M6C/SOCOM

The M6C/SOCOM (M6S), also known as the Automag,Bungie.net - Halo 3: ODST Render is a semi-automatic pistol and a variant of the M6C magnum sidearm.
Halo 3: ODSTGame Pro: June 2009, page 4 It is used by UNSC special operations units. It is the secondary weapon of special forces Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and is used in operations that rely on stealth rather than direct engagements.
==Design==
The M6C/SOCOM variant has an integrated sound suppressor and muzzle brake. In lieu of the KFA-2 sight used on the M6D PDWS, the M6C/SOCOM utilizes the VnSLS/V 6E smart linked 4x scope, enabling the user to eliminate targets at long range while incurring limited recoil due to the integral sound suppressor and compensator.
===Ammunition===
The M6C/SOCOM fires 12.7mm x 40mm (.50 Caliber) Semi-Armor-Piercing, High-Penetration ammunition from a twelve-round magazine. It has a considerably high rate of fire with a long effective range, being able to accurately hit a target at about fifty meters. The M6C/SOCOM is, like its M6C counterpart, weaker than the standard-issue M6G PDWS due to lower efficiency against shielded and heavily armored targets (due to its "exotic" ammunition: SAP-HP - Semi Armor Piercing-High Penetration, not Explosive).
These rounds are typically more effective against infantry as opposed to armor-piercing rounds due to a larger dump of kinetic energy, resulting in better stopping power, and also to the process described above, with an armor-piercing round speeding through the target's body without causing as much trauma, creating a scenario where a wounded enemy can still be an effective combatant until they bleed out. Ammunition packets for the M6C/SOCOM are labeled in the same blue color as all other M6 sidearm ammunition packs. However, each ammunition pack has a different shade and text to denounce the type of ammunition used.
===Advantages===
The M6C/SOCOM, being a sound suppressed variant of the M6C, features several key advantages. The first is an increase in accuracy by the addition of a muzzle brake which reduces the recoil of the gun - this allows for better aiming and more controlled fire. The weapon also has an increased effective range, making it a very formidable weapon when used against lightly armored infantry.
Its suppressor allows for more stealthy engagements and excels at eliminating enemy infantry from concealed locations without compromising the user's location. The addition of an optics module, located underneath the suppressor/muzzle brake, gives the user 4x digital zoom for long range targets; the optics module also includes a flashlight to provide lumination in low-light situations.
===Disadvantages===
Like the M6C, the M6C/SOCOM is not a purely offensive weapon among the M6 series. While it is more effective than the standard M6C, the role of the M6C/SOCOM falls between offensive and defensive combat. The M6C/SOCOM, like the M6C, is not effective against energy shield systems, making engagements against shielded enemy infantry very dangerous and causes you to use up most of your magazines.
In order for the weapon to be effective, a user must rely on a more powerful weapon to take down the shield and then switch to the sidearm, killing the target with a headshot. This requires a great deal of focus, and the time required to switch weapons leaves the user vulnerable to return fire. Rapid fire will cause the gun to climb like the M7.
==Tactics==
===Campaign and Firefight===
*The M6C/SOCOM was designed as a very powerful scoped pistol in tribute to the fan-beloved M6D from Halo: Combat Evolved. The M6C/SOCOM combines the fire rate of the M6C with the accuracy, range, and scope of the M6D. However, it does not have the stopping power of an M6D or M6G, so it's best used to use headshots against unshielded enemies, lIke the original M6C.
**Indeed, the weapon's non-headshot damage is so mediocre that even a Grunt can survive several torso shots from the M6C/SOCOM. This places the weapon as the lowest-damaging of all the M6 series pistols in-game. However, it can still be useful for stealth operations, and skilled marksmen capable of consecutive headshots can dispose of Grunts and Jackals with startling ease, efficiency, and speed, thanks to the low recoil, high accuracy, and high magazine capacity of the pistol.
*The M6C/SOCOM is most effective against Grunts and Jackals, however it is ineffective against Hunters. When going up against Hunters, the combat strategy used throughout the previous Halo titles remains effective.
*The M6C/SOCOM is essentially useless against enemies with energy shields. The most common way to take down shielded infantry is to take down their shield using the M7S Caseless Submachine Gun or an MA5C assault rifle and then follow up with a headshot with the M6S. If another, more powerful weapon like the Type-51 Carbine is available and has significant ammunition, the latter weapon is preferred. The carbine is good for taking down shields and scoring headshots, but fires rounds that can be easily traced by cautious enemies. The best method would be the noob combo: use a plasma pistol to easily take shields down and the pistol to score the headshot.
==Trivia==
*Similar to the Pistol Kanji in Halo: Combat Evolved, seven in Korean is stamped on the right side of the laser module.
*The SOCOM variant of the M6C was actually for Halo 2.Bungie Podcast 06/02/09
*The M6G appears on the ammo packets for the M6C/SOCOM in Halo 3: ODST.
*SOCOM is the acronym for Special Operations Command.
==Gallery==
M6c-odst.jpg|The M6C/SOCOM, as seen in Halo 3: ODST.
M6 Ammo.jpg|A study of the ammo pack for the M6.
M6CSOCOM Slide-back.jpg|The M6C/SOCOM, with its slide back and a spent brass casing being ejected. Note that the trigger finger is at the side of the gun.
Laser Aiming Module.jpg|A closeup on the laser module. Note the Korean stamped characters on the side.
CptVDare.png|Veronica Dare wielding an M6C/SOCOM.
BuckODST.png|Edward Buck wielding an M6C/SOCOM.
H3ODST_Firefight_SecurityZone.jpg
M6C Socom.png|M6C First Person View
==Appearances==
*Halo 3: ODST
*Halo: Helljumper
*Halo: The Master Chief Collection
**Halo 3 (Multiplayer Only)
==Sources==
Category:Handguns
Category:Human Weapons