Zombicidal

Firing Mode	Fully Automatic
Capacity	50 + 480
Base Damage	20 HP
Rate of Fire	1000 RPM
amage Rate	Burst: 333 HP/s Sustained: 185 HP/s
Friendly Fire	0/1/3/20 & 1
Penetration	Infected: 2 Wall: 1 foot
Reload Time	2.4s
Ammunition	9×19mm Parabellum

The submachine gun (SMG) is a fully automatic firearm loaded with a 50-round clip. Up to 530 rounds can be carried. While not as accurate as rifles or pistols, when fired in controlled bursts, the SMG can be effective at medium range. It has an extremely high rate of fire (one clip in 3 seconds), and thus tends to run out of ammunition very quickly. Careful ammo management is required to be able to use the Uzi effectively.

One headshot is required to kill any Common Infected. Two headshots can kill the Hunters and Smokers at medium range, but one may be enough for a Boomer. The Uzi cannot kill by shearing off extremities, so all body shots (except the head) are equally damaging. The SMG’s low caliber does little damage to doors when shooting through them. More detailed stats ▼

Advantages

• Extremely high rate of fire.
• Decently accurate at up to medium range.
• Largest ammunition supply (but not ‘longest-lasting’!).
• Average-length reloading cycle.

Disadvantages

• Lowest per-round damage of any weapon.
• Mediocre penetration (2 Infected per shot).
• Runs out of ammunition easily.
• Inflexible reloading mechanics.

Improving Accuracy

Fire in controlled bursts. Bullet spread increases with firing duration. Thus, to improve accuracy and save ammo, fire in repeated half-second bursts. Avoid the urge to spray wildly at anything, since this cripples your accuracy (and possibly your teammates). The exception comes when fighting Tanks, Witches, or a horde. In these situations, it may be necessary to overlook accuracy for the sake of damage rate.

Crouch when shooting, whenever possible. This narrows your crosshairs and allows others to shoot over your head. Since you are slower when crouching, be sure to avoid being left behind—bobbing is particularly useful. If you can’t spare the time to crouch, your accuracy will be lower. Try to aim for the upper chest—this is a better target than the head because fewer bullets will be wasted in the spread, but you may still achieve headshots. Arguably, you could go for the head and take more careful aim, but if you have that much time, you may as well use your sidearm.

Bash away melee-range Infected before shooting them. The Uzi becomes ineffective at melee range, largely because Infected attacks cause your crosshair to jolt. Here, the limited spread of the Uzi becomes a disadvantage compared to the shotgun. You should bash once or twice to put them into the Uzi’s effective range before firing.

Needless to say, avoid shooting near teammates. When you must shoot near teammates, be sure to leave a few degrees of buffer room to avoid friendly fire. You may have good accuracy, but your teammate may move or a sneaky Infected may come up and slap your arm.

Ammo Management

The best way to conserve ammunition is to use the SMG sparingly. Use your sidearm to eliminate idle Infected, especially those at range. Switch to the Uzi for more firepower, namely during swarms and Special Infected attacks. Try to improve your accuracy as aforementioned. Remember that the Uzi is unable to kill by shearing off limbs, so the upper chest is a good place to aim.

Reload intelligently. There is no reload time penalty for emptying the clip, so you don’t need to reload too often. Ideally, you should reload whenever you’re sure you’ll be safe for a few seconds or when you get down to a couple dozen in the clip. Avoid reloading after only firing a couple bursts. As soon as you start reloading, your gun will remain empty until you complete a reloading cycle. Thus, you should strike a balance between running too low on each clip and spending too long on reloading.

Also, note that anything that interrupts the reloading animation (except bashing) cancels your reload. This includes changing to sidearms, grabbing onto ladders, reviving teammates, picking up large explosives, dying, and checking out Zoey’s ass. Don’t reload before doing any of these.

Realism Notes ▼

Firing Mode	Pump-Action
Capacity	8 + 128
Base Damage	25 HP/pellet 10 pellets/shell
Rate of Fire	Up to 69 RPM
Reload Time	0.5s/shell, +1s dry
amage Rate	Burst: 288 HP/s Sustained: 183 HP/s
Friendly Fire	0/1/4/25 & 1 (per pellet)
Penetration	Infected: Indefinite Walls: 1 foot
Ammunition	12-Gauge 3″ #000 Buckshot, 10-Pellet

The pump-action shotgun is a relatively slow but powerful weapon that is best suited for close-range combat. It has a capacity of 8 shells, with 128 in reserve. Each shell of the pump-action shotgun contains 10 small pellets that spread out as they leave the weapon.

The combination of this projectile spread and the pellets’ indefinite penetration means that at close–medium range, a large number of Infected may be killed with only one volley. This makes the shotgun an ideal weapon for mowing down hordes and moving quickly through areas with sparse Infected. It also means that the shotgun is ineffective at longer ranges and is much more likely to cause friendly fire.

