BAR

M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. The Browning Automatic Rifle, or the "B.A.R.", (properly pronounced by its acronym "Bee Ay Are", not "bar") was an American Support weapon used during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

History
The B.A.R. (Browning Automatic Rifle) was first issued in February 1918, designed by John M. Browning and manufactured by Browning, Colt, Winchester repeating arms Co., and Marlin-Rockwell Co. This automatic weapon, which fired from a open bolt so it would stay cooler under sustained fire, allowed the individual soldier to lay down a tremendous amount of fire, provided a clear advantage in the trench warfare of World War I, and with this weapon came a tremendous amount of responsibility for its user and required specialized training to use. However, top American brass were afraid that if captured the weapon would be reverse engineered and used against American troops so it wasn't put into service until late in the war. As a result it was introduced too late to see much action. The weapon saw use between the World Wars by American gangsters who obtained these weapons from surplus, or stole them from armories and the police. The infamous Clyde Barrow, of Bonnie & Clyde, was known to use a modified version of the B.A.R. The B.A.R. was used widely during World War II and the Korean War by American forces and even saw some action during the Vietnam War. It is still regarded as one of the best weapons ever made,and will be around for many more generations to come. Although officially retired from U.S service in 1957, it is still in full use by dozens of smaller nations across the world.

The B.A.R. during World War II was issued as a squad support weapon, designed to provide suppressing fire while the assaulting teams flank the enemy, though manuals of arms of the time called for each squad to be issued one B.A.R., infantry would try to acquire an additional B.A.R. for increased firepower. The weapon fires the .30-06 caliber cartridge (the same round as the Springfield 1903 rifles, M1 Garand, Browning .30 cal machine gun and the Johnson LMG.) loaded in twenty-round magazines. It fulfilled the role of a S.A.W. (Squad Automatic Weapon) and is very effective at providing suppressing fire for squad tactics as well as high penetration power. It was generally issued with a folding bipod but soldiers in the field usually discarded them to save weight.

Call of Duty and United Offensive
The B.A.R. is a mammoth weapon that uses 20-round 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 you want 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 exept for Come Out Fighting, and ammuniton is plentiful. It is really just a Thompson with lower fire rate and more damage.

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, making it easier to get a bead on your target when you're 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. Same to the Kar-98k, it was shown with a ring front sight.

Call of Duty 3
The B.A.R is almost exactly the same as in the previous games, particularily 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 BAR appears in the Pacific Campaign. It is a good weapon, but ammo is scarce as very few of the Marines use it.

Multiplayer
This is the second machine gun you receive in Call of Duty: World at War. It hits hard with low recoil, but it has a low fire rate, and a small magazine of 20 rounds. With Stopping Power, it can usually kill in 2 hits at medium or close range. Without, it usually takes 3 hits at any range. Penetration has been one of its best advantages that player likes. Although its rate of fire is slow, the magazine runs out quickly, as it can only hold 20 rounds. It can also be fitted with a bipod that, when mounted, increases its accuracy and completely eliminates recoil. The general strategy is to burst fire or fire single, quick shots. Fully automatic usually ends up with a lot of missed shots, one is better off using the B.A.R's fully automatic capability at close ranges, where accuracy is not an issue. It often takes a while to aim in the iron sights, so it is better off as a sort of sniper, due to it having the highest accuracy rating out of all the other machine guns. Like the DP-28, with Stopping Power the BAR becomes a two-shot kill two any user not using Juggernaut or Second Chance at Close to medium range, at longer ranges, or against users using Juggernaut or Second Chance at any distance, it will require three shots to kill due to either the minimum damage (49) on those not using the perks, the Juggernaut perk cancelling out stopping power, or Second Chance allowing the user to survive one more bullet before dying. Stopping power is only beneficial in Hardcore when killing players through cover using Deep Impact, or against Juggernaut users where it will one-hit kill any target, against players using Second Chance, or using the BAR without stopping power at longer distances, Juggernaut users require two shots to kill. Double Tap is a matter of preference, some players want a higher RoF, whilst others prefer the slower automatic fire of the BAR. The low rate of fire on this weapon can be countered with Magic-Finger.

The movement speed and hip accuracy of the B.A.R are equivalent to those of a rifle.

It is recommended to use the B.A.R in single shot form to save ammo.

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 B.A.R. is an overall decent weapon in World at War for DS. It has a magazine size of 20, and it possesses slightly obstructive sights and a modest rate of fire and recoil. It is found in the later USMC missions. Overall the Thompson and Type 100 are better weapons than this in campaign, as they are readily found and ammo is always available for the Type 100, as all Japanese enemies use them.

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, you 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 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.

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

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