quietly, so we’ll be usingCovert Sneakersin the boot slot.

While Stalker Boots seem ideal for a build like this, the complete silence of your footsteps makes it much easier to flank enemies. We then useGhostto hide from enemy radar while moving. Finally, we use theAssault Glovesto remove all ADS and accuracy penalties while jumping.

Equipment for a strafing build should focus on keeping you alive in the thick of battle.Throwing Knivesare surprisingly useful in MW3 since they one-tap anywhere in the body and can be thrown in an instant.Stimsallow you to replenish your HP on use if you’re about to get pushed by another enemy and don’t have time to heal passively.

The Holger 556 has a surprisingly large roster of attachments that affect your Tac Stance accuracy, a middle ground between hipfiring and aiming. We use five Tac Stance attachments to greatly buff its effectiveness: theCronen Intals MSP-12, the LM Inflix Short Heavy Barrel, the Bruen Bastion Angled Grip, the CT2000 Tactical Grip, and the Holger 26 Factory Stock.

All five attachments give you aTac Stance maximum spread of 0.8 degrees, which is extremely accurate for up to roughly 30 meters. Your strafe speed won’t be as good as the strafe build, but you’ll strafemuch faster than your average assault rifle.

We’re going to recommend the same loadout from our accuracy build for this configuration. You ultimately want to be quiet when getting near players with this build, so theCovert SneakersandGhostperks are a must.

If you tend to strafe a lot in gunfights and don’t mind using Dead Silence,you can drop Covert Sneakers for Stalker Boots.This will make your strafe speed comparable to our Holger strafe speed build. Throw on someStimsand your favorite Field Upgrade, and you should have no trouble winning gunfights at any distance.

The JAK Signal Burst Conversion Kitturns the Holger 556 into a four-round burst rifle, capable of one-bursting opponents in Multiplayer if you land your shots on a target’s torso. This does come with a substantial increase to your visual recoil and sprint-to-fire delay, however, so you’ll need to spec heavily forfiring aim stability and recoil control.

Thankfully, this conversion kit comes with an optic pre-installed, so this build can focus solely on performance attachments. TheBruen Heavy Support GripandT51R Billeted Brakeeliminate horizontal and visual recoil, respectively. TheAscent Lord Stockgreatly buffs your firing aim stability, greatly increasing the accuracy of each burst.

The final attachment is mostly down to preference. Since the conversion kit increases your sprint-to-fire delay, we use the20 Round Magto counteract this while also buffing the gun’s strafe speed. If you find this magazine too small for your playstyle, useany opticor theMorn-20 Grip.

We recommend the same loadout as our previous builds here, asGhostandCovert Sneakersmake it far easier to reposition. You don’t have a suppressor on this build, so be wary thatshots will reveal your location on the minimap.Use a suppressed secondary if stealth is required for a specific situation.

The JAK Backsaw Kit converts the Holger 556 into an aggressive SMG/AR hybrid. This conversion kitadds a second barrel, firing two bullets simultaneously.This comes at the cost of base damage and fire rate. Build the weapon for accuracy, and you can kill an enemy in as little as three shots across most distances.

This build aims to make the weapon much closer to an SMG. TheIgnis F43 StockandIntruder Gripsubstantially increase your mobility stats, notably your strafe speed while aiming. To make the weapon easier to control, we use theJAK Glassless Opticfor firing aim stability and5.56 NATO Low Grain Roundsto further reduce the weapon’s recoil.

With all five attachments, this weapon becomes the perfect assault rifle for an aggressive playstyle, featuring mobility and handling stats that rival most SMGs. Stick to mid-range duels, and you should win most gunfights.

Med Box

While the JAK Backsaw Kit doesn’t allow for silencers of any kind, stealth perks are still highly valuable on an aggressive CQC build. TheNinja Vestgives you Covert Sneakers for free and replenishesThrowing Knifecharges over time. Since we have a free boot slot, we runLightweight Bootsto further boost the Holger’s mobility stats. To stay off enemy radar, we useGhost.Just be wary that you’ll appear on the minimap once you start shooting.

For equipment, theMed Boxis a fantastic option for this build. Use it when you respawn to give yourself a massive HP regeneration boost that lasts until death.Stimswill help during moments where you aren’t buffed by the Med Box. For your secondary, use whatever you prefer.The Tyris a great option to cover longer distances.