Barrett .50cal

The Barrett .50cal is a semi-automatic sniper rifle seen in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
"Semi-automatic sniper rifle. Effective at long range."

- Weapon description

Campaign
The Barrett .50cal appears as one of the three semi-automatic sniper rifles in the game. Although only available for use once in the campaign, the Barrett .50cal is seen in "F.N.G" on the weapons rack, along with all the other weapons in game and is unusable. It is then seen again in "One Shot, One Kill", as a mounted weapon used in by Lieutenant Price and Captain MacMillan in an attempt to assassinate Imran Zakhaev. This Barrett .50cal has a variable zoom feature, meaning that the player can adjust the zoom, to help with the assassination. It also has unlimited ammo, very little recoil, no scope sway, and on the Wii version is controlled with the control stick/nunchuck rather than the remote. This is the only time it is usable in the campaign.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the Barrett .50cal is unlocked at level 49. Like all sniper rifles, it can use an ACOG Scope attachment. It is tied with the Dragunov and R700 without Stopping Power. If Stopping Power is used, it can take out a player using Juggernaut in one hit if shot in the chest, neck, or head. It has the highest penetration of any weapon in multiplayer.

However, the Barrett .50cal also has a few disadvantages. Its firing sound is loud and distinctive and can give away the user's position. Also, it has very high recoil, but it always travels in the same direction, and the reticle quickly resets back on the initial point of aim. A good way to compensate for its high recoil is to treat it as a bolt-action rifle, and only fire when it has returned to its original position. Another huge disadvantage is the fact that the rifle itself is so long it often protrudes out of cover, giving the player's position away. Because of its very high damage, firing rapidly with this gun is not usually necessary - although it can be used as a last-resort in close quarters.

Weapon Attachments

 * ACOG Scope

Gallery

 * For Camouflage images, click here.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The Barrett .50cal is relatively unchanged from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, with the exceptions of new attachments, a redesigned scope, widened muzzle brake, and lack of a front iron sight. The only notable change from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is that the Barrett .50cal, along with all the other sniper rifles, now have full mobility, like an SMG. In addition, it is the first sniper rifle available to the player, whereas it was the last in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Campaign
The Barrett .50cal can be found three times in the single player campaign. It is found in the missions, "Of Their Own Accord" (although it is mounted with a thermal scope and variable zoom), "Contingency" and "Loose Ends." In Special Ops it is found in "Sniper Fi", "Estate Takedown" and "Armor Piercing". The only major differences from campaign to multiplayer are that the Barrett has a lower, more realistic level of recoil and a fairly low Firecap in the campaign. The Barrett .50cal is a good weapon to use against Juggernauts, as it takes 3 headshots, or 6 chest shots to kill one.

Multiplayer
In Multiplayer, the Barrett .50cal is unlocked at Level 3 as part of the "Scout Sniper" default class. It is capable of firing faster than its sight can settle. Firing too quickly makes the Barrett .50cal difficult to use, due to the high recoil. However, the Barrett .50cal does have a recoil limit. This problem is easily mitigated by simply slowing the rate of fire and only firing when the recoil has settled. This requires great concentration, as inexperienced players tend to fire too fast. However, the ability to fire so fast can be an advantage in close quarters when there is no time to switch to a secondary and the player is forced to fire their sniper rifle from the hip. The Barrett .50cal is most praised for its ability to deliver one hit kills with a high rate of fire.

With Stopping Power, the weapon kills in one hit to the head, neck, chest and stomach. Without it, it loses the one shot kill to the stomach. Targets will require multiple hits when Painkiller, Last Stand or Final Stand is used. In Hardcore it is a one-hit kill anywhere on the body, even when used with a suppressor.

One flaw of the Barrett is that its recoil kicks the gun up and to the right so much that the shooter momentarily loses sight of their target. Since the ACOG scope zooms in less when looking down the sight, it is easier to follow an enemy after firing with it than with a standard Sniper Scope, but in many situations the decreased zoom and inability to steady the scope makes it less than practical.

The Barrett is a relatively good sniper rifle to use with a suppressor and Stopping Power, as the player can kill a target with a single shot to the chest, neck, or head. However, the Barrett's high recoil can make it difficult for the shooter to land a second shot if the first shot does not kill. Without Stopping Power, the Barrett is a less than ideal candidate for a silencer because all sniper rifles require two shots to kill when using a silencer without Stopping Power, except in Hardcore.

Weapon Attachments

 * Suppressor
 * Heartbeat Sensor
 * ACOG Scope
 * Thermal Scope
 * FMJ
 * Extended Mags

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The Barrett .50 cal is scheduled to return in ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It has a very similar look to the Modern Warfare 2'' version, but with a darker finish, new scope and the bipod is now folded forward.

Weapon Attachments

 * ACOG Scope
 * Suppressor
 * Thermal Scope
 * Extended Mags
 * Heartbeat Sensor
 * Variable Zoom

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

 * There is a graphical glitch with the Barrett where the player's hand goes through the folded-up bipod and holds the metal receiver.
 * The Barrett .50cal has two fingerprints on it; one can be seen while reloading and the other can be seen with camouflage applied.
 * The Barrett .50cal has an unused front sight, but when the ACOG sight is equipped, the front sight is removed.
 * In the campaign level "One Shot, One Kill", the Barrett is called the M82 .50, its real name, whereas in multiplayer it is called the Barrett .50 cal.
 * When looking at the muzzle break of the .50cal, one can see that the barrel itself protrudes out of the muzzle break slightly. There is also a black ring around the end of the barrel, even when camouflage is applied.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

 * The Barrett .50cal has a Mr. Yuk sticker on the lens cap although it can be difficult to see it at first (it is easiest to see when the player sprints). The player will not be able to see it if they have a different scope attached. It is one of two weapons to have a Mr. Yuk sticker on it, with the other being the WA2000.
 * In the Challenge screen, the Barrett .50cal is first on the Sniper Rifle list, while on the Create-A-Class it comes after the Intervention.
 * This gun has the serial number A0750319. This is most easily seen with Arctic Camouflage.
 * When zoomed in with the ACOG, the player can see that the rear iron sight is marked for yards.
 * The pickup sign shows the front iron sight up.
 * When fitted with a silencer, one can see that the muzzle brake is removed.
 * The Barrett 50.cal and the M21 EBR are the only sniper rifles where a camouflage does not appear on a thermal scope if one is applied.
 * The Barrett's rate of fire is higher in Multiplayer than in the Campaign and Museum, due to a Firecap being added in Campaign and Spec Ops.
 * Strangely, the Barret .50cal's scope in "Of Their Own Accord" looks the same as the regular scope, even though it uses a Thermal Scope.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

 * The Barrett .50cal has a different firing sound than in the previous two games.

Misc.

 * In the missions "One Shot, One Kill" and "Of Their Own Accord", the Barrett .50cal always has unlimited ammo and a variable scope. It also has it's front iron sight flipped up, which means Infinity Ward simply re-used the Barrett model from the previous game. They are also both special. The first one has variable zoom and bullet flight time, which is not featured in any other game, and the latter has a normal scope but when zoomed in it has thermal overlay.
 * The Barrett .50cal has the same reload animation and firing sound in both Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 * In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the Barrett .50cal has a front sight, however, this is gone in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 * When firing the Barrett .50cal the sniper rifle ejects small assault rifle casings rather than the large .50 caliber ones.
 * The Barrett .50cal and the Dragunov are the only sniper rifles to appear in all three of the Modern Warfare games.

Video
Video:MW2 - Recoil AbuseVideo demonstrating the Barrett's predictable recoil

Barret cal. 50 Barrett M82