.44 Magnum

The .44 Magnum is a revolver used in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is considered analogous to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's other "power pistol", the Desert Eagle.

Singleplayer
The .44 Magnum is almost always carried and used by General Shepherd throughout the campaign, except during "Team Player", where he is seen using an M4A1. Shepherd uses the .44 Magnum at the end of the mission "Loose Ends", to kill Ghost and Roach, and in "Endgame" when he attempts to kill Soap.

This weapon is not available in the singleplayer campaign; however, while in the level "Museum", the player can pick up this weapon either from the display shelf or from killing General Shepherd.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the .44 Magnum takes two to three shots to kill an opponent with full health at close range without Stopping Power. It takes three shots to kill an opponent at long range. Despite its high visual recoil, the .44 Magnum actually has very low recoil and can be fired quickly with little loss of accuracy at medium range. This weapon's main drawback is that it only holds six rounds, and its relatively long reload time. Though the revolver uses speed loaders to load an entire cylinder at once, its reload speed is fairly long given how quickly it runs out of ammunition; Reload Cancelling is a viable tactic. Stopping Power has minimal effect on the .44 Magnum; it only improves at medium range, where the amount of bullets needed for a kill goes from three to two shots.

Where attachments are concerned, FMJ is fairly useless, as it is generally ineffective to shoot through walls with a semi-automatic weapon with a six round cylinder; however in Hardcore, the .44 Magnum will kill in one shot through weak surfaces, such as sheet metal, with FMJ. Akimbo doubles your staying power in a fight, allowing you to take out multiple enemies with relative ease. Akimbo can also be very effective at close range in Hardcore mode, as it allows 12 shots to be fired rapidly with only one needing to hit. If using Akimbo, consider using the Steady Aim perk, as that will greatly increase hip-fire accuracy, allowing for very good accuracy while crouched and stopped. The Tactical Knife also proves useful at very close range, providing an opportunity for quick knife kills if ammo runs short.

Unlike other weapons in Modern Warfare 2, the .44 Magnum appears to have no firecap, meaning that it will fire as fast as the player can press the fire button. This allows two shots to be fired at the same time, delivering an instant kill if both hit at close range, even without Stopping Power. This is technically possible with other handguns, but in the cases of the USP .45 and M9, Stopping Power is required.

The .44 Magnum is useful as a sidearm for Sniper Rifles, due to its high close range power with low recoil and the fact that it draws quickly; however, it is one of the few guns that doesn't allow the attachment of a Silencer, reducing the effectiveness of any stealth the player wishes to have (as sniper classes generally do). It also isn't needed for use at long ranges, as that is the role of the primary rifle.

A useful tactic for players would be to use Akimbo, and Last Stand perk, then while in last stand rapidly hip fire both guns. Doing so will often assure a kill, or several, in close quarters.

The .44 Magnum is almost identical to the Desert Eagle stat wise (The Desert Eagle has 5 less minimum damage meaning it always require 4 shots to kill maximum without Stopping Power or 3 with as opposed to the .44 magnum which 3 hit kills regardless of perks), as the USP .45 is almost identical to the M9. The .44 Magnum is best suited for CQB, where you can quickly kill someone and get to cover long enough to reload. Over open ground it is very difficult to use, due to visual recoil and low magazine size.

Snipers would do better with silenced machine pistols, as the Magnum's real strength is its draw time, coupled with its power and fire rate. Assault rifles and LMGs are also subpar choices for this gun, as they are likely far enough from the fighting to use a weapon with a longer draw time. This does, however, make it a great partner for an SMG, as you can draw the Magnum and carry on fighting, without having to back off and reload.

Weapon Attachments

 * FMJ
 * Akimbo
 * Tactical Knife

Trivia

 * On the left side of the barrel, there is writing that reads: "BRAD ALLENCONDA .44MAGNUM". Brad Allen is Infinity Ward's lead artist. "Allenconda" is also a play on "Anaconda", the name of a revolver manufactured by Colt.
 * At the lowest video settings, the .44 Magnum will appear black instead of chrome.

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