Combat Rifle

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

- Coach

The Combat Rifle aka The "Desert 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.

Tactics

 * The Combat Rifle is the most accurate of the assault rifles. It works well for picking off Special Infected at a distance.
 * 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.
 * 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.

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.

Trivia

 * The combat rifle is modeled after the FN SCAR-L. The flashlight is mounted via cable ties, although the real-life counterpart features a foregrip RIS rail for just that purpose.
 * The FN SCAR stands for "Special Forces Combat Assault Rifle" and is used primarily by the US Special Operation Command, indicating the possible presence of US Special Forces.
 * The in-game commentary states that the rifles were diverted from being shipped to the Middle East to being shipped back home to control the infection, which explains their desert camo and console name "rifle_desert". It also explains the presence of Desert Camo Humvees.
 * In real life, the FN SCAR series fires in full-automatic with no option for three round bursts, while the M16A2 fires in three round bursts with no automatic setting.
 * The reload animation in game is unnecessary. When the SCAR is depleted of ammunition, the bolt automatically locks back, allowing the user to rapidly replace the magazine and press the bolt-release.
 * In real life, the SCAR shares ammo with the M-16 and uses 30-round magazines, rather than the 60 (SCAR) and 50 (M16) round magazines in-game.
 * The FN SCAR in game is modeled after the SCAR-L (5.56x45mm), while the model texture lists it as a SCAR-H (7.62x51mm).
 * Despite being an Assault Rifle variant, the Combat Rifle doesn't have a Tier 1 counterpart.