M6D magnum: Difference between revisions

[[Image:1220830179 Pistol.png|thumb|left|Side view of the M6D.]]The M6D Pistol is an 'up-sized' UNSC handgun issued to Navy officers, this model has been upscaled for use by [[SPARTAN-II]]s in [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|MJOLNIR]] armor. Even though the Spartan issue pistols are larger than the standard-issue variants (~117%) they can still share magazines. <ref>http://www.bungie.net/projects/odst/guide.aspx M6C/SOCOM Article</ref> The M6D is a semi-automatic, recoil-operated, magazine-fed, large-bore handgun that is controllable even during rapid fire, although at the cost of accuracy. It is most likely striker-fired, due to there being no visible external hammer. It fires M225 SAP-HE (Semi-Armor Piercing, High Explosive) rounds from a 12-round magazine. Operators can achieve an effective rate of fire of 3.5 rounds/sec or 210 rounds/min. The weapon is very accurate out to its maximum effective range. This accuracy allows incredibly precise target engagement at long range. This, combined with its decent damage against [[Energy Shields]], makes it a viable option when faced with shielded opponents, such as Elites. It is, however, even more effective against unshielded infantry targets, being able to kill most targets in one shot to the head or two to three shots to the body.

The M6D is semi-automatic. This means that the weapon will cock itself after every shot due to recoil and will continue to do so until the magazine is empty. The M6D also uses the short recoil principle; it uses the force of the recoil to eject the spent casing, chamber another cartridge, and re-cock.

Before the first round can be fired, a round must be chambered. This is done by inserting a loaded magazine into the grip of the weapon and then by pulling the slide back completely and letting it slingshot forward, which strips a round from the top of the magazine and carries it into the chamber. There is a small, red rectangular box on the flat back of the slide that protrudes out slightly when the weapon is cocked. There is no visible safety on the in-game model; however, it can be assumed that the M6D comes with a safety as it is a standard UNSC handgun.

To reload, the empty magazine must be removed with the magazine release button located on the grip and a fresh magazine inserted. Once the fresh magazine is inserted, the slide is allowed to return to its normal position by the operator. There is no need to re-cock the weapon. Cocking is only necessary when chambering the first round when bringing the weapon out of "safe" mode (safety on, uncocked, unloaded).

The M6D is a very basic pistol compared to most 26th century technology. It is a large handgun, having an overall length of 26.7cm and possesses a rifled barrel, improving accuracy by spinning the bullet. It is chrome silver in color and operates like most contemporary pistols. It has rear sights but it does not have a forward sight blade, which is replaced by the smart-link scope. It features a KFA-2 2x optical, smart-linked scope. This scope links directly to a [[Spartan]]’s [[HUD]] or a Marine eye piece. It also has a large grip guard, which helps prevent the user from dropping it and a chrome barrel which helps prevent corrosion. It does not possess any company identification.

The M6D is a strong all-around weapon. It is very accurate, allowing for successful engagement at any range below 122.7 meters. It also does a considerable amount of damage against both shields and flesh, as it fires 12.7x40mm M225 SAP-HE rounds. Their large bullet and cartridge size yields a large amount of kinetic energy, enough to quickly deplete shields. Its semi-armor-piercing quality combined with the high kinetic energy allows the bullet to penetrate most physical armor, after which its high explosive core detonates.

 

The M6D is useful against any target that is encountered throughout combat. Enemies such as [[Grunts]] and [[Jackals]] can be quickly dispatched with one well placed headshot and enemies like the [[Flood]] can be dispatched in as little as 1-3 shots to the chest, its generally best use against sniping Flood Carrier Forms where they're in firing range. Unshielded [[Elites]] also go down in one shot to the head. However, when Elites have shielding more shots are required to kill them, six shots to the head of a [[Minor Elite|Minor]], eight shots to the head of a [[Major Elite|Major]], ten shots to the head of a [[Special Operation Elite|Spec Ops]], and between eighteen and twenty-four shots to the head of an [[Zealot Elite|Zealot]]. Hunters only require one shot to their exposed flesh on their back or midsection to kill them on any difficulty.

Although the M6D has more advantages than it does disadvantages, the weapon does have a few weaknesses. A player using the M6D must be extremely efficient at aiming the M6D, taking into account of how the physics engine in the game works; projectiles have their own physics and are such effected by player movements. The player must take the enemy player's movements into account, as well as the small spread that is present when the pistol fires. In order to pull off a three shot kill, the player must have good reflexes and know where and how to aim, taking into account all of the previous facts. This alone makes the pistol difficult to use, since new players must learn all this in order to use the M6D effectively. Although the pistol can hit a target at long ranges, it cannot hit, let alone kill a player at a distance greater then 122.5 meters.

===Possible Influences===

The M6D combine the features of several modern-day pistols

*The Desert Eagle is a large, semi-automatic pistol using similarly-sized ammunition. It, however, uses a gas-actuated feed system instead of a short recoil system. The Mark XIX feature two grooves on the barrel that allow the mounting of gunsights, such as holo sights and scopes.

*The Browning Hi-Power is a slightly smaller pistol that also uses the short recoil principle and is semi-automatic. It fires much smaller ammunition, however.

*The pistol fires 12.7x40mm rounds, making them very similar to the real-life 12.7x41mm (.500 S&amp;W Magnum) round used by the Smith &amp; Wesson M500 magnum revolver.

 

The pistol in Marathon, Bungie's previous FPS, had a visible scope. It is possible this is where Bungie's idea of giving a pistol a scope originated.