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
It has a higher DPS than the Assault Rifle, but less than the AK-47. It has the best accuracy and highest ammo capacity, but the longest reload.

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.
 * 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".

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-L is used primarily by the US Special Operation Command, indicating the possible presence of US Special Forces.
 * In the console commands, this weapon is referred to as "rifle_desert". This was probably its Beta name.
 * 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.
 * In real life, the FN SCAR series fires in full-automatic with no option for three round bursts.
 * 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.
 * In the intro Coach can be seen firing a Combat Rifle fully automatic, however this is impossible in-game.
 * The Combat Rifle almost has the same reloading animation as the Sniper Rifle
 * The FN SCAR stands for,"Special Forces Combat Assault Rifle" made by the real life Fabrique Nationale Herstal of Belgium for use by US Special Operations Command which issued an order for a special forces assault rifle.
 * The FN SCAR are only issued to a battalion of the US 75th Rangers. It is unusual for it to fall to the hands of Survivors unless the 75th Rangers were deployed to the stricken Infected areas and were massacred by the Infected.
 * The FN SCAR-L in the Left 4 Dead universe has 60 bullets per magazine compared to the real life FN SCAR-L which only has 30 bullets per magazine.
 * The FN SCAR is available as the SCAR-L (Mk 16 Mod 0), caliber 5.56x45mm, and SCAR-H (Mk 17 Mod 0), caliber 7.62x51mm (which is a battle rifle, not an assault rifle). Both are available in either long-barrel or CQB variants.
 * Like the Hunting Rifle in Left 4 Dead, it does not have a Tier 1 predecessor.