Barrett .50cal



The Barrett M82A1 SASR ("Special Applications Scoped Rifle"), identified in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Modern Warfare 2 as the Barrett .50cal is a semi-automatic anti-material rifle chambered in .50 BMG.

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 suppressor 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.

Despite these advantages, the Barrett .50cal also has a few downsides. 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.

Single Player
The Barrett .50cal is almost completely unchanged, with the exception of new attachments and a redesigned scope. The only notable change from Call of Duty 4 is that sniper rifles now have full mobility, the same as SMGs. In addition, it is the first sniper rifle available to the player, while in Call of Duty 4 it is the last.

In Modern Warfare 2, 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.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the Barrett is unlocked at Level 4 (Private First Class). The Barrett is capable of firing faster than its sight can settle. Firing too quickly makes the Barrett difficult to use, as it will be extremely difficult for the shooter to see what they are shooting at. 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 with the Barrett is that the recoil kicks the gun up and to the right so much that the shooter momentarily loses sight of their target. Since the ACOG Sight is less focus in when looking down the sight, it is easier to follow an enemy after firing, though you sacrifice range. This flaw might be harder for snipers to use the Barrett to snipe who are untrained in predicting enemy patterns.

A silencer has varying usefulness, if used with stopping power, the player can kill a target with a shot to the chest, neck, or head, this could make the Barrett a powerful stealth rifle, but the recoil is still very high despite equipping a silencer, however unless the target spots the sniper, or survives the shot, its very likely that the sniper will be able to follow up a second shot. Without Stopping Power, the Barrett is a bad candidate for a silencer since all snipers without Stopping Power and a silencer attached needs two shots anywhere to the body to kill, and the fact the Barrett has much more recoil than the WA2000, and the M21 EBR.

Weapon Attachments

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

Trivia

 * The Barrett .50cal in Modern Warfare 2 has an ambidexstrous charging handle. This noticed when the character reloads with the right handle, but the left one is still clearly visible. This is a change from Call of Duty 4.


 * 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.


 * The Barrett .50cal has far less recoil in campaign than it does in multiplayer, but has a Firecap.


 * The Barrett .50cal is used extensively in Special Ops missions containing Juggernauts, excluding High Explosive and Snatch & Grab.


 * In Modern Warfare 2 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.