.44 Magnum

The .44 Magnum is a revolver featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty Online.

Campaign
The .44 Magnum is always carried and used by General Shepherd throughout the campaign as his signature weapon of choice. Shepherd is seen reloading his .44 Magnum at the beginning of the mission "Team Player". In the end of "Loose Ends" he has another big .44 Magnum tucked in the back of his pants that he uses to kill Ghost and Roach, and in "Endgame" when he attempts to kill Soap and Captain Price.

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

Multiplayer
The .44 Magnum is available for Create-A-Class at level 26, being the second Handgun unlocked. This powerful weapon always kills in three or fewer hits, regardless of the use of Stopping Power - the perk only increases the range at which a two-hit kill is attainable. In Hardcore gamemodes, the .44 Magnum requires just one hit to kill regardless of range or perks, unless used against a player using Painkiller, Final Stand or Last Stand, or if shooting through cover thick enough.

The .44 Magnum has high visual recoil, but with a fast recovery between shots, and can have all six rounds fired quickly with little loss of accuracy up to medium range. Its main drawbacks are its small six-round capacity and moderately slow reload animation - however, it does have a quick Reload Cancel, which reduces the reload time by roughly half. The normal spare ammo carried by the player is twelve. But when equipped with Scavenger perk, it increases to thirty six.

Despite being a handgun, the .44 Magnum in fact has the same effective range of most rifles, especially with Stopping Power. Being able to hit at even extreme distances, the drawback for using this gun at long range is the lack of magnification when aiming down the sights. (a trait shared by all handguns)

The .44 is often compared to the Desert Eagle, as both have close to the same stats, with high damage and low ammo capacity. However, the .44 Magnum has more damage and better accuracy, while the Desert Eagle has a larger magazine capacity. Overall, the .44 Magnum is better than the Desert Eagle, with less recoil, correctly aligned iron sights, and ability to kill over a longer range without the need of Stopping Power.

This weapon is most commonly found in multiplayer with the Tactical Knife Attachment, and used with the combination of rushing perks Marathon, Lightweight, and Commando. The knife attack is very effective with a Tactical Knife, especially with the increased melee lunge range due to Commando.

Attachments

 * FMJ
 * Akimbo
 * Tactical Knife

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The .44 Magnum appears in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with a wooden grip instead of the black synthetic grip seen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. While the hammer also appears to have been either cut or filed down to a shorter length, it features the same reload animation as the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 version.

Campaign
The .44 Magnum appears in the "Bag and Drag" mission of the campaign. Tueur or the random soldier who assists the player draw the .44 Magnum when they are out of ammo and it can be picked up if either of them are killed while wielding it. The .44 Magnum holds a total of 18 rounds carried, six loaded. Although the .44 Magnum is also seen holstered on Waraabe in "Return To Sender ", it is unusable.

Multiplayer
The .44 Magnum is unlocked at Level 46 in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer. Compared to its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 counterpart, it has less maximum damage, much less minimum damage, lower range, and the same amount of recoil. Though the gun works well in close quarters combat, it is less competitive in mid-long ranges due to its low minimum damage and high recoil. At maximum range, it can take five-six shots to kill an enemy depending on where the bullets hit.

Survival Mode
The .44 Magnum is available in Survival Mode at level 20 and costs $250. It can be an effective weapon for the early rounds, as its high damage and quick reload time make it perform well in CQC. However, like all pistols, it must be traded in for a more powerful weapon.

Attachments

 * Akimbo - Unlocked at weapon level 5.
 * Tactical Knife - Unlocked at weapon level 7.

General

 * When equipped with the Tactical Knife, the .44 Magnum's reload changes slightly; the character will flick his wrist to close the cylinder after inserting the speedloader, rather than close it with his other hand.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

 * On the left side of the barrel, there is writing that reads: "BRAD ALLENCONDA .44MAGNUM," a reference to Brad Allen, Infinity Ward's lead artist, and the Colt Anaconda.
 * In the campaign level "Museum", if the player picks up the .44 Magnum from the display case and then kills Shepherd, the player can pick up his .44 Magnum too without picking up ammo or dropping the Magnum they already have. They will both share ammunition, icreasing the maximum spare ammunition carried by the player increases from eighteen to thirty-six.
 * The .44 Magnum has the smallest hipfire spread of any weapon in the game, tied with the Desert Eagle.
 * When using the Tactical Knife, visual recoil is reduced.
 * The .44 Magnum is the only weapon used in pre-made classes that is not unlocked as soon as Create-A-Class is unlocked.
 * This gun has the same range of most rifles, making it ideal at any distance.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

 * The .44 Magnum is the only handgun that is not available in the Special Ops mission Stay Sharp.
 * The new .44 Magnum somewhat resembles the Python from Call of Duty: Black Ops, being less shiny and with wooden grips.
 * The .44 Magnum recycles the Desert Eagle's firing sound from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, albeit in a slightly lower pitch.
 * Though having the same damage as the MP412, the Create-A-Class stats shows the .44 Magnum having lower damage.
 * This weapon, as well as the MP412, receives five reserve magazines instead of the usual two.
 * Unlike its Modern Warfare 2 countepart, the .44 Magnum in Modern Wafare 3 is not suitable for long range shootouts, due to decreased power.

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