BR85HB battle rifle

The BR85 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle (BR85HB SR), is a select-fire battle rifle used by the UNSC Defense Force. Like its predecessors, the BR55 and BR55HB service rifles, the BR85 is manufactured by Misriah Armory. It had entered service by the Battle of Draetheus V, which occurred sometime between March 2553 and July 2557.

Design
The BR85HB Service Rifle is a gas-operated, magazine-fed battle rifle. A select-fire weapon, the BR85HB is optimized for firing three-round bursts, though it is capable of semi-automatic and fully automatic fire. The BR85HB is effective against most Covenant battle armor and the energy shielding of Sangheili combat harnesses; it also proves effective against the shields and plating of GEN2 MJOLNIR armor during War Games exercises. Like its predecessors, the BR85HB features a two-power scope and receives a 36-round box magazine. In the hands of a skilled marksman, the weapon's precision and accuracy make it versatile at a variety of ranges. The BR85 features a telescopic sight with 2x magnification.

Gameplay
The weapon features hitscan and lacks reticule bloom. When fired, the barrel rises vertically, but in a suppressible way. The rifle's three-round burst is particularly effective for mid-range combat; it performs adequately in close- and long-range engagements as well, though the MA5D ICWS and M395 DMR outperform it at these ranges respectively. The player can carry a maximum of 216 rounds of reserve ammunition for the BR85, from a normal load of 108 rounds. If all the bullets in a three-round burst (one shot) hit a player in matchmaking, it will take four shots to down a player provided the last shot hits the player as a headshot. Only one round from a burst to the head is required to kill an unshielded enemy. The BR85 seems to be weaker than the BR55/BR55HB in Halo 2 and Halo 3. This is possibly a balance choice due to the inclusion of four precision weapons in Halo 4 as opposed to the usual two (excluding sniper rifles), allowing the BR85 to fill a more specialized role in the arsenal than in previous games.

Advantages
While the effective range and accuracy is less than those of the DMR or a scoped-in Lightrifle, it has a faster kill time than the DMR, and allows for better situational awareness than the scoped-in Lightrifle.
 * The battle rifle can kill a standard-shielded enemy in four bursts, via three bursts breaching the shields and the fourth with a headshot.
 * Headshots with the battle rifle in general are easier to obtain, as there are three chances to get one per shot. As such it is recommended for use in SWAT for players who are not fully comfortable using the DMR.
 * Two bursts to the body from a battle rifle followed by a melee will kill an opponent; this common technique is called a two-shot melee or a bang-bang-whack.

Disadvantages
As previously stated, the battle rifle lacks the accuracy, damage, and range of the other, more specialized primary precision weapons. The recoil is detrimental, but it can be controlled into a predictable vertical flow with practice to gain headshots. Mid-magazine reload time is also rather slow (especially without Dexterity), and if the magazine is empty, then the full reload time takes even longer. Due to its three-round burst fire with a 36-round magazine capacity, the battle rifle only has enough ammo for 9 or 12 burst-shots. In addition, as the magazine empties, the firing sound changes pitch, becoming higher, allowing aware opponents to time their attacks so that the weilder is helpless.

Trivia

 * The earliest known in-game model of the BR85 was erroneously labeled "BR55HB SR". This is fixed in the final build of the game.
 * Players who preordered Halo 4 from certain locations received a special Arctic weapon skin for the BR85.
 * The BR85 is found on the in Halo 4. However, since the BR85 presumably entered service after the war, it can be assumed that canonically John-117 used the BR55HB SR before rendezvousing with the . This is likely because the developers forwent creating a separate model, which can also be said for the 2554-model Warthogs stored aboard the Dawn.
 * Despite the lack of a flash suppressor or muzzle brake, the BR85 produces a cross-shaped muzzle flash.

Videos
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List of appearances

 * Halo 4
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Spartan Assault
 * Halo: Escalation