MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System

"The MA5C is the workhorse for us ground-pounders. Just holding it makes you like a Spartan, at least the feeling of one."

- Anonymous Marine

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 fire-arm.

Introduction
The MA5C Assault Rifle is the third rifle in the MA5 Series of firearms manufactured by Misrah Armories. It is a much more balanced weapon compared to its predecessor, the MA5B Assault Rifle and has received slight technical as well as physical changes from the MA5B. This weapon is seen only in Halo 3. It's the starting weapon on most maps in the Campaign and in the Halo 3 Multiplayer depending on the playlist.

Summary
The MA5C Assault Rifle is a fully automatic, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed, short to medium range weapon. The weapon houses an on-board electronics suite, including a screen indicating rounds left in the magazine and a compass (points north or any other magnetic field). It fires 7.62mm x 51 FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) rounds automatically (900 Rounds/min) from a 32-round clip at a velocity of 905 m/s (2969 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. The metal jacket will burn away as the rounds travel. This increased the power and penetration even more.

Advantages
The weapon is a solid and reliable weapon in close to medium range, 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. Ammo should not be a concern, since the weapon is very common and ammo can be easily found. The MA5C Assault Rifle is effective against Brutes, taking only about a magazine to take one down (even less for lower ranking brute minors). The Assault Rifle can easily wipe out an entire squad of Grunts in less than a clip. It is also very effective against Flood infection forms. At Medium ranges, the MA5C is less effective, as the spread of the bullets is increased. This can be compensated for by firing in short bursts to prevent erratic bullet spray. Accurate if used in short, well aimed bursts and otherwise ferociously powerful at close range. As with the MA5B the digital compass above the ammo counter can help you find your way through labyrinthine areas.

At close range, this weapon is arguably even more deadly than the dual-wielded SMG, as the firepower is approximately equal, and the ability to employ grenades and melee gives it the upper hand. A single melee will take down most opponent's shields, leaving the enemy to easy pickings from the AR. Generally, one would shoot the opponent on approach, then melee to finish them off. Five bullets and then a melee is the minimum amount of firepower required to kill an enemy.

Disadvantages
Close range weapons such as the Shotgun, Energy Sword, and SMG can overpower the MA5C. This weapon also had its ammo reduced from 60 (in the MA5B) 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, which makes it an easy target for a Battle Rifle, Carbine, Sniper Rifle, and Beam Rifle. The MA5C is not very effective against Jackal shields, plasma weapons such as the Plasma Rifle or Plasma Pistol should be used for this.

In addition, the high rate of fire means that the gun will be dry after a mere few seconds if blasted on full-auto. Therefore, to make up for this shortcoming, it is advisable to carry a secondary weapon, such as a plasma rifle, or a few grenades (preferably Frags).

Tactics
In many multiplayer matches, you will begin with the MA5C. This means that this rifle could be one of the most used weapons in the match. Due to its high rate of fire, it is very capable of whittling down shielding in about two seconds. If the opponent does not have an Energy Sword, Shotgun, Mauler, or other short-range weapon, then a good strategy is to get into close range and charge them firing all the way. When you get close enough to them, melee. This usually kills the other player; however, this leaves your shields down and your gun low on or out of ammo, so it's best not to do this with other enemies around or when in an open area. Also, if the other player has Sword, Shotgun or Mauler, then this tactic is useless because close range weapons are the Achilles heel of this tactic. Another tactic is to use the rifle as a machine gun. This means that you can spray the area of a target in order to get the enemy to keep their heads down. This is especially helpful if you are being fired upon by a sniper because even if one round hits the sniper, they are knocked out of the scope and become disoriented. This gives you a chance to find cover or move in for the kill. The Fragmentation Grenade used in combination with the Assault Rifle is also extremely effective. For example, if you are being pursued jump around a corner and quickly throw the Fragmentation Grenade to bring down the target's shield. Once your gun is back in hand, open fire on the enemy you grenaded. This should bring your target down, unless the target had an Overshield.

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 situated on the left side of the gun and moves 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 magazine 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 full metal jacket 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 its 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 its energy into the target.

AP rounds also can fly through vegetation and other debris while losing little power, making it safe to shoot 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.

5.56 NATO is probably not used because of the Covenant's advanced armor and shielding, or simply becuse sometime between 2008 and c. 2550 it fell out of service for some reason.

Changes from the MA5B

 * Heavier barrel with a 1 in 7 twist.
 * Redesigned electronics suite cowling to reduce weight and increase pointability.
 * Redesigned handguard to provide more positive grip.
 * Decreased magazine capacity (32 rounds, down from 60).
 * Decreased maximum magazines.
 * Smaller aiming reticule (slightly larger than the Battle Rifle's).
 * Increased range.
 * Increased damage per round
 * Decreased rate of fire.
 * Reload is faster.
 * Increased accuracy.
 * Less 'Sharp' edges, sleeker.
 * Quieter than the MA5B from Halo:CE.

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 is the French FAMAS assault rifle, hence the bullpup magazine type. The MA5 series Assault Rifles have a very similar outline as the real world FN 2000 assault rifle. The weapons designer at Bungie, Robert McLees, claims he wasn't inspired by the FN 2000 and similarities are purely coincidental.

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 an MA5C. As one marine noted, it was the "bread and butter" of the UNSC, just as the Covenant counterpart, the Plasma Pistol was the standard.

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-bitch-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 out-gunned 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 pre-release public pictures of the MA5C in first person, showed Battle Rifle animations as placeholders before the final animations were in place in the final game.
 * Bungie has stated that for Halo 3 the MA5C is 'the ultimate spawning weapon' because of its overall reliability.
 * On the bullets fired from the MA5C you can see the words CHIEF E-GX. (Chief eggs)
 * The new MA5C has a compass that points towards the objective in each mission. The old one on the MA5B points toward the gas planet, Threshold.
 * On the butt of the MA5C, a small Marathon Symbol can be found. It is also found on the left side of the weapon just below the charging handle.
 * When tested, the MA5C actually does slightly more damage than the BR55HB SR. However, this is offset by the fact that the MA5C has no headshot bonus.
 * There was a glitch that allowed you to BXR. It was fixed on Version 1.1
 * The Assault Rifle is Spartan 117's trademark and specialized weapon in combat as he is seen wielding it in all Halo cutscenes, apart from those in Halo 2, which had no assault rifle.
 * It is called "pop gun" by the Marines sometimes.
 * In Halo 3, you can see an "on" button on the left side of the rifle.
 * What looks like a second barrel below the real one is actually a flash light.You can look at the Marines in dark areas for proof.
 * In most Matchmaking games in Halo 3, you begin with this weapon.
 * Though similar to its cousin, the MA5B, it carries quite a heaver punch.
 * In the Halo 3 Beta the charging handle of The MA5C had an animation. The final version did not.
 * The assault rifles used by the Marines in the movie Starship Troopers 3 bears a strong ressemblance to the MA5C.

Related Links

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