Both shotguns pose a huge friendly fire risk. Each pellet can still do damage to Survivors after penetrating through Infected.

Shotguns receive less bonuses than other weapons on headshots against the Special Infected Trio. However, a short-range headshot will kill most Infected. More detailed stats ▼

Advantages

• Extremely powerful at short–medium range.
• Indefinite penetration through Infected.
• More flexible reloading mechanics.
• Runs out of ammo infrequently.
• Able to shear extremities off Common Infected.

Disadvantages

• Ineffective past 30-40 feet.
• Low firing rate.
• High risk for friendly fire.

Zombie Swiss: My Favorite!

Choose each shot wisely. The pump-action shotgun does a large amount of damage periodically, unlike automatic weapons, which have a more uniform damage rate. Don’t blast wildly. Try to line up each shot so that multiple Infected will be hit. You may wish to occasionally push a few Infected or strafe a bit to get the best angles for this.

When facing swarms, try to maneuver into an area that forces the Infected to converge into a bottleneck. Narrow hallways and door frames are perfect for this. Remember that there will be limited room to fire when you do this, so if you’re in front, you should crouch to allow others to fire over your head. When firing from behind others, the risk for friendly fire is significant. Aim higher than you normally would and try to find a raised platform from which to shoot.

Bash away melee-range Infected. Despite its large spread, shotguns are less effective at melee range. If Infected get too close, bash while you pump. When reacting to Infected attacking from the sides, melee before firing. This reduces the risk of friendly fire and pushes the Infected into the shotgun’s most effective range.

As mentioned earlier, shotgun pellets have indefinite penetration. Each pellet is eligible for penetration up to 500 gu: (31.25 feet), but after hitting the first humanoid, it can only penetrate up to 300 gu: (18.75 feet). Each pellet’s penetration status is calculated independently, so even if you hit some Infected at close range, you might also hit others at longer range.

Optimal Reloading

Reloading shotguns is much different than reloading automatics. Shotguns are reloaded shell-by-shell, not by whole magazines. This means that you can interrupt the reloading process to fire, which is not possible for other weapons. However, if a shotgun is emptied, it must be re-cocked before it can fire, adding 1 second to the total reloading cycle. The gun can be cocked at any time during the reloading cycle by pressing the FIRE button.

Thus, there is a penalty for emptying shotguns. To avoid this, try to keep your shotgun as fully loaded as possible by reloading constantly. Avoid emptying it, especially during swarms. A good tactic is to count each shot under your breath. Once you reach 6 or 7, reload completely. Remember that you can bash while reloading.

Taking Point

Survivors with shotguns are ideally suited for taking point to lead the Survivors through each area. When leading, be careful about reacting too quickly to attacks from beside and behind you. Always bash first, and never fire when Survivors are in your crosshairs. Remember that shotguns can do friendly fire damage even after penetrating Infected. Also, try to limit how much you strafe when in front. Those following you will be firing bullets all around your body, and bullets are painful.

You must exercise your judgment about when to move and when to pause to allow your group to thin the area. You should only rush when you are confident that it’s safe and that you won’t get surrounded. When moving quickly with the group, it isn’t necessary to kill every Common Infected near you. The pointman’s job is to create an opening through which the group may move as safely and quickly as possible. This means that you should almost never stop just to kill something, and that you should bash at any Infected that might slow you down. If bashing causes an Infected to stagger behind you, leave him for another Survivor to kill.

At the same time, you should avoid getting too far ahead of the others. Good communication is essential. You should not be the limiting factor in your group’s speed, but you should also remember that there will be times when the others cannot keep up. Those in the rear are particularly at risk for being impeded by Common Infected.

Special Infected

Except against Boomers, avoid firing at anything farther than 40 feet with the shotgun. Its large spread makes it quite ineffective at this range. Switch to your sidearm if you wish to engage at this range or leave those enemies for your teammates with automatics. The shotgun is highly effective against Hunters who have pounced other Survivors. You cannot hurt disabled: teammates, so blast freely at the Hunter.

Smokers are a more tricky enemy, since they tend to engage from a longer range. Don’t waste ammo trying to kill the Smoker. Instead, your priority should be to detach the tongue as quickly as possible from your teammates. If you are close enough, bash the tongue off your teammate. Beyond melee range, shooting the tongue is effective, especially if the Smoker is attacking from a rooftop. Simply aim right above your teammate’s head and blast.

The Uzi is more effective against Tanks than the pump shotgun. Both guns have comparable ideal DPS, but since the shotgun’s DPS falls off so quickly at range, the Uzi is the better choice. When you do not have the option to switch, use your pistols up until the point where the Tank comes within the shotgun’s effective range. Then, make sure you hit him with as many pellets as possible per shot.

