7.62x51mm
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
The 7.62x51mm cartridge is an ammunition size in which the rifles and machine guns of the United Nations Space Command are commonly chambered.[1][2] A significant variation of ammunition types for this cartridge are employed.
Overview
This cartridge shares its dimensions with a form of rifle ammunition developed in the 20th century, employed commonly across the nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization under the designation 7.62 NATO.[3] The UNSC employ it in a wide variety of weapons, including:
- The MA5 series assault rifles, including the MA37[1]
- The M392[4] and M395 Designated Marksman Rifles[5]
- The M739 Light Machine Gun[6]
- The M247 General Purpose Machine Gun[2] and M247T Medium Machine Gun[7]
Weapons chambered for 7.62×51mm ammunition, such as the MA5B assault rifle, are considered to be powerful by UNSC soldiers.[8]
Variants
M118 FMJ-AP
M118 FMJ-AP (full metal jacket, armor-piercing) rounds are the standard-issue ammo type employed by the UNSC's assault rifles,[1] the M392[4] and M395 DMRs,[5] and the M739 LMG.[6] The projectile's armor-piercing capabilities stem from its specially hardened construction.[8] UNSC infantry combat armor is capable of preventing lethal penetration at close range from a limited burst at the cost of bruising and significant discomfort,[9] though infantry and even light vehicles or aircraft such as un-shielded Covenant Banshees are susceptible to fatal damage under sustained, accurate fire.[10] Energy shields drastically reduce the ammunition's stopping power, as a great deal of concentrated fire from multiple weapons - or an extended period of continuous automatic fire from a single weapon - is needed to overwhelm them.[8]
Shredder
Shredder rounds are an alternate 7.62x51mm ammunition type occasionally employed with the MA5B assault rifle.[11] The projectiles they fire are designed to splinter on impact,[12] and are highly effective against lightly-armored infantry like Covenant grunt soldiers[11] and building materials like marble tiles and wood.[13] Ammunition of this type was used by the SPARTAN-IIs of Blue Team to engage a horde of Unggoy in the Battle of Jericho VII.[11] Another instance of their use by Blue Team was at Cote d'Azur, when engaging a pair of hunters in a museum. After finding their AP rounds were ineffective against the hunters' armor, John-117 ordered the SPARTAN-IIs to use shredder rounds to fire at the floor beneath them, causing the hunters to fall to the level below.[13]
Hollow-point
7.62x51mm hollow-point ammunition is a variant type of round which is optimal for use against unprotected biological targets, also employed occasionally in the MA5B. A situationally useful attribute of this ammo type is that it is unlikely to cause unwanted to damage to potentially vulnerable structures like equipment cabinets, viewports and starship hulls, making them a useful tool when taking a ship. Magazines containing this ammunition are recognizably marked with red paint.[14]
Gallery
An M118 ammo pack in Halo: Combat Evolved.
A packet of M118 ammunition.
A 7.62x51mm bullet extracted from Zhao Heng Lopez's shoulder in The Mona Lisa.
Closeup of an 7.62x51mm AP cartridge in an MA5D's magazine in Halo 4.
A round of 7.62x51mm AP ammunition seen in its magazine in Halo 5: Guardians.
7.62x51mm shell casings ejecting from a firing MA5D in Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer.
List of appearances
Sources
- ^ a b c Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, Assault Rifle
- ^ a b Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, Machine Gun Turret
- ^ Wikipedia, 7.62x51mm NATO
- ^ a b Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, DMR
- ^ a b Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, DMR
- ^ a b Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, SAW
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, Scorpion
- ^ a b c Halo: The Flood, Chapter 1
- ^ Halo: Evolutions, The Mona Lisa, section ">Lopez 1527 hours"
- ^ Halo: The Flood, Chapter 2
- ^ a b c Halo: The Fall of Reach, Prologue
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 29
- ^ a b Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 22
- ^ Halo: Silent Storm, Chapter 24
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