The Haymaker is a semi-automatic shotgun introduced inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.It might seem powerful when used with the Juggernaut Recon killstreak, but this gun is arguably a step down from the Lockwood 680 and some of Modern Warfare 2’s offerings. Nevertheless, you’ll need to level this weapon and complete certain camo challenges to complete the mastery camo grind.

A skilled player can make the Haymaker a solid close-quarters weapon on any map, but making the Haymaker shine in core Multiplayer will require an optimized build. Today, we will be showcasing two builds that help the Haymaker reach its ultimate potential.

Updated June 01, 2025, by Charles Burgar:The Haymaker has received a powerful conversion kit with the Season 2 update. The JAK Maglift Kit is a massive upgrade in nearly every situation, greatly improving the weapon’s fire rate and magazine capacity with a minor hit to its TTK and overall handling. We’ve updated this build with a new hipfire build that uses the JAK Maglift Kit, and we’ve also created a powerful stealth build for players that want a more agile shotgun for core Multiplayer.

Hipfire Haymaker Build

The Forged camo for the Haymaker requires multiple hipfire kills in a single magazine. This is normally a difficult task due to the extreme damage falloff of all MW3 shotguns, but you can greatly mitigate this with theJAK Maglift Kit.This aftermarket part adds an absurdly large drum mag onto the Haymaker, giving it 60 rounds. Hipfireand tac stance accuracyare also improved, although this comes at the cost of damage.

Fortunately, this attachment also comes with a binary trigger, effectively doubling the weapon’s fire rate. Enhancing its hipfire and tac stance accuracy is ideal here, so we opt to use theStovl DR Laser Box, Bryson Choke, and Bruen Bastion Angled Grip.These attachments will reduce your hipfire spread to 1.5 degrees, making this weapon highly effective in CQC. Throw on theImperator Heavy Barrelto greatly extend your range.

Loadout Recommendations

The bulky magazine of the Haymaker will reduce your speed somewhat, which is why theInfantry Vestis a great pick here. It will double your tactical sprint duration and reduce its recharge rate, allowing you to tac sprint around the map more often.Do not tac sprint into a gunfight, however, as this weapon’s sprint to fire delay is quite lengthy for a shotgun.

Your choice of perks should focus on stealth and aggression when possible.Covert Sneakerswill muffle your footstep audio to make closing the gap far safer.Ghostwill also help with this by hiding your minimap ping from enemy UAVs while you’re moving. For aggressive players, theAssault Glovesallow you to jumpshot with no accuracy penalty.

Equipment for this build isdown to preferencesince this gun is mostly used for completing camo challenges. Stims and Throwing Knives are always worth using, and theMed BoxField Upgrade greatly decreases your HP regeneration delay until you die, filling the same niche as MW2’s Quick Fix perk.

Stealth Haymaker Build

Shotguns tend to promote an aggressive playstyle, so this build focuses on improving the Haymaker’smovement speed and overall handling stats.The most important attachment is theTectonica Suppressor, as it makes your shots invisible on enemy mini-maps. Pair it with Ghost, and you become virtually undetectable.

To help with this weapon’s low handling, we use theNo Stock Mod, DR-6 Handstop, and JAB-30 Short Barrel.This greatly lowers your sprint-to-fire delay to 170ms,comparable to most SMGs. Throw on a12 Round Magto make multikills easier, and you have the perfect shotgun for hit-and-run gameplay.

We will be recommending the same loadout as our previous build. TheInfantry Vestwill increase your tactical sprint duration and give you three perks.Assault Gloveshelp with jumpshots,Ghostwill keep you off enemy radar, andCovert Sneakerswill muffle your footstep audio. Your equipment is down to preference.