The pump-action shotgun can kill a Witch with a single shell, but the requisite technique changes with difficulty level. From Easy through Advanced, one point-blank shot aimed directly at center mass will be sufficient. However, a perfectly placed headshot is necessary to crown the Witch in Expert. Please see the Witch section for an explanation.

*Is it really the Remington 870? ▼

Firing Mode	Fully Automatic
Capacity	50 + 360
Base Damage	33 HP
Rate of Fire	700 RPM
Reload Time	1.8s
amage Rate	Burst: 385 HP/s Sustained: 271 HP/s
Friendly Fire	0/1/5/33 & 1
Penetration	Infected: 2 Walls: 1.7 feet
Ammunition	5.56×45mm NATO*

The fully automatic assault rifle (AR) is a powerful and versatile weapon favored by many Survivors. It has a 50-round magazine with a maximum reserve of 360 rounds and it reloads very quickly. Each round fired by the AR is very powerful and is capable of shearing off extremities. The AR’s firepower and high accuracy make it ideal for most situations, and its only real weakness is its low ammunition capacity—with the AR’s high firing rate, ammunition runs out quickly.

If you die while carrying this weapon, it may be picked up by your teammates. However, if they do not pick it up, the dropped weapon will change into a submachine gun as soon as you respawn, so it will not be worthwhile to retrieve it. You will respawn with an SMG.

One proper extremity (head, legs, etc.) shot is enough to kill Common Infected. Two headshots are generally required to kill Hunters and Smokers, but the M16’s tight burst places headshots more easily than the Uzi. More detailed stats ▼

Advantages

• Very powerful, even at longer ranges.
• High accuracy with low spreading during extended fire and while running.
• High firing rate.
• Able to shear extremities off Common Infected.
• Short reloading cycle.

Disadvantages

• Runs out of ammunition very easily.
• Inflexible reloading mechanics.

Improving Accuracy

Crouch or stop moving to improve accuracy. Unlike the SMG and pistol, rifle accuracy when standing is the same as when crouched if you aren’t moving. If you wish to move while firing, moving while crouched or alternating running with crouching significantly improves accuracy. The accuracy of the AR when crouch-running is similar to the Uzi’s standing accuracy. While moving, the AR has decent accuracy, so it may be effective to aim for headshots, but aiming at center mass may also be effective, due to the AR’s high damage and shearing ability.

Many tips for improving AR use are similar to those for the Uzi. Show them. ▼

*Realism Notes ▼

Firing Mode	Semi-Automatic
Capacity	10 + 128
Base Damage	25 HP/pellet 12 pellets
Rate of Fire	Up to 200 RPM
Reload Time	0.4s/shell + 1s dry:
amage Rate	Burst: 1000 HP/s Sustained: 429 HP/s
Friendly Fire	0/1/4/25 & 1
Penetration	Infected: Indefinite Walls: 1 foot
Ammunition	12-Gauge 3″ #00 Buckshot, 12-Pellet

The deadly automatic shotgun boasts a nonpareil damage rate and is effectively the faster, more powerful version of the pump-action shotgun. It can hold 10 shells with 128 in reserve. While its shells are almost identical to those of the pump shotgun, its superior semi-automatic, gas-operated action leaves little to be desired. A team with multiple autoshotguns is a death sentence to any Tank or Witch, even in Expert.

If you die while carrying this weapon, it may be picked up by your teammates. However, if they do not pick it up, the dropped weapon will change into a pump shotgun as soon as you respawn, so it will not be worthwhile to retrieve it. You will respawn with a pump shotgun.

Both shotguns pose a huge friendly fire risk. Each pellet can still do damage to Survivors after penetrating through Infected.

Shotguns receive less bonuses on headshots than other weapons, but do extra damage against Witches at point-blank range. More detailed stats ▼

Advantages

• Insanely high damage rate.
• Indefinite penetration through Infected.
• More flexible reloading mechanics.
• Extremely effective against Tanks and Witches.
• Runs out of ammo less easily.

Disadvantages

• Less effective past 30-40 feet.
• Huge risk of friendly fire.

Wait, That Wasn’t Always a Pile of Guts?

Never hold down the trigger. The autoshotgun fires 67% faster if you click the FIRE button repeatedly instead of holding it down. Even if you want to fire more slowly, click. This gives you a much greater degree of control.

Alternate between the autoshotgun and pistol. While the M1014 has a more uniform damage rate like automatic weapons, it is still ineffective at longer ranges. Switch to your pistol if there are no close targets to kill. If the area you’re traversing is sparsely populated, you may wish to use your pistol instead of your shotgun. The shotgun is ideal for heavy densities of Infected, like you would find in some rooms or during swarms. Ammunition may be wasted in other situations.

