| Battlefield 3
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PC Boxart
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| Release Date:
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2011
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| Developer:
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DICE
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| Publisher:
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EA
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| Series:
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Battlefield
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| Platforms:
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PC
Xbox 360
Playstation 3
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| Genre:
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First-Person Shooter
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Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand (2011) DLC.
Battlefield 3: Close Quarters (2012) DLC.
Battlefield 3: Armored Kill (2012) DLC.
Battlefield 3: Aftermath (2012) DLC.
Battlefield 3: End Game (2013) DLC.
Battlefield 3 (also known as BF3) is the twelfth installment of the Battlefield series. The game was developed by the Swedish company Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (DICE) and published by Electronic Arts in 2011 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The game is powered by the proprietary Frostbite 2 engine, a further development of the engine used in the Bad Company games.
The following weapons appear in the video game Battlefield 3:
Overview
Unlike earlier DICE games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Medal of Honor's multiplayer, weapons in Battlefield 3 correctly track + 1 in the chamber and have correct chambering reload animations during empty reloads.
Handguns
Beretta M9
In the beginning of the single-player mission "Semper Fidelis" and "The Great Destroyer", Blackburn acquires a Beretta M9. It can also be seen holstered on some US Marine throughout the single-player campaign. In multiplayer it is the starting handgun for US forces. In multiplayer, Players can unlock additional M9's outfitted with a Tactical Light and a Sound Suppressor separately as they level (rank) up.
Blackburn holds an M9 at the start of the introductory mission "Semper Fidelis." This one of only two times in the entire campaign the player character has a sidearm.
Holding a M9 pistol upon a F/A-18E Hornet found grazing in a field on Caspian Border.
Reloading the M9 pistol. The slide doesn't lock quite as far back as it's supposed to.
The M9 with a suppressor. Different classes of weapon use different suppressor models, but those models are shared among the weapons of that class. The only exceptions to this are the G3A3 and SCAR-H CQC, which use the same model as the sniper rifles because of their caliber.
"93R"
The M9's model is also modified to be the "93R" in the game. The weapon is given a 93R's muzzle brake and folding foregrip, as well as being able to fire 3-round bursts, and uses 20 round magazines, can be unlocked as a sidearm in Co-Op requiring a 86,000 Co-Op Score.
Beretta 92FS rendered with extended barrel and magazine to resemble the Beretta 93R - 9x19mm Parabellum
An actual Beretta 93R, for comparison - 9x19mm Parabellum
The mock 93R on the
Close Quarters Scrapmetal level.
Iron sights of the Beretta, same as the M9 above.
After replacing the magazine, the player character operates the slide release; note the projecting base of the 20-round magazine.
Glock 17
The Glock 17 is shown in an official screenshot for the Battlelog. Called "G17C", although it is modeled after a standard Glock 17 as there are no compensator cuts on the top of the slide. It comes standard with a laser sight, while a variant that has both a laser sight and a suppressor is available as a later unlock. It is the only handgun that lets you equip two attachments at a time without either being a DICE developer, or having a certain DLC package. Also, all of the US Assault kit soldiers have a G17 in a chest holster in addition to whatever their selected sidearm is, and this G17 does not have a laser.
A Generation 3 Glock 17 - 9x19mm
A Russian soldier with the Glock 17 faces down an avenue toward the Eiffel Tower.
The Glock 17's reload - dumping out a magazine from empty. The slide isn't fully locked back enough to actually engage the slide stop.
In with a new 17-rounder magazine, which briefly clips through the back of the grip.
A dead PLR soldier with a Glock 17 affixed to his side, and another low-detail pistol in his actual holster. His camouflage is based on Iranian marine fatigues, a mix of DPM with US "Chocolate-Chip" dots.
Glock 18
The third generation Glock 18 appears as the "G18". It has an extended magazine base that gives it a 19 round capacity. Interestingly enough in the beta, the suppressed Glock 18 is unlocked before the standard unsuppressed variant (though this has been fixed in the regular game and the unsuppressed version is unlocked at Rank 30 with the suppressed variant unlocked at 41). Note that the Battlelog picture (seen below) lacks a fire selector, but is actually different than that G17's picture. This is most likely because it is from an early build of the game, as it appears correctly in-game. It is an incredibly effective sidearm in close quarters, but is useless at medium range and beyond unless burst fired.
Glock 18 (3rd Generation) - 9x19mm
First-person view of the Glock 18.
Blowing apart some fancy planks in Ziba Tower with the G18.
Reloading; note the fire selector.
MEU(SOC) Pistol
The USMC variant of the M1911, the M45, can be used if the player is a Battlefield Veteran or was a member of the EA Gun Club (now part of Battlelog). It is a standard M1911A1 with a three-hole trigger, a Springfield slide, commander-style hammer, beavertail grip safety, Pachmayr rubber grips, and uses 8 round magazines. It comes with additional variants that incorporate a Tactical Flashlight or Sound Suppressor. A variant with both aforementioned attachments (named M1911 S-TAC) exist, but prior to the release of the End Game DLC, it was available only to DICE employees. For those with the DLC, a series of assignments need to be completed in order to unlock a final assignment, called "All about precision". After completing it (which require 20 headshots with pistols), the pistol is unlocked.
MEU(SOC) Pistol - .45 ACP
A US Marine patrols the Caspian Border forest with his .45 pistol.
The tritium sights of the MEU(SOC). Here it's possible to see the lack of an ambidextrous safety.
The MEU(SOC) has its own unique (and more detailed) reload animation, while all the other pistols use another generic animation. Here the magazine is ejected. Note the incorrect curved mainspring housing. Also note the A1 style safety, which is also incorrect.
Lining up a loaded magazine with the magwell. Note that the "MODEL 1911-A1" and "CAL.45" markings on the slide. This and the slanted serrations shows that it's a Springfield Armory made slide.
Thumbing the slide catch to make ready again with the M45.
The Marine vaults over a fence with his MEU(SOC) pistol, appreciative of the fact that he actually has legs in this game.
MP-412 REX
The MP-412 REX revolver returns from Bad Company and Bad Company 2 as an unlockable sidearm that can only be unlocked by achieving a 5000 Co-Op Score. Unlike in the Bad Company series, the top break cartridge ejector is seen in full effect actually ejecting spent rounds as opposed to "flicking" them out. It is considerably different by having a slightly faster rate of fire and being more effective at close range compared to its larger .44 cousin.
Out in the Omani town with a MP-412 REX. The model has returned to the normal 4" barrel length last seen in the first
Bad Company.
Iron sights of the MP-412 REX.
The brilliant shower of .357 casings after opening up the REX.
Inserting new .357 Magnum rounds with a speedloader.
The top-break system is also clasped shut, unlike the flick seen in previous games.
MP-443 Grach
The MP-443 Grach returns from Bad Company 2 and is the Russian faction's sidearm. In Multiplayer the player unlocks the Tactical Light and Sound Suppressor as they level up instead of by gaining kills with the weapon. Its 17-round capacity can be considered anachronistic, as Russian forces have switched to 18-round magazines in 2004.
Vladimir uses his MP-443 as one of Solomon's men demonstrates how not to steal a car stereo.
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds his MP-443 on Blackburn as he tries to blame everything on a fire extinguisher.
Holding the MP-443 Grach.
Taurus Model 44
The Taurus Model 44 appears as an unlockable sidearm, and can be fitted with a scope. Appears as ".44 Magnum", one of the few weapons in game that does not go by its proper name. In the campaign, the antagonist Solomon uses one as his personal sidearm. In multiplayer, a variant with a PK-A scope is fittingly unlocked at Rank 44. It has a slow rate of fire, but is a powerful weapon.
Taurus Model 44 with 6" barrel - .44 Magnum
Solomon aims his Taurus Model 44 at Blackburn during the introductory level. Visible in the full-sized image is what appears to be an empty speedloader hovering in mid-air behind the weapon, just above Solomon's wrist.
Blackburn soon finds himself getting a closer look at the barrel.
Prior to the start of "Uprising," Solomon is seen aiming his Taurus at an injured Marine.
Brandishing the Taurus .44 atop the USS Essex in the Pacific, alongside some Marine aircraft.
It reloads with the distinct stressfire technique, something that was rarely seen in games before
Battlefield 3. Here, the user palms out the spent cartridges.
And then right-hands in a speedloader of .44.
Then the cylinder is rather dramatically ratcheted shut - the cartridges are a bit off-position, though.
Dog Tag Weapons
A large number of weapons appear on dog tags associated with a similar weapon, weapon of the same family, weapon of the same category, or in a few cases, weapons that make no sense at all. As there are so many, the weapons found only on dog tags have been placed in their own category at the bottom of each class of weapon. This is to avoid confusion as to which weapons are actually in the game and which ones are only pictures.
Beretta "93R" Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Beretta 93R / Fake "92R"
Beretta M9 Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Beretta M9 / Beretta M9
Beretta M9 Suppressed Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Beretta M9 / Beretta M9
Glock 17 Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Glock 17 / Glock 17
Glock 18 Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Glock 18 / Glock 18
MEU (SOC) Dog Tag 100/500 kill - M1911A1 / MEU (SOC)
MP-442 REX Dog Tag 100/500 kill - MP-412 REX / MP-412 REX
MP-443 Grach Dog Tag 100/500 kill - MP-443 Grach / MP-443 Grach
MP-443 Grach Suppressed Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Makarov PB / MP-443 Grach
Taurus Model 44 Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Taurus Model 44 / Taurus Model 44
Handgun Mastery Dog Tag Handgun Medal 1 Time - Single Action Army 1873
"toe2toe" Dog tag - Beretta M9 / MP-443 Grach
Submachine Guns
Unlike previous games in the series, SMGs are all-class weapons, and not strictly limited to an Engineer/Spec Ops-type class.
FN P90 TR
The FN P90 TR boasts a large ammo capacity at 50+1, a high rate of fire, and excellent accuracy at the expense of suffering from low damage at long distance. The weapon is capable of being used by all four classes in multiplayer.
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds a P90TR during the mission "Comrades."
The P90TR out on Wake Island.
Aiming down the fictional default BUIS used on several weapons in
Battlefield 3.
Pulling the charging handle.
Heckler & Koch MP5KA4
The MP5KA4 is added to BF3 via Close Quarters DLC, called M5K in BF3, comes standard with a 15 round magazine that incorrectly holds 20 rounds. However, the Extended Mags attachment gives it a 30 round magazine with the correct ammo count. Note that in Battlelog, its render is a MP5KN with the fire selector on safe, but in-game it is a MP5KA4 with the fire selector on full-auto. A correct three-round burst mode was added in a patch around the time of release for the Armored Kill expansion.
The "M5K" inside the chic Ziba Tower restaurant.
The MP5K's iron sights trained upon a painting across the dining room.
It reloads similar to the previous DLC's HK53 - the bolt is locked back when empty.
Swapping out the magazine.
And performing a HK slap.
Heckler & Koch MP7A1
The H&K MP7A1 can be unlocked and used by any kit. It can use either a 20- or 40-round magazine. It must be unlocked in the Co-Op mode, requiring 34,000 Score. It does low damage to enemies, but has a very high rate of fire and manageable recoil to balance it out. An interesting thing to note is that this weapon has separate reload animations for the 20 and 40 round magazines (the 20 round magazine is dropped via the use of gravity, while the 40 round magazine is manually removed). The "reload-from-empty" animation on the MP7 has the player thumb an invisible bolt release, not reaching far enough to tab the lever.
Heckler & Koch MP7A1 with Zeiss Z-Point red dot sight and 40-round magazine - 4.6x30mm
Blackburn holds an MP7A1 with suppressor, EOTech sight and 40-round extended magazine during the mission "Night Shift." Note the BUIS are retained even with an optic added.
Blackburn loads a new 40-round magazine into his MP7A1 as he is menaced by a series of incomprehensible graffiti tags.
