Barrett .50cal

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

Singleplayer
The Barrett .50cal appears as one of the three semi-automatic sniper rifles in game. Although only available to use once in single player, the Barrett .50cal is seen in F.N.G, on the weapons rack, along with all the other weapons in game. It is then seen again in One Shot, One Kill, as a mounted weapon used to shoot 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, no recoil and no sway. 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 and cannot accept a silencer in-game. 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. The Barrett also has the highest penetration of all the weapons in game.

However, the Barrett .50cal also has a few disadvantages. One of them is that the sound made upon firing 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. Because of its very high damage, firing rapidly with this gun isn't usually necessary - although can be used as a last-resort in close quarters.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The Barrett .50cal is almost completely unchanged from Call of Duty 4, with the exceptions of new attachments and a redesigned scope. The only notable change from Call of Duty 4 is that the Barrett .50 cal, along with all the other sniper rifles, now have full mobility, as well as SMGs. In addition, it is the first sniper rifle available to the player, while in Call of Duty 4 it is the last.

Campaign
The Barrett .50 cal can be found twice in the single player campaign. On one occasion, it is found in the mission Of Their Own Accord in the room where the player must destroy the enemy vehicles at long range. This version has a thermal scope instead of a sniper scope. However the weapon is immobile, similar to the way it was in One Shot, One Kill, including the scalable zoom function and unlimited ammo. Another is found in Loose Ends in one of the basement rooms of the safe house. Unlike the version found in the earlier level, this one can be carried and used freely, just like in multiplayer. The only major differences from campaign to multiplayer are that the Barrett has a more realistic level of recoil, and a fairly low firing cap in campaign.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the Barrett is unlocked at Level 4 (Private First 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. 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 is most praised for its ability to deliver one hit kills with a high rate of fire.

In comparison to its closest rival, the Intervention, this weapon does the exact same damage, but it is statistically better in many aspects. The rate of fire is faster, even when taking recoil into account. It also has double the magazine capacity and less sway while breathing, which makes it steady faster when the player begins to hold their breath. However, the Intervention's lower rate of fire can help players who find it difficult to take their time with the Barrett, or any other semi-automatic sniper rifle.

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 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 candidate to use with a Silencer 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 bad candidate for a silencer because all snipers require two shots to kill when using a silencer without Stopping Power.

Weapon Attachments

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

Trivia

 * The Barrett .50cal has the same reload animation and firing sound in both Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2.


 * In 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. You will not be able to see it if you have a different scope attached. It is one of two weapons to have a Mr. Yuk sticker on it, the other is the WA2000.


 * In Modern Warfare 2 Challenge screen, the Barrett .50cal is first on the Sniper Rifle list, while on the Create-a-Class it comes after the Intervention.


 * In the mission Of Their Own Accord, The M82 .50 Sniper Rifle has Unlimited Ammo this is noticeable when the player fires 10 or more shots. The weapon does not reload.


 * Though it is an anti-materiel rifle, it does not go through the armor of a BTR-80 nor be able to shoot down a Mi-28 on the same mission.


 * The "Of their own accord" version of the Barrett .50 cal's bullet does not sway even if the targets are more than 500 meters away from the crow's nest.

Video
+	Video:MW2 50. Cal Montage +	Video:MW2 - Recoil Abuse +	 	+	Video:.50cal Assault +