Vostu-pattern carbine

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The Type-51 Carbine, also known as the Covenant Carbine, is a Covenant infantry weapon. It is widely used by Brutes, Jackals and Elites, and also sometimes used by Marines and Combat Forms.

Design Details
The Type-51 Carbine is the Covenant equivalent of the UNSC BR55HB SR Battle Rifle and BR55 Battle Rifle, in terms of usage. It is a semi-automatic weapon that combines high accuracy with decent damage power, used primarily for mid-range combat. Unlike most standard-issue Covenant weapons, such as the Plasma Rifle, the Carbine doesn't run on a battery. Instead, it fires solid, radioactive projectiles, similar to that of a Fuel Rod Gun, from an 18-round cylindrical magazine, sometimes suggested as being analogous to a "charger clip" style magazine, (such as in an M1 Garand or M91 Carcano used in WWII). It has a similar feature to the Assault Rifle and the Battle Rifle in that it tells how much ammunition is in the magazine. It is sometimes carried by Brutes and Elites, though this is not usually their preferred weapon, as they prefer more common weapons, such as the Spiker for the Brutes, and the Plasma Rifle and Energy Sword for the Elites. In the hands of a Brute, or Elite, they can be extremely deadly, allowing them to engage their enemies at mid range with deadly accuracy. This is the weapon of choice for Jackal Snipers in Halo 3, along with the Beam Rifle. In fact, it almost always replaces the Beam Rifle for Sniper Jackals, unless on a higher difficulty.

Advantages
With a 2x zoom ability its possible to make deadly head shots from large distances. It is also effective at killing an unshielded opponent in multiplayer, and has equal effectiveness to an unshielded enemy as that of a Battle Rifle and the M6C, M6D and M6G pistols. Like those weapons, it will kill an unshielded opponent with one shot to the head instantly.

Because the Carbine fires shielded radioactive isotope rounds (not plasma bolts), useful against the Flood as it can destroy the embedded Infection Form. One of the best uses for this weapon is to shoot the armored headpiece off of Brutes, after which another head shot from the weapon will dispatch them. The Carbine is also more effective at taking down Brute Chieftains than the Battle Rifle.

The Carbine, when used correctly, can take down an enemy slightly faster than a Battle Rifle can, though it requires more aim, taking at least seven shots to the head in Multiplayer. Damage done by the Carbine is slightly lower than that of the Battle Rifle (if all three bullets hit), but it fires about twice as fast, making it comparably deadly.

The Covenant Carbine has one other advantage over the Battle Rifle. It is able to do damage to Jackal Point Defense Gauntlets, Enforcer shields, Stationary Shield Generators, Brute Power Armor, and other shields of such nature, though not as much as other Covenant weapons.

It's also very useful in the Halo 2 campaign against Brutes. The weapon can land head shots, and can be used at almost all ranges. Because Brutes have very little head protection, a skilled player can take out three or four Brutes with one magazine or with one shot to the head when playing on easier difficulties. Also since its a fast shooting weapon it is useful to shoot off a Brute's helmet and then shoot a Brute's head making a quick kill.

The magazine, though holding less ammo than the BR, will last longer because the BR fires in three shot bursts.

Disadvantages
The Carbine's only disadvantage is that your position is clearly shown by a yellowish-green trail with each shot, just like the Sniper Rifle's vapor trail or the Battle Rifle's tracer trail. Its sound may also attract the attention of nearby players. Also, in Halo 3, a green mist is ejected from the ammo slot, giving away the player's position if reloaded. It also has weaker firepower, so it usually only gives an advantage to more skilled players, though less skilled players with some degree of luck may be able to use it effectively as well. Also, it is not as effective if you use rapid fire, but a sniper with good aim and that can take cover well can be deadly with a Carbine.

