Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel
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| Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel | |
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| Production overview | |
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Model series: |
SRS99 series |
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Type: |
Anti-matériel sniper rifle |
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Variants: |
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| Specifications | |
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Length: |
187.5 centimeters |
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Ammunition type: |
14.5x114mm APFSDS (Armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding sabot rounds) |
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Feed system: |
4-round detachable box magazine |
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Effective range: |
2300 meters |
| Service history | |
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Affiliation: |
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The Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel (abbreviated SRS99C-S2 AM) is a standard-issue sniper rifle of the United Nations Space Command.
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[edit] Design details
The SRS99C-S2 AMB is a semi-automatic, gas-operated sniper rifle that fires 14.5mm x 114mm APFSDS rounds from a 4 round magazine. It is designed in the conventional layout, so the mag and operating system are located in front of the trigger. It is, alongside its primary Covenant counterpart, the Type-50 particle beam rifle, the most accurate and arguably the most powerful small-arms weapon in either arsenal. The rifle features a barrel about 187.5cm long and is completely interchangeable.[1] Nearly all components of the weapon can be changed to fit the mission requirements, including the barrel assembly (which includes the chamber) and the stock.
[edit] Ammunition
- Main article: 14.5x114mm APFSDS
The Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel fires the 14.5x114mm APFSDS (armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding sabot) rounds semi-automatically from a standard four round magazine. These rounds are large in both length and width and are equipped with four symmetrical fins spaced equidistantly around the base of the projectile, stabilizing its trajectory to results of amazing accuracy, with a hit ratio of 97.3%. The terminal ballistics profile of the 14.5 x 114mm round is impressive; at 600 yards a round from the Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel would go through about 13 feet of flesh and bone.[2]
The rounds are described as being made of very hard metal, with the core probably composed of tungsten or depleted uranium, like most anti-matériel ammunition today. The APFSDS round is an anti-matériel munition, meaning that it is specifically designed for use against military equipment rather than against other combatants. It performs rather poorly in this role, as rounds fired at vehicles and equipment will do no damage or ricochet. The round is best used on other combatants depending on their use of body armor and energy shields. The APFSDS rounds fired by the Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel leave behind a noticeable white vapor trail that can reveal the position of the sniper, however they can be used as an aiming aid for the sniper himself.
The weapon can also be quickly and easily chambered to utilize other ammunition types, such as the .450 cartridge.[3] The weapon can also fire grappling hooks rather than standard ammunition.
[edit] Advantages
The Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel is designed to be used at medium to long ranges and is equipped with an electronic scope for precisely this purpose. It is tremendously useful in its designated role, considering its extraordinary range, surpassing any other weapon of comparable size, and its incredible stopping power even against body armor and Covenant shielding system.
By far, one of its most useful applications is taking out higher-ranking targets from long range to destabilize their squad's discipline and morale. A headshot will kill any Covenant infantry except a high-ranking Elite or Brute. Hunters fall from two shots to their unarmored torso or neck. This does not account for The Flood, however, due to their morphology. The Flood can, however, be rendered harmless by removing their limbs or by placing a round into the embedded infection form. In multiplayer, the Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel can be highly effective at close range in the hands of a skilled operator, as the highly damaging round is just as powerful at close range; a single round followed by a melee strike will kill a hostile almost instantly.
[edit] Disadvantages
The rifle's projectile has a slight travel time at great distances, and requires practice to use effectively at range. When used in close quarters, its precision nature, slow reload time, small magazine capacity, heavy recoil, and slow rate-of-fire leave absolutely no room for error. A small combat load and the relative scarcity of ammunition available for the weapon also make it bad practice to expend ammunition on smaller, less threatening combatants, such as Grunts. The Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel is also largely ineffective against most Flood forms, due to their body organization; damage done by the Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel is minimal to the Flood forms and would only cause the Flood form to flinch for a moment. It is often recommended for operators to simply switch to other weapons should they encounter a Flood form.
Rounds fired by the Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel leave a trail that could be traced back to the sniper's location. The rifle is fatally ineffective against even light-skinned and unarmored vehicles (belying its designation as an anti-matériel weapon) unless a shot can be taken on the vehicle's occupants, except for Wraiths.
[edit] Influence
The Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel appears to be heavily inspired by the 21st century South African NTW-20 and the Barrett M107 SASR. Many of the features present in the rifle are included in both these weapons, such as the recoil-dampening piston, the general appearance of the receiver, the magazine placement, muzzle brake and many other attributes.
The influence for a muzzle brake at the end of the rifle comes from many different 21st century sniper rifles, namely the Barrett M107 SASR. However on the Barrett M107, the gasses are forced out of the muzzle brake diagonally away from the barrel and towards the shooter. This helps to significantly dampen the recoil. The rifle's muzzle brake is shaped so that the expanding gasses are forced out the muzzle brake and away from the shooter. This would slow the round's muzzle velocity, and significantly increase the recoil by around forty percent.
[edit] Changes
[edit] Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo PC
- Maximum telescopic zoom reduced from 10x to 8x.
[edit] Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Graphic overhaul, resembling the SRS 99 AM from Halo: Reach.
- Reticule significantly larger.
[edit] Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2
- Minor cosmetic changes.
- Shorter overall length.
- Decreased max magazine capacity down from 28 to 24.
- Night vision function has been removed.
[edit] Variant
[edit] SRS99C-S2 AMB
The Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel B, abbreviated as SRS99C-S2 AMB Sniper Rifle is an upgrade of the SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle. The AMB variant includes a different scope and a better designed grip for stability and accuracy. It is slightly shorter than the base model (of 187.5 centimeters), measuring to 168.5 centimeters.
