- For the similar weapon in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, see L118A.
The L96A1 is a bolt-action Sniper Rifle featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Multiplayer
The L96A1 is unlocked for purchase at Level 27.
The L96A1 is extremely powerful, dealing the most effective damage per shot of the sniper rifles due to its high damage multipliers. Its multipliers ensure a one-hit kill to the shoulders, stomach, chest or head when unsuppressed. However, the L96A1 has very high recoil, a slow center speed, and a low rate of fire due to its bolt-action nature. This leaves the player vulnerable between shots and makes follow up shots difficult.
It also has the highest amount of sway of all the sniper rifles. Set to 6 degrees, this follows the trend given to most bolt-action sniper rifles in the Call of Duty series, such as the R700 from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and the Intervention from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
The L96A1 utilizes the semi-unique SUSAT scope when equipped with the ACOG scope attachment, sharing this trait with the Enfield. The L96A1 with ACOG proves to be a very effective mid-range "shotgun," though players must beware of finding multiple targets at once or of missing a shot, as being caught cycling the bolt in short-mid range can be fatal.
Like all other sniper rifles, when using a Suppressor, the L96A1 can only get one shot kills to the head and neck. However, since all sniper rifles do the same effective damage when suppressed, the suppressor is a poor choice to have on the L96A1, due to the high recoil and bolt-action fire rate.
One of the worst combinations to use with the L96A1 is to pair a suppressor with the ACOG. The suppressor removes the rifle's large OHK potential, while the ACOG forces it to be used in medium range. Bearing in mind that pressure in close-mid range combat prevents reliable headshots, this combination makes the rifle practically unusable.
Instead, suggested attachments for the L96A1 are Extended Mag, to increase its low magazine, Variable Zoom, to provide more versatility, or the Infrared Scope, to highlight enemies in bright white (provided that the player is not playing against many Ghost Pro users).
Due to its high potential for one-shot kills, it is usually the most commonly seen sniper rifles online. It is often compared to the other high powered sniper rifle, the PSG1. The primary difference between the L96A1 and the PSG1 is that the L96A1 has a slower fire rate since its bolt-action nature requires it to be loaded between shots like the Stakeout, but in return has a 1.5 multiplier to the shoulders, allowing for more consistent one shot kills to the upper body. The PSG1, on the other hand, has lower sway and can be fired semi-automatically, but has lower effective damage as it does not have the 1.5 multiplier to the upper arms. With these details in mind, choosing the L96A1 or the PSG1 comes down to personal preference.
Attachments
Zombies
In Nazi Zombies, it is available out of the Mystery Box. It is a one-hit-kill in the early rounds, but after Round 7 it loses its one-hit-kill ability to body shots. It is not available on the Wii version.
Due to its long ADS time, low rate of fire, high recoil, and low hipfire spread, the L96A1 is not a great primary weapon to use in Zombies. However, it is especially useful as a support weapon while other players are fighting off zombies. Double Tap Root Beer is a good perk to use if one wants to use the L96A1, as it makes the player cycle the bolt faster, allowing for an increased rate of fire. Deadshot Daiquiri is also useful to eliminate its high idle sway, tighten its hipfire spread, and maximize the efficiency of the L96A1 by making headshots a lot easier to obtain.
When upgraded in the Pack-a-Punch machine, it becomes the "L115 Isolator" where its damage is increased and receives a Variable Zoom scope. It loses its one-hit-kill ability at Round 22.The magazine is increased from 5 to 8. Even though it's not very practical in terms of surviving, it can kill somewhat effectively, even at higher rounds. This is because at higher rounds, zombies have extremely high health, roughly 7000 at round 30. At this point, it would take a full 35 round magazine from an upgraded Galil to kill a single zombie, while the upgraded L96A1 would still be killing in one headshot until round 34, and would be a 2 shot kill to the head until round 41. All of this goes for the Dragunov, too, as it shares exactly the same damage as the L115 when upgraded.
L96A1 vs. L115 Isolator
| L96A1 | L115 Isolator | |
|---|---|---|
| File:L96A1 1st Person BO.png | File:L115Isolator.png | |
| Damage | 500 | 1000 |
| Multiplier | head:x10
chest:x1.5 abdomen:x1.5 |
head:x10
chest:x3 abdomen:x3 |
| Fire mode | Bolt-action | Bolt-action |
| Rate of fire | ~60 | ~60 |
| Magazine size | 5 | 8 |
| Max ammo | 45+5 | 72+8 |
| Reload | 3.3, 3.5 empty | 3.3, 3.5 empty |
| Mobility | Medium | Medium |
| Sounds | {{{papsound}}} | |
| Video | ||
| Extras | Higher damage, larger magazine, more ammo, Variable Zoom |
Gallery
- For Camouflage images, click here.
Video
L115 Isolator Overview 
Trivia
- The L96A1, like the L86 LSW and the Enfield, uses the SUSAT variant of the ACOG Scope.
- The "L115 Isolator" from Zombies is a reference to Element 115, which animates the zombies.
- It is the only sniper rifle in Black Ops that does not appear in Campaign.
- On both sides of the L96A1, the text "NP 7.62x51 mm LP" appears.
- On the scope there is text that reads: 12 X 30 DM II MADE IN GERMANY.
- In the Wii version of Black Ops the camouflage is added to the stock in any camouflage scheme.
- The L96A1 is not available on the Wii version of Zombies.
- In 3rd person, the player will not cycle the bolt after each shot, but the sound of the bolt cycling will be made.
- The left side of the L96A1 reads "ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL FIREARMS".
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