The 20-round magazine for the MP7A1 frequently glitches and fails to appear during the campaign; here in "The Great Destroyer" Blackburn reloads one with a large flash suppressor, IRNV scope and laser pointer...
...whereas earlier he just told his vanilla one to imagine it was full of bullets that were
this big.
The default iron sights of the MP7 in multiplayer.
An unusable MP7 belonging to one of Kaffarov's goons lying disintegrated on the ground.
Heckler & Koch UMP45
The H&K UMP45 can be used by all four classes, and has an ammo capacity of 25 + 1. It is depicted to have a 2-round burst firing mode even though the selector on the in-game model doesn't actually have this option.
Heckler & Koch UMP45 - .45 ACP
Blackburn reloads his UMP during "The Great Destroyer," wondering why he didn't have it the first time he went through this section. Note the caution on the side of the weapon to read the owner's manual; while this makes some sense on this level where the UMPs are seen in the hands of terrorists, the warning is still present even in "Operation Guillotine" when the UMPs are used by the US military; military UMPs should not have it.
Observing a cabin on Kaisar Railroad with the UMP.
The rear sight is now set to a rear notch, compared to the G36C-like peep in the previous game.
Performing a tactical reload with the UMP. The magazine briefly clips the magwell when being removed.
When empty, the charging handle is locked back similar to the roller delayed HKs.
Loading in a new magazine with a modeled cartridge.
Backhanding the bolt back into battery.
PP-19 Bizon-2
The PP-19 Bizon-2 is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack, and can be used by any kit. The weapon features a slightly inaccurate magazine capacity of 54 rounds (+ 1 in the chamber), whereas the real life 9x19mm Parabellum helical magazine has a max capacity of 53. However, the PP-19 in-game is chambered in the 9x18mm Makarov, although the lower magazine capacity could very well be for balancing purposes, as DICE may have felt 64 rounds in an SMG would be a tad unfair. Also to note, the PP-19 is the only 9x18mm Makarov weapon in the game.
PP-19 Bizon-2 - 9x18mm Makarov
PP-19 Bizon-2 on the customize menu. Note that the 9x19mm caliber was changed to 9x18 in a patch.
A PP-19 Bizon in the hands of a soldier out on the Russian side of Karkand.
The Bizon's iron sights, which actually has a fairly realistic tight rear notch.
Removing the helical magazine.
Loading up a new one. A cartridge is never shown in the feed lips.
Pulling the bolt to chamber a new round.
PP-2000
The PP-2000 returns from Bad Company 2, feeling much more realistic this time around, with a more believable firing rate and packing a decent punch per shot, as opposed to the previous game, in which its firing rate was more akin to a Minigun and its power-per-shot around the area of lightly tossing a handful of pebbles at your opponent's face. Comes standard with a 20 round mag, and a 40 round extended mag can be unlocked.
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds his PP-2000 after completing a HALO jump into Northern Iran at the start of the mission "Kaffarov."
Inserting a new magazine.
Shotguns
For the first time in a main Battlefield series game (excluding spinoffs like Battlefield Play4Free), shotguns can be iron-sighted, and like the SMGs, can be used in every kit. In addition, DICE made it so that their shotguns have considerable range, unlike most video games where you have to see the whites of the enemies' eyes for shotguns to be effective.
Benelli M4 Super 90
The Benelli M1014 semi-automatic shotgun is found in Battlefield 3. Default magazine capacity is 4+1, represented by the magazine tube ending at the sling swivel rather than the civilian model 5-shot crimped tube. Extended Magazine uses the full-length tube with 6+1 capacity (Indicating the use of 3-inch magnum rounds. The full-length tube normally holds seven 2.75-inch rounds). When reloading from empty, the player character loads a round into the chamber first, then fills the tube, and using the extended option will change the model's magazine tube accordingly, just like the 870 MCS.
Benelli M4 Super 90 with 7-shot tube - 12 gauge
A M1014 near a dead bank worker at the end of the mission "Operation Guillotine."
Standing next to a Growler jeep and a M142 HIMARS with the M1014 shotgun.
Sighting in the Benelli on the M142's cabin.
Chamberloading from empty.
And actuating the bolt release.
Loading shells into the tube magazine.
Daewoo USAS-12
USAS-12s appear in the hands of PMC personnel that appear in the "Kaffarov" mission and in Co-op, and is the last unlocked shotgun in Multiyplayer. The magazine capacity is 6+1 by standard or the correct 10+1 with the extended magazines equipped, most likely for balance, same as the Striker. When optics are attached, the carry handle is replaced by a strip of rails, similar to the American semi-auto only WM-12 variant. Like all shotguns, it can utilize standard Buckshot, Slugs, Flechettes and explosive FRAG-12 rounds as well as fit a variety of accessories and attachments.
Daewoo USAS-12 with 10-round magazine - 12 gauge
Ameetec Arms WM-12 - 12 gauge
Dima with a standard USAS-12 taken from one of Kaffarov's mercenaries.
Iron sights of the USAS-12.
Dmitri Mayakovsky reloads his USAS-12, which, according to the trademarks, was made by "Baewoo Brecisions" of Korea. Due to bugs, sometimes the left side dustcover will disappear.
After replacing the magazine, the player character pulls on the charging handle.
World model for the USAS-12. Note that the world model has no sights and no magazine.
Franchi SPAS-12
The SPAS-12 is one of the 10 guns appearing in the Close Quarters expansion pack. The weapon is restricted to pump action, and performs similarly to the 870MCS and has the same standard (4+1) and extended (6+1) capacities, but has a slower per-shell reload speed and each shell contains one less pellet than those of the 870. However, it's offset by a maximum rate of fire that is high enough to the point that the next shot can be fired way before the pump animation can finish, specifically at the brief moment where the action is fully to the rear. In reality, the player cannot simply reload a SPAS-12 in the manner of the game as the carrying latch button must be pressed in order to open the loading gate.
The SPAS is also one of the strangest weapons to appear on a different weapon's Dog Tag; it appears on the Dog Tag awarded for 100 kills with the USAS-12. Other than four capital letters followed by "-12", both being 12-gauge, and that they were both in the Battlefield: Bad Company series, they have little in common. The Close Quarters DLC, which adds the SPAS-12, still has the USAS-12 displaying a SPAS-12 Dog Tag.
Franchi SPAS-12 - 12 gauge
Relaxing and taking in the Tehran sights in the Ziba Tower lounge with the SPAS-12.
Getting a clear view of the shotgun's iron sights.
Working the SPAS's action.
Inserting a new round into the chamber.
Continuing the reload. If you look closely, you can make out part of the word "gauge" on the shell.
M26 MASS
The M26 MASS can be used only in the Assault kit in the "Gadget 1" slot. It may be used either as a standalone weapon, or mounted on any of the assault rifles if said rifle is equipped with the underslung rail. It can fire buckshot, flechettes, FRAG-12 rounds, or slugs, same as the other shotguns. The AEK-971 and AN-94 cannot mount the M26 MASS despite having underslung rails as an available attachment, possibly because it would interfere with both weapons' particular reload animation. A model glitch exists on some weapons that mount the M26 MASS where the charging handle will stay up even when the weapon is not in use.
M26 MASS - 12 gauge, mounted on
M4A1 carbine with C-More red dot sight - 5.56x45mm
Standalone version of M26 MASS - 12 gauge
A M26 MASS drawn on Noshahr Canals.
Aiming with the in-game staple BUIS.
Cycling the M26. The magazine disappears for a frame while sliding the action forward.
Reloading the Saiga-like box magazine.
And charging again. A spent shell is never shown ejecting.
Flicking out the bolt handle on a M26 slung under a SCAR-L with big pixel Russian EMR camo.
The reload as seen held out further away. The user's right hand can be seen grasping the SCAR's STANAG to fire the M26.
Pancor Jackhammer
The Pancor Jackhammer, called the "MK3A1", is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack, and can be used by any kit. The appearance is highly unrealistic since only two fully automatic prototypes were ever produced; obviously, it does not emulate the real weapon's problems with failing to cycle in full-auto. It feeds from a 8-round magazine or a 12-round extended magazine, both incorrect; the real weapon feeds from a 10-round revolver style cylinder and does not chamber a round to gain a +1 as portrayed in the game.
Pancor Jackhammer - 12 gauge
Jackhammer on the customization screen. Note the erroneous suppressor attachment that has since been patched out of the Jackhammer's available accessories list.
Inspecting a suspicious bus with the Pancor Jackhammer MK3A1.
Aiming with the Jackhammer's M16-style iron sights.
Battlefield 3 appears to correctly depict the actual reloading procedure of this weapon. The foregrip is pushed forward to unlock and drop the "ammo cassette"...
Inserting a fresh ammo cassette/cylinder magazine.
And a release button on the trigger guard is pressed to retract the foregrip and lock the ammo cassette in place.
Empty reloads have the added step of the foregrip pumped again, presumably to "rechamber" the Pancor.
Diving to prone gives a good profile view of the Jackhammer, though doing so with one's finger on the trigger is quite risky.
Remington 870 MCS
The Remington 870 MCS appears as the "870MCS," used by both Blackburn and Iranian soldiers in the campaign, and is the first unlocked shotgun in Multiplayer. It has a very fast pump animation, compared to typical portrayals of pump shotguns in other games. Magazine capacities are either the standard 4+1, or the extended 6+1. As with the M1014, when reloading from empty the player character loads a round into the chamber first, then fills the tube, and using the extended option will change the model's magazine tube accordingly.
Remington 870 MCS - 12 gauge
Blackburn holds an 870 MCS with a tactical light during the mission "Uprising."
One of Blackburn's starting weapons in "Operation Guillotine" is this Remington 870 MCS with a laser aiming module. The gameplay purpose of this is that it tightens the Big Magic White Circle.
A Marine secures giant dump trucks with the Remington 870 MCS.
Using the MCS's illuminated rifle sights.
Topping off the default short magazine tube. This configuration is unusual, as the 870 MCS normally comes with the seven-round magazine.
Firing a 12 gauge fragmentation round from the 870. It looks impressive and can suppress enemies well, but it does about as much damage as a firecracker without a direct hit.
Pumping out the (unfired) shell under recoil.
Chamberloading the 870, here with the extended magazine.
About to push the pump forward.
Saiga 12K
The Saiga 12K returns from Battlefield 2 and is the second semi-auto shotgun unlocked. Magazine capacities are either the standard 6+1, or an extended 10+1 (originally 5+1 standard, and 8+1 extended, following the maximum factory capacity, changed after the 4th update). It appears to share the exact same model as the "S20K" and the "Saiga 20K Semi" from Bad Company and Bad Company 2.
Blackburn holds a rather beat-up camouflaged Saiga 12K during the mission "Uprising."
The mission "Kaffarov" can be a little on the strange side at times; here Dmitri Mayakovsky holds a Saiga 12K fitted with a laser aiming module and PK-AS optic, watching in bemusement as shooting the windshield of a car makes two men who had clipped inside it dramatically leap through the roof. For a finishing touch, the car exploded immediately afterwards.
Wary of any other weirdness, Dmitri reloads his Saiga 12K.
The Saiga 12K out on the
Close Quarters level Scrapmetal.
View down the Saiga's sights.
Due to a bug, the magazine tends to disappear for a split second after firing, similar to the M26 MASS.
On empty reloads, the magazine is correctly empty.
Rocking in another box mag.
And charging the Saiga overhand style.
SWD/Cobray Street Sweeper / Armsel Protecta Hybrid
A hybrid of the SWD/Cobray Street Sweeper and the Armsel Protecta is included in Battlefield 3. It features semi-automatic fire, has a thin winding key on the front of the drum magazine, and lacks a rear-mounted drum advance lever, which are features of the Street Sweeper, while it also has the Protecta's automatic shell ejection capabilities and therefore its large shell deflector (the Street Sweeper had to manually eject fired shells with an ejector rod, like a Colt Single Action Army). Conceptually, the hybrid is similar to Sentinel Arms' treatment of the Armsel Striker in their Striker-12, but the weapon lacks the Striker-12's unique thumb tab.
