preset class)
Accuracy 3 / 12
Damage 11 / 12
Range 2+ / 12
Fire Rate 2+ / 12
Mobility 12 / 12
Clip Size/Reserve Ammo 7/21
Recoil very high upper right
Reload Time 2.0*/5.8
*Because the shotguns accept individual shells, you can press fire while
reloading to halt the reloading process and chamber whichever shell you loaded
last, in case you need to attack while reloading.
Good Perks/Attachments: Double Tap, Sleight of Hand, Steady Aim, Grip
The combat version of the American-made pump-action shotgun. You're more likely
to get a one-shot kill with this gun than with the M1014, but you'll need to be
more accurate with your shots and more careful about taking on groups of
enemies. I have yet to test this gun with Double Tap, but I suspect it may give
this gun an edge over the M1014 depending on how much the fire rate increases.
The grip gives a considerable reduction in recoil (possibly 1/3 to 1/2
reduction), so I highly recommend using it if you can forego the Tier 1 perk.
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M1014 (Benelli M4 Super 90) (unlock at Rank 31 Captain)
Accuracy 3+ / 12
Damage 9+ / 12
Range 2+ / 12
Fire Rate 4 / 12
Mobility 12 / 12
Clip Size/Reserve Ammo 4/16
Recoil moderate/high upper right
Reload Time 2.1*/3.8
*Because the shotguns accept individual shells, you can press fire while
reloading to halt the reloading process and chamber whichever shell you loaded
last, in case you need to attack while reloading.
Good Perks/Attachments: Stopping Power, Sleight of Hand, Bandolier, Steady Aim,
Grip
An Italian-made semi-automatic combat shotgun used by the U.S. Armed Forces.
The potentially devastating effectiveness of this gun, known well to
auto-shotty-hating CounterStrike players everywhere, has been reduced by the
use of a 4-shell capacity. You will need to reload this gun constantly when
you're not firing it, making Sleight of Hand very useful. If you don't trust
your aim enough to use the W1200 or if you're playing on heavily populated
servers filled with groups of enemies too large to handle efficiently with
pump-action, choose this shotgun. The grip gives a considerable reduction in
recoil (possibly 1/3 to 1/2 reduction), so I highly recommend using it if you
can do without Bandolier.
##########
Sniper Rifles
BOOM HEADSHOT! These guns are, obviously, for those who prefer very
long-distance kills. The guns are not necessarily more accurate or powerful
than some of the assault rifles, but they maintain accuracy over much longer
ranges and all come with telescopic sights, allowing you to line up shots from
much safer positions. The sniper scope allows you to hold your breath for up to
4 seconds (9 seconds with Iron Lungs perk), which are counted off by loud
heartbeats you can hear. You must recover your breath for up to a second more
than the time you spent holding it before you can hold your breath again, and
the recoil from you sucking in air is sometimes larger than when you fire
without holding your breath. Several of the rifles offered in CoD4 are
semi-automatic and all have an unlockable ACOG scope, making them potentially
useful as high-powered substitutes for the G3 and M14 assault rifles.
Sniping Tips: Be patient, line up your shot and hold your breath before firing,
and remember to change positions after each couple of shots if possible to
avoid being located. This is most important with the slow bolt-action M40A3 and
R700. You don't have to worry as much about making every shot count with the
semi-auto rifles, but you should still move after each volley. If your class
has a sniper rifle as your primary weapon, your soldier will spawn in a ghillie
suit, a mesh suit covered in foliage which you used in the snipe rlevels in the
single player game. This suit will actually help you blend in to grasses,
especially the grass in the Russian levels like Bloc, Pipeline, Downpour,
Overgrown, and Vacant. Keep this in mind when you choose a hiding spot, and
also keep in mind that you stand out like a wooly sore thumb against metal,
dirt, and concrete.
More sniping tips: It is possible, in a pinch, to no-scope the sniper rifles,
especially the semi-automatics. If you have to deal with someone at shotgun
range and all you have is a sniper rifle, you can risk spamming a semi-auto
sniper, or even a bolt-action. You actually have a decent chance of getting a
kill, especially if you use Steady Aim with a semi-auto sniper rifle (I've
actually seen players do this).
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M40A3 (unlock at Rank 3 Private along with Sniper preset class)