Changes From Halo 2

 * In both Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Carbine's green semicircle will change into a red circle as ammo is depleted. This is used as an ammo indicator, although it is made unnecessary due to the players HUD. It is likley that it was implemented to give users without sophisticated visors (such as Jackals) an indication as to how much ammo they have left, similar to the system used by the Assault Rifle.
 * In Halo 2, when you zoom in, the view is a group of seven hexagons melded into a honeycomb shape. In Halo 3, four lines will separate from the center in addition to the hexagons, almost on the same plane as the reticule lines.
 * In Halo 3, the Carbine has a green patterned circle on top of the magazine indicator.
 * Carbine ammo is much more abundant, double the amount usually given in Halo 2.

Halo 3
During the Halo 3 Beta, there were concerns that the Carbine was overpowered compared to its counterpart the Battle Rifle. This disparity was attributed to an excessively high rate of fire, which allowed it to inflict more damage over time than the Battle Rifle did. In the final cut, the Carbine's rate of fire has been reduced to about that of the Halo 2 version. Furthermore, its power has been reduced slightly from its Halo 2 counterpart. It now takes eight head shots to kill a fully-shielded opponent in multiplayer, as opposed to seven in Halo 2 and the Halo 3 Beta. In addition to the reduction in per-shot damage, the Carbine, also starts with two spare magazines when found in multiplayer, whereas it only started with a single spare magazine in Halo 2 multiplayer.

Also, in the Beta, when reloaded, it did not seem to emit a small cloud of gas as it does in the final version of the game.

As far as the Covenant Carbine's role in the campaign, it is still occasionally found to be used by Brutes, but it can most frequently be found in the hands of Jackals, who utilize it in a marksman role.

Grunts
As with the Battle Rifle, the Covenant Carbine will easily take down Grunts from close to far range. Simply aim for the head, and the Unggoy will be dead. However, if you aim for the body, it will take 4-6 shots, decreasing its effectiveness.

Jackals
Once again, it is advised to alternate to the Battle Rifle due to the faster firing. If the Jackals are on patrol or have their back turned to you, simply aim for the head and pull the trigger, resulting in a one-hit kill. However, if in a hot-zone, you should run up towards the Jackal, melee it, and kill it with a headshot. Alternatively, if you have ducked behind some cover, then aim for the hole in the shielding on the left, and fire. After the Jackal exposes itself, simply headshot it.

Unlike human projectiles, the carbine rounds will damage the Jackal's shield, causing the Jackal to stagger and providing you with a clear shot at their head. However, unlike with the plasma rifle, the damage done is not enough to actually destroy the shield with a reasonable amount of shots.

Jackal Snipers
Jackal Snipers are relatively easier than normal Jackals due to the lack of shielding, however they can be still lethal as a single shot can kill you in Legendary. To avoid it firing on you, simply shoot it at the head. The Battle Rifle is, however, inferior in this case, because of the spread. Usually, Jackal Snipers will be at a distance, causing the BR's fire to split. The Carbine works best at close-medium ranges. The best way is to have a Sniper or Beam Rifle as a secondary weapon. Taking cover so the Jackal doesn't spot you, zoom in to 10x, and aim at their head. Without moving your aim, switch to Carbine, zoom in, and shoot. Note the Carbine is less accurate and may miss, especially at extreme range, so fire several shots to kill it.

Elites
The carbine is not as strong against energy shields as the plasma rifle, but is still effective against Elites due to its high power and good rate of fire. In Heroic, it should take around 7 to 8 shots to disable the shield (around 12 shots against Major, Honor Guard, or Spec Ops Elites), then a single headshot to bring down the Elite.

Brutes
In Halo 2, the Carbine is one of the absolute best weapons to use against Brutes, due to their lack of shielding and vulnerability to headshots. Torso shots are somewhat less effective, requiring about 10 to 15 hits on Normal or 14 to 16 on Heroic to kill a Brute. In Halo 3 Brutes can be killed with around 4 to 7 shots on Normal, or 6 to 10 shots on Heroic. In both games, it's harder to get a headshot on a Brute when it goes into berserk mode because it is more difficult to aim for the head, as the head no longer presents itself at the top of the target; however, it is possible to fire two to three shots in the area between the shoulders.