Control your firing rate against Hordes. While it is very satisfying to unload wildly against Hordes, try to control your firing rate. Shotgun pellets have indefinite penetration up to around 30 feet. This means that in some situations, nearly all Infected within this penetration distance will become ragdolls as soon as you release a shell. If this is the case, you will only need to fire again once the next front of unliving Infected approaches. In an ideal situation with one long hallway, you may only have to fire at a pump shotgun’s firing rate to kill almost all Infected. Another tactic is to fire a two-shell burst, then reload before firing another two-shell burst. This increases kill rate without wasting too many shells on low-penetration shots.

The reality is often not this ideal, so you may need the extra firing rate if you have to cover multiple angles or if there is a short line of fire to the Infected ingress point (if you’re close to a corner or under a ledge). Always coordinate with teammates to find the most effective arrangement of firepower.

Many tips for improving autoshotgun use are similar to those for the pump shotgun. Show them. ▼

Special Infected

The automatic shotgun is more effective than the pump shotgun at range. Thus, you may be able to kill Boomers and Smokers at some range with it. A couple shells unloaded at even a long-range Boomer might kill it. Smokers may also die after a few shells, but when a Survivor is lashed by the tongue, it is usually better to bash the tongue off his body or shoot the tongue rather than to kill the Smoker, leaving this responsibility to those with long-range weapons.

Autoshotguns are brutally effective against Hunters. If you see them during flight, you can wait until they begin to fall and then unload upwards at them. Well-aimed barrages will kill Hunters before they land. If a Hunter does manage to pounce a Survivor, you can shoot freely (unless other Survivors are nearby). Remember that disabled: Survivors do not take friendly fire damage.

Nothing kills Tanks like the M1014, not even the Minigun. When shooting the Tank down (as opposed to burning), the most effective distance is right where the crosshair width matches the Tank’s width. Do not get too close to the front or sides of the Tank, and always pay attention to what is behind you if you’re backtracking. It is far too easy to back up against a car or Common Infected that will slow you down. In Campaign Mode, don’t approach a burning Tank, since he will be faster.

The automatic shotgun can kill a Witch with a single shell or a quick two-shell burst, but the requisite technique changes with difficulty level. Please see the Witch section for an explanation.
Realism Notes ▼

Firing Mode	Semi-Automatic
Capacity	15 + 180
Base Damage	90 HP
Rate of Fire	Up to 225 RPM
Reload Time	3.0s
amage Rate	Burst: 338 HP/s Sustained: 193 HP/s
Friendly Fire	0/3/15/90 & 3
Penetration	Infected: Infinite Walls: 1.7 feet
Ammunition	.223 Remington*

The specialized semi-automatic hunting rifle features the highest per-projectile damage of any firearm and a telescopic sight. It can hold 15 rounds with 180 in reserve. The hunting rifle has maximum accuracy both when standing and crouched, but has atrocious accuracy if fired from the hip while moving. It also boasts an enormous effective range with infinite Infected penetration, but it is limited by a small clip and long reload time.

If you die while carrying this weapon, it may be picked up by your teammates. However, if they do not pick it up, the dropped weapon will change into an Uzi as soon as you respawn, so it will not be worthwhile to retrieve it. You will respawn with an Uzi. 8192 gu range, full penetration range

The hunting rifle is very dangerous to teammates, especially in higher difficulty levels! One shot in Expert is enough to incapacitate, and each hunting rifle round poses a friendly fire risk regardless of how many Infected it penetrates. It does not do friendly fire damage after penetrating walls.

One shot anywhere will kill Common Infected. Headshots at any range kill the Special Infected Trio instantly. Headshots can stun Witches for two seconds if placed while the Witch is unperturbed, but otherwise, headshots receive no special bonuses. More detailed stats ▼

Advantages

• Scoped but extremely accurate, regardless.
• Extremely powerful against most Infected types.
• Very ammunition-efficient. Running dry is very rare.
• Infinite penetration through Infected with no spread.

Disadvantages

• Small clip size and long reload time.
• Terrible accuracy while running. Using the scope fixes this, but slows you.
• Ineffective at melee range.
• High friendly fire damage.

Ammunition Management

The hunting rifle is a true specialty weapon that can be deadly in the right hands and situations. Because of its limited niche, carrying more than one hunting rifle in each part is rare (and discouraged). Taking full advantage of the hunting rifle means ammunition management, but not in the same way as other weapons. What you must manage is the effectiveness of every round in your 15-round clip, instead of your total supply.

Fire slowly against Common Infected. Even against Hordes, nervously unloading is a waste. Remember that the hunting rifle not only has infinite penetration, but also kills instantly regardless of shot placement. You should rarely ever shoot a burst at any single point. If the Horde spreads out, you may need to adjust your aim after each shot, but shooting ragdolls is a waste of ammo.