The weapon is referred to as the "DAO-12", as it was in Battlefield 2; this stands for "double action only, 12 gauge" and is a description of the weapon rather than a correct name for it. The name was kept as an homage to Battlefield 2. The weapon has an incorrect capacity of 8-rounds by default, but the correct 12 if the extended magazine attachment is used. This is most likely for balance, so players can't use a semi-auto, 12 round shotgun AND 3 attachments on top of that; some real-world Striker/Street Sweeper variants do hold fewer rounds for legal reasons (achieved by simply plugging two of the chambers), though these are usually limited to 10 rounds instead of 8.
SWD/Cobray Street Sweeper with short barrel and top folding stock - 12 gauge
Armsel Protecta with 12" barrel - 12 gauge
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds a DAO-12 fitted with a Kobra reflex sight at the start of the mission "Kaffarov."
The DAO-12 on Operation Riverside.
Iron sights of the DAO-12.
Firing the shotgun, note the ejecting cartridge.
At the start of an empty reload, the character winds the drum before loading it.
The reload cycle shows the player character inserting the shells one at a time via the loading gate. The process is incorrect because the drum is never rotated after loading a round; DICE apparently assumed that the drum would automatically rotate during reloading like when firing, when in reality it has to be rotated manually while reloading. Note "12 GAUGE" and a fragmentation symbol visible on the shells. Note the shell deflector characteristic of the Protecta.
Dog Tag Weapons
Benellli M1014 Dog Tag 100/500 kill- Benelli M1014 / Benelli M1014
Franchi SPAS-12 Dog Tag 100/1000 kill - SPAS-12 / SPAS-12
M26 MASS Dog Tag 100/500 kill - M26 MASS / M26 MASS
Pancor Jackhammer Dog tag 100/500 kill - Pancor Jackhammer / Pancor Jackhammer
Remington 870 MCS Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Remington 870 MCS / Remington 870 MCS
Saiga 12K Dog Tag 100/500 kill - Saiga-12K / Saiga-12K
SWD / Cobray Street Sweeper Dog Tag 100/500 kill - SWD/Cobray Street Sweeper / SWD/Cobray Street Sweeper
USAS-12 Dog Tag 100/500 kill - SPAS-12 / USAS-12
Assault Rifles & Battle Rifles
5.56A-91
The 5.56A-91 appears as part of the "Carbine" classification, and thus is used by the Engineer kit. It does not have its 40mm grenade launcher. It is the successor to the 9A-91 from Bad Company 2, albeit firing the 5.56mm NATO round instead of the 9A-91's 9x39mm one. Called "A-91" in the game, which refers to the 7.62x39mm variant.
5.56A-91 - 5.56x45mm NATO / 40mm
Dmitri Mayakovsky looks at fellow GRU agent Vladimir holding a 5.56A-91 as they go to work at the start of "Comrades."
Wielding the 5.56A-91 in Multiplayer.
Firing, which shows the charging handle cycling and cases ejecting at the front.
Removing a 5.56 magazine.
And pulling out a new one to load in.
Charging the A-91 from empty.
AEK-971
The AEK-971 is available as an unlock for the Assault kit.
The AEK-971's model is peculiar in that it is mostly a hybrid between the early prototypes of the AEK as well as the 2010s production model. The shape of the lower receiver and the barrel assembly are based on the early prototypes from the late 70s; however, the cleaning rod mount under the base of the front sight block has been removed and replaced with cleaning rod mount from the 2010s AEK-971 model. Additionally, the fire control group and upper receiver of the 2010s AEK-971 model are present, and the handguard and stock are fictionalized representations of the later model.
Prototype AEK-971 - 5.45x39mm
Blackburn holds an AEK-971 near the start of the mission "Uprising."
A Russian Assault trooper with the AEK-971 on Operation Riverside.
Compared to the
Bad Company series, the iron sights are used in a bit more believable manner.
It always reloads in a tactical manner, with the old magazine kicked out with a new one. Ammo left in spent magazines is still returned to the character's ammo pool.
Rocking in the black 5.45 magazine.
AK-74M
The AK-74M is the standard assault rifle used by the Russian Assault kit. It is very accurate and has minimal recoil, but suffers from reduced damage compared to the M16A3. The model is somewhat inaccurate to the real -74M as it has the original pattern of non-folding rear receiver trunnion and a fixed stock, but it still has the retainer latch of a sidefolder receiver at its front end, and the smooth dust cover.
Blackburn holds an AK-74M equipped with a PSO-1 scope during "Operation Swordbreaker." Weapons on the ground do not show their attachments or have text signifying what they have attached, meaning occasionally picking up a boring-looking vanilla weapon will result in the player character producing Excalibur as here.
The AK-74's iron sights have a rather serious application of bright tritium.
Removing a spent 5.45 magazine.
Angling in a new one - note the tape grip around the magazine. Also note the incorrectly modeled fixed stock, lacking both its side-folding hinge and release button.
After that, he flips the weapon over and racks the bolt if empty.
Two AK-74s on the lying on the ground, in an inverse of the IMFDB logo. The retainer lug for a folding stock can be seen on the left rifle, while the right one has a folding stock's latch button, but none of the other associated stock-folding hardware.
AKS-74U
The AKS-74U is used by the Engineer kit in multiplayer, and is the starting weapon for Russian Engineers.
Blackburn wrestles with one of Solomon's men during the introductory mission "Semper Fidelis." On the Xbox 360 version before the
Back to Karkand update, this terrorist was instead armed with a UMP45, but still gives Blackburn an AKS-74U when he dies.
At the start of the mission "Uprising," Blackburn relieves a PLR soldier of this AKS-74U with a Kobra reflex sight, suppressor and tactical light.
A Russian Engineer holds up a snowman family found on the Sabalan Pipeline level from the Final Stand DLC. It has the same odd milled/stamped steel hybrid receiver, similar to the model from the
Bad Company series.
Aiming upon the middle snowman. The sights have non-standard illumination bits, and the rear notch is much more cropped than it is in reality.
Reloading the taped bakelite orange magazine.
And palming the bolt back.
World model and pickup icon of the AKS-74U.
AN-94
The AN-94 returns from the Bad Company series. The AN-94's dual-rate full-auto mode is, in multiplayer, depicted somewhat closer to reality than in Battlefield: Bad Company 2, with bursts and the first two shots on pulling the trigger in full-auto firing at a slightly faster rate than sustained full-auto, though nowhere near the full 1,800 rpm the real weapon fires at. In the single-player campaign, the 2 round burst is shown to incorrectly fire at the same 600 rpm as sustained full auto, as it worked in Bad Company 2.
The AN-94 starts in 2-round burst mode by default. Before a patch, the weapon lacked the semi-automatic mode found on the real weapon, instead featuring only the 2-burst and full-auto modes.
An interesting note is that the player character uses the Speed Reload technique when reloading the AN-94, where he pushes the mag release and flicks the magazine out with another magazine, the same applies to the AEK-971. The weapon is also modeled with the magazine coming out straight downwards from the bottom of the gun like on other AK-like weapons, rather than being angled off towards the right side of the gun.
Blackburn holds an AN-94 equipped with a PKS-07 long-range scope as he looks over an airdropped Russian D-30 122mm howitzer during the mission "Rock and a Hard Place." As with most of the weapons in the game, equipping optics results in it being held lower - compare to the images below.
An AN-94 out in the worksite area of Damavand Peak.
Firing away in full-auto, which gives a good portrayal of the AN-94's recoiling barrel and muzzle flash. The ejected cartridges also appear to be steel-cased.
Rather oddly, the AN-94 uses unique green magazines. Green AK magazines and furniture are sometimes seen in service with the Russian Border Guards branch.
Letting go of the charging handle while rechambering the AN-94, giving a view of the chamber.
AS Val
The AS Val appears as an all kit weapon, most likely due to its small size and unique integrated suppressor, making it too specialized for any specific kit. The March 2012 update added the option of using extended 30-round box magazines (the largest box mag available for the VSS/AS Val/SR-3 rifles) instead of the standard 20-rounders. However, the gun is still modelled with a 20-round magazine even with the extended magazine equipped.
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds his starting weapon, an AS Val assault rifle with a Kobra reflex sight, during the mission "Comrades."
Kiril holds his AS Val near the end of "Comrades."
A Russian operator approaches the Metro ticket booth while wondering if they accept 9x39mm as currency.
World model of the AS Val on the ground.
Colt M4LE Carbine
Two versions of the M4 Carbine are available in Multiplayer: the full-auto "M4A1" and the 3-round burst "M4". However, they are modeled after the civilian M4LE, as evidenced by the Safe/Fire selector switch. The Colt M4LE Carbines are painted in desert tan camouflage and serve as the stand in for the military Colt M4A1 used by the U.S. Marines in game. In singleplayer, the "M4A1" is primarily seen carried by Blackburn, Steve Campo, Cole, Miller and many Marines in campaign. In multiplayer, being a carbine, the M4s are used by the Engineer kit. The "M4A1" is the starting weapon for US Engineers, while the "M4" is unlocked at 40,000 Engineer score. The model features a KAC RIS handguard, VLTOR Improved Modstock, Hogue pistol grip, M16A1 flash hider, and Magpul Ranger Plates.
Interestingly, the first "Fault Line" trailers showed the player rack the charging handle during an empty reload, which was changed to a press of the bolt release from the Operation Metro trailer onwards and into the release version.
Colt M4LE Carbine - 5.56x45mm
An actual M4A1, for comparison - 5.56x45mm. This one is fitted with an Aimpoint CompM2 reflex optic, Knight's Armament RAS railed handguard, and vertical forward grip.
Blackburn holds an "M4A1" during "Operation Swordbreaker."
Blackburn reloads his carbine. "For law enforcement / military use" is printed on the side of the EOTech optic.
Reloading with the rifle in shadow reveals a snake-like design engraved on the mag well; this is present in
Medal of Honor, though as a dark shape that shows up in light rather than a silvery etching that only shows up in the dark. Also note how the semi-auto position reads "Fire", meaning it was modeled on a civilian M4 variant.
Outside the Damavand tunnel with the M4 Carbine.
The M4's sight picture against the hillside.
From empty, it is held at a slightly different angle, and the user grasps the STANAG in a slightly different manner.
Thumbing the bolt release, akin to the Mk 11.
The M4's sightless world model, which also gives a good view of the Hogue grip and VLTOR stock.
Colt Sporter Competition
Both the 3-round burst "M16A4" and the full-auto "M16A3" are in fact modeled after the civilian Colt Sporter Competition, since they have a Safe/Fire selector switch, and they lack a bayonet lug. The Colt Sporter Competition are painted in desert tan camouflage and serve as the stand in for the military Colt M16A3 used by the U.S. Marines in game. In singleplayer, the "M16A3" is primarily seen carried primarily by Christian Matkovic and many Marines in campaign. In multiplayer, being an assault rifle, the M16s are used by the Assault kit. The "M16A3" is the starting weapon for US Assault classes, and can be unlocked for the Russian Assault at 220,000 Assault points; while the "M16A4" is unlocked at 89,000 Assault points. The model features an M16A1 flash hider, a KAC RIS handguard with a rail cover on the right side rail, a Hogue pistol grip, a Magpul loop on the magazine, and a cloth sleeve wrapped around the stock.
The "M16A4" was one of the first weapons to be shown in early gameplay footage, but was lacking rear iron sights and optical sights; these were added later on. Some later footage showed the M16 with the gas block missing when mounting sights, but this too was corrected in the final release.
