MA5C assault rifle

The MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System, abbreviated MA5C ICWS and commonly known as the MA5C assault rifle, is a standard-issue service rifle for the UNSC Marine Corps and the Navy. Produced by Misriah Armory as part of its MA5 Series, the MA5C is an improvement on the MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System.

Overview
The MA5C Assault Rifle is an air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed, fully-automatic bullpup rifle that fires 32 rounds of 7.62x51mm ammunition. It possesses a built-in ammunition indicator and magnetic compass for orientation similar to that of all other MA5 series rifles.

The MA5C rifle has received technical, as well as physical improvements over the MA5B rifle that include: a heavier barrel with a 1 in 7 twist; a redesigned cowling to house the electronics suite that reduces weight and increases portability of weapon; and a redesigned handguard which is sturdier and provides a more positive grip. The magazine capacity has been reduced to 32 rounds from the original 60 in the MA5B, and the rifle's range and accuracy has been substantially improved over its predecessor, making it a more formidable assault rifle.

Advantages
The MA5C in both offensive and suppressive situations remains the Marine Corps' most reliable weapon. When fired in short bursts the MA5C Rifle can be effective at hitting targets at longer ranges, and the rifle's armor penetrating ability makes it key for handling even the toughest of infantry. The MA5C Rifle is effective at killing armored infantry at short-to-medium range and its high rate of fire allows its user to spray an area with suppression fire in defensive situations. At close range, the MA5C is arguably deadlier than the M7/Caseless Submachine Gun, as the firepower is approximately equal. The MA5C also provides the user with an ammo count on its digital readout, as well a compass pointing toward the arbitrary magnetic "north" position. In the hands of someone who can control his trigger finger, the MA5C becomes a deadly weapon in close-quarter situations.

Disadvantages
The MA5C's main disadvantage is that it is grossly inaccurate when fired in full-automatic. Even though substantially better than the MA5B, it is too inaccurate for use at longer ranges, which makes the user an easy target for long range weapons - at long range a high ratio of misses to hits is likely, especially if the target is moving. The magazine can run out very quickly in fully automatic fire and has relatively low power per round compared to many other weapons; an engagement with numerous and/or particularly resilient enemies will likely require the user to reload a few times before they die. It should be used as a secondary weapon for shorter ranges, paired with a long range weapon like the Battle Rifle.

Changes from the MA5B in Halo: Combat Evolved to MA5C in Halo 3

 * Different firing sound.
 * Increased maximum magazines.
 * Increased range and increased damage per round.
 * Decreased rate of fire and a faster reload time.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo 3: ODST

 * The damage done to shields is decreased by 50%.

Tactics
The MA5C is one of the weapons which players will love and loathe in equal measures. The rifle's rate of fire makes it a devastatingly powerful weapon in close range combat, and it's melee attack usually ensures victory in close quarter battles. In a skilled player's hand, the assault rifle can easily be a formidable weapon.

Campaign

 * A simple tactic for medium range AR combat is to "rapid-pulse" the trigger; in other words, rapidly press down on the trigger, as if firing a semi-automatic weapon, like the Carbine. This will result in rapid, accurate, controlled bursts. This is very useful in the early levels of the game.
 * Using controlled bursts, players can increase the accuracy and take down shielded Covenant units and finish them off with a melee.
 * Couple this weapon with a plasma-based weaponry such as a overcharged Plasma Pistol shot to weaken a shielded Covenant unit and then switch to this weapon to finish it off.

Multiplayer

 * Due to its high rate of fire, it is very capable of whittling down shielding in about less than two seconds.
 * If the opponent does not have an Energy Sword, Shotgun, Mauler, or other short-ranged weapons, then a good strategy is to get into close range and charge them, while firing all the way. If it were otherwise, then do not get up close to the opponent. Although long range weapons are the Achilles heel of the assault rifle, the weapons aforementioned would easily overpower the assault rifle at close range. Instead, use short controlled bursts while backing up to take him down.
 * Another tactic is to use the rifle for suppression fire. This means that you can spray the area of a target in order to get the enemy to keep their heads down. This is especially helpful if you are being fired upon by a sniper because even if one round hits the sniper, he is knocked out of the scope and will become disoriented. This gives you a chance to find cover or move in for the kill.
 * The fragmentation grenade used in combination with the assault rifle is also extremely effective. For example, if you are being pursued, jump around a corner and quickly throw the fragmentation grenade to bring down the target's shield. Once your gun is back in hand, open fire. This should most likely bring your target down, provided you do not get caught in your own grenade's blast radius, else you would be in the same situation as your adversary, although it usually depends on your enemy's weapon and skill.
 * Do not aim for the head; since automatic weapons have no headshot multiplier, and the MA5C is not an exception. You will, most likely, just waste ammo and have more shots go astray rather than kill your opponent faster, since the head is obviously a smaller target.
 * If you take out another player's shields with an entire magazine, but do not kill him, try quickly switching to a headshot-capable weapon (if you have one) and aim for the head. One to two headshots will usually kill if the player has no shields.

Miscellaneous

 * All pre-release public pictures of the MA5C in first person showed BR55 animations as placeholders before the final animations were in place in the final game.
 * In the Halo 3 Beta, the charging handle of the MA5C had an animation. However, this is not present in Halo 3.
 * The green button on the MA5C is a power on/off switch for the weapon's flashlight, which is never used in game by playable characters.
 * When tested, each individual round of the MA5C actually does slightly more damage than the BR55HB SR. However, this is offset by the MA5C's lower accuracy at mid-long range, and the fact that it has no headshot bonus.
 * The remastered MA5B in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary uses the MA5C's model.
 * In Fable 2, the MA5C can be obtained in the Knothole Island expansion pack. It is called "Hal's Rifle".
 * The 1/7 barrel twist rate is not optimal for the ammunition the MA5C uses; this would generally cause the projectile to become very unstable (and thus, more inaccurate) as it travels through the air. 7.62x51mm rounds are usually fired through barrels with a 1/10, 1/11, or 1/12 twist.

Mistakes

 * The reload animation of the MA5C is slightly incorrect; the player character pushes the charging handle forward after reloading, though he would have to pull it back slightly before it launched forward by itself. Also, he is seen riding the charging handle, keeping his finger on the handle while it slides forward. This is both incorrect and can cause malfunctions in modern-day weapons; riding the charging handle as the bolt carrier goes forward can prevent the bolt from fully going into battery.
 * The Halo Encyclopedia incorrectly states that the MA5C has a reduced magazine size of twenty-four rounds, though the adjacent image shows the ammunition counter of an MA5C which contains thirty-two rounds.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Helljumper
 * Halo: Bloodline
 * Halo Legends
 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: The Thursday War