You may need to fire faster against Special Infected. Expending a few extra rounds against one to ensure a kill is not a waste, though you should attempt to make headshots against Smokers and Hunters whenever possible. It is not necessary to headshot Boomers or Common Infected, since they will die from a single shot anywhere.

Pick each shot carefully. If you can line up each shot such that it passes through multiple Infected (even through a hand or foot), it will greatly increase each shot’s economy. This is easy to do against idle Infected, but against swarms, it is useful to find a corner or doorway.

Switch to pistols when running. The hunting rifle has disgraceful accuracy when fired from the hip while moving or when you are being slapped around by Infected. You are much better off with pistols. One possibility is to use the scope while running, but avoid keeping the scope up while running (see below). When you can afford to slow down a bit or stop, the hunting rifle is preferable to pistols, even against idle Infected. Running out of ammunition is extremely rare, and the decreased time it takes to kill each Infected at range is a notable advantage.

Never try to shoot at melee-range Infected. The accuracy penalty from attacks is so severe that you may not even be able to hit something right in front of you. As a sniper, it’s essential that you never become surrounded, because the hunting rifle’s strengths become pitiful weaknesses at close range. Always have a plan to avoid being surrounded, whether it means staying in the middle of the formation, keeping track of nearby closets/corners, etc.

If you end up getting swarmed, you should take these steps: first, crouch. This allows others to shoot around you and puts your crosshair near center-mass level. Then, bash away as many Infected as possible. To do this most effectively, pick a direction, bash, then turn about 60 degrees, bash again, and repeat. Then, if no teammates are nearby, you may unload a magazine of your rifle, but do not reload. Switch to your pistols and continue. If any teammates are nearby, you should use pistols, since hunting rifles can do friendly fire damage after penetrating Infected.

Scoping Etiquette

Learning to use the scope properly is essential for the aspiring sniper. Its usefulness is deceptive. While it seems to give you a great advantage, using the scope does not always make you more accurate. Even worse, using the scope always puts you at risk. The cardinal rule is: You should not let the scope reduce your awareness of your surroundings.

Use the scope sparingly, usually when you are very far away from your targets. As a guideline, think about the farthest distance you would try to use pistols (while crouched). Avoid using the scope for targets inside this range. When standing still and firing from the shoulder (regardless of whether or not you are crouching), your rifle has no spread, so you should be able to snipe easily without the scope.

Never slow your team down just for the sake of sniping. You should focus on sniping things that are in your team’s way. Avoid sniping behind or to the sides except when you have a good, prompt shot at a Boomer or Smoker. If you spend too much time firing on low-priority targets just to increase your kill count, you’ll be nothing more than a very accurate dead weight.

Don’t use the scope to “scout out” targets. The scope is a weapon sight, not a pair of binoculars. Identify your targets and then zoom in if you must. The exception is when trying to identify the location of a Witch. For instance, Witches may spawn in the cornfield in Blood Harvest V. In this case, it is worthwhile to search for the Witch and preemptively attack.

The scope may also be useful when you know there is a Smoker or Boomer around a distant corner, about to pop out. In this situation, you must be sure that your enemy will appear near your crosshair, because the scope increases your targeting sensitivity and leaves you open to attack from other angles. This means that while you’re staking out a Smoker, he might have gone around a corner and you won’t see him before he finds out how many licks it takes, proverbially speaking.

Use the scope to fire accurately while moving. Switching to the scope narrows your crosshairs much faster than just stopping. Additionally, your scoped crosshair should be aimed at the same place as your unscoped one. A good tactic is to scope (while still moving), fire a few shots, and then lower the scope.

A caveat: do not keep the scope up while moving! You move at walking speed while the scope is up, and using the scope while the team is moving greatly increases your risk for being flanked or committing friendly fire atrocities.

Special Infected

The hunting rifle is pretty straightforward against most enemies. Note that it’s less effective against Smokers and Tanks in certain situations. At long range, the hunting rifle is great against both of these enemies. However, within their attack ranges, it can be problematic. The motion caused by the Smoker’s tongue renders the hunting rifle very inaccurate. The countermeasures are awareness and quick reflexes. These will allow one to either snipe the Smoker before he can shoot his tongue or break line of sight so that the tongue cannot latch. Similarly, the motion caused by your reluctance to be pummeled by the Tank also reduces your accuracy. If the Tank focuses on you, it’s best to use pistols instead of your rifle.