An actual M16A4 appears on the Back To Karkand DLC cover art, with visible bayonet lugs.
Colt Sporter Competition with magazine removed - 5.56x45mm NATO
An actual M16A4, for comparison - 5.56x45mm NATO. This is the USMC style setup, an M16A4 MWS (Modular Weapon System) with RAS rails installed, AN/PEQ-2 IR designator, RIS foregrip, and Trijicon 4x32 ACOG scope.
Blackburn holds his "M16A3" during Operation Swordbreaker.
A Marine with the M16 on Nebandan Flats, out on some desert farmland.
The M16's iron sights - the sight picture appears to be a bit closer-in compared to the "M4" above.
Removing the STANAG magazine at the start of a reload.
Shoving in a new one rather quickly - the M16A3's rather quick reload time was another attribute in favor of its overwhelming multiplayer popularity.
From empty, the rifle is held at up at an alternate angle.
Palming the bolt release from empty.
Icon and world model of the "M16A3" in Single Player. The dropped/stowed world model always shows the M16 without any sights. It also has a burlap wrap on the stock.
DIO KH2002 Sama
Befitting the Iranian setting, the DIO KH2002 Sama bullpup assault rifle is one of the weapons in the game. The improved foregrip of the Sama model only appears if the Foregrip attachment is used in multiplayer. The in-game model fires 30 rounds from a 20-round STANAG magazine, however.
In campaign mode, the weapon is often found in the hands of Iranian Army soldiers after the PLR's hostile takeover. It fires in single shot and 3-round burst firing modes, and uses Russian optics. It can be unlocked for multiplayer use with a 17,000 co-op score.
Iranian Defense Industries Organization (DIO) KH2002, improved 2009 model - 5.56x45mm NATO
Blackburn holds a KH2002 during the mission "Uprising" as he discovers the exit.
Blackburn reloads his KH2002, showing that the Khaybar variant used in the game is the 2009 model.
Right side of a KH2002 lying on the ground.
Observing an Iranian monolith in Tehran with the KH2002.
Aiming with the KH2002's A2 style sights.
Relaading the twenty-round magazine.
And finger-gunning the charging handle to rechamber the KH2002.
FAMAS Valorisé
A FAMAS Valorisé (FAMAS Upgraded) is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack, and can be used by the Assault kit. The FAMAS is the first unlockable assault weapon of the expansion pack and is obtained through the completion of the Best Friend Forever assignment. It also appears in the game's Battlelog in the "Assignments" section.
The weapon is incorrectly fitted with a G1/G2 trigger guard rather than the correct F1 style one and has had the bipod removed; it also has the highest fire rate of all fully automatic weapons of the game, being used by both US and Russian factions. In-game, the FAMAS uses the correct 25-round straight magazines.
The FAMAS formerly had slightly different statistics on each platform, but this was corrected in a later patch. Furthermore, its magazine size was decreased from 30 + 1 rounds to 25 + 1 rounds.
FAMAS Valorisé with EOTech sight - 5.56x45mm
FAMAS Valorisé on the customization screen. Note the incorrect 30-round magazine capacity, which has since been patched.
A Marine stands over the Seine River with a borrowed FAMAS Valorisé.
Aiming with the FAMAS's actual iron sights, a rarity in most games.
As with many of the other bullpups, the reload involves holding the FAMAS 90 degrees to the right to access the magazine.
Pulling the relocated charging handle.
The FAMAS also can use its own unique bipod, deployed here.
FN F2000 Tactical
The FN F2000 returns from the Bad Company series, and has much more realistic statistics, most notably that it doesn't have a fire rate resembling a minigun. Due to its lack of an underslung rail, an M320 or M26 MASS will always be carried as a standalone if the F2000 is equipped. The F2000 can mount a bipod and foregrip like the other assault rifles.
FN F2000 Tactical with CAA FVG5 foregrip - 5.56x45mm NATO
Dmitri Mayakovsky reloads an F2000 with EOTech reflex sight during the mission "Comrades."
A Marine with the F2000 Tactical at the Noshahr container area.
The F2000's iron sights. These appear to have been the inspiration for the BUIS used on several other weapons in
Battlefield 3.
Firing the F2000 - the forward-ejected rounds are normally obscured, but strafing to the right makes the casings visible.
The character brings out and gets a quick glance at the loaded rounds in the STANAG during the reload.
Operating the charging handle.
FN SCAR-H CQC
The first generation FN Mk 17 Mod 0, or FN SCAR-H CQC, is used by the Engineer kit in multiplayer. A modeling mistake shows the fire selector switch set on semi-auto as the weapon itself fires on full-auto by default.
First Gen Fabrique Nationale SCAR-H with M68 Aimpoint scope and Grippod foregrip - 7.62x51mm NATO
Blackburn reloads his SCAR-H at the start of "Operation Guillotine." Note that even though the weapon can fire in full-auto, the fire selector switch is set on semi-auto.
Approaching a gas station with the SCAR-H
Checking the SCAR's sights against the highway.
Pulling up the new magazine. This angle doesn't really happen with the SCAR-L reload.
Thumbing the bolt release, though with the user's thumb not reaching quite high enough.
FN SCAR-L
The first generation FN Mk 16 MOD 0, or SCAR-L, is an assault rifle added in the Close Quarters expansion pack and is issued to the Assault kit. It's weaker than its bigger brother the SCAR-H because of its smaller round, but it boasts a slightly higher rate of fire (620 rpm) and extremely controllable recoil. It's unlocked by completing the 'Set us up the Bomb' assignment, which involves killing 20 enemies with an underslung grenade launcher and 15 enemies with hand grenades.
First Generation FN SCAR-L with M68 Aimpoint scope and Grippod foregrip - 5.56x45mm NATO
Inspecting a CH-47 crash site with the first gen SCAR-L.
The SCAR-L's iron sights,
The SCAR-L's reload. Note the selector switch is incorrectly set on single fire, but the charging handle is correctly in the locked back position since all rounds were expended. The new magazine is brought up in an odd manner, clipping through the character's fingers.
Lining in the aluminum mag.
Pressing the bolt release, which simultaneously sends the charging handle forward with the bolt. The game also correctly animates the reciprocating charging handle when firing the weapon.
Heckler & Koch G36 ("MG36")
In the Back to Karkand expansion pack, a Heckler & Koch G36 with G36C rails, bipods, and Beta C-Mag drums appears as the "MG36"; the actual MG36 did not have such a configuration, and was a rare weapon with a total production run of around 100 units, facts that were even mentioned in the description. Used by the Support kit, the C-Mag is limited to 50+1 and requires the "Extended Magazines" attachment in order to use its full 100+1 capacity.
Airsoft G36 with G36C carrying handle and bipod - (fake) 5.56x45mm NATO
Configuration typically called "MG36;" actually just a standard G36 with a bipod handguard and C-Mag - 5.56x45mm NATO
"MG36" on the customization menu. Note the 12x sniper scope attached, in case you feel the need to give suppressive fire from 1000+ meters.
"MG36" idle, with a Beta C-mag that only holds 50 rounds
Inserting a fresh magazine
Pulling the charging handle
Heckler & Koch G36C
A Heckler & Koch G36C is seen in single player in the mission "Comrades"; in multiplayer, the G36C (being a carbine) is used by the Engineer kit. It is capable of semi-auto, 2-round burst, and full-auto, and uses opaque magazines.
Heckler & Koch G36C with vertical foregrip - 5.56x45mm NATO
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds a G36C he took from a French police officer during the mission "Comrades." Note that while the fire selector lever is in the correct position for fully automatic fire, the white position indicator is pointing to "safe".
A G36C out in Multiplayer, by the Sharqi TV station.
The G36C's sight picture.
Reloading, with the carbine still fairly level. The charging handle locks back when empty.
Heckler & Koch G3A3
The G3A3 is available in both single and multiplayer. It is an actual H&K G3A3, and not an Iranian clone. It has a wide handguard, and the fire selector markings are S-E-F. The Iranian-manufactured version differs in that it utilizes a slimline handguard and has Farsi writing on the receiver. It can be unlocked for use in multiplayer by gaining 160,000 Co-Op score.
Heckler & Koch G3A3 with wide handguard - 7.62x51mm NATO
Blackburn holds a G3A3 with ACOG scope during the mission "Operation Swordbreaker."
The detailed pick-up icon for the G3A3.
Overlooking Kharg Island with the G3, Revolutionary Guard style.
When aimed, the front sight is just held in a battle position, without being aligned with the rear notch properly.
Palming the G3's bolt back when empty.
Loading in another magazine with the rifle held steady.
HK-smacking the bolt forward.
Icon and world model. Note the slightly mispositioned magazine.
Heckler & Koch HK416
The HK416 returns from Bad Company and Bad Company 2 having a 10.4" barrel and OD furniture. It is the first unlock for the Assault kit and can have an M320 (which replaces the kit's Medkit) mounted as long as a grip or bipod are not. It once again appears as the "M416," seemingly just because that's what it was called in the Bad Company games since it is no longer shown as a standardised US military weapon in singleplayer. At release, it featured semi-auto, burst, and full-auto modes, something that isn't typically possible with AR-15 type rifles and derivatives. A patch in December of 2011 removed the burst mode for PC, and as of the March 2012 patch, the Xbox 360 and PS3 version's M416 has it removed as well. The BF3 HK416 uses the older M4 Gen II style stock and a Tangodown pistol grip. Newer variants utilize HK's in-house stock and grip designs.
Heckler & Koch HK416 with 10 inch barrel - 5.56x45mm NATO
Blackburn runs with his HK416 with M320 grenade launcher, straight into a most unpleasant surprise. The Russian transport craft depicted is an Antonov An-22. The pilot of the Antonov is a big fan of
Top Gun and is getting as much low-altitude fly-by practice in as he can before the real war starts.
A vanilla HK416 in Multiplayer. A minor modeling error is present in the charging handle: the backside of the handle is completely solid. In reality, you would see a slot with the latch showing through on the left side. This mistake is not present in the M4/M16 models, but is present in the M27 and HK417 (both also HK designs).
Aiming the HK416, again, the front sight isn't aligned in the rear v-notch.
The tactical reload is performed with the rifle still held straight forward.
It has a bit more of an angle from empty.
About to smack the bolt catch.
"M27 IAR"
The "M27 IAR" appears as a stand-in for the real Heckler & Koch M27 IAR. The in-game model is based on the "M416" but with a 16.5 inch barrel and 45 round extended magazine, and still features the HK416's 4-vent handguard and gas system; the real M27 uses a longer 5-vent handguard and similarly longer gas system. It is the default weapon for the US Support class.
Heckler & Koch MR556A1 with 16.5 inch barrel and quad rail handguard, used to illustrate the barrel length - 5.56x45mm NATO
An actual Heckler & Koch M27 IAR, for comparison - 5.56x45mm NATO
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds an M27 IAR equipped with a Trijicon RX01 reflex sight and tactical light in the mission "Kaffarov."
A Marine patrols Karkand with the "M27 IAR". The modeling error of the charging handle backside being modeled completely solid can also be seen here, as on the HK416 and HK417.
Interestingly, the front sight post appears to be a bit higher when aiming with the M27's iron sights compared to the standard HK416 carbine.
It reloads in the same manner as well.
Right side of the not-M27 while deployed and firing; the dust cover remains shut.
"M417"
The alleged "M417" Recon class DMR from the Close Quarters DLC is a functional stand-in for the Heckler & Koch HK417, though the in-game model is the "M416" with an extended rail, heavier profile barrel, and the factory HK stock. It's limited to semi-automatic fire in game and features a 20 round magazine. In game it performs as a hybrid of the Mk11/M39/SVD and the SKS. It has the damage of the MK11/M39/SVD with the capacity of the SKS and a rate of fire that's in-between the two. It has manageable recoil, and comes with a 8x scope by default. The magazines, despite somewhat resembling early-production 20-round HK417 magazines, are simply a shortened STANAG magazine model reused from the "M416". This can be easily seen by looking at the magazine while crawling.
