User blog comment:Brothertim/Why does IW not use bullet drop over long ranges, or have delay?/@comment-1786396-20100128160412

1) Rifles are not aimed horizontally (except maybe at point-blank range).  If sighted in for 200 yards, the point of impact for just an average hunting rifle will be within a couple of inches of the aiming point out to 300 yards - that's usually smaller than the amount the user would miss by if the bullet traveled completely straight!  Sniper rifles compensate even better for range.

2) Silencers reduce the velocity of the bullets to subsonic levels.  For slow bullets it makes no difference - a .45 will have no reduction at all.  Rifles rely heavily on velocity for their damage, so using a silencer in real life would have an even greater effect than in the game.  For example, a silenced .300 Magnum would have _less_ impact than a .45!  (A .50-cal would still have plenty of hurt though, but I guess they reduced it's damage for game balance purposes).