*Realism Notes ▼

The sporty Ruger Mini-14 rifle was designed after World War II for civilian, police, and paramilitary use and soon gained widespread acceptance for its exceptional reliability. It was based on the M14, a fully automatic rifle that, in turn, was based on the distinguished M1 Garand. The M1 and M14 were chambered for .30-caliber rounds (the .30-06 Springfield and 7.62×51mm NATO, respectively), but the Mini-14 was originally designed for the new .223 Remington, a 5.56mm round. It was also designed as a semi-automatic rifle that used the Garand’s locking mechanism, unlike the selective-fire M14. The Mini-14GB variant and the fully automatic (selective-fire) AC-556 assault variant were designed for government/military use. A larger-caliber variant, the Mini-30, is chambered for 7.62mm rounds.

The version most likely featured in Left 4 Dead is a pre-2005 Mini-14 “Ranch”. The “Ranch” models were designed for use with telescopic sights and included integrated scope bases. Current production models feature a smaller forward sight that is positioned closer to the muzzle and generally use a more synthetic-style finish than what is seen in-game. Ruger originally offered 10- and 20-round box magazines, but after the 1994 legislation on assault rifles in the United States, only 5-round magazines are widely offered. Aftermarket 40-round box and 90-round snail drum magazines are available, along with the older 10/20-round Ruger magazines. The choice to use a 15-round magazine and the standard Ranch model were likely for game-balancing reasons.

The .223 Remington cartridge is very similarly (dimensionally) to the M16’s 5.56×45mm NATO round, but in Left 4 Dead, the Mini-14 does significantly more damage than the M16 (90 HP vs. 33 HP). The NATO has a higher chamber pressure and longer leade, but essentially the same stopping power. Additionally, it would be likely that the M16 would be loaded with the same .223 rounds as the Mini-14.

This damage difference could plausibly be explained by an increase in accuracy, except that unmodified standard Mini-14 carbines are reputed to have poor accuracy compared to AR-15 variants due to various issues such as a thin, easily distorted barrel and unwieldy trigger mechanisms. Possible improvements include bedding the action, changing the trigger, installing a muzzle brake or fluted muzzle, and various other barrel modifications. None of these appear in the in-game model, and the model definitely does not match any of the accuracy-centric Mini-14 variants.

There is no realistic reason why the Mini-14 should have higher damage, infinite penetration, and an instant-kill capability against Common Infected while the M16A2 does not. The accuracy mechanics of the hunting rifle are also somewhat unreasonable. The rifle should be inaccurate when being fired from the shoulder, since it does not have a see-through scope mount. It also does not make sense that using the scope while moving should make one’s accuracy perfect, while firing from the shoulder results in horrific accuracy. These, like many unrealistic aspects of Left 4 Dead, are surely for game-balancing reasons.

Firing Mode	Semi-automatic
Capacity	15 rounds/pistol Infinite reserve
Base Damage	36 HP
Rate of Fire	Up to 300 RPM/pistol
Reload Time	2.0s (2.8s for dual)
amage Rate	Burst: 180->360 HP/s Sust.: 108->186 HP/s
Friendly Fire	0/1/6/35 & 1
Penetration	Infected: 2 Walls: 1 foot
Ammunition	.45 ACP

Pistols are the auxiliary weapon for all Survivors. While they have a clip size of 15, their total ammunition supply is infinite. Despite their specious appellation as “backup” weapons, pistols are quite balanced and are always useful irrespective of the primary weapon one carries. They are quite powerful, almost able to reach the assault rifle’s damage rate if two are fired at maximum speed. Pistols are the only weapons that may be used when one is incapacitated.

Two pistols may be wielded akimbo if an extra is available in the environment. Pistols are not dropped upon death. Headshots kill instantly against Common Infected. Two headshots may be required to kill Hunters and Smokers, but one can usually kill a Boomer. More detailed stats ▼

Advantages

• Infinite ammunition reserve.
• Quite accurate under some conditions.
• High firing rate for a semi-automatic weapon.
• Short reload time.
• Relatively high damage.

Disadvantages

• Low clip size.
• Unable to shear extremities.
• Firing rate can be limited by clicking speed.

The pistol serves as an excellent complement to any primary weapon. For shotguns, it provides long-range accuracy; for rifles, it provides a great way of conserving ammunition. Optimal tactics depends on what role the sidearm will take and what considerations will be emphasized.

Long-Range (Accuracy)

When used with shotguns, the pistol provides long-range firepower. Shotgun ammunition is sustainable, so the pistol is not needed for any kind of close-range action. When automatics run out of ammunition, the pistol may also consummate annex its primary counterpart’s role as an accurate long-range weapon.

The steps one should take to increase accuracy with pistols are similar to other weapons.

1. Crouch and stay still whenever possible. This results in the tightest crosshair.
2. Utilize crouch-moving and bobbing when you must move.
3. Fire relatively slowly, especially for very long shots.
4. Try to aim for the head whenever possible.
5. Carrots.

Short-Range (Rate of Fire)

When paired with the hunting rifle, the pistols take the role of a submachine gun, effective at close range. This usage stresses a high rate of fire and deemphasizes accuracy, for the most part.