Heckler & Koch HK416 with 20 inch barrel - 5.56x45mm NATO
An actual Heckler & Koch HK417, for comparison - 7.62x51mm NATO
The "M417" idle, with no attachments. Like M27 and HK416, the backside of the charging handle is modeled completely solid. The receiver has the same styling as the 416, and the handguard has the 416 style locking nut on the bottom.
It also uses the game's odd set of BUIS rather than the HK sights that the 416 and M27 IAR.
Reloading the alleged 417. The rear of the receiver also matches HK's AR style.
And as with most of the AR-style rifles, the bolt release is smacked.
XBOW
An assignment-unlocked gadget introduced in the Aftermath DLC is the "XBOW," a tactical crossbow made from a defunct HK416. It is available to all classes, and has two variants - one equipped with a Kobra sight, and another equipped with a PKS-07 scope. The XBOW uses standard bolts, and has scan, explosive, and high velocity bolts that can be acquired from other assignments. The fire selector function is used to cycle through bolt types.
The reflex sight XBOW on Epicenter.
Resetting the bowstring after firing.
And setting in a new arrow.
The "Scan" bolt has something of a miniaturized T-UGS motion sensor mounted as its head.
Loading up an explosive bolt.
Heckler & Koch HK53
The HK53 is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack as the G53. It was listed in game under its original "HK53" name on the PS3 version until a patch altered it to G53 as used in the PC and X360 versions. It is a compact version of the HK33 rifle, and as a carbine, it can be used by the Engineer kit.
Heckler & Koch HK53 - 5.56x45mm
HK53 on the customization screen. This is a pre-patch screenshot from the PS3 version.
Out in the Russian deployment zone on Gulf of Oman with the HK53.
Compared to the other HK weapons, its rear sight appears to be set to the 200m setting, with the full peep.
Empty reloads are performed in typical HK fashion.
Lining in a new magazine.
And smacking the bolt forward.
L85A2
The L85A2 is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack, and can be used by the Assault kit. It features very high accuracy, low recoil and better hip-fire accuracy due to its bullpup configuration but suffers in close quarters due to its 650 RPM rate of fire. It also cannot mount an underslung M320 as a stand-in for the L123A2, or the M26 MASS.
L85A2 on the customization screen.
Securing the Veteran's Retreat with an unmodified L85A2. Note the dovetail mount that the rear sight/carry handle is mounted to, which gains a strip of Picatinny when other sights are equipped.
The L85's tall, somewhat narrow sights.
Pulling out the STANAG at the start of a reload.
The magazine also clips slightly out of the magwell. Bullets are modeled inside on tactical reloads, but not when the magazine is empty.
Clapping the top of the L85A2 to rechamber it - the bolt release is actually lower, and the comma charging handle always appears to be forward during the empty reload. The user's fingers are also phasing through the carry handle.
Magpul PDR
The Magpul PDR, a compact bullpup assault rifle development of which was abandoned the year the game came out, appears as an all kit weapon. For unknown reasons, it appears as the "PDW-R" (most likely standing for Personal Defence Weapon-Rifle). Uses either 20 or 30 round polymer magazines, with 20 being the default option.
Magpul PDR - 5.56x45mm NATO
Dmitri Mayakovsky reloads his PDR as he ponders the wisdom of Vladimir's "walking into a fire" plan.
The Magpul PDR in multiplayer, on the "Operation 925" level.
Using the F2000-esque iron sights.
The PDR's reload begins with thumbing out the magazine.
Holding up an old straight Magpul 20-rounder.
Yanking the charging handle.
QBZ-95B
The QBZ-95B is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack, and, as a carbine, can be used by the Engineer kit.
QBZ-95B on the customize menu. The 5.45mm cartridge detail was fixed to 5.8x42mm in an update.
A Russian Engineer with the QBZ-95B compact carbine. The top handle appears to be shortened down.
Firing shows the charging handle reciprocating and a spent cartridge can be seen ejecting out.
It reloads in a tacticool style, where a fresh mag is grabbed first and pressed against the spent one.
Loading in the new magazine.
And charging the QBZ-95B.
SIG SG 553
The SIG SG 553 appears in Battlefield 3 with a railed handguard. The in-game model has the markings and serial number of a SIG SG 553-1 SP semi-auto only model (the one on the reference image below in particular), suggesting that the model is referenced after said gun, though the in-game weapon still has the automatic firing options of the standard SIG SG 553. In multiplayer, being a carbine, it is used by the Engineer kit. It can only be unlocked in Co-Op by achieving a score of 120,000. In the campaign mode, the SG 553 is found in two places. The first is in "Comrades", where a police officer exiting the van has one, and the other one being found by the player after the train crashes in "The Great Destroyer".
SIG SG 553-1 SP with railed handguard - 5.56x45mm
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds a SIG SG 553 during the mission "Comrades" as he fights his way through a French police cordon.
A SIG SG 553 carbine out in the snowy Alborz Mountains.
The rear notch that SIG sight drums usually have is missing here, so the front post is just aligned with the open slot's edges.
The SG553 being reloaded. Note the serial numbers being identical to the reference image above.
Giving the bolt catch a SIG-slap. This shouldn't really work as the bolt release needs to be pushed upwards instead of being pressed like a button.
Remington ACR
The Remington ACR joins the arsenal of Battlefield 3 as part of the Close Quarters expansion pack and was first seen in the "Ziba Tower" gameplay video. It is named "ACW-R" (likely meaning 'Adaptive Combat Weapon - Rifle') much like the "PDW-R". It boasts a high rate of fire with controllable recoil and features a 26 round capacity in a 30 round 5.56mm PMAG magazine. Developers have stated that the "ACW-R" in-game is chambered for 6.5x38mm Grendel, which explains the round capacity. The game model has the five-sided handguard with full rails on the 3,6, and 9o'Clock positions, the 16.5" barrel, and the triangular fixed stock.
Remington ACR with 16.5" barrel - 5.56x45mm NATO
Remington ACR with 14.5" barrel - 5.56x45mm NATO
An "ACW-R" in a Ziba Tower hallway, under some dramatic lighting.
A view of the Troy iron sights, facing the other way to give a good view of the textures.
The ACR's non empty reload.
Reloading the PMag from empty.
Pressing the bolt release to chamber a new round. A more efficient method would be to use your trigger finger, as the bolt release is ambidextrous. This was most likely done so the player can see the bolt being released.
A Russian Engineer fires his "ACW-R," note the 16.5" barrel and the correct AAC Blackout flash hider.
Steyr AUG A3-CQC
The Steyr AUG A3-CQC was added in the Close Quarters expansion pack. It serves a similar role to the M416, a stable gun with a steady 700 rpm rate of fire and easy to control recoil. The AUG A3-CQC is unique, as it's the only bullpup assault rifle that can mount an underslung weapon. It was first shown in the "Ziba Tower" gameplay trailer and in pre-release screenshots. It is very accurate and has controllable recoil, making it an effective assault rifle. It is unlocked by completing the "Shepard" assignment which involves 10 squad revives and 30 kills with assault rifles.
Steyr AUG A3-CQC with Surefire M900 weaponlight foregrip and Leupold CQ/T scope - 5.56x45mm NATO
The soldier in the foreground can be seen holding an AUGA3 (Note the tri-railed handguard and the placement of the charging handle) fitted with an EOTech 552 and KAC foregrip.
Inside the Donya Fortress courtyard with the AUG A3-CQC.
The AUG A3's iron sights.
Reloading the waffle magazine.
Pressing the bolt release.
IMI MTAR-21
The IMI MTAR-21 is a carbine added in the Close Quarters expansion pack. It features high recoil due to its short barrel and high rate of fire. In CQB it's capable of mowing down enemies with little trouble due to its 900 rpm rate of fire, but the recoil severely limits its long range capabilities.
IMI Tavor MTAR-21 with Meprolight red dot sight - 5.56x45mm
The IMI MTAR-21 in the lobby of the 925 building.
It uses the flattop's built in front sight and a MaTech rear sight. The right side rail is just visible, used to mount the taclight or laser.
The MTAR-21's standard reload is performed with the carbine held to the right, similar to the other bullpups.
However, the magazine change is done differently when empty. The charging handle is shown in the rear position with the bolt locked back - though the real MTAR's charging handle is non-reciprocating, it can fall back onto the locked bolt if held upwards like this.
Pressing the bolt release, which sends the bolt and charging handle forward.
Dog Tag Weapons
M16A1
The Dog Tag awarded for 500 kills with the M320/GP-30 shows an M203 mounted to an M16A1, complete with the heatshield handguard.
M16A2
The Dog Tag the player receives for 500 kills with the M16A3/A4 shows an M16A2 instead.
FAMAS
A FAMAS (G2?) appears on the Dog Tag awarded for 500 kills with the FAMAS.
FN F2000
The standard version of the F2000, with its built in scope, appears on the 500 kill Dog Tag for the F2000 Tactical.
FN F2000 + FN GL-1. 100 kill.
FN Mk 16 Mod 0 (SCAR-L)
100 Kills with either the SCAR-H carbine or the SCAR-L assault rifle earns the player a SCAR-L dog tag. The release of the Close Quarters DLC (which introduced the SCAR-L) has not brought along a proper dog tag for the SCAR-H.
Heckler & Koch HK416
Heckler & Koch HK416 + M203. 100 kill.
Heckler & Koch HK416. 500 kill.
SIG SG 553
Machine Guns
Enfield L86A1
The Enfield L86A1 is a weapon added as a part of the Close Quarters DLC. In game it's named the "L86A2" and features a 45+1 magazine, despite being modelled with a 30 round one. Like in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 its rear foregrip is unused. In game it handles much like the L85A2. Its low rate of fire is balanced by its low recoil. It comes with a bipod by default.
Enfield L86A1 - 5.56x45mm NATO
The "L86A2" idle. Unlike the L85A2, the dovetail mount is used for all sights.
Aiming with the same sights as the L85A2.
Reloading - the magazine lacks a modeled interior, and the tile can be seen through it.
Slapping the bolt release to chamber a new round.
Right side of the L86 while deployed, showing that it is an A1 variant.
FN M240B
The M240B first appeared in the "Fault Line" trailers as the machine gun used near the the end of Operation Swordbreaker, fitted with an EOtech sight. In the released game, it was replaced by the M249 in this sequence and isn't usable in the campaign, but is carried by Montes (and Matkovic in the Night Shift mission). The M240 is unlocked at 90,000 Support score in MP, for the Support class. It incorrectly mounts a M249-style belt box beneath the receiver (which blocks the ejection port) - a strange error, as DICE modeled this correctly previously in Medal of Honor (2010)'s multiplayer.
FN M240B with newer style lower handguard (designed to attach RIS rails via hex nut) - 7.62x51mm NATO
One of Blackburn's fellow Marines, Montes, holds his M240B fitted with an M145 Machine Gun Optic.
Hoisting up a M240B at the Oman construction site.
Inspecting discarded MRE boxes with the M240B. The ammo box is fictional; it would block the ejection port in real life, and couldn't possibly be attached at all in reality because the M240B lacks the necessary parts to attach an ammo box on its bottom. The weapon is correctly shown only ejecting links to the right side, though.
The view down the MG's iron sights.
Reloads start with a running of the charging handle.
Placing the belt into the feed tray.
Giving the top cover a smack to close it shut.
FN M249 SAW
An M249 SAW is featured in the game, identified by its STANAG magazine well. It has a fixed buttstock, short paratrooper barrel, and the railed heat shield of the Mk 46 Mod 0. This configuration is typical of Airsoft "Mk 46" guns which have Mk 46 features but retain their STANAG wells.
