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 2.

Introduction
The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, mid-to-long range weapon which fires short 3-bullet bursts. The battle Battle Rifle is suspected to be the most efficent 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 decreased 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. The battle rifle is the weapon of choice for MLG gametypes and many advanced players. 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 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 (multiplayer). 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 rifleman's side-to-side or 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 seven body shots (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 it's chest cavity.

Another use of the BR is to melee, then shoot at the opponent's head, this means they will have no shields, followed by an instant headshot. 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.

Notable Combos
A well-known tactic colloquially known as the "Noob Combo" or as the "EMP combo" occurs when a rifleman will use a Plasma Pistol overload 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 (multiplayer).

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 experienced players use is to throw a Fragmentation Grenade, then line up a headsthot with a Magnum, BR, or Carbine. This is very effective due to the obsessive use of Fragmentation and Plasma Grenades in ranked playlists.

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.

Advantages
The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle 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 first 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 "splintering" 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 heading).

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 SRS99D Sniper rifle. It also does negligible damage against vehicles, though can still cause Warthogs and Mongoose ATVs to spin out if the wheels are shot.

Another disadvantage at close range is the weapon's small spread of fire. Because at close range enemies may move quickly relative 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, AR, or Gravity Hammer.

Note: Due to the slower rate of fire, this weapon generaly does less damage in close range combat as opposed to the SMG or Spiker.

Physical Description and Appearance
The BR55HB SR is a bullpup, selective fire (except in gameplay)"really skilled players can gently tap it making it fire one or two round burst," UNSC rifle that fires the 9.5x40mm X-HP-SAP round (see below). 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 cocked 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. 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 (although not illustrated in-game) can both be pulled back and locked, or, it can be fully cycled after a fresh magazine has been housed. If it is pulled back and locked, then it must be pushed forward once a fresh magazine is housed to chamber a new round. The magazine release button is located on both sides of the rifle with an arrow pointing down towards the housed magazine in the stock. The ejection port is located on the right side of the weapon. There is also a fire selector on both sides of the ammo display.

The BR55HB SR, having a rifled barrel, 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.

Ammunition
It is interesting to note the ammunition used for the Battle Rifle. It uses a new 9.5mm x 40mm Experimental Round. The 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round is a rather high-powered round used in the MA5B-C Series and on many modern-day assault rifles, designated marksman rifles (DMR), and machine guns.

The 7.62 mm has a history of having too much recoil because of the rounds high power, which made it hard to fire in full automatic. This is one reason NATO developed the new 5.56mm round.

While the BR55's larger 9.5 mm round would be heavier and would thus presumably generate even more recoil than the 7.62 mm NATO, this is not necessarily the case.

Since the Battle Rifle's rounds have a noticeably shorter case length than the 7.62 mm NATO (40 mm vs. 51 mm), they most likely contain much less powder than the 7.62 mm NATO, which would yield less muzzle energy and thus less recoil, making the weapon more manageable.

However, the 40mm case may just be downsized to save space and house a more efficient power, which in turn would yield more power for the volume burnt, and the increased bullet diameter may have been a compromise to allow for a harder but less dense bullet material to achieve better penetration against armor; yielding the same or even more power.

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. The BR55 also bears a resemblance to the IMI Tavor.

It looks almost identical to the Tavor with very similar capabilities, for example the bullpup configuration as well as the 3 shot burst, however, the Tavor has the option to change from single to burst to full automatic modes.

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

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
 * The 'BXR'(Melee, cancel, headshot) trick is no longer available
 * Decreased accuracy

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)

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 the targeting reticle turns red, a small dot appears in the middle of the reticle. 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 featured 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 Halo 3 era Battle Rifle appears more squared off than the Halo 2 era Battle Rifle.
 * This weapon uses the same function as many modern assault rifles.
 * 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 shoot during the memorial scene at the end of Halo 3 sound as if they were semi-automatic. This could mean the presence of a semi-automatic firing feature on the rifle or simply that the sound was not edited correctly.
 * WETA Studios made a replica Battle Rifle, Magnum, Sniper Rifle, Carbine, Gravity Hammer, Brute Grenade, Rocket Launcher, and Plasma Pistol to use in the currently "on hold" Halo film.
 * If you score a headshot with a Battle Rifle in Halo 3, a small dot will appear in the middle of the crosshair. The dot will also appear in Halo 2 Vista.
 * In Halo 2 the Battle Rifle was able to perform a glitch know as the BXR where the player presses B and then X to preform 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 3-4 burst shots in the head to kill someone in Multiplayer. In Halo 3, 4 shots to the head can kill a player in Multiplayer.
 * The Battle Rifle is the starting weapon in all Hardcore playlists.
 * It's one of the starting weapons in Team Swat
 * 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 riffle shots out three bullet blast for short controled bursts.
 * The battle riffle shots out three bullets at a time.

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