[edit] Tactics
- Main article: Sniping
The SRS99C-S2 AMB is extremely powerful, but with a small combat load, it is not good practice to use this weapon against weaker enemies (Grunts, Drones). However, the SRS99C-S2 AMB penetration capabilities and superb, long range accuracy makes it excellent for killing higher ranking enemies at long range, which, in turn, disorganizes and demoralizes the enemy troops, making combat against a large ground force much easier.
[edit] Campaign
- Take cover behind any rock or building (if any). Easily take aim and make sure you fire before the hostile sees you. Also stick to high ground (if any). Do not waste rounds on minor threats like Unggoy (Grunts) or shield-bearing Kig-yar (Jackals) since ammo is usually scarce and you can kill them easily with other weapons too. Even from a distance, the pistol can usually take care of them in one headshot.
- A good setup in covenant levels is to take SRS99C-S2 AMB for longer range and difficult foes, such as Sangheili (Elites). A secondary weapon can be anything you feel good to take out minor foes like Jackals and Grunts. The M6D pistol is an excellent secondary weapon, because of the accuracy, stopping power and zoom function. This pistol negates the need of SRS99C-S2 AMB for short range combat, thus saving its scarce ammo, so you can use it against zealots, ultras, major elites, etc.
- In Flood levels, the SRS99C-S2 AMB should be ignored, as the rounds pass through combat and carrier forms, doing little to no damage at all. However, in levels that include both enemies (covenant and flood), one could bring the SRS99C-S2 AMB for covenant enemies and the M90 Close Assault Weapon System (or other weapon that the player feels good to use against flood), to maximize damage against both foes.
- When combined with a Plasma Pistol, the SRS99C-S2 AMB can be used to form a special kind of noob combo, with the overcharged Pistol depriving enemies of their shields and the SRS99C-S2 AMB dealing a fatal body or headshot. This variant is more powerful than the combination of a Plasma Pistol and an M6D Pistol, however it is more advisable to replace it with the M6D when available for several reasons:
- The SRS99C-S2 AMB is more than capable of killing in one or two shots on its own.
- One headshot from either weapon can kill an unshielded enemy (more shots from the pistol may be required for higher-ranking enemies, but its higher rate of fire and more plentiful ammo compensate for this).
[edit] Multiplayer
- In Halo: Combat Evolved, effective use of the SRS99C-S2 AM in multiplayer takes a lot of practice. It is necessary to aim in front of a target to accommodate for server lag, how far one should aim in front depends on their angle onto the target and the amount of lag in the server. Targets are shot easiest when they are head on, moving directly toward you.
- A head-shot will kill an enemy outright, regardless of shield. Night vision is best used in dark areas (obviously) but is useless in maps that have high color contrast. Good secondary weapons include the M6D Pistol which can, when shot accurately dispose of an enemy in 3 shots regardless of shield. Its 2x zoom make it the perfect partner for the SRS99C-S2 AM.
- Use natural formations and buildings to snipe from, but move constantly and erratically (including jumping and crouching) to lower the effectiveness of counter-sniping. The fact that 14.5x114mm APFSDS bullets leave a smoky trail is the weapons largest downside (apart from the small magazine capacity) it exposes one's position and alerts the enemy easily; constant position changing is advised to confuse the enemy. Find something to hide behind while you reload, and reload when not in a firefight. Good snipers cover teammates and kill anyone who is chasing the person on your team with the flag (note: this is only for CTF).
- Sniping is easier if you turn down your look sensitivity. Unfortunately, this makes shotgun and other close quarters combat weapons slightly harder to use in a chaotic environment.
[edit] Trivia
- During an interview, William O'Brien, an animator for Halo 2, said, "Robert McLees is definitely the go-to guy for the gun stuff. I wanted to come up with an animation for the sniper scope, an 'idle cycle'. If you activate the scope, and then sit too long without doing anything, the animation would kick in periodically, just to keep things interesting... Simple, right...? He replied, 'No way. If you adjust your scope in the field, you're dead. Snipers don't do that.' That's how detailed his weapon designs are -- not just guns, but how they work, and how a sniper would fire them. Amazing."
- In Halo: Combat Evolved, enemy NPCs do not acknowledge the sniper rifle's shot if they do not see the sniper, despite its loud crack in close-medium quarters. If the player down an enemy with the sniper rifle, some will note the fallen AI, but will not search for the player as they would if the player fired with any other weapon.
- In Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the design of the weapon has been changed and closely mirrors that of the Sniper Rifle System 99 Anti-Matériel.
[edit] Gallery
Front and back views of the sniper rifle as seen in Halo: Combat Evolved.
An in-game profile view of an SSR99C-S2AM Sniper Rifle in Halo: Combat Evolved.
An in-game profile view of the SRS99C-S2AMB Sniper Rifle in Halo 2.
Views of the sniper rifle as seen in Halo Legends: Homecoming.
A first person view of the SRS99C-S2AM in Halo: Combat Evolved.
A first person view of the SRS99C-S2AMB in Halo 2.
The SRS99C-S2 AM's targeting reticule in Halo PC.
The SRS99C-S2 AMB's targeting reticule.
The 2x scope of the SRS99C-S2AM in Halo PC.
The 8X scope of the SRS99C-S2AM in Halo PC.
The night-vision function of the scope of the SRS99C-S2AM in Halo PC.
The Mechem NTW-20 bears a close resemblance to the 99C-S2 Sniper Rifle.
[edit] List of appearances
[edit] Sources
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 80
- ^ Believe, Enemy Weapon
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page ???
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