FN M249 SAW - 5.56x45mm NATO
FN Mk 46 Mod 0 - 5.56x45mm NATO
Blackburn holds the hybrid SAW near the end of Operation Swordbreaker. Note the STANAG magazine well visible under the belt.
Blackburn sets up the bipod of his SAW.
Equipping the M249 in Multiplayer, in the central Karkand area.
The vanilla M249 in idle. The Marine here is probably wondering why it has a green temperate camo despite being in a desert city.
Operating the charging handle at the start of a reload.
Popping open the M249's action.
Reloading the cloth belt box.
The right side of the deployed SAW, showing it has a KAC cover on the right rail.
LSAT Light Machine Gun
The LSAT Light Machine Gun is a light machine gun added to Battlefield 3 through the Close Quarters expansion pack. In-game it uses the configuration that loads polymer-cased ammunition. It is unlocked by completing the "Point Blank" assignment, which involves 10 kills with C4 and 10 knife takedowns.
LSAT Light Machine Gun prototype - 5.56mm Caseless
The LSAT LMG's iron sights. The rear sights are modeled after the KAC folding 600m.
Pulling the charging handle to empty the chamber and lock back the bolt.
Feeding the ammo belt into the feed tray.
M60E4
The M60E4 is the last MG to be unlocked in the Support kit.
M60E4 Mk.43 with Picatinny rails, RIS foregrip, and ammo belt - 7.62x51mm NATO
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds an M60E4 with M145 Machine Gun Optic as Kaffarov's bodyguards have the brilliant idea of firing an RPG-7 indoors.
A Marine stands next to a modernized Huey with his modernized M60, wondering if history tends to parallel itself.
Aiming the M60E4, the front sight is just a bit high.
Operating the charging handle at the start of a reload.
...and reloading the belt box.
Setting the M60E4 upon some sandbags. The carry handle is visible here, unlike the other belt-fed machine guns, the M60 lacks the distinct draw animation.
QJB-95
The QJB-95 is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack, and can be used by the Support kit. It uses 75-round drums, and has the highest capacity of any weapon in the game besides belt-fed LMGs. It is called the "QBB-95" in-game, which is the historical name for the QJB-95.
QJB-95 with 75-round drum magazine and Y/MA 95-002 scope - 5.8x42mm
QJB-95 on the customize menu. As with the other Karkand weapons, the caliber was corrected in an update.
Overlooking a fountain with the QJB-95.
Reloading a fresh drum magazine into the QJB-95. The carry handle somewhat resembles the QJB-95-1 variant.
Pulling the charging handle.
Right side of the QJB deployed on its bipod.
QJY-88
The QJY-88 returns from Bad Company 2, once again called the "Type 88". This isn't wrong per se (the weapon is named "Type 88 GPMG" in Chinese), but quite odd, as the QBZ-95B, QBB-95, and QBU-88 all use their proper "QB" designations.
Dmitri Mayakovsky discovers a QJY-88 with the rare and for some reason unpopular linoleum-plated finish.
Drawing the QJY-88 out on a firebase on the vast Bandar Desert.
The QJY-88 idle at the hip.
Deploying the MG upon the Hesco barricade.
The QJY's iron sights. The rear sight is affixed to a rail, which is used to mount optics.
The bolt is pulled back at the start of reloads.
Removing a used, though not empty belt box.
And about to latch in a new one, followed by setting in the 5.8mm belt and closing the top cover.
PKP Pecheneg
The PKP Pecheneg appears in the game. It features high stopping power like other 7.62 weapons, and is more accurate than other LMGs, but has a sharp vertical recoil and less than optimal mobility due to its weight.
PKP Pecheneg with ammo box - 7.62x54mmR
Blackburn holds a PKP Pecheneg as he infiltrates someone's garage in "Operation Guillotine."
Dmitri Mayakovski uses his PKP Pecheneg to make some amendments to the internal layout of a building. Mostly new doors. Note that the non-disintegrating belt of the PKP has been portrayed as a disintegrating belt.
Eqiupping the PKP involves dragging it onscreen with the right arm around the distinct Pecheneg carry handle/heat shield. So much of the Russian gunner's right arm is extended out that his armpit is absent at the bottom right here.
Pulling the bolt back at the start of a reload.
Popping open the top cover.
Reloading the 100-round belt box.
Deploying the PKP's bipod - it uses the PKM style of bipod; the Pecheneg's bipod is affixed to the front sight as seen in the reference image.
RPK
The RPK is the starting weapon for the Russian Support class. It is referred to in game as an "RPK-74M", a modernised 5.45x39mm version with synthetic furnishings and a flash hider, despite that it is shown with a 7.62x39mm magazine and no flash hider. The weapon's damage matches the idea that it is a -74 model, as it is scaled to the 5.56mm machine guns, as opposed to behaving like a 7.62x39. When mounting optics the weapon gains side-mounted bracket for attaching them; if it does not mount optics, the bracket is not present. It can sometimes be found fitted with a vertical front grip attached to the underside of the handguard.
RPK with 40-round magazine - 7.62x39mm
An actual RPK-74M with 45-round box magazine, for comparison - 5.45x39mm
Blackburn holds an RPK equipped with a Kobra reflex sight during "Uprising."
Blackburn looks down at an RPK on the ground; note the lack of a rail under the handguard. Despite this, it can still mount a RIS foregrip.
Reloading an RPK fitted with a janky Harris bipod; the real RPK bipod is fixed just behind the front sight and folds backwards. This bipod is actually shorter than the magazine and therefore would not be particularly useful.
Observing an oil pipeline at Kharg Island with the RPK.
The RPK's sights, though they lack the windage adjustment knob.
Pulling out the extended metal AK magazine.
A good view of modeled cartridges are visible while loading in the new mag.
Charging the RPK underhanded style.
Dog Tag Weapons
Heckler & Koch MG36
Despite the fact that BF3's "MG36" is a hybrid of G36 variants, a configuration correct for an actual MG36 appears on the Dog Tag the player is awarded with for getting 500 kills with it.
Sniper Rifles
Unusually, Recon players can opt for low-magnification optics, unmagnified reflex/red-dot sights, or even iron-sights in lieu of the standard high-magnification optics.
Accuracy International AWM-F
The Accuracy International AWM-F is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack as the "L96" (the British designation of the Accuracy International Precision Marksman; the actual British designation of the AWM is L115A1/A3), and can be used by the Recon kit. At any rate, the game treats it like an L96; its ballistics are modeled after the L96A1's 7.62 NATO chambering rather the the AW Magnum's .338 Lapua, and it has the former's 10-round capacity instead of the latter's 5. True to its reputation, the gun is extremely accurate at long ranges, with minimal bullet drop allowing for precise headshots.
Accuracy International AWM-F - .300 Winchester Magnum
G22 (AWM-F) - .300 Winchester Magnum
AWM-F on the customize menu.
The "L96" idle with iron sights. The front sight is from the G22, and is not removed when a scope is mounted. Originally, the full set of the
BF3's standard F2000-esque RIS sights was used on the top rail, with a comically short sight radius. The RIS front sight was removed in an update, but this didn't account for the G22's front sight, and shot placement was off. A further patch corrected the iron sights to work as intended.
Aiming, with the G22 style front sight in correct use.
Working the AW's action after firing a shot; note that the entire bolt incorrectly rotates (as opposed to just the bolt handle and the main bolt body). This does at least give a good view of the safety, which is correctly off.
Depolying a kitted out AWM-F atop the Oman Hotel.
The AWM as idle on the bipod. The image through the scope lacks magnification until it is actually aimed through...
Chambering the rifle. Here, the issues with the back end of the bolt rotating are apparent - the corner visibly (if subtly) clips through the receiver.
Barrett M98B
The M98B is the last bolt action unlocked. It is incredibly accurate and powerful, but is heavy and suffers from substantial sway unless a bipod is used. For balance reasons the magazine capacity is limited to 5 rounds instead of the real world's 10.
Barrett M98B with Harris bipod and Scope - .338 Lapua Magnum
Looking at the coastal construction site with the Barret M98B on Bandar Desert.
Working the 98B's action, with a spent cartridge just visible past the scope.
...and loading in a new one.
Barrett M107
The Barrett M107 appears in the game, but it is exclusive to the singleplayer; its absence in BF3's multiplayer could be chalked up to difficulty with balancing the weapon properly. The M107 with an AN/PAS-13D thermal scope only appears in the singleplayer level "Kaffarov", where player character Dmitri Mayakovsky acquires it due to a somewhat bizarre series of events that don't seem to play out quite the way they were intended to.
Barrett M107 long range sniper rifle - .50 BMG.
In the room
before Dmitri Mayakovsky is actually supposed to get the M107, he acquires the M107 by approaching the door.
On opening the door he finds an enemy sniper kindly carrying the M107 he already has, with the barrel pretending to be a bipod and the magazine very badly wanting to be the pistol grip.
"Thank you, I had no idea why I was carrying that."
Swapping magazines during a reload
About to rock in a new one.
Working the M107's action.
Knight's Armament SR-25/Mk 11 Mod 0
The Knight's Armament SR-25 appears in BF3 under the name Mk 11 Mod 0, its US Navy designation. It is found occasionally in the single-player campaign. It is the default rifle for the US Recon kit in multiplayer, outfitted by standard with a 8x rifle scope.
Knight's Armament SR-25 with Harris bipod - 7.62x51mm NATO
Blackburn holds a scoped Mk 11 Mod 0 during the mission "Operation Swordbreaker".
Campo holds Mk 11 Mod 0 with a silencer and red-dot sight in the mission "Night Shift".
A Marine sniper stands out on the high part of Damavand Peak with a basic Mk 11.
The Mk 11's ADS with the strange BUIS.
After kitting out his rifle and hunting giant golf-ball domes, he reloads his rifle...
...and hits the bolt-release. Note that the fire-selector is set to safe.
Icon and world model for the Mk 11 Mod 0.
M14 (in Sage chassis)
An M14 in a Sage chassis appears as a sniper rifle in the Recon class, though it is incorrectly referred to as the M39 EMR. It is unlocked when the player receives 58,000 Co-Op Score.
M14 with Sage stock and scope - 7.62x51mm NATO
M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle - 7.62x51mm NATO, for comparison. Note the longer gas cylinder below the barrel.
Dmitri Mayakovsky holds an M14 rather curiously equipped with a Russian PK-AS optic as he looks around Kaffarov's villa. He might be a bad guy, but he sure knows how to keep the place neat.
A US Marine Recon overlooks the Sharqi construction site with a default "M39 EMR."
It has a rather thin rear sight, with two illumination dots.
Letting go of the charging handle at the end of an empty reload.
MKEK JNG-90
The MKEK JNG-90 was included for the Recon class in the Close Quarters expansion pack. To acquire it, the player would have to complete an assignment.
MKEK JNG-90 - 7.62x51mm NATO
The MKEK JNG-90 fitted with an AN/PAS-13D scope.
Cycling the JNG - a spent casing is absent.
Inserting the tiny, flat new magazine
Pushing the bolt back into place. The JNG-90 seems to use the same reload animation as the L96.
Norinco NDM-86
The .308 variant of the Norinco NDM-86 returns from Battlefield Play4Free, once again appearing as the "SVD". It is default for the Russian Recon Kit sporting a PKS-07 7x Scope by default, though the correct PSO-1 4x scope is the first attachment unlocked at only 10 kills.
Norinco NDM-86 - .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm NATO
A NDM-86 with iron sights on Operation Firestorm.
Iron sights of the NDM-86, which have a rather wide rear notch and illuminated bits.
Rocking in a magazine. Note that it is straight, indicating that this is a .308 NDM-86 and not a genuine SVD.
Releasing the bolt (it properly locks back upon empty).
