BR55 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle

The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is a UNSC infantry firearm and is a newer variant of the BR55 Battle Rifle in Halo 3.

Introduction
The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, mid-to-long range weapon which fires a short 3-round burst. The Battle Rifle is suspected to be the most efficient gun in the UNSC Armory. As the modern successor to the BR55 Battle Rifle, the BR55HB SR remains relatively unchanged, firing the M634 9.5x40mm X-HP-SAP round from a magazine of 36. It is equipped with a 2x electronic scope for better accuracy at longer ranges. The penetrative power, accuracy, and range of the BR55HB SR are roughly equivalent to the BR55, although its accuracy has slightly increased from its earlier counterpart.

The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is one of the most used rifles of the UNSC Marine Corps, though not as commonly seen as the MA5C Assault Rifle. It is a designated marksman's rifle, meant for those who are rated as marksman, a sort of medium-range sniper. While the BR55HB SR offers far greater range and accuracy than the MA5C, it can be more difficult to use during close-quarters engagements. The firing characteristics of the BR55HB SR are comparable to the Covenant's Type-51 Carbine, though they are very different in appearance and mechanical operation.

Tactics for Use
The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is a marvelously effective weapon against all types of enemies, from Grunts to Brutes and Elites to Spartans. An important thing to note is that the BR55HB SR can be used to great effect at medium to long range. The trick with making the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle effective at long range is minimizing the firer's side-to-side i.e. "strafing" movement. Strafing while firing greatly decreases the efficiency of the rifle. Additionally, while firing at a moving target it is important to aim in front of the target, especially when the target is moving perpendicular to the aim of the rifleman. For targets on foot it is optimal to aim 0.75-1.00 head-widths in front of the target to guarantee the maximum possible number of rounds impact the target. For targets in vehicles it is ideal to aim 1.75-2.5 head-widths in front of the target. Attempting use of a BR55HB SR Battle Rifle against vehicles at great range is not advised. Odds are the vehicle you are trying to take down is not an immediate threat to the rifleman and he should shift his focus to a more readily available target.

A single headshot with the 3-round burst instantly kills Grunts and Jackal Snipers, unshielded Elites and Brutes at medium range. In multiplayer, it takes four headshot bursts to kill a fully shielded SPARTAN-II or Elite, and three body shots and one headshot (Headshots are only necessary to kill unshielded opponents; the bullets do equal damage on any part of a shielded body).

The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle can be used to destroy a Flood Combat Form quickly by penetrating the Infection Form in its chest cavity.

Another use of the BR is to melee, then shoot at the opponent's head to remove their shields, then follow that up with another immediate head shot. This is much more effective than shooting then meleeing, seeing as this would take at least three bursts before the melee would kill the opponent.

In multiplayer (preferably team SWAT) on Halo 3 you can "twitch fire" the rifle so that you can execute an easy headshot. The way it can be executed is such, just when you fire at mid-lower chest area of your target, "twitch" the reticle upwards and the 3 bullets will separate, thus decreasing its accuracy but creating a greater head shot hit box. This technique is very useful to inexperienced players. Looking at a bigger picture, and just multiplayer in general, BR55HB SR Battle Rifle can also be used for close range, though it's effectiveness is greatly reduced. It is more logical to use a weapon designed for close range like an Assault Rifle or an SMG. Despite its rate of fire, the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle makes it easier to obtain headshots, even in close range, taking the enemies' or enemy's shield down more quickly than the MA5C. Though this isn't recommended as close range encounters often go in favor of the wielder of a close range weapon.

Notable Combos
A well-known tactic known as the "Noob Combo" or as the "EMP combo" is to use an overloaded Plasma Pistol shot to remove the shields of an opponent, then immediately follow this hit with a head shot to kill the opponent. The need to use only one headshot is good practice for Team SWAT.