Each pistol can be fired at up to 300 RPM (5 rounds per second). Each depression of the FIRE button discharges one round. Holding down the trigger does not discharge any additional rounds. This means that the button must be pushed 10 times per second to achieve a peak rate of fire with two pistols held akimbo. Some players will be able to fire at 600 RPM with one finger, but for most, this will be challenging.

Increasing your firing rate can be difficult. You cannot chain attack commands in keybinds or alternate multiple buttons rapidly to fire—both of these will result in game malfunctions. There are some custom scripts that may assist in raising your rate of fire, but use these at your own risk, since some custom modifications can result in a VAC ban.

There are a few 100% legitimate ways to increase your click rate:

1. Practice clicking faster. Make a concerted effort to click as rapidly as possible.
2. If you have trouble with your index finger, try bracing your index finger against your middle finger and clicking with your middle finger. Paintball players often use the middle finger to fire markers more quickly.
3. Try applying torque from the wrist and knuckle instead of from just the knuckle.
4. If your mouse button is wide enough, you may be able to alternate using your index and middle fingers to click very rapidly.
5. If the mouse button is not wide enough, you may consider binding “+attack” to a wide keyboard button like the spacebar. This will allow you to click it with multiple fingers.

When moving quickly, try to aim for the upper chest or neck. This reduces wasted bullets while allowing for periodic headshots.

Ammunition Conservation (Rate of Fire + Accuracy)

Pistols can be used with the assault rifle and submachine gun to extend the lifetime of their easily depleted munitions. Usually, this means that accuracy will come second to rate of fire, especially when the sidearm is paired with the AR. However, both are important. Try a mix of the antecedent suggestions. Using rapid triggering with a combination of crouch-moving and headshots is particularly effective.
Realism Notes ▼

Carrots don’t actually improve your eyesight. This myth was manufactured by the British Royal Air Force in World War II. The RAF had developed a new kind of radar, called Aerial Interception Radar, that could help locate German bombers before they reached Britain. The RAF didn’t want the Germans to figure out their new secret, so they spread the rumor that they had begun feeding their pilots a diet rich in carrots to improve their eyesight due to beta-carotene. While beta-carotene can be used in treatments for various eye conditions, the concentrations necessary for these therapies is many times higher than what could be accomplished through diet alone. (Source: Snopes.com.)

Firing Mode	Fully Automatic
Capacity	Infinite
Base Damage	65 HP
Rate of Fire	2400 RPM
Reload Time	Wind-up: 1.0s Burnout: after 20.0s Cool-down: 2.7s max
amage Rate	Burst: 2600 HP/s Sustained: 2185 HP/s
Friendly Fire	0/1/11/65 & 1
Penetration	Infected: 2 Walls: 1.7 feet
Ammunition	7.62×51mm NATO

The multi-barreled Gatling-type Machine Gun is an extremely powerful fixed weapon that can be found at various defensive strongholds like hospital rooftops or subway generator rooms. It has an astronomical rate of fire compared to most rifle-caliber weapons and has an infinite ammunition supply, though it can overheat if continuously fired. Its main weaknesses are its limited 170-degree firing arc and its electrically driven rotary barrel assembly, which must “spin up” for a second before firing.

The Gatling-type gun cannot be removed from its mount. While using the gun, you may not perform other actions like bashing. While it can usually kill Common Infected and Boomers in a single shot, it can be surprisingly ineffective against other Infected.

Advantages

• Astronomical rate of fire.
• Unlimited ammunition supply.
• Very powerful, especially against Common Infected.
• Strong against Tanks and Tank-thrown rocks.

Disadvantages

• Limited availability; non-portable.
• Smoke from the gun can limit visibility.
• Limited firing radius.
• Low overall accuracy.
• Unable to perform other actions while using the gun.

The Minigun is a big, badass gun, plain and simple. No other gun can kill as many Infected with as much ease. While the Minigun is a simple weapon, there are still a few things every gunner must keep in mind. Remember the Minigun’s weaknesses, namely its ease of overheating, its limited firing radius, and your inability to bash or throw explosives.

Protect your flanks and watch for Smokers. You are extremely vulnerable from the sides and back while using the Minigun, so a teammate will have to protect you. An assault rifle is generally best for this mission, since it has a lower risk of friendly fire and is very effective against Smokers. Due to the Minigun’s low accuracy, it will be difficult to kill most Smokers. You should immediately tell teammates about any Smokers that appear. If you are dragged off the Minigun, you must spin up the gun again before it can be fired.

Keep the barrels spinning. The Minigun requires 1 second to spin up from a cold start. This can be a surprisingly long time when Infected are attacking. Whenever you expect an assault, tap the trigger to keep the Minigun’s barrel spinning. It’s okay if a few rounds plop out—you don’t need to worry about ammunition.