The SVD with a PSO-1 scope.
QBU-88
The QBU-88 is included in the Back to Karkand expansion pack, and can be used by the Recon kit.
The QBU-88 on the customization screen, note the game claims to it being chambered in 7.62x54R which has since been patched to show the correct 5.8x42mm ammuntion.
A Russian soldier secures the Karkand shipping containers with his iron-sighted and bipod-ed QBU-88. It has a spotted camouflage finish.
View through the QBU's rather obtrusive sights.
Reloading. The character will first grab a new magazine, then pull out the dry one with the fresh one still in hand, as seen here.
Loading in the new short magazine.
Right side of a deployed QBU-88.
Remington M40A5
The Remington M40A5 is the second bolt-action rifle unlocked for the Recon class. It has lower muzzle velocity than the other bolt-action rifles, but benefits from the fastest cycle time between shots and moderately low sway.
Remington M40A5 with Harris bipod - 7.62x51mm NATO
Blackburn holds a suppressed M40A5 fitted with an IR scope during the mission "Night Shift."
A vanilla M40A5 in Multiplayer, with the game's standard set of BUIS.
Working the bolt after shooting at nothing in particular.
The M40 now set up with a proper scope and bipod, out on the snowy hillside.
The view through the 6x scope.
Reloading the M40A5 - the standard reload is performed with the left hand.
However, from empty, the sniper uses his right hand.
SV-98
The SV-98 returns as the first unlockable bolt action rifle, with the best mobility and close-up performance among bolt-action rifles.
SV-98 with suppressor, bipod, carrying handle, and mirage band - 7.62x54mmR
During an extremely confusing QTE, an enemy sniper holds an SV-98.
A barebones SV-98 out on Kaisar Railroad.
It has a somewhat dramatic bolt cycling animation. A spent steel cartridge is visible just behind the right hand.
And now equipped with the PKS-07 scope and a bipod.
The PKS-07's scope reticle against the sky.
Reloading the sniper rifle.
Zastava M59/66
The Yugoslavian M59/66 variant of the SKS appears in-game, with synthetic Tapco furniture and uses 20 round magazines. It can be identified as the Yugoslavian variant by the design of the front sight with an integrated grenade sight, and by its muzzle device. It is a good choice for close range compared to other Recon-class rifles due to its higher mobility/low weight, 20-round capacity and low recoil, at the cost of less hitting power and range.
Yugoslavian M59/66 SKS with Tapco furniture (the in-game gun has the folding bayonet removed) - 7.62x39mm
M59/66 SKS on the customize menu.
Out in the Kaisar woods with the Tapco M59/66.
The iron sights have a red illuminated front post and marking on the rear.
Reloading the Tapco magazine while empty. While the game allows for non-empty reloads with the bolt forward, it has to be held back in order to remove Tapco magazines, and cannot really +1 in the chamber.
As with the SVD, the character over-hands the charging handle to rechamber the SKS.
Launchers
FGM-148 Javelin
The Javelin appears and can be used in either top-down or direct-fire modes, and obviously needs a lock to fire. In the campaign, Blackburn uses one during "Operation Guillotine;" here it has infinite ammunition. During the latter sequence, the Javelin is shown firing at absurdly short range; in real life it has a minimum range of around 250 feet.
Harassed by tanks during "Operation Guillotine," Blackburn comes across his salvation in the form of an FGM-148 Javelin launcher.
Blackburn holds the Javelin. Note the help text misidentifies it as a SMAW.
A USMC Javelin operator prepares to dish out some disproportionate retribution on some tumbleweeds for giving him allergies.
The CLU's sights as drawn on a T-90 instead.
The Direct Attack light lit up, as seen with the HUD enabled.
GP-30
If the M320 is mounted to a Russian weapon (namely the AEK-971, AK-74M, and AN-94) through the Underslung Rail attachment, it instead becomes a GP-30. It is correctly depicted firing VOG-25 caseless rounds, and the launcher is not flicked downwards to eject the spent casing as is common in first-person shooters.
The GP-30 mounted on the AK-74.
The GP-30 in use. Underbarrel launchers lack any sights to flick open, compared to the prior games.
And as such, aiming is done by zooming in on the crosshair, if it was present with the HUD.
Reloading a correctly modeled VOG round after its predecessor does some rather impressive damage on the homestead.
Heckler & Koch M320
The Heckler & Koch M320 is the standard grenade launcher of Battlefield 3. The M320 can either be mounted on the rifle via the Underslung Rail attachment, or used in standalone. It can fire standard HE, buckshot, or smoke rounds. Close Quarters DLC added a "LVG" round for the M320; the name stands for "Low-velocity grenade" (and it does fly slower than the other grenade variants), but functionally the grenade is an HE grenade with a 3-second time fuze instead of an impact fuze, allowing it to bounce off walls.
Heckler & Koch M320 with optional telescoping stock - 40x46mm
Blackburn holds a standalone M320 at the start of "Operation Guillotine." This appears to be randomly dropped by US infantry in this area.
As usual for an FPS protagonist, Blackburn is of the "pick a random notch and use it like a regular iron sight" school of leaf sight use.
Reloading the standalone M320; note the front grip visible and the fire selector always set to safe.
Blackburn reloads the M320 mounted under his HK416. Note that here he is removing the "spent" round; there appears to only be one grenade round model, so the fired round is shown unfired.
M224 Mortar
At the start of "Operation Guillotine," Blackburn is tasked with briefly carrying an M224 Mortar as he advances with his fellow Marines; here it cannot be used by the player, and is used by NPCs to fire illumination rounds during the night-time mission. In multiplayer it can be used by the Support class; the M224 in multiplayer has infinite ammunition and can fire smoke or HE rounds. In singleplayer, it is shown with no baseplate fitted, which would make it impossible to actually fire.
Blackburn hands off an illumination round to Campo after setting up the M224.
And Campo drops in the warhead.
Watching Montes and Campo fire more rounds after setting up the mortar.
Mk 153 SMAW
The Mk 153 SMAW appears as the American Engineer's unguided rocket launcher.
Looking upon a guard tower with the MK 153 SMAW at the Kharg beachhead.
Reloading after turning the tower into something more of an unglorified platform.
Pansarskott m/86
The Pansarskott m/86, a Swedish version of the M136 AT4 with a folding front grip, appears in the hands of US Marines. The m/86 only appears in the Singleplayer campaign. It is incorrectly referred to as an "RPG".
Pansarskott m/86, Swedish Army version of the M136 AT4 with folding foregrip - 84mm
Blackburn readies a Pansarskott m/86 as the squad try to take out a sniper hidden in a hotel. Note the rear sight: the larger 7mm peephole used here is only really supposed to be used in low visibility conditions, and under the clear conditions shown, the scythe-like "leaf blade" should be rotated to bring the 2mm peephole in line with the 7mm peephole.
The results of using it are fairly predictable. "Good effect on target!"
Throughout the campaign, Matkovic carries a Pansarskott m/86 on his back.
RPG-7V2
The RPG-7 is featured as the Russian Engineer's unguided rocket launcher. It incorrectly shows it as 83 mm, which a PG-VL HEAT is 93 mm.
The weapon's Battlelog description states that it fires "GP-7VL" rocket propelled grenades, presumably a corruption or a typo of PG-7VL, even though the in-game weapon uses PG-7V grenades.
Practically invisible in his well-planned cover position, an Iranian soldier with an RPG-7 plots his next move, apparently oblivious to the 70-ton American tank lurking close by.
A Russian engineer resists the urge to detonate the local gas station.
The iron sights are fairly identical to
Bad Company 2: Vietnam and
MoH 2010, other than the front sight is slightly reshaped.
Reloading PG-7V warhead - the white crates tanked the last round for the garage.
SA-7 Grail
The SA-7 Grail appears as the Russian Engineer's anti-air launcher, misnamed as an SA-18 Grouse (Russian: 9K38 Igla). As in the previous Battlefield games the name is given as "SA-18 Igla", using the US designation, but the Russian nickname.
SA-7 Grail launcher and missile - 72mm
Battlelog render of the SA-7.
Equipping the SA-7 involves flicking out the rear sight.
The SA-7 shouldered out in the Sabalan snow.
Aiming at the refinery flare as he wonders if that heat source could be locked on to.
Training Set Guided Missile M134
The "FIM-92 Stinger" in the game is actually an M134 training set with the rear-mounted performance indicator removed: it has "Tracking rainer" written on the gripstock unit (apparently referenced from a photograph where one T was not visible), a blue marking on the BCU well, and has a training battery that projects clear of the underside of the gripstock fitted instead of a normal BCU. It appears as the American Engineer's anti-air launcher. A Training Set with an infinite number of reloads is also found in the singleplayer mission "Rock and a Hard Place." As is normal in videogames, the iron sight is depicted as a digital sight complete with lock-on target boxes.
Amusingly, the "TRACKING RAINER" mark was later copied onto fake Stinger missiles fabricated by a group of Ukrainian separatist rebels, the Lugansk People's Republic, in 2015, who claimed these "weapons" were proof that the United States had been supplying military aid to the Ukrainian government.
Training Set Guided Missile M134, a tracking and acquisition training device for the FIM-92 Stinger - 70mm
Training Set Guided Missile M134 training battery compared to FIM-92 Stinger Battery Coolant Unit.
Finding himself under attack from an Su-25 "Frogfoot" ground-attack plane, Blackburn searches the wreckage of an M1161 "Growler" ITV. Thankfully, the Stinger stunt double is apparently made of stronger stuff than the light vehicle which exploded with it inside. The weapon resting on its unfolded IFF antenna cannot be good for it. Note the training battery projecting from the bottom of the gripstock.
Quickly grabbing the "Stinger", Blackburn has one last look in completely the wrong direction...
...before sighting up the Su-25 and locking on, struggling not to go blind.
The Frogfoot, clearly taking the alleged Stinger extremely seriously, apparently decides to take its own life; while sometimes it will only start smoking after being hit, other times, as here, it will not even wait for the missile to hit it.
Blackburn holds another "Stinger" as the Frogfoot manages one last dramatic flyby. "I regret nothing!"
Dog Tag Weapons
GL1
The F2000's GL1 appears on the Dog Tag awarded for 100 kills with the F2000, mounted to the rifle.
M203
The M203 appears on three Dog Tags. The first is the Dog Tag awarded for 100 kills with the M320/GP-30 where it appears not mounted to anything, the second is the Dog Tag awarded for 500 kills with the M320/GP-30, where it appears mounted to an M16A1, and the third is the Dog Tag awarded for 100 kills with the HK416, mounted to the rifle, just like it was in the Bad Company series.
Explosives
M15 Anti-Tank mine
The M15 anti-tank mine can be used by the Engineer kit. In Multiplayer mines that are placed can only be destroyed with explosives, magnum-revolver gunfire, and sniper rounds. FRAG-12 rounds also work against them. The mine is pressure activated, meaning only something heavy like a vehicle will set it off, infantry running across will not detonate it.
Drawing a mine involves twisting the arming cap.
A pair of M15 mines deployed. The rightward one is somewhat covered by the tire track decal floating off the terrain proper, giving it the illusion of being half-buried.
M18A1 Claymore
M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel mines can also be used by the Support kit. They are detonated by motion in front of the mine instead of the real Claymore's command detonation.
M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel mine
Preparing to deploy a Claymore in an alley in Karkand.
Getting a look at a deployed Claymore while crawling with another, which results in some wonky perspective issues.
M67 Hand Grenade
The M67 hand grenade is the primary grenade seen in Battlefield 3, used by all factions. Instead of a grenade indicator, the body of the grenade flashes to make it more easily visible. Three grenades are carried in singleplayer. In multiplayer, every kit gets one as standard, but can equip two by using the "FRAG" specialization. There are two ways to throw grenades; either using a hotkey or by selecting the grenade as a weapon. The hotkey tosses the grenade instantly then switches back to the previously equipped weapon. Selecting the grenade manually allows multiple grenades to be thrown one after the other, and also allows the pin to be pulled and the grenade prepared for tossing - though as the spoon is held down, this does not actually "cook" the grenade's fuse.
