The BAL-27 was added back in Season 3, bringing back one of the most iconic weapons from Call of Duty’s jetpack era, and our recommended MW3 loadout makes it a gun well worth using.
This gun is no stranger to dominating 6v6, with it once being Advanced Warfare’s best weapon. Ten years on and it is back in Modern Warfare 3, and despite not being a meta gun anymore, the BAL-27 is still a good option.
Interestingly, the BAL-27 has a unique mechanic where its fire rate and TTK speed up as you shoot. However, this comes at the cost of a massive spike in vertical recoil, which can be difficult to control. To offset this, it’s often better to burst fire the BAL-27 rather than shoot full auto for its entire magazine.
Regardless of whether you use this technique or not, the futuristic assault rifle is a viable weapon that can be a lot of fun to use, and this is the best BAL-27 loadout, including attachments, perks, and equipment.
Best BAL-27 MW3 loadout
- Muzzle: Quartermaster Suppressor
- Barrel: Crown-H3 Barrel
- Stock: Ardent Tac Stock
- Underbarrel: DR-6 Handstop
- Magazine: 60 Round Mag
The BAL-27’s unusual recoil pattern can make it a handful, so it’s important to use attachments that improve recoil control. For this, your best options are the Ardent Tac Stock and Quartermaster Suppressor, which combine to reduce recoil gun kick by a staggering 39%.
One area where the BAL-27 excels is damage range, and this can be further improved by using the Crown-H3 Barrel. This unique barrel attachment boosts the BAL-27’s effective and minimum damage range by 20% while also improving other key stats like ADS movement speed and bullet velocity.
Unfortunately, the BAL-27 has a rather slow reload and empties its magazine quickly due to its rapid rate of fire. That combination is far from ideal, so you’ll want to use the 60 Round Mag to mitigate this problem by doubling the assault rifle’s magazine capacity.
Last but not least is the DR-6 Handstop, which is a meta underbarrel that improves various Handling and Mobility stats. Most notably, the DR-6 Handstop boosts ADS speed and sprint to fire speed by 7%, as well as ADS movement speed by 6%. This makes the BAL-27 feel much more mobile yet maintains its excellent range.
Best BAL-27 MW3 class: Perks & Equipment
- Vest: Ninja Vest
- Gloves: Commando Gloves
- Boots: Lightweight Boots
- Gear: Mag Holster
- Lethal: C4
- Tactical: Shock Stick
- Field Upgrade: Trophy System
The Ninja Vest is always a good pick, as it silences footsteps, letting you move around the map without being noticed. This is great for flanking, which you’ll be able to do with ease thanks to the Lightweight Boots boosting your movement speed.
A big problem with this gun is its slow reload speed. It takes over three seconds to reload, and you rarely have that kind of time in Call of Duty. You can mitigate this by using Mag Holster, a perk that speeds up reloads, and also Commando Gloves, another perk that lets you reload while sprinting. This way you can reposition while stuck in reloading rather than being a sitting duck for the enemy team.
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You should use a Trophy System for times when you need to play the objective. This powerful Field Upgrade intercepts and destroys enemy equipment, letting you hold down power positions easier. Being able to do this is useful on modes like Domination and Hardpoint where you are forced to stay in one position while under pressure.
On the flipside, enemies most likely won’t be able to stop your equipment, so using C4 and letting off a huge explosion that you can manually trigger to detonate at just the right moment makes a lot of sense. If you need to play more defensively, a Shock Stick disrupts enemies by making their gun fire automatically against their will.
BAL-27 pros and cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Incredible damage range | High recoil |
| Fast rate of fire | Below average handling |
| Fantastic iron sights | Sluggish reload |
| Fast TTK after 4 shots | Slow TTK before 4 shots |
Where is the BAL-27 in MW3’s meta?
The BAL-27 is a viable weapon that isn’t quite a meta contender. Unfortunately, it lacks the raw power to outgun top-tier options, with its base time to kill of 340 ms before the rate of fire ramps up being very slow. You won’t be winning many gunfights dealing that little damage, and the ramp up takes too long to make a big difference.
Equally, the BAL-27 has a fair amount of recoil considering its slow TTK. This makes it tricky to keep on target unless you stack attachments to improve recoil control. Of course, this comes at the cost of neglecting handling and mobility, leaving the Advanced Warfare gun feeling weirdly sluggish for a futuristic assault rifle.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though, with the BAL’s exceptional range letting it outgun most other weapons at a distance. Also, it has some of the best iron sights in MW3, so you don’t need to waste an attachment slot on an optic. Despite this, it’s hard to justify using this gun when the STG44 and DTIR 30-06 are just better than it, but the BAL-27 is still a solid option that can be fun to use once in a while.
How to unlock the BAL-27
To get the BAL-27 in Modern Warfare 3, you’ll need to unlock it through the armory by completing 5 daily challenges or earn enough points by winning games.
MW3 BAL-27 alternatives
The MTZ-556 is another great all-around assault rifle that excels at medium range just like the BAL-27. It has an extremely competitive TTK and can hold its own against the very best Modern Warfare 3 has to offer.
That’s all for the best BAL-27 loadout, but you can learn more about multiplayer by checking the best MW3 guns in the current meta. We’ve also broken down the best assault rifles, which you can use if this gun doesn’t work for you. Though you should make sure you are using the best controller settings and PC settings first beforehand.