Stakeout

The Stakeout is a pump-action shotgun that appears in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
The Stakeout is a pump-action shotgun, similar to the W1200 from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Two spare shells are held to either side of the Stakeout, although they are unusable, in the same vein as the M1014 in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The Stakeout has a very noticeable amount of idle sway. Being a shotgun, this has very little effect on accuracy. This gun was called the Ithaca in the beta version, which can be seen in the Wager Match trailer.

Campaign
The Stakeout is only found in the level SOG. It can be found in a few weapon caches throughout the level. It can be seen in the hands of friendly soldiers. It can be found with and without the Grip attachment. The only ways to get the Stakeout are to acquire it from fallen friendly soldiers or from one of the weapons caches. There are 2 in the first bunker.

Multiplayer
The Stakeout is unlocked for purchase at level 8. It is capable of hitting targets at short-medium range, marginally having the furthest range of all shotguns in Black Ops. It has medium-high damage, able to kill in one shot throughout its range, depending on how many pellets connect. Its pump action is fairly fast, but still limits the fire rate compared to other shotguns, making quick follow up shots difficult. The player also walks at full speed when aiming down the sights.

The Stakeout has the tightest spread of all shotguns when hipfiring (tied with the Masterkey) and when aiming down the sights, therefore aiming accurately will ensure more pellets will reach the intended target at range. This tight spread gives the Stakeout the longest range in both overall and one shot kill range, slightly edging out the Olympia.

Similar to the other shotguns, Sleight of Hand is beneficial due to the Stakeout's long reload time. Sleight of Hand Pro's halving of ADS time is also particularly useful considering how much ADS improves the effective range of the weapon. Also of note is that when reloading with Sleight of Hand, the last two rounds reload at the same time.

Steady Aim tightens the hipfire spread, helping to ensure a one-shot kill over relatively long range without aiming down the sights, but it decreases the player's chances of hitting a target at close range, making the Stakeout less reliable in CQB. Also, Hardened can be used to good effect with the Stakeout, giving it some penetration ability, particularly through thin wood and sheet metal type cover. Additionally, the Pro version's flinch reduction is useful should a player take advantage of the Stakeout's tighter ADS spread. Buying the Grip attachment is recommended, as it increases the rate of fire slightly and reduces recoil without any downsides.

Zombies
The Stakeout can be found in "Five", Kino der Toten, Ascension, Call of the Dead, Shangri-La and Moon, and bought for 1500 points and is a great alternative if the player hasn't encountered the Mystery Box yet. Its power is excellent for killing Zombies during early rounds, being a reliable one-hit-kill from about round 1-10 and effective up to round 12. It is also effective as players can buy ammo off the wall, as it will become scarce in later rounds. It is more effective than the Olympia due to its larger capacity higher ammo count, and the fact that it doesn't sharply drop in power as the rounds progress. If the player wants to keep a shotgun, it is recommended to switch between these guns when the player reaches its chalk outline. It is similar to the M1897 Trench Gun of the Call of Duty: World at War in the sense that it is a pump-action shotgun with a six shell capacity and long reload. The Stakeout is one of the best weapons to buy off the walls, for the high amount of ammo the player gains (compared to the weapons after the starting room), killing power, and duration of effectiveness (one shot until round 12). However, as with most shotguns, the Stakeout is not the best weapon for getting points, as, up until round 12 when it becomes a two shot kill, the player is only granted 60 points per kill. When combined with the reload cancel skill, it is arguably more effective than the other shotguns exclusive to the Mystery Box.

When Pack-a-Punched it becomes the "Raid", with a 10-round capacity, a Grip, and every shell loaded reloads two shells, meaning only five shells must be loaded when empty (similar to the upgraded M1897 Trench Gun, the Gut Shot, and the underbarrel attachment, Masterkey, equipped on the AUG-5OM3). The Raid is very effective against hellhounds, and will always kill them in one or two shots, regardless of the round number, making it a valuable weapon to keep as backup on Kino der Toten. The Stakeout is arguably better than the SPAZ-24 because ammo can be bought off the wall. Conversely, the SPAZ-24 has more starting ammo than the Raid and is fully automatic.

Speed Cola is highly recommended with both versions since it requires adding six shells when empty, and five when upgraded. Because all shotguns are better at close range, Juggernog is recommended. When using Double Tap its pump action is a little faster allowing a higher rate of fire. This gun benefits greatly from a combination of those three perks. On the maps where it is available, Deadshot Daiquiri is an effective perk to use with any shotgun, giving the player the effects of Steady Aim.

Attachments

 * Grip

Trivia

 * The Stakeout shares the same firing sound as the SPAS-12.
 * This weapon's Pack-a-Punch name, Raid, is a reference to something which could be seen as the opposite of a Stakeout, which is waiting in one place for something to happen, where as a Raid is a sudden and unexpected search and attack on a location. They are also both police actions.
 * The Grip attachment increases the rate of fire of Stakeout from 63 RPM to 71 RPM. However, it does not affect the weapon's accuracy.
 * There are shells on the side of Stakeout. However, these shells are only for cosmetic purposes and cannot be used.
 * Robert McNamara is seen with a Stakeout in the loading screen of "Five".
 * If golden camouflage is equipped, the rounds being inserted will be gold. The same applies for the SPAS-12 and Olympia. However, the ejected shells will be red.
 * The Stakeout is one of the few weapons to have a higher ammo capacity in Zombies mode than in Multiplayer and Campaign.
 * The Stakeout has the same reload animation as the W1200.
 * The Stakeout is the only shotgun that does not appear as an emblem in the emblem editor.
 * This is the second shotgun to have a shell holder on the side, the first being the M1014 and the third being the AA-12 found in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and the fourth being the Remington 870 MCS in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
 * The Stakeout was originally called the Ithaca. This can be seen in the Wager Match trailer, although only briefly. This can be explained since it is just a shortened version of the Ithaca M37.
 * This is the only ambidextrous pump-action in the Call of Duty series because the shells eject through the place where the shells load.
 * When Pack-a-Punched, the shells on the side of the Stakeout/Raid also have the Pack-a-Punch engravings on them.
 * The Create-a-Class picture shows the Stakeout's pump racked back in the "open" position.

Videos
Video:Black_Ops_Stakeout_Shotgun_Range_Analysis_-_Weapon_Guide_Series|Stakeout Range Analysis Video:Black_Ops_Stakeout_Shotgun_-_All_Attachments_Weapon_Guide_Series_Grip_Analysis|Stakeout Attachment Overview Video:Black ops - Stakeout Sound Effects (High Quality)