Alright, let’s talk about this “explosive ammo” thing in MW3. I kept hearing folks mention it, or sometimes I’d get taken out and see something about explosive damage, and honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure what was what. It sounded pretty powerful, maybe like tiny grenades firing out of your gun?
So, my first thought was, okay, I need to figure this out myself. Reading descriptions online is one thing, but you gotta feel it in the game, you know? See how it actually works when you’re the one pulling the trigger or getting hit by it.
My Little Test Run
First thing I did was jump into the firing range. That place is decent for just trying stuff without getting shot at every two seconds. I started digging through the Gunsmith, looking at all the different ammo types you can slap onto your weapons.
I went through a few categories:
- Launchers: Okay, this was the obvious one. Stuff like grenade launchers, yeah, they fire explosives. That’s their whole deal. But people were talking about explosive ammo for regular guns, which got me curious.
- Underbarrels: Some guns let you stick a grenade launcher underneath. Again, pretty clear cut, fires grenades, definitely explosive.
- Ammo Attachments: This is where it got interesting. I looked through the ammunition options for various assault rifles, snipers, shotguns. I was looking for anything with “Explosive” in the name or description. Sometimes you see stuff like “Armor Piercing Incendiary” or other fancy names.
I specifically tried equipping anything that sounded like it might have a boom. I messed around with some sniper rifle ammo types that mentioned extra damage to vehicles or equipment. I also remembered seeing some shotgun slugs in the past that had explosive tips, so I checked those too.
What I Actually Found
Here’s the deal based on what I saw in my own messing around. When people talk about “explosive ammo” for regular guns in MW3, it’s often not like a mini-RPG round flying out. It’s usually more subtle, but still noticeable.
What it often means:
- Splash Damage: Some ammo types, especially certain sniper rounds or special slugs, seem to do a tiny bit of area damage right where they hit. It’s not massive like a grenade, but it can potentially damage someone right next to your target, or finish off a really weak enemy. I noticed this sometimes when shooting near dummies in the range.
- Vehicle/Equipment Damage: This is a big one. Certain rounds are specifically designed to mess up vehicles, killstreaks, and equipment like claymores or trophy systems. They hit harder against that stuff, often with a small explosive effect visual cue. This seemed to be the most common “explosive” type ammo I found attached to normal guns.
- Flinch/Impact: Getting hit by these rounds feels different. It seems to cause more flinch, making it harder for the person getting shot to aim straight. There’s definitely a heavier oomph on impact.
- Visuals/Sound: You often get a slightly different hit marker, maybe a bit more of a spark or a mini-explosion graphic where the bullet hits, and the sound is usually beefier too.
It’s not always a separate “Explosive Ammo” attachment: Sometimes this effect is baked into specific weapon types or unique attachments rather than a selectable ammo conversion called “Explosive”. Think certain launchers, specific high-caliber rounds, or maybe even some field upgrades or killstreaks deliver this kind of damage.
So, yeah, “explosive ammo” isn’t usually about turning your rifle into a rocket launcher. It’s more about rounds that have an added kick, do splash damage, wreck equipment, or just feel impactful. It’s definitely a thing, you just gotta look at the specific ammo descriptions in the Gunsmith or understand the properties of things like underbarrel launchers. It’s worth trying out, especially if you want to annoy killstreaks or add a bit more punch, but don’t expect huge Michael Bay explosions from your standard rifle ammo.