Another useful Battle Rifle tactic is to use a Sniper Rifle shot to reduce the shields of a target, then switch to the Battle Rifle for an easier headshot. This is similar to the Noob combo but it is more useful at long ranges. This tactic is better for inexperienced snipers to use, as it uses less ammunition than two sniper body shots, and experienced snipers will usually just get a single headshot on a target, which will kill the target and make the Battle Rifle shot unnecessary. Other tactics that many inexperienced players use is to throw a Fragmentation Grenade, then line up a headshot with a Magnum, BR, or Carbine. This is very effective due to the obsessive use of Fragmentation and Plasma Grenades in ranked playlists.

Arguably, the best combination with the Battle Rifle is the Power Drain and Battle Rifle. By throwing down the Power Drain, the shields of your enemies are instantly brought down, thus allowing for an easy one-shot kill with minimal ammunition. This is especially useful on levels that involve lifts, for example Construct. As mentioned previously, a Frag Grenade can be used in its place, for example on Guardian.

Also, a good weapon combo is a Battle Rifle, Shotgun combo. When a target is coming at you from a distance, try to pick him off with the Battle Rifle, but when he gets closer, shoot him with the Shotgun. This combo can also work with Energy Swords or Gravity Hammers in the place of Shotguns, or a Covenant Carbine in the place of the Battle Rifle.

The Combo that works in the most broad and simple way, is to carry a Battle Rifle and a close range weapon; preferably an Assault Rifle or SMG. Note that the Battle Rifle is not designed for close range encounters, so carrying a close ranged weapon is imperritive.

Advantages
The BR55HB SR has reasonably high power, a decent rate of fire, and high accuracy with its 2x magnification scope. Its range is its primary advantage, allowing the rifleman to engage at longer ranges, way beyond the distance that it feels like it can fire. It can reach targets that would usually take a Sniper Rifle or Spartan Laser (with some practice). There is also a method that kills with four shots: you shoot into the body three times, and the last bullet must be placed into the neck or head. This weapon's armor piercing rounds detonate Fusion Cores immediately. In Halo 3 the BR55HBB SR a slight lower recoil the the earlier version in Halo 2, and has less muzzle fire. For players going through campaign on Heroic or Legendary this weapon is an absolute must as it can take down either snipers or Brutes.

Disadvantages
At longer ranges, it is necessary to minimize strafing movements when firing to avoid spacing the shot grouping too much. Since each "shot" is really a three-round-burst, certain movements can break up the grouping and greatly reduce accuracy. This also affects accuracy when firing from a moving vehicle such as a Warthog (especially when firing at a 90-degree angle from the vehicle's direction).

However, the BR55HB SR is not as effective at close ranges. Each bullet acts as a tracer which gives away the shooter's position, and the range is limited at long distance in comparison to the Sniper Rifle. It also does negligible damage against vehicles.

Another disadvantage at close range is the weapon's small spread of fire, because at close range enemies may move quickly in relation to the shooter. If the reticle is just off, then the shot will be too. Due to this the BR can be beat by a Shotgun, Energy Sword, SMG, Assault Rifle, or Gravity Hammer.

Physical Description and Appearance
The BR55HB SR is a bullpup, selective fire UNSC rifle that fires the 9.5x40mm X-HP-SAP round. It fires from a 36 round magazine, which fits flush in the receiver. The magazine housing is built directly into the underside of the stock of the rifle and is located behind the grip.

This titanium alloy weapon is gas-operated with a rotating bolt and therefore must be charged before the first round can be fired. The charging handle used to chamber the round is located on the left side of the weapon and does not move during operation. The rifle has a housed magazine in the stock. The ejection port is located on the right side of the weapon. There The BR55HB SR, has noticeable changes from the BR55. It has a longer barrel for increased range and accuracy. It is also fitted with a Trijicon ACOG-style scope on a modified carrying handle and now also has a trigger guard. The safety is also located above the handle of the weapon.

Influences
The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle's design is based on its predecessor, the BR55 Battle Rifle.

However, it appears to have been aesthetically inspired by the French FAMAS.

Another key inspiration for the BR series was the now canceled XM8 Assault Rifle, most prominently in the rifle's carry handle (not the pistol grip; the bar from the sights to the foregrip.)

