BR55 Battle Rifle

Were you looking for the XBR55 Battle Rifle, or the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle?

The BR55 Battle Rifle is a United Nations Space Command infantry service rifle. It has been in service since 2525. It is the older of the BR55 series rifles. It is most notable for its powerful three-round burst fire and accurate 2x scope, making it more efficient at farther ranges than the MA5 Series.

Design Details
"''When nothing else gets the job done, the BR55 Battle Rifle will do. As the standard gun for all UNSC forces, the BR55 is the easiest gun to pick up and use. Almost all soldiers have trained with it, making its slight defects less noticeable, while accentuating its high rate of fire and accuracy. With both semi-automatic and burst-fire modes, the BR55 is the backbone of all UNSC armed forces."

- UNSC Drill Instructor''

The BR55 Battle Rifle is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, mid-to-long range weapon capable of semi-automatic and burst-firing modes. Prototypes of the BR55 existed as early as 2524, and were later used in 2525 during the fall of Harvest. By 2548 it had superseded the M392 Designated Marksman Rifle in use in all branches of the military with exception of the Army. The Battle Rifle fires the M634 9.5x40mm X-HP-SAP round from a 36-round magazine, however the weapon could utilize the 9.5x40mm KURZ. Additionally, the weapon features a scope attachment capable of 2x magnification. It does reasonable damage to enemies, being able to kill most within a few bursts (normally four when enemy is fully shielded), and can easily land headshots on unshielded targets, resulting in a one-hit kill. Its accuracy and range are also reasonably high, being able to hit a target from medium to semi-long ranges.

This titanium alloy weapon is gas-operated with a rotating bolt. Therefore, the charging handle must be racked before the first round can be fired; this will put a round into the barrel. The charging handle used to chamber the round is located on the left side of the weapon and does not move during operation. Once the first round is fired, the gases from that round—and those to follow—impinge upon a gas piston, which pushes back the bolt carrier, rotating the bolt inside and continuing to chamber rounds until the magazine is empty. Once the magazine is empty, the charging handle can either be pulled back and locked or it can be fully cycled after a fresh magazine has been housed. If it is pulled back and locked, then it must be pushed forward once a fresh magazine is housed to chamber a new round. The magazine release button is located on both sides of the gun with an arrow pointing down towards the housed mag in the stock. The ejection port is located on the right side of the weapon. There is also a fire selector on both sides of the ammo display.

The BR55, having a rifled barrel, is 89.9cm long and is fitted with a scope for increased accuracy. The scope is mounted on the optics rail. The safety is also located above the handle of the weapon.

Ammunition
It is interesting to note the ammunition type used for the battle rifle. It uses a new 9.5 x 40mm experimental round. The 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round is a rather high-powered round used on the MA5 and on modern-day marksman rifles and machine guns. The 7.62 mm already has a history of having too much recoil because of the round's high power, which made it hard to fire in full-auto in assault rifles. Despite the Battle Rifle's shorter case size, the increase in diameter actually increases the amount of powder present. The level of recoil would be enough to drastically decrease accuracy and inhibit the ability to fire controlled bursts for standard Marines, although for Spartans it should not be a problem.

Advantages
The BR55 has reasonably high power, a decent rate of fire, and high accuracy with an electronic 2x telescopic sights attachment; it can be used to deliver three-round bursts at medium ranges. This weapon will kill an unshielded enemy in a single head shot. Against vehicles like the Spectre or Ghost, an experienced user can easily take out the driver, rendering the vehicle immobile, however, this is harder with the Warthog.

Disadvantages
At longer ranges, it's necessary to minimize strafing movements when firing to avoid "splintering" the shot grouping too much. Since each "shot" is really a three-round burst, certain movements can break up the shot's grouping, and could greatly reduce accuracy.

The Battle Rifle is not as effective at long ranges. Each bullet also acts as a tracer which gives away the shooter's position. Also, the range is limited compared to the Sniper Rifle. Neither is it an effective weapon at close range, as the low fire rate and average stopping power of the weapon makes any fully-automatic weapon far superior in close-quarters combat.