Modern Warfare 2: BEST Shotguns & Loadouts

Learn about ranking of all shotguns available in Modern Warfare 2 & select the best one.

Modern Warfare 2 has a plethora of weapons for you to choose from, but shotguns are the deadliest. These are designed to excel in close-range situations, as they can annihilate their targets in one shot. Today, we are going to talk about the best shotguns in Modern Warfare 2, along with the best loadouts for them.


Key Takeaways

  • Shotguns are the best for close-range combat as they can destroy your target in a single shot.
  • At the time of writing, there are a total of four shotguns available in the game.
  • The Lockwood 300 is considered the best shotgun in the game due to its power and range. 

Best Shotguns In Modern Warfare 2

At the moment, there are only four shotguns available in the game. Some of them are unlocked by default, while others become available as you progress through the game. Nevertheless, each shotgun is unique, and you must choose the one that suits your playstyle. 

Bryson 890

Starting off in our list is the Bryson 890. This weapon is unlocked after you have made some progress with the Bryson 800 (a weapon we’ll discuss later in our guide.) However, even though it is a weapon that is unlocked at a later stage, it is not something special.

The Bryson 890 features a total of eight rounds in its clip and has 16 reserve rounds. The thing which makes this shotgun worth picking is the detachable magazine. If you’ve played any of the multiplayer modes, you already know how important it is to keep the weapon fully loaded at all times. As for the detachable magazine, it provides faster reloads, something that isn’t found in any other shotgun.

Bryson 890
Bryson 890 – Image Credits [Exputer]
Other than that, there isn’t anything else offered by the Bryson 890 that makes it worth picking. The biggest downside about it is its accuracy, and you will need to spend a lot of time with it before you can control it properly. Because of this reason, you will need to use attachments to eliminate these problems instead of increasing the overall power of the weapon. 

Overall, the Bryson 890 is a decent shotgun, but there isn’t any reason why you should choose it, considering there are much better options available. But if you want a shotgun that reloads quickly, then there isn’t a better option than the Bryson 890. To unlock it, you will need to level up Bryson 800 all the way up to 16. 

Best Loadout For Bryson 890

We recommend the following attachments for the Bryson 890:

  • Muzzle: XTEN Full Choke
  • Barrel: 21.5″ Bryson Tacfire
  • Laser: Schlager ULO-66 Laser
  • Stock: XTEN Ripcord Stock
  • Underbarrel: TV Wrecker Grip

To start with, we recommend the XTEN Full Choke and Byson Tacfire as they can help you increase the overall damage and range of the weapon, thus allowing you to annihilate your targets quickly. As the Bryson 890 isn’t the best regarding hipfire accuracy, we picked up the TV Wrecker Grip and the Schlager ULO-66 Laser. Both of these significantly improve the hipfire accuracy of the shotgun. 

Expedite 12

Next, we have the Expedite 12. If you are a fan of semi-automatic shotguns, you will instantly fall in love with this weapon. In fact, it is the only semi-automatic shotgun present in the game at the moment. To unlock this weapon, you will need to reach level 9. 

The Expedite 12 is considered the best shotgun for those who are new to the game. It was insanely popular in the Modern Warfare 2 beta, and things haven’t changed in the final release. The weapon has a decent magazine size and fire rate, thanks to which you will be able to bag in kills quickly. It stores 7 rounds in its magazine, so you won’t have to worry about reloading the weapon again and again.

Best Shotguns In Modern Warfare 2
Expedite 12 – Image Credits [Exputer]
The only downside about the Expedite 12 is its range. Compared to most of the other shotguns available in the game, the range of this weapon is fairly low. Because of this, you will need to get extremely close to your target in order to land your shot accurately. Furthermore, the recoil isn’t that amazing, so you will need to make sure your shot lands. Otherwise, your enemy will empty their magazine on your before you get the chance to fire another shot. 

Overall, the Expedite 12 is a great shotgun for beginners. It can help you learn how to control shotguns, and you can later switch to better options. However, considering getting up close and personal with the enemies is pretty risky, the weapon will let you down at some points. 

Best Loadout For Expedite 12

We recommend the following attachments for Expedite 12:

  •  Stock: Resonance Stock Collapsed 
  •  Bolt: Expedite L Bolt 
  •  Rear Grip: Schlager Void Grip 
  •  Ammunition: 12 Guage Dragon’s Breath 
  •  Laser: 1MW Quick Fire Laser Or The STOVL Tac Laser 
  •  Muzzle: XTEN Full Choke 

The Resonance Stock Collapsed is used to increase the ADS speed and the sprint-to-fire speed of the Expedite 12. On the other hand, the Expedite L Bolt increases the fire rate of the shotgun, thus allowing you to fire more shots quickly. 

