MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System

The MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System (abbreviated MA5C ICWS), more commonly known as the MA5C Assault Rifle, is a widely-used United Nations Space Command firearm. It is the starting weapon on most maps in Halo 3.

Introduction
The MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle, often known simply as the MA5C Assault Rifle or just "MA5C", is a variant of the MA5B Assault Rifle seen in Halo: Combat Evolved and is being introduced in Halo 3. It is a much more balanced weapon compared to its predecessor and has recieved slightly technical as well as physical changes from the MA5B. This weapon is seen in Halo 3.

Summary
The MA5C Assault Rifle is a fully automatic, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed, short to semi-long ranged weapon. The weapon houses an on-board electronics suite, including a screen indicating rounds left in the magazine and a compass. It fires 7.62mm x 51 FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) rounds automatically (750-900 Rounds/min) from a 32-round magazine at a velocity of 905 m/s (2970 f/s) with improved accuracy, range (300 meters or 984 ft), and power over its cousin. The weapon's power has been described as being in between the MA5B Assault Rifle, and the BR55 Battle Rifle or M6G Magnum.

Description And Appearance
The MA5C Assault Rifle is a burst/automatic UNSC rifle that fires 7.62mm x 51 FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) rounds. It fires from a 32-round magazine that is housed in the receiver which is built directly into the underside of the butt of the gun and is located behind the handle (known as a bullpup configuration). The magazine fits flush into the housing.



This titanium alloy and polymer assault rifle firing with a gas-operated with a rotating-bolt and therefore must be cocked before the first shot can be fired. The charging handle used to chamber the round is located on the left side of the gun and does not move during operation. Once the first round is fired, the gases from that round and those to follow impinge upon a gas piston, which pushes back the bolt carrier, rotating the bolt inside and continuing to chamber rounds until the magazine is empty. Once the magazine is empty, the charging handle must either be pulled back and locked or, must be fully cycled after a fresh magazine is inserted to load the next bullet. The magazine release button is located above the clip housing and has an arrow pointing down toward the housing (similar to the BR55HB SR). The ejection port is located on the right side of the gun above the mag housing.



The MA5C has a rifled barrel that is 60.7 cm (24 in.) long and has an overall length of 88 cm (34.6 in.). The MA5C can be fitted with a number of different attachments including things such as a flashlight. The power button for the flashlight attachment is located behind the grip near the trigger. The MA5C also has a digital display on top of the gun which displays the remaining rounds in the current magazine as well as a compass that points to the largest land mass near by or key locations such a base of operations. This weapon also has a safety located on the handle of the gun.

Ammunition
The MA5C uses 7.62x51mm (.308 caliber) armor-piercing rounds. Actual energy from this round is 2472 ft·lb force. This is quite high for a rifle cartridge, and the round has been historically noted for it's power and range. "7.62mm" is the diameter of the bullet itself, which equates to .3 tenths of an inch, or .30 caliber. The "51mm" comes from the length of the brass casing containing the powder and primer. Often being associated with a considerable amount of recoil, the MA5C appears to be able to absorb it so the weapon remains steady even while holding down the trigger until the magazine has been exhausted.

Armor-piercing ammunition has a tip coated in a form of metal that allows it to punch through layers of soft and hard body armor, as well as light vehicle armor. The tip may be made from a variety of materials, such as tungsten, tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, hardened steel, or something similar.

Armor-piercing rounds have the obvious advantage of being able to deal with protected targets, but they release less energy to flesh because they tend to just slip through a targets body, and not dumping all of it's energy into the target.

AP rounds also can fly through vegetation and other debris while losing little power, making it safe to shoots from behind or through bushes that the 5.56 NATO have some trouble with. The heavy 7.62 round also helps in that it has a larger mass than smaller rounds. The 7.62x51mm round was originally introduced as a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) standard-issue cartridge in the 20th century. It appears to have survived for over six more centuries, being used in the MA5C rifle and other UNSC weapons like the M247 GP Machine Gun.

