.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 in the mission Team Player, where he is seen using an M4A1. Shepherd uses the 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 to the player in Singleplayer, however, while in the level Museum, the player can pick up this weapon either from the cabinet or from killing General Shepherd.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the .44 Magnum takes 2 to 3 shots to down an opponent with full health at close range, without Stopping Power. At long ranges it takes 3 shots to kill. 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 6 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 at medium-long to long range, where each shot will do 49 damage, thus requiring 3 shots to kill; close to medium range use can still achieve 2 hit kills.

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 mode, the .44 will kill in one shot through weak surfaces, such as sheet metal, with FMJ. Akimbo has an interesting effect because it 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. 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 user can pull the trigger. This is very useful at close range, but can sometimes lead to ammo shortages, on top of less effectiveness over any range longer than medium, where the recoil doesn't settle fast enough for the gun to be accurate.

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 assure a kill in close quarters.

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 discontinued .44 caliber revolver manufactured by Colt.
 * The player can get two Magnums in the Museum. One the player gets from the weapon shelves, then the player gets the other one from killing Shepherd. It is unknown why they are considered "different" as they are identical, but the player can pick up both.
 * The .44 Magnum has a different reload animation when equipped with the Tactical Knife.
 * In Campaign the .44 Magnum is fired 3 times. The first time it uses the Desert Eagle's firing sound, the second time it uses the Intervention's, and the third time it uses its own firing sound.

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