SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle

The SRS99CD-S2 AM Sniper Rifle is the primary sniper rifle used by the UNSC.

Introduction
The SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle is a variant of the SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle, which was seen in Halo: CE and Halo 2, and made its debut in the Halo 3 Beta. It is an extremely powerful weapon and is relatively the same as the SRS99C but with some design and technical changes.

Summary
The SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle is a semi-automatic, gas-operated, magazine-fed, long-ranged weapon. It is relatively the same as the SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle but with some design and technical changes. It still fires the 14.5x114mm APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) rounds semi-automatically from a four round magazine. It still has a 5x and 10x scope with real-time display but now it shows everything with an LCD screen that shows an infrared view of what the scope sees. Its power as well as accuracy and range are relatively the same compared to the SRS99C. Its rate of fire has slightly dropped, however.

Physical Description And Appearance
The SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle is a semi-automatic UNSC sniper rifle. It fires 14.5x114mm APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) rounds from a 4 round mag, which does not fit flush. The receiver is located in front of the handle(in a conventional layout).

The SRS99D is gas-operated and therefore must be cocked to load the first round. The bolt used to chamber the round is located on the left side of the weapon and moves during operation. From then on, the gases from the previous round forces the bolt back and forth and continues to do so until the mag is empty. Once the mag is empty, the bolt(although not illustrated in Halo 3) locks back. After a new mag is inserted, the bolt must be pushed forward to chamber a new round. The ejection port is located on the right side of the weapon and possesses a dirt cover.

The SRS99D, having a rifled barrel, is about 73.8in long and is completely interchangeable. From the barrel to the breech to the stock everything can be changed to fit the current situation and satisfy the operator. The SRS99D in Halo 3 has some notable changes from the SRS99C. First off, it is fitted with a 5x and 10x scope that shows real time images in infrared vision when not looking through it. When looking through it, the scope shows a target's distance and elevation as well as the current wind velocity. The SRS99D also has an altered foregrip and stock and sports a trigger guard. The barrel also now has a iron sight. This weapon does not posses a safety and has a frame that serves as a carrying handle as well as a scope protector and a folding biped located in front of the mag on the underside of the gun.

Changes From The SRS99C

 * New muzzle brake with front iron sight
 * Fore grips and stocks have been altered
 * The scope now shows real-time with an LCD screen and infrared/topographic vision
 * The SRS99D-S2 AM now has a new flat matte black color finish to it
 * The range & elevation indicator from Halo 1 has returned. It also displays wind velocity now.
 * Now has a trigger guard
 * Decreased rate of fire

Close Range
This is not the smartest situation to use a sniper. Melee and grenades would be much more efficient.

A difficult but effective tactic with the sniper at close range is to fire a single non-scoped shot to the chest followed by a melee. This will pull off a kill in a very short amount of time.

Medium Range
Still not the best place to use the sniper but it is possible to kill with some ease. Melee and grenades help in this situation as well.

Long Range
This is where the sniper excels. Use the scope to sight in on enemy's and aim for the head. If the head is missed quickly hit them again for a kill.

Sniper Rifle And Battle Rifle
The best sniper combo to have, the Sniper Rifle can take care of enemies at the long range, while the Battle Rifle can deal with enemies at medium range and close range. If you hit your enemy Spartan/Elite it will bring the shield down instantly. Then all you have to do is switch to the Battle Rifle and get a nice shot to the "dome".

Sniper Rifle And SMG
Not as useful as the Sniper Rifle/Battle Rifle, but still great and flexible. The SMG lacks the range and damage of the Battle Rifle, but has a higher rate of fire, making it more useful in tight urban combat. The SMG also has the advantage of being able to be paired with other weapons, increasing the arsenals flexibility.

Sniper Rifle And Assault Rifle
One of the best combos, the Sniper Rifle can take care of farther targets and the assault rifle can be taken out if an enemy gets too close. Its a non-dual wieldable version of the Sniper Rifle and SMG combo.

Sniper Rifle And Shotgun
A sort of mismatched combo, best used in urban combat in tight quarters. The Shotgun serves as the close range component and the Sniper is the long range weapon.

Ammunition
The Sniper Rifle has one of the most advanced ammunition types in the game. Its rounds are large in both length and width, and are equipped with four symmetrical fins on the sides of the round, stabilizing its trajectory to results of amazing accuracy, with a hit ratio of 97.3%. While these fins provide increased accuracy, they also prevent a seal from forming between the bullet and barrel. A sabot is used to plug up this empty space, and is forcefully discarded from the bullet upon leaving the barrel.

The rounds themselves were inspired by the 14.5 × 114 mm Russian made projectile, used primarily in HMGs and Sniper Rifles. The rounds are described as being made of very hard metal, so they are probably made of a skin of hardened steel or titanium, with a hardened core of super dense tungsten or depleted uranium for maximum penetration. However, despite being labeled as Armor Piercing, the Sniper Bullet is actually Anti-Material, meaning that it is specifically designed to pierce body armor, energy shielding, and all types of flesh, but not heavy armor plating, like that of a tank. Therefore, the weapon is entirely useless against vehicles unless you have a clear head or body shot.

The large caliber rounds make necessary for a small magazine size and small combat loads (28 rounds total in Halo 1, 24 rounds in Halo 2.) However, a "full combat load" was described in Halo: First Strike, and in the Halo 1 level Truth and Reconciliation you start with a Sniper Rifle that has a 68 round load.

In Halo 1, the SR round is very powerful. On Normal Difficulties, one direct shot to the head of any Elite (i.e. Minor, Major, Zealot) will result in an instant kill.

Scope
The SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle offers an electronic scope which provides 5x or 10x magnification. While looking through the scope without engaging the electronic magnification, an infrared and topographic view of the surroundings is seen. However, while engaging the electronic scope, in the bottom left-hand side appears the phrases: DIST, ELEV, and WIND, indicating that the sniper rifle has the capability to measure such variables. However, the current distance on target, elevation inclination/disinclination, and wind conditions are not actually displayed.

Influences
The sniper rifle appears to be heavily inspired by (if not directly copied from) the Barrett .50 caliber rifles (most notably the Barret M82 ), the M107 sniper rifle, and the South African NTW-20. Many of the features present in the Halo version are included in both weapons, such as the recoil-dampening piston, the general look of the receiver, the magazine placement, muzzle brake, and many other attributes. In addition, the Sniper bullet (14.5 × 114mm) is an actual rifle cartridge, developed by the Russian Army for Anti-Tank Rifles, Heavy Machine Guns, and Sniper Rifles. However, the real 14.5 mm round has a standard cartridge design, whereas the round used in Halo is an APFSDS round (Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding Sabot).

Related Links

 * SRS99C-S2 AM