Rifle

Rifles are a class of shoulder-fired/mid-sized weapons. These weapons are much larger than the standard sidearms, but smaller than infantry support weapon systems. In the actual sense of the word, a "rifle" is a weapon with a spiral grooved barrel that imparts a spin on a projectile to obtain better levels of accuracy than a smoothbore weapon, such as a musket or a shotgun. However, "rifle" is sometimes also used as a technically erroneous term for certain directed energy weapons.

Overview
When regarding human weapons, there are a few forms of the word "rifle" used. An "assault rifle" is a select-fire weapon that fires an intermediate rifle round. A "battle rifle" fires a large full-size rifle round and is usually, but not always, semi-automatic and often has a long full-size barrel. A "sniper rifle" can fire various high-caliber ammunition variants, and are almost exclusively semi-automatic. Their goal is to achieve high levels of accuracy and lethality, and have longer ranges than assault or battle rifles.

Regarding Covenant and Forerunner weapons, the term "rifle" is used not to describe the technical nature of the weapon itself, but in the role it plays on the battlefield. For example, the plasma pistol and, while similar, are used for two different purposes. A rifle is larger than a pistol, often requiring both hands to use, but is smaller than a heavy weapon, such as the Brute Shot or fuel rod cannon. This applies to both the plasma rifle and the beam rifle. The Covenant carbine is also considered a rifle and the spiker can fit into this list as well.

Assault rifles
Assault rifles are military service weapons that fire intermediate rifle cartridges; merging the light machine gun's firepower with the submachine gun's compact design.

Battle rifles
Battle rifles are military service weapons that fire a full-power rifle cartridge; providing greater effective range and penetration than assault rifles.

Carbines
Carbines are shortened light-weight versions of full rifles, usually firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length.
 * Asymmetric Recoilless Carbine-920 - Compact-channel linear accelerator carbine, fires high-explosive rounds at extreme velocities.
 * MA2B Individual Combat Weapon System - Successor to the MA1. Functionally similar to the MA5B. Occasionally used by Special Forces operators.
 * MA5K Carbine - Uncommon carbine variant, wielded by Special Forces units such as the SPARTAN-IIIs.

Marksman rifles
Marksman rifles are military service weapons, built for greater precision than an assault rifle or battle rifle. These rifles are used to extend the reach of a small unit.
 * M392 Designated Marksman Rifle - Accurate select-fire (semi-automatic in-game), medium-range rifle. Better known as the DMR. Featured in Halo: Reach.
 * M395 Designated Marksman Rifle - Post-war successor to the M392 DMR. Featured in Halo 4.

Nonlinear rifles

 * M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle - Shoulder-fired, anti-vehicular, directed energy weapon. Featured in Halo 3, Halo Wars, Halo 3: ODST and Halo Reach. Better known as the Spartan laser.

Recoilless rifles

 * Asymmetric Recoilless Carbine-920 - Compact-channel linear accelerator carbine, fires high-explosive rounds at extreme velocities. Better known as the railgun. Featured in Halo 4.
 * M149 Recoilless Rifle - United Nations Space Command weapon used during the Human-Covenant War. Better known as the Magellan.
 * M99 Special Application Scoped Rifle - Man-portable miniaturized Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. Better known as the Stanchion. Used by Avery Johnson in Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE.

Sniper rifles
Sniper rifles are military service weapons that fire anti-matériel/anti-vehicular rifle cartridges; used for precise acquisition and elimination of individual targets at extended ranges.

Ballistic/Projectile rifles

 * Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher - Handheld sidearm, fires homing crystalline ammunition. Better known as the needler. Featured in Halo 1, 2, 3, 4, ODST, and Reach.
 * Type-31 Rifle - Medium-range cousin of the needler. Analogous to the DMR. Better known as the needle rifle. Featured in Halo: Reach.
 * Type-25 Carbine - Handheld spike rifle. Analogous to the SMG. Better known as the Brute spiker. Featured in Halo 2, 3, ODST & Reach.
 *  - Scaled-down, anti-infantry version of the fuel rod cannon. Analogous to the battle rifle. Better known as the Covenant carbine. Featured in Halo 2, 3, 4, and ODST.

Particle beam rifles

 *  - An earlier variant of the Type-50 Particle Beam Rifle. Featured in Halo 4.
 * Type-50 Sniper Rifle System - Long-range shoulder-fired weapon, primarily used by Kig-yar Snipers. Analogous to the SRS99 sniper rifles. Better known as the beam rifle. Featured in Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo Wars, and Halo 3: ODST.

Plasma rifles

 * Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle - Handheld plasma-operated weapon typically wielded by Sangheili. Better known as the plasma rifle.
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle/Jiralhanae variant - Variant of the standard plasma rifle wielded exclusively by Jiralhanae, with superior rate of fire. Featured in Halo 2 and Halo 3: ODST.
 * Type-50 Directed Energy Rifle/Heavy - Shoulder-fired plasma-operated weapon-variant that fires explosive bolts of superheated plasma. Better known as the concussion rifle.
 * Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved - Shoulder-fired plasma-operated weapon used mostly by Sangheili. Analogous to the MA5 series assault rifles. Better known as the plasma repeater. Featured in Halo: Reach.
 * Type-55 Directed Energy Rifle/Advanced - Handheld plasma-operated successor to the widely used Type-25 DER typically wielded by Sangheili. Better known as the storm rifle. Featured in Halo 4.
 * Type-52 Special Applications Rifle - Sniper weapon, fires continuous beam of magnetically contained plasma. Better known as the focus rifle. Featured in Halo: Reach.

Hard light rifles

 * Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon - Utilized by Promethean Knights during the Battle of Requiem. Analogous to the MA5 series assault rifles. Better known as the suppressor. Featured in Halo 4.
 * Z-250 Directed Energy Engagement Weapon - Used by Promethean Knights encountered on Requiem. Analogous to the BR55 series battle rifles. Better known as the lightrifle. Featured in Halo 4.

Ionized particle rifles

 * Z-180 Close Combat Rifle/Asymmetric Engagement Mitigator - Better known as the Scattershot. Analogous to a shotgun. Featured in Halo 4.
 * Z-390 Anti-Materiél High-Explosive Munitions Rifle - Better known as the Incineration cannon. Featured in Halo 4.
 * Z-750 Special Application Sniper Rifle - Used by Promethean Knights encountered on Requiem. Better known as the binary rifle. Analogous to the SRS99 series sniper rifles. Featured in Halo 4.

Deleted material

 * Gravity rifle - A Covenant long-range rifle cut from Halo: Combat Evolved.