BR55HB battle rifle

The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is a United Nations Space Command ground firearm.

Introduction

The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is a variant of the Halo 2-era BR55 Battle Rifle and is being introduced into Halo 3. It is good all around weapon and is basically the same as the BR55 but has design changes. This weapon is seen in the Halo 3 Beta.

Summary

The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is a burst fire, gas-operated, magazine fed, mid-to-long range weapon. It is relatively the same as the BR55 Battle Rifle but with some design changes. It still fires the 9.5x40mm X-HP-SAP (Experimental-High Penetration-Semi-Armor Piercing) round in three round bursts from a 36 round magazine and it still has a scope with a 2x magnification. Its power as well as accuracy and range are pretty much the same.

Physical Description and Appearance

The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle is a bullpup, burst-fire UNSC rifle that fires the 9.5x40mm X-HP-SAP(Experimental High Power Semi-Armor Piercing) round, which is actually a larger bullet than an assault rifle round, giving more power but also more recoil. It fires from a 36 round magazine which fits flush in the receiver. The receiver is built directly into the butt of the gun and is located behind the grip (known as a bullpup configuration). This gun fires in three round bursts due to difficult handling while firing automatically and actually is only fired 12 times before needing to be reloaded.

This titanium alloy weapon is gas operated with a rotating bolt and therefore must be cocked before the first round can be fired. The bolt used to chamber the round is located on the left side of the weapon and does not move during operation. From then on, the gases from the previous rounds rotate the bolt inside and continue to chamber rounds until the mag is empty. Once the mag is empty, the bolt (even though not illustrated in either Halo 2 or Halo 3)can either be pulled back and locked or it can be fully cycled after a fresh mag has been housed. If it is pulled back and locked,then it must be pushed forward once a fresh mag is housed to chamber a new round. The ejection port is located on the right side of the weapon.

The BR55HB SR, having a rifled barrel, has noticeable changes from the BR55. First off, it has a longer barrel for increased range and accuracy. It is fitted with a Trijicon ACOG style scope on a modified carrying handle and now also has a trigger guard. The safety is also located on the handle of the weapon.

The BR55HB SR makes its debut in Halo 3. Its predecessor, the basic BR55, appeared in Halo 2.

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Changes From The BR55

Modified carrying handle
New Trijicon ACOG style scope
New trigger guard
Longer barrel

Ammunition

It is interesting to note the ammo used for the Battle Rifle. It uses a new 9.5mm x 40 Experimental Round. The 7.62mm x 51 round is a moderately large round used on the MA5B and on modern day marksman rifles and machine guns. The 7.62mm already has a history of having too much recoil because of the bullet's size, which made it hard to fire fully-automatically in assault rifles. Having a bigger bullet that is almost 2 mm wider would make recoil worse. Due to this theory, it would make sense to say that future technology might have some role in countering these effects. It could be safe to say also that due to the Battle Rifle's bullpup design, it could counter the recoil effects.

However, the 9.5x40mm ammunition used for the BR55 has less powder in each cartridge than the 7.62x51mm rounds used in the MA assault rifles. So despite having a large bullet diameter, the decrease in powder for each round would actually cause less recoil, making it very tolerable. A burst setting on the rifle would also reduce recoil, preventing the user from spraying a target with high-caliber ammunition, possible causing uncomfortable physical effects such as mild bruising and so on.

The size of the ammo would also have a problem fitting in a 36-round magazine of the current Battle Rifle. If a Heckler & Koch G3 (which is chambered in 7.62mm x 51) has a standard magazine count of 20 and being the size that it is, it would be hard to see a bullet much thicker than the 7.62mm fit inside of a magazine of the Battle Rifle's size and with a capacity of 36 rounds. Again, this might have something to do with future UNSC weapon technology. This is a continuous pattern with UNSC rifles, as a similar instance occurred with the MA5B. The MA5B has a magazine of 60 rounds chambered in the 7.62mm x 51 with a rather "small" magazine size, which looks to be smaller than the Battle Rifle's magazine.

Influences

The BR55 is largely based on the French standard issue FAMAS assault rifle, and also has features resembling the US Army's prototype XM8 rifles.

Character Compatibility

This is most likely what the compatibility will be in Halo 3.

Trivia

Technically speaking "HB" stands for "Heavy Barrel" (possibly indicating a more powerful round or more sustained fire). The "SR" stands for "Sniper Rifle" hinting at a higher zoom level (possibly meaning that it is the designated marksman variant of the BR55), making the previous suggestion of more sustained fire unlikely. Neither elements have been confirmed though.

The M6G Pistol in Halo 3 equals in fire power, rate of fire, and range to the BR55 SR Battle Rifle, and the BR55 Battle Rifle. However, the BR55HB SR has a scope, which the pistol lacks, and the rifle's capacity (36 rounds, 12 bursts) is greater than the pistol's (8 rounds). Dual M6Gs top both in power, rate of fire, and effectiveness.

Sources

Halo3.com

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