Changes from the MA5B

 * Heavier barrel with a 1 in 7 twist
 * Redesigned cowling to house an electronics suite and reduce weight
 * Redesigned handguard to provide more positive grip
 * Decreased magazine capacity (32 rounds, down from 60)
 * Smaller aiming reticule (slightly larger than the battle rifle's)
 * Increased range
 * Increased damage per round
 * Decreased rate of fire
 * Gunfiring sound is different
 * Reloading animation is different
 * Increased accuracy

Advantages
This weapon has increased damage per hit compared to the older MA5B assault rifle, along with increased accuracy and range. This weapon works at close and medium ranges, and can also be effective at ranges further than Medium. It is a good all around weapon, it's extremely well balanced in all stats, and can be effective in almost all situations if used correctly. The MA5C Assault Rifle is effective against Brutes, taking only about a magazine to take one down (even less for lower ranking brute minors), and may be the best weapon for fighting the Flood. The Assault Rifle can easily wipe out an entire squad of Grunts in less than a magazine of ammo. At Medium ranges, the MA5C is equally effective as the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle, or Covenant Carbine, and actually has an advantage over them due to the fact that the player does not need to pull the triggers as rapidly. However, the Assault Rifle does not pack as much punch per bullet than the Battle Rifle.

Disadvantages
Close range weapons such as the Shotgun and Energy Sword, can overpower the MA5C IF they are used correctly. This weapon also had its ammo reduced from 60, to 32, therefore needing to reload more often (this is not really a big problem for most players, since it still holds a good amount of ammo). It is inaccurate at longer ranges as it does not have a scope.

Influences
The MA5C is based on a few different weapons. One inspiration for the MA5C Assault Rifle was the "MA–75B Battle Rifle (with integral 40mm Grenade Launcher)" from the Marathon series. In fact, before Bungie re-engineered the game for the Xbox, it was fitted with a grenade launcher. Another inspiration was the M-590 7.62mm assault rifle of the USMC from 1995-1996 TV series Space: Above and Beyond. Another inspiration was the Fabrique Nationale F2000, which Robert McLees at Bungie has gone on record comparing the basic design to that.

Observations
Soldiers are very satisfied with this weapon. It performed well in a variety of environments especially given the perceived delicacy of the attached electronics suite. The general consensus is that every soldier wants a MA5C.

UNSC Remarks
“The (MA5C) is the workhorse for us ground-pounders. Just holding it makes you feel like God’s own anti-son-of-a-blam!-machine.” (This is a reference to the  legendary opening speech of Avery J. Johnson in  Halo Combat Evolved)

“I have slogged through snow and mud and sand with my (MA5C); even got dumped into an open sewer with it and it has never given me a bit of complaint. I trust it like I trust my own arms.”

“The MA5C is built like a brick outhouse with Venetian blinds. You can pound on a mike foxtrot with it like it was a sledgehammer.”

“For every time I’ve felt outgunned by those alien bastards shooting blobs of energy at me I have felt like death himself watching their bodies come apart under a hail of lead from my (MA5C).”

“The romeo echo mike foxtrot’s decision to mechanically reduce the (MA5C)’s magazine capacity by nearly half is pretty frustrating; even if their data was showing that jamming because of loss of spring strength was becoming an issue.”

“The only thing I can think of that would make the (MA5C) any sweeter would be an under-slung shotty or a forty mike mike.”

“Next time I’m dirtside I’ve gotta try and find a red filter for the flashlight; slipspace travel screws with mail-order something fierce.”

Trivia

 * All public pictures of the MA5C, in first person, show Battle Rifle animations as a placeholder rather than new ones.
 * The new MA5C has a compass that points towards the objective in each mission, eg. the escape route on Installation 04(II). The old one on the MA5B points toward the gas planet, Threshold.

Related Links

 * MA2B Assault Rifle
 * MA3 Assault Rifle
 * MA5B Assault Rifle
 * MA5K Assault Rifle