Flood
As with all Covenant weapons, save for the Energy Sword, Brute Shot, and Fuel Rod Gun, this weapon is somewhat underpowered against the Flood in Halo 2, unless you land a "chest shot". That is, if stuck with the Carbine, aim for the tentacle protruding from the chest (this is the infection form and one shot should put it down). Of course, the weapon has some use as a semi-sniping weapon. If playing as the Arbiter and not in a hot-conflict zone, engage Active Camouflage, go up to the Flood Form, and melee them (thus depleting their shield, if they have one). Then, aim for the chest and the Form will go down. Note that the Infection forms can still re-infect the Form, in contrast to the Energy Sword (which will disintegrate them). In Halo 3, a few shots in the upper body should kill a Combat Form and instantly dispatches them if you hit them in the chest. However, the Carbine is weak against Pure Forms.

UNSC Remarks

 * “So—it’s just their projectile weapons that we’ve figured out how to reload? I guess I’m cool with that.”
 * “It’s almost a direct analog of the BR55. I just wish it had a more — um — conventional scope.”
 * “In my youth I used to board Olympus a couple o’ times a year—you see where I’m going with this? Yeah. That foxtrot gun is the size of my old board.”
 * “Wish it was smaller; wish it had a proper stock — or at least a butt pad.”
 * "Hey — don’t inhale immediately after the charger ejects. I heard that shit gives you Boren’s Syndrome.”

Trivia

 * The carbine in Halo 3: ODST sounds a lot louder than in the previous Halo games.
 * The Carbine smoke is of the same of that of plasma grenades, which causes Boren's Syndrome, a deadly, if mostly fatal, disease.
 * The Carbine is notorious for its large and unwieldy size, as many Marines have commented. But this is because the Carbine was designed with the Covenant races in mind, (the unusually shaped grip could have been designed for the Elite's three main fingers) and not humans.
 * The ammo of the Type-51 Carbine is loaded similarly and correspondingly to most modern human weapons, a rare generality unlike many other Covenant weapons.
 * In the Halo 2 and Halo 3 instruction booklets, the Carbine is incorrectly labeled as having 36 rounds, instead of the actual 18 rounds. Ironically, this is the number of rounds the Carbine's human equivalent, the Battle Rifle, has.
 * The green ring on the end of the magazine is an ammo indicator and is effective when you need to keep your focus on the actual battle. It somewhat resembles a smiley face.
 * Despite having a 2x zoom scope capability, the Carbine doesn't appear to have a scope mounted on it. A theory suspects that the magazines are in fact the scope, explaining the symbols in the center of the the ammo count as well as to why there is no other scope on the Carbine, or, like the Plasma Rifle, it relies on the user's HUD.
 * If you give a Jackal a Carbine in Halo 2 and then melee it, it will drop the Carbine and pull out a Plasma Pistol. This is done for the Unlimited Plasma Pistol Glitch.
 * If you give a Jackal a Carbine in Halo 2, it will hold both the Carbine and its shield, and the Carbine will protrude from the shield projected by the Jackal Point Defense Gauntlet.
 * The Covenant Carbine is the closest Covenant weapon to function like a Human weapon in terms of type of ammunition, design, and usage.
 * In Halo 2, when you reload, the magazine will pop out but disappear afterward. In Halo 3 they will fall on the floor and take a long time to disappear.
 * The ammunition for the Carbine is powered along its entire flight path, consuming up to 50% of its mass by the time it reaches its maximum effective range.
 * Some consider the crosshair of the Carbine to be slightly off, which is notable when attempting long range headshots.
 * In the level Gravemind, several Carbines have 120 rounds in reserve, much more than the usual max, 72. This also occurs on other levels, especially if the Carbine is taken from an ally scripted to pick the weapon up, such as the Marines in the detention block in Gravemind.
 * The Battle Rifle does more damage per shot, but the Carbine fires faster. While both serve the same function, it is mostly a matter of preference as to which one is actually "better."
 * In the Halo Wars official strategy guide, the Covenant Carbine is called a "slug beam rifle".
 * The producer's idea of the Type-51 self-ejecting the spent magazine might have came from the WWII-era M1 Garand's en-bloc magazine.