M1014

The M1014 is a semi-automatic shotgun featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Nintendo DS), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty Online. It was seen in pre-release footage from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but was cut.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
"Semi-automatic combat shotgun. Effective at close range."

- Create-a-Class description

Campaign
In the campaign, the magazine holds 7 shells (up to 77 total), loaded individually. It can be found in "Hunted", "Safehouse", "Ultimatum", "All In", "No Fighting In The War Room", and "Mile High Club".

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the M1014 has a 4-shell capacity, and is unlocked at Level 31. The M1014 can be equipped with either a Red Dot Sight attachment (after killing 25 enemies) or a Foregrip attachment (after killing 50 enemies), which replaces perk 1.

The M1014 has a number of distinctions likely to preserve game balance. The M1014 has a relatively small ammo capacity (4-shell capacity, compared to the W1200's 7-shell capacity and tied with the R700 for the smallest ammo capacity in the game) and a long reload time. The regular reload time of the M1014 exposes a defenseless player in the event that the entire four-shell magazine fails to kill an enemy or additional enemies appear. The lengthy reload time can be greatly reduced with the use of the Sleight of Hand perk. As with the W1200, the M1014 will not be able to inflict damage beyond a certain range.

Like all the other weapons in game, both of the shotguns can unlock camouflage patterns. Digital Camo for the M1014 can be unlocked after 25 headshots, the same as all other weapons in game. Blue Tiger Camo and Red Tiger Camo are unlocked at 50 and 100 headshots, respectively, different from the 75 and 150 headshots needed to obtain these camouflage patterns for all other weapons aside from the W1200. The M1014 is also one of the golden weapons available after completing all shotgun challenges (Marksman and Expert).

Weapon Attachments

 * Red Dot Sight
 * Grip

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (DS)
The M1014 is the only shotgun in the Nintendo DS version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and as such, is used by all factions. The NDS version of the M1014 looks similar to the M1014 on the consoles, but sports a black color scheme, as opposed to a brown color scheme. The M1014 is semi-automatic as well, but it has an incredibly low Firecap, comparable to the rate of fire of a pump-action shotgun. Despite this limitation, the M1014 has several unique advantages not seen on other shotguns. First of all, its pellets have unlimited range, though they will spread apart as the range between the player an the target increases. The spread eventually stops after a certain distance, though it is still spread apart enough to eliminate its one-shot kill ability. The pellets also spread in the same pattern each time. This allows the player to expend all eight shells to make a kill at long ranges, but on a moving target it is just a waste of bullets as it's near impossible to achieve a kill as the opponent can counterattack or hide. The qualities of the M1014 makes it excellent for all ranges, though it is recommended to keep an assault rifle or submachinegun as well. Even though the M1014 is an excellent weapon, it is only recommended for close ranges in multiplayer. Otherwise, the player can be easily outgunned by long range weapons, such as assault rifles (M16A4, AK-47), or SMGs (MAC-10, MP5). The game files curiously name the weapon the "M90"; an apparent contraction of "Benelli M4 Super 90".

Campaign
The M1014 is used by the U.S. Army Rangers, Task Force 141, Shadow Company, and the U.S. Navy SEALs. In the campaign, the magazine holds 7 shells loaded individually, allowing up to 77 total shells (70+7). In missions such as "Takedown", it is useful for close quarters engagements due to it's high power.

Multiplayer
The M1014 returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and is unlocked at Level 54 in multiplayer, which can equipped as a secondary weapon like all other shotguns. A silencer can now be attached. It lacks the spare shell holder on the side, and has a flashlight mounted under the barrel which is purely aesthetic.

The M1014 is rarely encountered in multiplayer games due to its high unlock level. However, there are no serious drawbacks, aside from the magazine size. At only four rounds, it is very easy to spend the entire magazine even with the low fire-cap. It becomes more of a problem when you have to reload because you insert each shell individually. This can be remedied with either the Sleight of Hand or the Extended Mags attachment. Compared to the other shotgun secondaries, the M1014 has a smaller magazine than the AA-12 but counters it with a greater one shot kill chance, longer range, and slightly more reserve ammo. The M1014 has a shorter range and a smaller magazine than the Striker, but also has higher damage per shot due to the higher damage value and pellet count, which will increase its one shot kill ability. While the SPAS-12 has a longer range than the aforementioned shotguns, and also has a greater chance for a one-hit-kill, its pump-action nature is slow and can be costly if the target isn't killed in the first shot. The Grip will reduce recoil when firing, but due to the low fire cap the gun will usually settle between shots and it does not grant faster swapping like on the AA-12. The optical attachments, the Red Dot and Holographic sights, are basically useless for the M1014 as aiming down the sights will increase pellet spread compared to the hipfire spread. The Silencer grants the benefit of staying off the Radar, but at the downside of reduced range. As the M1014 relies heavily on one shot kills (because of its smaller magazine), the Silencer is not a recommended attachment.

Weapon Attachments

 * Red Dot Sight
 * Silencer
 * Grip
 * Holographic Sight
 * FMJ
 * Extended Magazines

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
It appears that the M1014 was supposed to make an appearance in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, as the pickup icon and game files remain (albeit unchanged from its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 appearance).

General

 * The M1014 is one of the few weapons to be reloaded with the player's right hand.
 * Unlike most semi-automatic weapons in the series, the M1014 has a higher firecap in singleplayer than in multiplayer.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

 * If the game is set to the French language, the M1014 will be called the "Benelli M4", and when playing in German the M1014 is called "M4".
 * There are six shells in a holder on the side of the M1014. This is odd, as the magazine capacity is always either seven shells (singleplayer) or four shells (multiplayer). Also, the shells can never be used, even if the player is out of ammo.
 * In the official BradyGames strategy guide, the M1014 is incorrectly shown as the M14 on the weapon list.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

 * In the Create-A-Class image, the M1014's trigger is not visible.
 * The M1014 has an unusable flashlight attached in front of the hand guard.
 * In the "Museum", there is an M1014 with Arctic Camouflage, while in multiplayer camouflage cannot be applied to any secondary weapon without hacking or modding.
 * The iron sights on the M1014 are misaligned, similar to the Desert Eagle, M9, and M93 Raffica's.
 * The M1014 uses the same reload sound file as the SPAS-12, just without the pump sound. The player's hands can be seen pumping the air for a split-second as if a pump was present on the underside of the M1014's barrel.
 * Despite the fact that the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 M1014 does not have the spare rounds on the receiver, the pickup icon in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (reused from the one in Call of Duty 4) still shows the spare shells. The flashlight located right under the hand guard is also not present.
 * When playing the German version, the M1014 is called "M4" in Create-A-Class. However, in-game it says M1014.

M1014