Changes From The BR55



 * Modified optical rail
 * New Trijicon ACOG-style scope
 * New trigger guard
 * Longer barrel
 * New reloading animation
 * Less magnetism
 * Slightly different firing sound
 * Slightly lower rate of fire
 * Decreased accuracy/greater spread

Besides these changes, the BR55HB SR is functionally identical to the BR55.

Character Compatibility
These are the characters that can wield the BR55HB SR in Halo 3.
 * Elites
 * Spartans
 * Marines
 * ODST
 * Brutes
 * Flood Combat Form (Human)
 * Flood Combat Form (Elite)
 * Flood Combat Form (Brute)

Tips and Strategies

 * If you're facing an enemy and you have the BR you should walk backward while shooting at their head.
 * Remember the notable combos if you need to use them.
 * In some situations utilize this weapon like a sniper rifle, like on small maps like Standoff.

Trivia

 * The "HB" most likely is in acronym standing for "Heavy Barrel", which indicates and signifies the lengthened barrel of this rifle and the weighty barrel on the stalk. "SR" could stand for "Scoped Rifle", which is simply an additional description of this weapon.
 * On the shell casings fired from the Battle Rifle, there are the words CHIEF E-GX written on the front.
 * When aiming at an enemy's head, a small dot appears in the middle of the reticule. This is useful for headshots. The dot also appears in the M6C, Covenant Carbine, and the two sniper weapons in the game, the Human Sniper Rifle and the Beam Rifle.
 * In the Halo: Landfall films and in the trailer for Halo Wars, the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle seems to be automatic, but in Halo 3, it just fires in bursts of three round spurts. This is most likely due to inaccuracies in the movies, or that Bungie didn't want two fully automatic weapons in the game and finally decided to only write in the books that it can fire fully auto, although an automatic firing mode is not used in the games for balance reasons, or because it was a restricted feature only occasionally used in BR55 Battle rifles. Also, the rifles in outside of the game seem to be silver, instead of the usual grayish color.
 * The in-game Battle Rifle uses a similar burst-fire function to the M16A2/A4, however, there are many differences. For example, on the M16, one must hold the trigger down for the whole burst to fire. If the trigger is let go after firing one round, only that one round will be fired. Many speculate that the BR55's burst-fire makes it function in the same way as the M16, but only at the very simplest levels.
 * The Marathon symbol is located on the gun's left side, to the left of the ammunition counter display and roughly above the trigger guard.
 * The Battle Rifles that the Marines use during the memorial scene at the end of Halo 3 are set in a semi-automatic mode.
 * WETA Studios made a replica Battle Rifle, Magnum, Sniper Rifle, Carbine, Gravity Hammer, Spike Grenade, Rocket Launcher, and Plasma Pistol to use in the currently "on hold" Halo film.
 * In Halo 2 the Battle Rifle was able to execute a glitch known as the BXR where the player presses B and then X to perform a melee cancel then should be able to headshot the enemy. People found out how to do this in Halo 3, but Bungie noticed, and disabled it.
 * In Halo 2 it takes three-three burst shots in the head to kill someone in Multiplayer. In Halo 3, five shots to the head can kill a player in Multiplayer, four shots in MLG.
 * The Battle Rifle is the starting weapon in all Hardcore playlists.
 * It's the starting weapons in Team SWAT, unless playing a variant.
 * In the early builds of Halo 2, the Battle Rifle would fire three-round bursts when not utilizing the scope and would fire single shots when the scope was activated.
 * The Covenant Carbine is the Covenant equivalent of the UNSC Battle Rifle in ability they are both exactly equal, the battle rifle has more power in its shots but a slower fire rate, while the carbine has a less powerful shot but a quicker fire rate.
 * The Battle Rifle is a useful weapon for exploiting the Grunt Birthday Party skull.
 * It is commonly known as the "offspring" of the Halo: CE Pistol and the Assault Rifle.
 * If you melee or reload the Battle Rifle mid-burst, you will end up with an uneven number of rounds, meaning that the final shot of the Rifle will only be comprised of one or two rounds. However, even though it does not constitute a full burst, the one-to-two rounds still count as a headshot (so long as the opponent's shields are down).
 * This weapon, if abused, can be used at all ranges.

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 * BR55 Battle Rifle