Blackburn readies an M67 grenade.
M84 stun grenade
Blackburn uses an M84 stun grenade to disorient a group of PLR fighters at the bottom of an elevator shaft.
Blackburn, after managing not to fall to his death while rappelling down an elevator, readies an M84 "flashbang" grenade. In this image, the grenade isn't synced with his hand motion and is floating just next to it, though this gives a good look at the model.
About to toss in the M84 in a dynamic entry. This frame and the next both show that, in common with many modern shooters, the thrown model is the same as the "in world" model for this grenade and so the safety lever is still attached.
Mounted Weapons
AT-14 Spriggan
The AT-14 Spriggan appears in the game as the Russian counter to the American BGM-71 TOW mentioned below, and is also a secondary weapon on the BMP-2M and BTR-90.
AT-14 Spriggan launcher and missile - 152mm
The AT-14 at the B flag on Armored Shield.
Aiming the ATGM upon a fiery light helicopter.
BGM-71 TOW
The BGM-71 TOW appears in the game as an emplaced anti-tank missile launcher for the US faction.
BGM-71 TOW on M220 tripod - 152mm
The player character in multiplayer tracks down a TOW launcher.
Another view of the same launcher.
Bofors 40mm
The AC-130 gunship introduced in Armored Kill has the Bofors 40mm gun usable in the first seat.
Bofors 40mm L/60 AA gun in a Boffin mounting - 40×311mmR
The Bofors 40mm gun as seen from the M102 gunner's view.
Browning M2HB
The Browning M2HB heavy machine gun appears in the game mounted on vehicles, including M1A2 Abrams tanks. In terms of gameplay, the M2HB behaves more like a medium machine gun, requiring three or four shots to kill infantry, and dozens to disable a vehicle. In multiplayer, M1 tanks can be fitted with an M2HB mounted above the main cannon. When mounted like this, the M2's rate of fire slows to about 400rpm but gains a damage bonus that puts its power more in line with its real life counterpart. These changes were likely made to keep heavy machine guns from being overly powerful compared to other weapons.
Browning M2HB heavy machine gun in vehicle mount - .50 BMG
At the end of "Uprising," Blackburn takes control of an M2HB mounted on a Humvee as he defends a landing zone until a V-22 Osprey can extract the scattered Marines.
Near the end of "Thunder Run," Sergeant Jonathan Miller mans his tank's .50 cal. It seems in the game's fiction the US Marine Corps has upgraded their Abrams tanks, since Anvil 3 is an M1A2, currently used only by the US Army. Note the TUSK gunshields for the missing loader's M240 are instead fitted to the M2.
A M2HB mounted on M1161 "Growler" ITV.
GAU-8/A Avenger
The General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger appears in the game as the secondary armament of the A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack jet. The A-10 is not playable during campaign mode, but can be piloted in certain multiplayer maps, wherein the A-10's GAU-8/A is devastating against soft targets caught in the open.
GAU-8/A Avenger complete with feed system and 1,174 round drum - 30x173mm
Jennifer Hawkins looks out at an A-10 Thunderbolt II armed with a GAU-8/A during the mission "Going Hunting."
Later in the mission Hawkins gets to call in gun runs from the A-10, here shown on thermal imaging.
Closeup of the GAU-8/A on the A-10C on Operation Firestorm, Rush.
The Avenger cannon on a slightly worse for wear A-10 nose section.
GE M134 Minigun
The GE M134 Minigun is seen mounted on AH-6 Little Birds in both single and multiplayer.
General Electric M134 - 7.62x51mm NATO
An AH-6 "Little Bird" opens fire with its M134 minigun. Note that tracers are treated as solid by the engine, meaning the underside of what should be a bright light source is shown in shadow here. This is only really visible in stills.
General Dynamics GAU-17/A
Two GAU-17/A miniguns are mounted on the sides of UH-1Y helicopters and the Russian faction's Kamov Ka-60 helicopter.
General Dynamics GAU-17/A, US Air Force version of the M134 Minigun - 7.62x51mm NATO
A GAU-17/A can be seen mounted on Kaffarov's private helicopter as Dmitri Mayakovsky dangles from it. Note it has no ammo feed.
Looking at an idle Minigun.
Operating the Venom-mounted GAU-17/A. Note the flight suit gloves.
Firing - the casings can be seen spewing out, despite the lack of a feed source.
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1
The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 appears in the game as the secondary armament of the Su-35BM Flanker-E fighter jet.
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 with ammo belt 30mm
During the mission "Going Hunting," Hawkins faces several Su-35BM Flanker-E aircraft, incorrectly referred to throughout as "MiGs." This error is only present in the text in this mission; they are correctly named elsewhere in the game.
Chased by
Shark 4-6, one Su-35BM decides to show off with Pugachev's Cobra manoeuvre...
...giving Hawkins a nice look at its missile armament.
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2
The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2 appears in the game as the secondary armament of the Su-25TM (Su-39) Frogfoot ground attack jet.
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2 30mm automatic cannon - 30x165mm
A Su-39 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft flies over as Blackburn finds himself between Iran and a hard place.
It soon returns for a series of gun runs as Blackburn has to move from cover to cover to find a Stinger. The Frogfoot here is basically firing a death ray with a deadzone around pieces of cover; moving out of cover is instant death during the time that counts as its attack even if it has already flown overhead and stopped firing.
The GSh-30-2 under the Su-25TM - this variant uses a different mounting location compared to other Su-25 variants.
Kord
The Kord heavy machine gun is mounted on the T-90A tank, Russian army buggies and Vodniks, and a number of technicals. It behaves very similarly to the Browning M2HB heavy machine gun: more in line with a medium machine gun, and can be mounted on a T-90 with a lowered rate of fire but higher shot-for-shot damage.
Kord heavy machine gun with ammo box - 12.7x108mm
Blackburn looks over a Kord machine gun mounted on a technical.
He soon discovers the hard way that manning a Kord during an earthquake is a bad idea.
A T-90 MBT opens fire with its main gun, the massive muzzle flash illuminating the commander's Kord heavy machine gun. The tank is used by the Iranian Army, presumably supposed to have been purchased at some point between the game's release in 2011 and the distant future setting of 2014 when the storyline takes place. Real-life Iran apparently did not get the memo and still does not operate the T-90.
M61 Vulcan
The M61 Vulcan appears in the game as the secondary armament of the F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jets. M61s are also seen in Phalanx installations on American warships, and in multiplayer the US base is protected by a land-based Phalanx C-RAM installation. It should be noted that the game's campaign mode incorrectly shows the Hornet's M61A1 as being operated by the WSO, when in reality the gun is operated by the pilot.
Land-based Phalanx C-RAM mounting on a mobile trailer - 20mm
In the mission "Gone Hunting" the player character is Lieutenant Jennifer Hawkins, WSO of an F/A-18F "Super Hornet" callsign
Shark 4-6 assigned to CVN-77 USS
George H.W. Bush.
Hawkins climbs up to the deck of the USS
George H.W. Bush, spotting the USS
Ford (FFG-54), an
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate in the distance. This incorrectly mounts bow and stern Phalanx installations; while a later block upgrade added a forward gun over the removed SM-1 missile launcher of nine of the
Perry-class, this is a Mk 38 Mod 2 (a remote-controlled navalised
M242 Bushmaster chaingun), not a second Phalanx.
The two Hornets
Shark 4-2 and
Shark 4-6 overfly the US fleet, giving plenty of glimpses of Phalanx installations on the various ships.
A close up look at a land-based Phalanx C-RAM in multiplayer.
M102 105mm Howitzer
The M102 Howitzer is usable in the AC-130 gunship's second seat.
Modified M102 howitzer taken from an AC-130 Spectre gunship - 105x372mmR
The M102 Howitzer as seen from the Bofors station.
A somewhat close view of the AC-130's ground pounders as seen from a chase Ka-60 helicopter.
M197 Vulcan
The M197 Vulcan appears in the game as the secondary armament of the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter.
Miller looks up at a pair of friendly AH-1Z Vipers during the mission "Thunder Run."
A closer look at an AH-1Z Viper's M197 Vulcan cannon.
GAU-12/U
The GAU-12/U is the main gun on the LAV-AD in multiplayer. It should be noted that the LAV-AD itself is technically anachronistic as it has been removed from service.
The GAU-12/U is also mounted on the AC-130 gunship, interestingly, in two additional ventral turrets.
General Dynamics GAU-12/U with unfired rounds - 25mm
A GAU-12/U mounted on an LAV-AD.
Zooming in on the rear AC-130 top turret from the forward one. These turrets can be somewhat aimed at surface targets, but are meant moreso for point defense against enemy aircraft in-game.
GAU-22/A
The GAU-22/A appears in the game as the secondary weapon of F-35B Lightning II aircraft in the Back to Karkand DLC that is available in the revamped versions of Gulf of Oman and Wake Island. It is erroneously portrayed being mounted in a nacelle over the left side air intake; this is the case for the Air Force's F-35A while the B and C variants mount the GAU-22/A in an underslung external pod.
Getting an overview look at a F-35B from the AH-1Z's third person camera view.
M240C
The M240C machine gun is coaxially mounted on the M1A2 Abrams MBT and LAV-25.
M240C machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO
Miller runs back towards the tank column after retrieving the "clicker" trigger for an M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge.
M242 Bushmaster
The M242 Bushmaster chaingun is the main gun of the LAV-25.
M242 Bushmaster chaingun - 25mm
Blackburn and his fellow Marines get out of their own LAV-25 and look over someone else's at the start of "Operation Swordbreaker."
Blackburn looks over another LAV-25 during the mission "Rock and a Hard Place."
Mk 19 Grenade Launcher
The Mk 19 grenade launcher is seen mounted on M1114 Humvees and AAVP7A1 amphibious transports.
Mk 19 grenade launcher on vehicle mount - 40mm
Miller looks over an AAVP7A1, mounting an M2HB and a Mark 19 grenade launcher in the commander's mini-turret.
Manning the Mark 19 on the "Phoenix", a post-apocalyptic Humvee that is part of the
Aftermath DLC. Note the lack of hands and any ammo.
Looking at the Mk 19's left side.
QLZ-87
The QLZ-87 appears in the Aftermath DLC, mounted on the Russian "Barsuk" (Badger) modification of the GAZ 3937 Vodnik truck.
Operating the "gangsta style" pistol grip of the QLZ-87 on the ramshackle GAZ 3937. The scope is not usable.
PKT
The PKT machine gun is coaxially mounted on the T-90A and T-72 MBTs. It is also usable on the BMP-2, BTR-90, and 2S25 Sprut.
PKT machine gun with 250-round ammo drum - 7.62x54mm R
Miller gets a little
too close to an Iranian T-72. The coaxial gun on the T-72 is mounted to the right of the main gun; the view is blocked from most angles (including this one) by the searchlight mounted next to it.
Shipunov 2A42
The Shipunov 2A42 appears in the game as the main gun of the BMP-2M and BTR-90 APCs, and the secondary armament of the Mi-28 Havoc helicopter.
Blackburn advances on a BMP-2M during "Rock and a Hard Place," the IFV seemingly oblivious to his dastardly rocket-launching ambitions.
Closeup of the armament on a BTR-90.
Other
Mk 18 Mod 1
A Mk 18 Mod 1 is prominently featured in the base game and Limited Edition's coverart, equipped with KAC QDSS-NT4 suppressor, SureFire M900V foregrip/light combo, AN/PEQ-15, an EOTech 552, and Magpul MBUIS iron sights.
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