We recommend that you replace the regular ammunition of this shotgun with the 12 Guage Dragon’s Breath, as they will burn your enemies and deal a little extra damage. The laser and the grip we recommend will improve the overall recoil control and hipefire accuracy of the shotgun. And finally, to improve the range of the weapon, you need to use the XTEN Full Choke. 

Bryson 800

This is where things start getting a little better. The Bryson 800 is one of the best shotguns to use due to multiple reasons. The best part is that you don’t have to worry about doing something extra to unlock it, as the Bryson 800 is unlocked by default.

Compared to the Bryson 890, this one is better in every way. This is a little weird, considering the Bryson 890 is meant to be a better version of it. Furthermore, the Bryson 800 can be considered the same as Expedite 12, only that this shotgun has much better attachments available.

Bryson 800
Bryson 800 – Image Credits [Exputer]
As discussed earlier, the Expedite 12 has a short range, due to which you need to be extremely close to your targets to secure a perfect kill. However, the range of the Bryson 800 can be increased significantly, thanks to the attachments available for it. This can help you transform the Bryson 800 into a shotgun that can not only help you, clear groups of enemies, quickly but also let you stay at a safe distance from your targets.

Overall, the Bryson 800 is an excellent shotgun that can be trusted in multiple situations. It has a magazine size of 8 rounds, so you won’t need to worry about reloading quickly. 

Best Loadout For Bryson 800

We recommend the following attachments for the Bryson 800:

  • Stock: Sawed Off Mod
  • Guard: Demo X50 Tactical Pump
  • Barrel: 16″ Bryson Shockwave
  • Muzzle: XTEN Modified Choke
  • Underbarrel: VX Pineapple

As the Bryson 800 is a bulky shotgun, you need the Sawed-Off Mod to make it lightweight. This will allow you to take out your weapon whenever you see an enemy quickly. As for the Demo X50 Tactical Pump, this one also helps you with being quick as it increases the overall reload speed and ADS speed of the shotgun.

As shotguns can deliver a strong quick, you need to reduce their recoil and improve their hip fire accuracy. For this purpose, we recommend using the FX Pineapple grip, as it greatly improves the recoil control and hip fire accuracy of the Bryson 800. Furthermore, the 16″ Bryson Shockwave also helps with recoil control. And as you want to stay at a safe distance while targeting your enemies, it will be wise to throw in the Xten Modified Choke, as this will increase the overall range of the shotgun. 

Lockwood 300

Finally, we have the Lockwood 300. This is considered the best shotgun to use in Modern Warfare 2. However, it isn’t an early-game weapon, as you will unlock it after reaching level 36. This means that you won’t be able to create chaos with it until you have made significant progress in the game.

The Lockwood 300 is the kind of shotgun that only carries 2 rounds. That’s right, compared to other shotguns that have 7 to 8 rounds packed inside them, this one only offers 2. For some, this is a big disadvantage. But for those who can handle shotguns properly, this is all you need to secure kills.

Best Shotguns In Modern Warfare 2
Lockwood 300 – Image Credits [Exputer]
The shotgun has a better range and spread than all of the other shotguns available in the game, and you can accurately land your shots with it. There are also numerous attachments available for it, which can further boost the range and power of this weapon. Thanks to them, you can transform the Lockwood 300 into a weapon that can help you out in critical situations. 

Overall, the Lockwood 300 is a powerful shotgun. Its only downside is that it offers 2 bullets, but this is enough for those who land their shots accurately. Using it, you can instantly eliminate your target before they even get a chance to aim down their sight. 

Best Loadout For Lockwood 300

The attachments we recommend for the Lockwood 300 are:

  • Muzzle: Bryson Series XII Choke
  • Barrel: Matuzek 812 Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Agent Grip
  • Stock: Heist Stock Mod
  • Laser: Point-G3P 04

The reason why we choose the Bryson Series XII Choke and Matuzek 812 Barrel is because they can increase the range of Lockwood 300 significantly. Thanks to this, you can stay at a safe distance from your enemies. On the other hand, the Agent Grip improves the hipfire accuracy of the weapon, and the Heist Stock increases the movement speed. As for the Point-G3P 04 Laser, it improves the hipfire accuracy, recoil control, and sprint-to-fire speed.

These were the best shotguns in Modern Warfare 2. At the time of writing, there are only four of them available. However, the developers will most likely add more of them through future updates. We will make sure to update this list when that happens. 

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Abdul Haddi


Hadi is eXputer's Senior Writer & Editor; and likely the biggest gamer in an average circle. You can pitch him on any Gaming Network for assistance, and he will always be there to help!

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