Thumper (weapon)

The Thumper (M79 by official designation) is a shoulder-fired single-shot grenade launcher featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The Thumper is a decent alternative to the M203 launcher for players who do not wish to take up their gun's attachment slot with the M203. When hip firing, the iron sights are brought up for the shot, much like the RPG-7 in Call of Duty 4. Even while aiming down the sights, there is a noticeable delay between pressing the fire button and when the shell is actually launched. This delay makes firing accurately on the move nearly impossible. Unlike the M203, this weapon is supplied with its own iron sights which can help accuracy at longer ranges, but obstruct view in medium range shots. Like usual, grenades that impact a solid object before they reach a certain distance from the user will not explode, however they will still inflict blunt force trauma, able to kill an enemy in one shot, even at full health.

History
The M79 got the nickname "Thumper" from the distinct noise it made after firing. It was used in the Vietnam War as a Grenadier's weapon until it was replaced by the M203, giving grenadiers all of the abilities of a grenade launcher and a rifle combined into one weapons platform. It remains in service worldwide in various niche uses, such as riot control using less-lethal gas grenades. For close-range engagement, a canister round was used. A pump-action version of the M79, the China Lake NATIC, was invented for the Navy SEALs as a multi-shot weapon, though wasn't very successful.

Multiplayer
Many players use the Thumper until they get an M203 or, for the AK-47, a GP-25 under-barrel grenade launcher for their rifles. The Thumper is considered by many, the most underpowered weapon in terms of usage and operation compared to other launchers and weapons. The Thumper is in fact a very good weapon, if the player were to take the time to know its advantages and disadvantages. This weapon is good for use in a grenadier class where, as a stand-alone weapon, it can have a person being dedicated to being a grenadier and therefore have some unique perk set-ups. A good idea is to use Danger Close for increased damage. The weapon is very deadly, especially at a medium range where not too much accuracy is needed. If a player wants to be a dedicated grenadier, Scavenger will be needed to keep picking up grenades. The iron sights offer great accuracy when it is used at a medium range. Most players don't use a Thumper at long range, but those who do can provide very slow but explosive cover fire. The Thumper is useful in objective matches such as Domination and Capture the Flag where covering fire can be useful and occasionally mandatory. The Thumper is a good squad-level weapon, but it isn't a good stand-alone weapon. It is a good grenade launcher, but what this means is that the grenadier needs at least one teammate beside him for close range protection because of the Thumper's explosive damage and the fact that it only has two grenades. For the best usage of the Thumper, it is recommended to give the player about seven meters from the target and not target directly on the person, but right beside it so the splash damage can go on to another target.

Tactics

 * A useful but cheap tactic to use is to fire the Thumper's grenades at the enemy spawn at the beginning of a round or match. Though the player will mostly gain no kills from this and most of them by luck, it is sometimes possible to wipe out a full Search and Destroy team or multiple enemies.


 * The Thumper's grenade shells can bounce of surfaces and can hit an enemy, thus killing them. Using this tactic if an enemy is too close for an explosive impact is useful.
 * It is wise to take the Thumper on a general assault class featuring a highly versatile Primary Weapon like a SCAR-H or an ACR when Secondary Weapons are often less useful due to the multi-functionality of some of the Assult Rifles. By taking an independent grenade launcher instead of an underslung one, you can take another attachment instead, like FMJ or Silencer, to better increase the functionality and versatility of the class. Although there is a high tendency to 'mortar', much to the anger of the opposing team, it is much wiser and tactically sound to be conservative with how you use your two grenades, unless Scavenger is taken. Simply mortaring or blasting a perfectly visible target with a Thumper is a waste of ammo, where the target could easily have been taken out with your Primary Weapon. For maximum effectiveness, use it against concealed enemies in rooms or confined areas to make the most of the splash damage and the possibility of taking out multiple opponents.
 * when playing maps like Favela fire onto roofs where people may be hiding and "smoke'em out" if it dosent kill them it will distract them or hurt them and you may get an assist.
 * another tactic is to use a LMG and make it a heavy/ support class to cover all your team in domination or your flag in capture the flag.
 * Some players use the tumper with a grenade lancher and "noob tube" for quick kills.

Trivia

 * On close examination with another player holding the M79, they seem to be holding it as if it had a pistol grip.300px-M79_afmil.jpg Thumper_reload.gif
 * It is possible to find the Thumper in the mission The Hornet's Nest in a shop named Sorbetes. It's below the counter, and comes with more ammunition on higher difficulties.
 * In 3rd Person or Spectating you can see that the Thumper's iron sights are folded down, even when equipped.
 * The Thumper can be seen being used by Makarov in the airport in No Russian, and by Ghost in The Hornet's Nest.
 * The method of use of the Thumper differs from single-player to multiplayer because in multiplayer, if the player is not aiming down the sights the player will automatically do so before shooting, something that does not occur in campaign or Special Ops.
 * It is possible to get a headshot with the Thumper.
 * A headshot with the Thumper against a Juggernaut in Spec Ops will be an instant kill if it hits when the projectile normally explodes. This is essential for the mission 'High Explosive'.
 * The name 'Thumper' is a randomly generated TF141 name.
 * The Thumper is an excellent weapon against enemies in the Museum level. You can take out a single exhibit with it.
 * This weapon is well known to appear in the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which also features the Model 1887 shotgun.
 * Some players use the Thumper with an assault rifle using the shotgun attachment, meaning the player can get the benefit of a mid-range assault rifle, a close-range shotgun and a grenade launcher while only taking up 2 weapon slots.
 * The thumper's leaf sight is set at 250 meters, a good range for a grenade launcher.
 * The achevement "noob tube" can be preformed with this weapon.