Combat Rifle

"Ah hell. Gonna set some things right with this shit."

- Coach The Combat Rifle is a second-tier Assault Rifle variant that has a capacity of 60 rounds per magazine. Unlike the other assault rifles, it fires three-round burst. Unlike burst rifles in most games, holding down the trigger button will continually fire three round bursts, where in most games, you have to continually press the trigger button. Sustained bursts make for a more accurate spread of fire than the M-16, with improved ammo conservation.

Differences
The Combat Rifle fires in three-round bursts, as opposed to full-automatic, which translates the 60-round magazine to 20 shots. The individual bursts are highly accurate, and the weapon is still relatively accurate when running or being hit by Infected. DPS is higher than the Assault Rifle, but lower than the AK-47, and the reload time is the longest of the Assault Rifles; it takes a full three seconds to reload.

Pros

 * Great accuracy for an Assault Rifle but not as accurate as the Sniper Rifle or Hunting Rifle.
 * Higher DPS than the Assault Rifle making it a far better alternative.
 * Good at taking down Hordes when continually firing.
 * Good accuracy when you are running.
 * Works well with a Laser Sight.

Cons

 * Longest reloading time for an Assault Rifle.
 * If you continually fire you will find yourself running low on ammo quite often.

Tactics

 * The Combat Rifle is as accurate as M16, but fires set 3 round bursts. It works well for picking off Special Infected at a distance in a pinch.
 * The Combat Rifle's ability to continually fire bursts as long as the trigger is held down makes it an effective weapon for taking down hordes, but melee weapons are recommended as ammo can quickly become scarce this way.
 * A total of 420 ammo translates to 140 shots, so be sure to watch your ammunition count and use your secondary weapon when appropriate.
 * The reload speed on the Combat Rifle is slower than the other assault rifles, so be sure to reload only when you find a suitable interlude.
 * Very effective "on the run," due to high accuracy when moving.
 * The Combat Rifle is incredibly useful for taking down groups of Infected. A single shot will result in three bullets, so make sure you add a bit of spread to your shooting. This, however, uses a lot of ammunition, and is generally not advisable.

Behind the Scenes
Like most weapons in early footage, the Combat Rifle used the Assault Rifle's animations and statistics from Left 4 Dead, as seen in Rifle Video at about 1 minute in. It wasn't until later on in development when the burst attack was added and it was given its own animations.