M392 DMR

"The single-shot DMR fits somewhere between the sniper rifle and the battle rifle. It's deadly at range, but a quick trigger finger and careful aim assure that even at medium to short distances it packs a punch."

- Game Informer

The M392 Designated Marksman Rifle, more formally known as the Designated Marksman Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M392, and commonly abbreviated as the DMR, is a select-fire rifle used by the United Nations Space Command.

Design Details
The M392 Designated Marksman Rifle is an air-cooled, magazine-fed, gas-operated select-fire bullpup rifle that fires 7.62x51mm ammunition. It takes a fifteen round detachable box magazine, similar aesthetically to the BR55. The weapon has a mounted optic capable of 3x magnification, and it possesses a fire selector switch located above the grip of the weapon. The M392 also has a magazine release button which is located directly above the magazine well, behind the trigger. The weapon has two ejection ports, one on the left and right hand sides of the weapon respectively, so that a left or right-handed shooter can fire the weapon.

Operation
The M392 DMR's intended battlefield application is similar to that of the BR55 battle rifle, fulfilling a role as the most effective medium-to-long range weapon in the UNSC arsenal. It is intended for experienced operators with proficient skill in shot placement and "controlled firing" since the recoil from multiple shots must be controlled to effectively deliver maximum damage to the target and to ensure that the target is neutralized at the fastest possible rate. Due to the introduction of an expanding reticle, the DMR requires a considerably higher proficiency in controlled firing and precision than the BR55 to attain successive hits.

In order to deliver hits to a target at medium-to-long ranges, a pause after each shot with the DMR is required to allow the reticle to contract to its smallest possible size. Immediately firing upon reacquisition of target maintains the maximum rate of accurate fire. While at close-to-medium range, it is only necessary to allow the reticle to shrink enough that it is roughly equal to the size of the target before firing again. At extremely close ranges, it is unnecessary to allow the reticle to contract at all, and it is most effective to fire the rifle as fast as possible.

Advantages
The M392 is a very precise weapon with very fast projectile speed, allowing it to engage targets well outside the range of other weapons. It also has considerable stopping power, making it effective against nearly all Covenant infantry, shielded or unshielded. The M392 DMR is unparalleled (Except for perhaps the M6G Magnum sidearm) in neutralizing unshielded enemies, requiring a single headshot to kill. This leads the M392 to be a weapon of choice against Covenant personnel that lack energy shielding such as Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme'e, and Jiralhanae.

Disadvantages
Though being a precise, powerful weapon which in the right hands has the capability of engaging targets at long range, the M392 has its drawbacks. To retain shooter accuracy, the shooter must pace their fire to account for recoil, making the DMR have an effective fire rate only slightly faster than the SRS99-AM Sniper Rifle. Relatively speaking, it also has a small-capacity magazine, holding only 15 rounds, which limits engagement with multiple targets; this is even more true if said targets are shielded.

Service history
Although the M392 DMR saw more widespread use throughout all branches of the UNSC Defense Force prior to 2548, it has since been superseded in use by the BR55 Battle Rifle in all military branches except the Army.

Trivia

 * This weapon's semi-automatic functionality is similar to the battle rifle as seen in the 2003 Halo 2 E3 demo.
 * Although the M392 DMR fires the same round as the MA5/MA37 assault rifle (7.62x51mm), it has far superior stopping power (5-shot kill vs. 19 shot-kill). It is possible that this is due to the DMR's round being a specialized round for higher armor penetration.
 * The DMR was first featured in The Art of Halo 3 as a concept design for the Halo 3 battle rifle.
 * The designation of this weapon as a "designated marksman rifle" indicates that it was designed for use in squad-based combat, and not as a dedicated sniping tool. In the U.S. military, designated marksmen provide long-range support to their platoon. This contrasts with snipers, who operate in small teams and receive more specialized marksmanship training.
 * It only takes five shots to take down a fully shielded Spartan in MJOLNIR armor, provided the last shot is to the head. A skillful marksman can eliminate a shielded enemy with ease. This makes the DMR one of the most versatile weapons in-game; it is much more powerful than its successor, the Battle Rifle. Compared to the M6G Magnum, the DMR has a slower firing rate in exchange for higher accuracy and larger magazine capacity, however it shares almost the same amount of damage.
 * Originally, the DMR had only 12 rounds per magazine. However, some time after the Halo Reach beta, this was increased to 15 rounds per magazine. Likely so that it is possible to get 3 kills without the need to reload.
 * Subscribing to Bungie Pro will give the subscriber a DMR nameplate. These are icons displayed next to the user's gamertag in Reach, similar to the septagon in Halo 3.
 * In the game, the DMR incorrectly ejects the casing of the 9.5x40mm round used by the BR55 series, instead of the 7.62x51mm round which it actually fires.
 * Ironically, the Designated Marksman Rifle is the most commonly used weapon in Halo: Reach multiplayer, despite its designation as a weapon given to a specialist marksman in a squad.
 * In the Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta, the assault rifle was given to players' Spartan models in their service records, just as in Halo 3. However, in the full game, this was replaced with the DMR.
 * In campaign, this weapon will prove to be somewhat more effective than the Type-31 Rifle at long range or against individual targets. This is due to how enemy AI regard the latter's shots as explosives (three shots to the body causes the needles to supercombine) and will often jump out of the way or activate Armor Lock.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Reach