M6G magnum

The M6G Personal Defense Weapon System (PDWS) is a handgun in Misriah Armory's M6 series. It is commonly used as a sidearm by UNSC Armed Forces personnel.

Design details
The M6G PDWS is a semi-automatic, recoil-operated, magazine-fed, large-caliber handgun. It is a later model of the M6 series sidearms that was distributed to officers and vehicle/weapon crews. The weapon has a polymer handle, along with a titanium alloy body and a nickel-plate finish. The sidearm fires the M225 SAP-HE (Semi-Armor Piercing, High Explosive) rounds from an 8-round magazine at a velocity of 427 m/sec (1302.35 ft/sec). In addition, the weapon can be issued with a KFA-2 x2 optical, smart-linked scope.

The weapon's performance seems tied to its year of manufacture. Whereas the 2546 model used by the UNSC Army has a rate of fire of 240 rounds per minute (4 rounds per second), the 2552 model used by the UNSC Marine Corps fires at a rate of only 120 rounds per minute (2 per second). In either case, with a maximum effective range of 50 meters, superb accuracy, and high stopping power, the M6G proves very useful during scenarios where primary arms are not available.

Ammunition
The M6G uses 12.7×40mm M225 SAP-HE (Semi-Armor Piercing, High Explosive) .50 caliber ammunition loads. These rounds have a jacket of copper or cupro-nickel around the projectile while the projectile itself is hollow and filled with an explosive compound and a delayed-detonation impact fuse. When the round impacts a target, the jacket will initially help the projectile maintain its shape, allowing it to travel into the target before detonating almost immediately after impact, causing massive tissue damage and system shock. Probable reasons for using semi-armor piercing rounds instead of armor piercing projectiles are both to prevent over-penetration of hostiles and decreasing the risk of friendly fire during CQB and urban combat, and their devastating efficacy against soft targets. The explosive properties of the rounds render them decently effective against personal shielding systems and are also capable of damaging lightly-armored vehicles.

Although M225 SAPHE ammunition is standard issue for the M6 PDWS, there are more “exotic” ammunition types available to UNSC personnel only by Mission Conditional Requisition (MCR).

Variants
There are at least two variants of the M6G, itself only one of several models in the M6 series. These variants, which bear notable differences in function and superficial design, can be distinguished by their year of manufacture.



2546 model
This model was issued to UNSC Army troopers on Reach during the Covenant's invasion in the summer of 2552. It has a rate of fire of approximately 240 rounds per minute (4 rounds per second), though its accuracy suffers slightly as a result. The slide is tapered at the rear and sports forward-facing, diagonal serrations. The magazine release is set above and parallel to the lower lip of the trigger; the magazine's lip is shaped like an irregular trapezoid. The striker juts farther from the slide, reminiscent of a hammer. This model is equipped with an underslung flashlight attachment or laser module.



2552 modification package
By 2552, a modification package of the then latest revision of the M6 pistol series was released. This modification made use of parts used for the M6C magnum.

This model was used by UNSC Marines stationed on Earth during the fall of 2552. It sports the same general design and proportions as the aforementioned version, despite a subtly longer barrel and lack of an underslung attachment. While its rate of fire is only half that of its predecessor, (roughly 120 rounds per minute), its accuracy is superior. The top attachment plate's mounting pins are closer to the muzzle. The slide has vertical serrations and a flat rear. The magazine release is set just in front of the safety switch and has a thin, rectangular lip akin to earlier M6 models. The striker is recessed into the slide as on a 21st-century Glock. The 2552 model was later recorded in Machines, Materiel and Munitions from the Human-Covenant Conflict, 2525 - Present.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach

 * Features a 2× zoom function.
 * Has reticule bloom, like most weapons in Halo: Reach.
 * Nearly doubled rate of fire (though its rate of fire is identical when firing only at minimum bloom).
 * Different reloading and melee animations that are very similar to those of the M6D from Halo: Combat Evolved, wherein the SPARTAN flips the weapon in the air after striking.

Trivia

 * In Halo 3, the stamping on the side of the M6G incorrectly labels it as a Model 6C. In Halo: Reach, it is labeled as a Model 6B, though this was corrected in the M6 series article on Halo Waypoint.
 * Similarly, WETA Workshop's M6G prop features the same manufacturer's markings as the Halo 3 model, albeit stenciled instead of engraved. However, the year 2552 is misprinted as 5225.
 * Like the M6D, the Halo 3 M6G has Asian writing stamped on the top of the barrel, but in this case, it is Korean Hangul, not Japanese Kanji. It is also featured on the bottom of the magazine. The word 일곱 (il-gohb) translates to the number seven. Interestingly, the writing is upside down. Looking at the pictures below, you can see that the "ㄹ" letter in "일" is above the "이" when it should be below.
 * In Halo 3, when a full magazine is emptied, the slide of the M6G does not lock back to wait for another fresh magazine to be inserted.
 * In Halo: Reach, Spartans wielding M6Gs use a nearly identical melee animation to the M6D pistol in Halo: Combat Evolved. Elites, however, use an animation similar to that used by both species in Halo 3.
 * The M6G features unusable attachments in both games in which it appears. The scope is unusable in Halo 3 for gameplay balance, while the flashlight is unusable in Halo: Reach due to the introduction of night vision equipment.
 * John-117 wields an M6G (Halo: Reach version) in the cover art of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary in lieu of the M6D, which is featured in the game. The cover art was designed while the Reach M6G model was being used as a placeholder for the M6D during the development of the game and was not changed when the pistol's in-game model was replaced (ironically, by Halo 3's M6G model).

List of appearances

 * Starry Night
 * Believe
 * Halo: Landfall
 * Halo: Arms Race
 * Halo: Combat
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo 3
 * Remember Reach
 * Deliver Hope
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo 4
 * Halo: Spartan Assault
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Hunt the Truth
 * Halo: Fleet Battles
 * Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series
 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Halo: Ground Command
 * Halo Mythos
 * Halo: Retribution
 * Halo: Collateral Damage
 * Halo: Fireteam Raven
 * Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual
 * Halo: Lone Wolf
 * Halo: Outpost Discovery