Fire in long bursts. A burst of five–ten seconds is ideal. The Minigun will overheat after 20 seconds of continuous fire, but thermal energy starts dissipating as soon as the gun stops firing. This means that you will be able to fire for much longer than 20 seconds if you just let the gun cool for half a second periodically. You should never let the gun overheat completely.

Aim for large groups of Infected. Common Infected stragglers are a waste of your time. It is worthwhile, however, to go after Special Infected who appear. Also, never spend too long aiming in one direction. If you do, you will likely allow Infected from another side to get past the gun’s firing arc.

Be mindful of common ingress points. You should have a good idea of where Infected will appear. Sometimes, these ingress points will be difficult to target. For instance, in Death Toll 4, the Minigun has a limited view of the area to the right of the generator on top of the rubble. Whenever you aren’t firing, keep the gun aimed at low-visibility points like this. This will reduce the amount of time it takes for you to react and thus allow you to catch more of the Infected that enter through that point.

Be smart against Tanks. The Minigun is devastating against Tanks and makes short work of their rocks. However, you should be careful when a Tank is approaching, since anyone on the turret becomes a high-priority target. It is especially dangerous when the Tank has not been sighted, since he could surprise you from behind. Be ready at all times to jump off the gun. If the Tank follows you, you should try to draw him into the Minigun’s line of fire.

When using the Minigun after the Tank has engaged, be careful. The other Survivors may be too focused on the Tank to notice if you get attacked. Be sure that you announce that you are getting on the Minigun.

Realism Notes ▼

While the term “Minigun” has been used colloquially to describe any modern Gatling-type weapon, it actually refers to a specific model (plus variants) originally designed by General Electric, the M134. The version foundin Left 4 Dead is the original Vietnam-era G.E. M134 (as opposed to newer variants like the M134D/DT). It is named the “Minigun” because it was designed as a scaled-down derivative of the M61 Vulcan, which is chambered for 20mm rounds. The M134 Minigun is most usually found as personnel-operated emplacements on helicopters and vessels, while the M61 Vulcan is most commonly installed within fixed-wing aircraft.

The Gatling gun in Left 4 Dead is not the M61 Vulcan. As mentioned previously, the M134 is designed for handling by personnel, while the M61 is not. The Vulcan is found in integral and gun pod assemblies on aircraft and on computer-operated weapon systems like the naval Phalanx CIWS. The barrel design of the L4D Gatling gun also matches the classic M134. Note the triplet of narrow rings orthogonal to the barrels near the muzzles.

The Minigun’s rotary assembly is electrically driven by an external power source, so the Minigun is usually mounted on a vehicle of some sort. The rotary assembly includes much more than just the barrels—each barrel is paired with a rifle-like closed-bolt action. These are housed within the circular compartment at the rear of the Minigun, and since they rotate with the barrels, they allow each barrel to be simultaneously in a different state of the firing process. While the uppermost barrel is firing, the two barrels ahead of it are involved in shell extraction, while the three before it are being loaded. Thus, by using six barrels, the Minigun can achieve a much higher rate of fire than single-barrel, single-action machine guns. Look here for an animation of this process.

The effectiveness of the Left 4 Dead Minigun is unrealistically limited. The Minigun generates minimal smoke and does not burn out after twenty seconds. The air-cooling for the Minigun barrels is effective enough that the gun can be fired continuously for minutes before overheating. Ammunition limitations are the primary reason most Miniguns operators fire in short bursts. The barrels would also not turn red during normal operation, because the gun would malfunction way before this point would be reached.

While the Minigun’s rotary assembly does need to accelerate to an optimal angular velocity before it can fire, the real Minigun can do this within milliseconds of triggering. It also spins down in a very short amount of time. Look here for a live fire video.

The damage and rate of fire of the Minigun are also significantly understated. The Minigun uses the most powerful ammunition available in the game (by kinetic energy per projectile, not by caliber), but its per-round damage is lower than that of the hunting rifle. Ignoring the hunting rifle, its damage would be relatively appropriate. The firing rate of most M134 variants is fixed at 3000 or 4000 RPM, though some variants may have higher rates of fire.

The Minigun’s mount is somewhat unrealistic. Most machine gun mounts are designed to withstand warping due to the force exerted by the gun as much as possible. This reduces the apparent recoil of the weapon, increasing accuracy. A mount that consists of a single square column with a flat three-pronged base (like the one in L4D) would be subject to a significant amount of torque and would likely bend when fired. Real standing-height M134 mounts use tripod-style bases with long legs to resist this torque. See this photo gallery for examples.

The modern M134D variant, manufactured by Dillon Aerospace, can be found on the oft-drooled-over Dillon Aero Q Security SUV.