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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3has dozens of new weapons for players to try in core Multiplayer modes and Modern Warfare Zombies. While most of these weapons are a step up from Modern Warfare 2’s roster, some of them struggle to find a place in the meta.
Unfortunately, the Sidewinder sits firmly in the lower tier of primary weapons. Its high recoil and slow fire rate make it a tricky weapon to use in Multiplayer, but it is possible to make the camo grind for this weapon much easier with the right attachments. This weapon is also surprisingly powerful in MWZ, so don’t neglect leveling it entirely.
Updated May 27, 2025, by Charles Burgar:The Sidewinder has received a powerful conversion kit in the mid-season patch for MW3’s Season One. We’ve updated this guide to include a build for the JAK Thunder Kit, buffing its accuracy to make this a formidable endgame weapon for MWZ players.
Pros And Cons
The Sidewinder is outgunned in virtually every situation imaginable, so the main reason touse this gun is for camo challenges.Use this build in hardcore to quickly complete camo challenges.TheMK. 3 Reflectorcounts as a magnification scope for the Mind Peak camo.
Recoil is a serious issue on this gun, so we use the next four attachments to fix it: theTempus Predator Precision Barrel, the Lockshot KT85 muzzle, the RB Borealis Grip, and RB Regal Heavy Stock.All of these attachments greatly improve your aiming stability and reduce your recoil by roughly 40%. This makes the Sidewinder far more consistent at long distances, making it easier to get longshot kills for the Priceless camo.
Field Upgrade
Preference
The Sidewinder is best used at medium range, so you’ll want to use a loadout that enhances your dueling abilities. TheInfantry Vestlets you tactical sprint for longer and gives you three perks. We useMarksman Glovesto mitigate incoming flinch,Stalker Bootsto increase ADS strafe speed, andMag Loaderto greatly reduce the Sidewinder’s lengthy reload animation. Your equipment is down to personal preference.
The Sidewinder’sJAK Thunder LMG Kitturns this weapon into a devastating DPS option for MWZ.After firing 15 rounds, the weapon will fire at roughly 1,000 RPM until you let go of the trigger.While the conversion kit does reduce the Sidewinder’s damage slightly, the RPM increase more than makes up for this.
Wielding a weapon that fires so quickly will shake your screen violently, so we will be building aroundtactical stanceto mitigate the gun’s recoil and general visual shake. We use theOrchestral-40 Short Heavy Barrel, Bruen Bastion Angled Grip, and Cronen Intals MSP-12to greatly reduce the gun’s Tac Stance spread. Throw on theRB Borealis Gripto further reduce the weapon’s recoil, completing the build.
MWZ Loadouts
Since MWZ is an extraction mode, you’ll have to scavenge for specific perks and high-tier equipment items yourself. Ideally, you want Stamin-Up, Speed Cola, Deadshot Daiquiri, and Elemental Pop to maximize the Sidewinder’s damage. Brain Rot is also a good damage type for this weapon, allowing you to convert zombies into allies for a short duration.
