The Guns of Halo

[natedog]

First off, yes, I am a nerd (just like you are- why else would you be on a gun discussion board? ), and yes, I am overanalizing. Now..

Second off, any THR XBOX livers out there? My gamertag is NSultze, what's yours?

One thing I like about the Halo games in general are the guns. While the game is set five centuries in the future, with human kind spread across the galaxy, the firearms are still very similar to those of today (7.62x51mm is the MBR round of Halo 1). This seems to be an exception in science fiction. Which real weapons do you think most closely resemble modern firearms? Here are some pictures and descriptions:

M6D Pistol
Rate of Fire : Semi-Automatic (3.5 rounds per second)
Operation : Recoil
Fire Mode : Game : Semi-Automatic
Ammunition : 12.7mm x 40 (M225 Semi-Armor Piercing, High Explosive)
Range : Medium to long
Accuracy : High
Magazine Size : 12 rounds


Definately most like a 2x scoped, double stack Desert Eagle. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

MA5B Assault Rifle
Rate of Fire : High, fully automatic (15 rounds per second)
Operation : Gas
Fire Mode : Automatic
Ammunition : 7.62mm x 51 (M118: Armor-Peircing, Full Metal Jacket (AP-FMJ))
Range : Short to medium
Magazine Size : 60 rounds

Of all the Halo weapons, this is certainly the most unrealistic. It is woefully underpowered, inaccurate, and has a much too large magazine and no muzzle climb. It takes at least 15 rounds of 7.62x51mm at point blank range to kill a human. It is probably modeled after the FN2000.

M90 Shotgun
Rate of Fire : Low (1 round per second)
Operation : Manual Pump-Action
Fire Mode : Pump-Action
Ammunition : 8-Gauge 3.5-inch Magnum Buckshot
Range : Point-blank to Short
Magazine Size : 12 rounds

Another somewhat unrealistic weapon. 8 guage ? It is fed from a top mounted, 12 round magazine that has 2 side by side tubes. Pretty neat. Can't really think of a real life partner to it.

Rate of Fire : Semi-automatic (2 rounds per second)
Operation : Gas System
Fire Mode : Game: Semi-Automatic
Ammunition : 14.5mm x 114 (Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding Sabot)
Range : Medium to very long
Accuracy : Very high
Magazine Size : 4 rounds



I like this one. Has a 5x-10x scope, 4 round magazine, and 14.5mm round. It is most closely modeled after the Mechem NTW-20.
(http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn55-e.htm)

M7 SMG
Operation: Blowback
Fire mode: Automatic
Projectile type: 5mm x 23 Caseless
Rate of fire: High (estimated 900 RPM)
Range: Short
Accuracy: Poor
Magazine capacity: 60 bullets

Sort of like a caseless HK G11/HK MP7 PDW combo. With the stock retracted, its about the same size as the M6D pistol.

Battle Rifle BR55
Projectile type: 9.5mm x 40 (M634: Experimental High Power Semi-Armor Piercing (X-HP-SAP))
Range: Medium (With Scope: long)
Accuracy: Medium
Rate of fire: 3-round burst (estimated 1100 RPM cyclic rate)
Magazine capacity: 36 bullets
Melee attack: Medium
Scope: 2x



A very cool weapon. Sort of like an XM-8, crossed with a FAMAS.

M41 SSR MAV/AW
Projectile Type: 102mm High-Exposive, Anti-Tank (HEAT)
Damage: Very High
Range: Long
Accuracy: High (Charged: Homing)
Rate of fire: Medium
Magazine Capacity: 2 Rockets
Scope: 2x



AKA the SPANKr. A double barreled, scoped, fire-and-forget guided missile launcher. What's not to like? I have no idea what real-life weapon it is modeled after.

 

[nfl1990]

Just so you know they fixed the no recoil problem in Halo 2, I think it was a programing limatation rather than design flaw.

 

[Technosavant]

These weren't modeled after ANY real life weapons. Any similarities are purely coincidental.

A pistol that is a) more accurate and b) harder hitting than an assault rifle? Not in real life. Heck, in Halo:CE I just run around with a pistol and shotgun wherever possible- that isn't hardly an "all purposes" portable arsenal.

Video games, although fun, are not the place to find information on firearms of any kind.

 

[cracked butt]

The first one looks a lot like a Hi-Point handgun. Who would have thought that the Hi-Point would be around in 500 years but not the 1911?
Range : Medium to long
Accuracy : High
A pistol for medium to long range use with high accuracy while the battle rifle is only medium range with medium accuracy? Hmmmmm.


Pump shotgun = Rate of Fire : Low (1 round per second)

I guess the programmers have never actually seen a pump shotgun used by someone of even moderate skill.

The M7 SMG looks like the best of the whole bunch. If it were real and available, I'd buy one.

 

[Justin]

It is fed from a top mounted, 12 round magazine that has 2 side by side tubes. Pretty neat. Can't really think of a real life partner to it.

The Neostead.

And yeah, it's pretty obvious that the game's weapons are designed to maximize playability over realism.

 

[GunnySkox]

I hate the XBOX with a burning, fiery passion. HALO was supposed to be a PC game (First Person Shooters should be played on a mouse and keyboard, as God intended) until Microsoft bought Bungie and we PeeCee gamers got the worst PC Port in history as a cop-out.

That said, I'm absolutely in love with HALO and I've beaten it probably 20 times on Heroic and Legendary.

The Assault Rifle is probably my third favorite weapon; fired in short bursts, it's accurate out to medium range (you can guage how accurate the rifle is by how far back it's recoiled while you're shooting; the farther back it goes, the wider your pattern), though yeah, it is woefully underpowered.

