BAR

The Browning Automatic Rifle, or the "B.A.R.", was an American support weapon featured in all WW2 installments of Call of Duty.

Call of Duty and United Offensive
The B.A.R. is a mammoth weapon that uses 20-round box magazines. It has good accuracy and great power (it can kill an enemy with two to three torso shots or one headshot). Its recoil is manageable, and burst firing can easily negate any effects of recoil. It's good at any range. In close quarters, it can shred even SMG users. For medium and long range, burst firing is the way to go. If the player feels that it fires too fast, he/she can make it fire slower by hitting the M key. Its only downside is its small magazine, so be prepared to reload often and/or find a few teammates to provide cover before reloading.

Its iron sights may seem like there's a trick behind it, but it's very simple. Simply put the top of the point to what the player wants to hit, and fire.

The Fire rates include Fast and Slow automatic fire.

When using the "give all" cheat, the B.A.R's name is simply the "30cal" at first.

Call of Duty: Finest Hour
The B.A.R. has the same sights as the M1 Garand, and will down an enemy in 2-5 shots, depending on range. It is available in all of the American missions except for Come Out Fighting, and ammunition is plentiful. When Lt. Walker begins with one in Road to Remagen it is inaccurate since an officer would not go into combat with a BAR, as they would attract enemy fire.

Call of Duty 2
Exactly the same as the one in the first Call of Duty , but a ring has been placed around the front sight, like the Kar-98K, making it easier to get a shot on the users target when he/she is aiming. It also lacks the ability to make it fire slower. Its recoil is so high that any bullets fired in a burst after the third round would be completely off target.

Call of Duty 3
The B.A.R is almost exactly the same as in the previous games, particularly Finest Hour, but it has a peep sight similar to the M1918A1 early model. It has a good rate of fire and good accuracy in some case also support by high penetration power. It was the least-seen weapon in Call of Duty 3, only seen in the Chapter 2 "The Island" and the final chapter "Chambois". Single shots provide extremely accurate and saves a lot of ammo. Typically, three hits are needed to kill, but with proper aim, a single round to the head will also kill an enemy.

Singleplayer
The B.A.R appears in the Pacific Campaign, first used in Hard Landing. It is a good weapon, but ammo is scarce as very few of the Marines use it.

Multiplayer
The B.A.R Is unlocked at level 4, and is the second weapon unlocked in Call of Duty: World at War. It hits hard with low recoil, but it has a low fire rate and a small 20 round magazine. Even with a slow rate of fire, a magazine runs out fast considering it only has 20 rounds. On standard the B.A.R will kill in 3 hits and with Stopping Power it can kill in 2 hits at close-mid range. Although it may take one or two more shots to kill depending on whether the target has Juggernaut and/or Second Chance. It can also be fitted with a bipod that, when mounted, increases its accuracy and completely eliminates recoil. Stopping power is only beneficial in Hardcore when using Deep Impact for penetration kills and against Juggernaut users.

To mitigate for the low rate of fire, players may tend to use Double Tap. However, it is important to note both the amount of recoil the B.A.R has and the ranges of engagement. As equipping Double Tap does increase the rate of fire, but the recoil will easily throw off one's aim even when burst firing. Otherwise, players may prefer the low rate of fire for control, precision, and/or comfort.

Although labeled as a Machine Gun, the B.A.R should be treated as what it is: an Automatic Rifle. Considering the B.A.R has the most recoil of any weapon, the general strategy is either to burst fire or quickly single-shot despite also having the most viewkick recovery. Fully-automatic fire usually ends up being inaccurate and is better off at close-mid range (whenever accuracy is less of an issue). Also keep in mind that the B.A.R is the only Machine Gun to have the movement speed multiplier of a rifle. Therefore engaging in close-mid range is more tolerable than with other machine guns.

Nazi Zombies
In all of the maps except Verruckt, the B.A.R. costs 1800 points. In Verruckt, it costs 2500 points, which comes with a unusable bipod. This is odd, considering the fact the weapon has a small ammo capacity, and low rate of fire. Medium damage, low rate of fire, and small magazine stop this weapon from being effective against Zombies past round ten.

When upgraded using the Pack-a-Punch machine, it becomes the "Widow Maker". When upgraded, it has a higher rate of fire and damage.

Tank Dempsey seems to favor this weapon, as he might say: "The B.A.R! My Favorite!"

Call of Duty: World at War (Nintendo DS)
The BAR appears in the Nintendo DS version of World at War as the only portable machine gun available for use. Unlike the console versions, the BAR has a higher rate of fire, slightly less bullet damage, different irons sights, and more recoil. The iron sights are not as precise; it is often considered obstructive.

In single player, the BAR is first used in Into the Darkness as a starting weapon, then is featured in Castle Approach and Storm the Walls as a starting weapon as well. Its modest rate of fire and damage make it a good weapon, though it is recommended to burst fire at long range. If there is an ammo shortage, one should swap it out for a Type 100, as ammunition for it can't be found anywhere other than ammunition boxes.

In multiplayer, the BAR is available for use once again, though exclusive to the USMC faction. Given its qualities, one is better of using it for close ranges. But due to its small magazine, it is best not to spray n' pray with it, and use the iron sights for more precise, accurate shots. Just like all other automatic weapons featured in game, it only has upwards recoil, so one can aim downwards while firing to counter the recoil.

Trivia

 * In Call of Duty 3, the reload for the B.A.R. is backwards, like the Thompson's.
 * In Call of Duty 2 and World at War, even when the B.A.R is not using the bipod in single player mode, the user can still see the bipod.
 * In the Call of Duty: World at War Beta, it was possible to mount the weapon, click in both thumbsticks, and be granted unlimited ammo. This was fixed in the final game.
 * In World at War, the 3rd person model of the BAR has no ejection port or bipod.
 * In Call of Duty 3, possibly due to the rain in "The Island", the player's hand slips when grabbing the magazine, and again when fitting in a new one to the gun.
 * In Call of Duty 3, in the PlayStation 2 version of the game, the B.A.R has different iron sights from the XBOX 360 version of the game.
 * The only place in World at War where a player can see the BAR without a Bipod is in Multiplayer, since people have to complete a challenge to unlock the bipod.

Video
Call of Duty: World at War B.A.R gameplay.

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