Neostead shotguns have side-by-side on-top magazine tubes, IIRC. I too have a tough time buying the 8 gauge claim, but with how tremendously hard that shottie hits (it'll kill flood Combat Forms at medium or long range pretty handily with just two or three shots).

I hated the Battle Rifle in HALO2. Basically they just broke the assault rifle in half, and put its medium range capability (along with greater accuracy and reasonably powerful bullets) into the Battle Rifle (which sucks awfully against anything that isn't a grunt, drone, or jackal) and the SMG (which sucks awfully any farther away than "intimate" range).

I wish they'd done more with mounted weapons in HALO. It'd've (hehe, double contraction) been sweet to zoom around on the door gun of a Pelican, or... something. Alas, maybe I'm just complainy because I've played the hell out've both games and become sort of frustrated with them.

Still, I wonder how they packed 60 7.62x51R (look at the cases that land on the ground, they're rimmed) cartridges into those little-bitty mags..

~GnSx
"Get up so I can kill you AGAIN!"

 

[Kurush]

The subgun looks a bit like a Franchi LF57. There are 8 gauge shotguns, but today they're only used industrially to remove buildup from boilers and things like that. Many years ago there were 8 gauge (and even 7-6 gauge) hunting shotguns called "market guns", the idea was you'd shoot a flock of birds all at once, then collect them for sale at the local market.

 

[GunnySkox]

How do you use a shotgun to remove buildup from boilers? That sounds... well, it sounds like something, but I can't tell if it's really cool or if it sucks until I know what you do with the shottie to get the buildup out. ;

~GnSx

 

[WarMachine]

The Assault rifle on any difficulty above Normal is the most worthless piece of garbage I have ever encountered. The thing shoots (with slow shots) like a 10 inch group at 20 meters at best. Nothing like unloading 2 mags center mass into a yellow Elite and he's still standing :banghead:

It's works pretty good on MP matches though. However, in this case, it's even outmatched by the pistol.

 

[cracked butt]

I saw an article in Outdoor life a few years ago that showed 4 bore and even a 2 bore shotgun used by British waterfowlers. Of course they were single or double barrel and not pump actions.

Some are still made in Britain and I think Baikal makes an 8 guage.

 

[tc300mag1]

The orginal Halo the shotgun and handgun ruled no point in using the rifle .. Halo 2 the handgun sucks as does the shottie have to use the MBR or the submachine guns

 

[natedog]

By "modeled after" I was refering literally to the external appearance (model) not the actual shooting characteristics. The pistol is redicuously powerful and accurate compared to the rifle in HALO CE, but things are put into balance in HALO 2.

 

[tc300mag1]

How do you use a shotgun to remove buildup from boilers? That sounds... well, it sounds like something, but I can't tell if it's really cool or if it sucks until I know what you do with the shottie to get the buildup out. ;

~GnSx

They make a cartridge for this and ya fire it though part of the boiler article i read was not very informative..


But the gun they showed was a big honking thing long as well as heavy

 

[Kurush]

How do you use a shotgun to remove buildup from boilers? That sounds... well, it sounds like something, but I can't tell if it's really cool or if it sucks until I know what you do with the shottie to get the buildup out. ;

~GnSx

You shoot the slag with a huge slug to break it up. I've only seen them on TV, but I bet it's a lot of fun. The "shotgun" looked a bit like a Ma Deuce.

Here's a brochure: http://www.winchester.com/industrial/pdf/IndustrialPDF/INDBRO.pdf

 

[english kanigit]

I hate the XBOX with a burning, fiery passion. HALO was supposed to be a PC game (First Person Shooters should be played on a mouse and keyboard, as God intended) until Microsoft bought Bungie and we PeeCee gamers got the worst PC Port in history as a cop-out.

Gunnny, you had better hold that thought. If memory serves correctly, HALO was a Mac title first . I've been a Bungie person since Pathways into Darkness (circa 1993 I believe...) and drooled daily since the first glimmer of HALO captured my imagination back in the late 90's ('97 wasn't it??).
Funny how things work out....


BTW, on XBox Live I am known as 'nate dog', your friendly vehicle removal specialist.

 

[GunnySkox]

The orginal Halo the shotgun and handgun ruled no point in using the rifle .. Halo 2 the handgun sucks as does the shottie have to use the MBR or the submachine guns

Hey, hey now. Don't be gettin' down on the (John)Woo-ability of a pair of Magnums in HALO 2. You can dump a mag out of those things _yesterday_ and _right_ into somebody's face. Plus, since everybody thinks they suck so awfully, putting someone down with them is double the fun.

Gunnny, you had better hold that thought. If memory serves correctly, HALO was a Mac title first . I've been a Bungie person since Pathways into Darkness (circa 1993 I believe...) and drooled daily since the first glimmer of HALO captured my imagination back in the late 90's ('97 wasn't it??).
Funny how things work out....

Shut up!
Whatever!
I didn't wanna go to Sally's house anydangway!
*/Strong Bad*

Yeah, s'funny how things go. My best friend from Highschool played the Marathon series with his mom (seriously) back in the Good Ol' Days of Mac Gaming, and that series is why he's in love with Bungie.

Still, I reserve my right to hate Microsoft for thieving away the possibility of sweet, delicious gaming goodness from my Right and Good Keyboard and Mouse, even if such gaming goodness was already stolen goods. *sob* Bloody Console Gamers!

~GnSx
Of course, it's not like game developers even really try to keep PC gamers interested anyway. When was the last time you installed a game that didn't need four patches and three driver updates to get working with full reliability and functionality? Dawn of War _stopped_ working after I installed the newest patch. Weasels.

 

[mr.trooper]

Yup, to remove the boiler fouling, you blast it with an Aluminum, 8 guage
slug.