Wikia

Magnum Sniper Rifle

Alternate name(s)	AWM AWSM
Price	$4750
Origin	United Kingdom
Caliber
Magazine capacity	10/30
Firing mode(s)	Bolt action
Rate of fire	41 RPM
Weight (loaded)	6 kilograms
Projectile weight	16.2 grams
Muzzle velocity	3000 feet/second
Muzzle energy	7000 joules
Used by	Counter-Terrorists Terrorists
Reload time	2.7 seconds (CS, CZ) 3.8 seconds (CSS)
Movement speed (units per second)	210(CS,CZ,CS:S) 200(CS:GO) 150(Zoomed)

The AWP (Arctic Warfare Police), or Magnum Sniper Rifle, as it was previously known, is a sniper rifle featured in the Counter-Strike series. It is also commonly referred to as the AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum) or AWSM (Arctic Warfare Super Magnum).

OverviewEdit

The AWP is a powerful bolt-action sniper rifle available to both teams. It is renowned for being able to instantly kill a player with one hit on any part of the body except the legs. For this reason, the AWP is one of the most popular and widely used weapons in Counter-Strike. It is also the most powerful weapon in the Counter-Strike series.

PropertiesEdit

Hitbox	Primary Attack
Hitbox	Unarmored	Armored
Head	456	448
Chest & Arm	114	111
Stomach	143	140
Leg	86	84
Red signifies a fatal hit

The AWP is a fairly heavy weapon. While wielded, the player's movement speed is 210 units per second (default speed is 250), meaning they suffer heavy speed reduction. While zoomed in, their movement speed is 150 units per second. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the movement speed is decreased to 200 and while zoomed in, it's 150 units per second like in previous games. The AWP is one of the many guns able to shoot underwater.

AdvantagesEdit

Very high damage (1-2 hit kills).
Good penetration through intervening targets and material.
Very accurate at long range while zoomed in.

DisadvantagesEdit

Groups of enemies cannot be taken out easily; shooting from an angle which can be difficult for enemies to fire on can make this easier.
It has a slower rate of fire than the Scout.
Very loud and distinct firing sound.
Has no instant kill when the leg is scored.
Extremely inaccurate while moving or unscoped, unless you are in point blank range with your enemy, you will have a better chance of hitting your foe without using scope.
In Source version, a slight movement while scoping or do quick scoping may make the gun inaccurate.
Tied with the G3SG/1 and SG 550 for the lowest movement speed of 210 units when wielded in Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source.
- In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, AWP is slightly heavier than G3SG/1 and SCAR-20 (AWP has 200 units per second movement speed, while G3SG/1 and SCAR-20 both have 215 units per second).
Expensive, for both weapon and ammo, especially in earlier games.

GameplayEdit

TacticsEdit

Unlike other sniper rifles, you should aim for the chest whenever possible, instead of the head. The chest presents a much larger target, and an AWP shot would instantly kill.
In certain maps (especially Aztec), professional players can perform wall-bangs (hit the enemy through a wall, box, or any other obstacle) that can deal up to 60 damage or even score a headshot. This tactic requires perfect accuracy, prediction, and a bit of luck. Many other weapons can wall-bang such as the M249, Desert Eagle and AK-47.
Steady fire is strongly recommended as moving while firing will cause you to miss your target.
If you miss your shots a lot, try firing in front of your target, where they would be in half (1/2) a second. This can compensate for slow reaction times or lag.
Make sure you don't miss a shot, or the target will have a fighting chance if he can close the distance on you.
When facing an enemy sniper, use cover so you can afford to miss a shot. Try not to miss, though.
A Desert Eagle is a good backup pistol for AWP users, most notably when you encounter an enemy at close range.
Try not to shoot at your opponent's leg, since he may survive the hit. If this happens, switch to Desert Eagle and take him out quickly.
In Assassination maps, the Terrorists' semi-auto sniper rifle cannot be purchased. This is the best replacement if you need to snipe - since the bullet from AWP can kill the VIP in 1~2 hits.
In maps like Office, the AWP can penertrate glasses or thin cover which most other weapons cannot, use it to your advantage.
Try to not fire AWP without being scoped, because it's very inaccurate, unless you are in point blank range with your enemy, if you score a hit you can kill your oppoent, but still, its risky.
- Even a enemy is at point blank range, however, this tactic is not recommended, as the bullet may not always kill the target, leave the AWP user vulnerable to counter-attack, instead, use the sidearm to kill a enemy.
One tactic that is commonly utilized is to jump/leap from a corner, zoom in, and then fire the AWP at a target.

CountertacticsEdit

Listen for AWP shots. The firing sound is extremely loud and distinctive.
It is not recommended to face an AWP user head-on unless you have a long range weapon of your own.
Try to attack the AWP user with multiple team members, but don't become a straight line, the AWP can pierce through and kill them.
Don't try to wait for the shooter armed with AWP, he's counting on your predicted position, and power of the bullet. Instead, don't stop moving, and shoot to intercept the sniper (shoot through materials as well)!
If an AWP shot misses you, you have a 2 second window (before the sniper can fire another shot) either to retreat or to attack the sniper. Use this time wisely, for the sniper might not miss his next shot.
Counter with an AWP of your own. A Colt M4A1, AK-47, and other rifles can also be used to headshot the user, though this is rather risky.
Pick the AWP user off with a semi-automatic sniper rifle. A good time to do this is when you just heard the AWP shot, since the sniper will not be able to retaliate.
AWP is useless compare to other automatic/semi-auto weapons at close range combat, unless some proper skills to do a quick-scope shot or fire without scope.
AWP is horrible at close ranges. If possible, rush the sniper up close.
If the AWP user is alone, flash and rush him, if he is among other enemy players, dump smoke to increase your chance of survival.

Controversy and HistoryEdit

Due to its power, the AWP has attracted much criticism since its introduction. Many players view it as an overpowered and unfair weapon requiring little skill, nicknaming it the "noob cannon", and those who use it "AWP whores". Many public servers restrict or ban the AWP (and sometimes all sniper rifles except the Scout). The general opinion, however, is that whilst the AWP is undeniably powerful, there is significant skill in its use, and so it is accepted by the majority of the community.

Reduced powerEdit

The AWP is no longer as powerful as it once was. The AWP was most powerful in all versions prior to Counter-Strike 1.1, where one shot to any part of the body was an instant kill. Later updates reduced its effectiveness: Counter-Strike 1.1 made the leg shot non-lethal and Counter-Strike 1.5 made it so that the AWP and pistols took longer to switch to, as well as making the AWP extremely inaccurate without using the scope, crippling the AWP's effectiveness in close-quarters; Counter-Strike 1.6 drastically increased the time to scope in, which was criticized as making it nearly worthless. Players quickly got used to the newly nerfed AWP. The latest update to Counter-Strike reduced the scope time. A brand new flaw is the "Quick switch" glitch. Many players use it to reduce the time between each shots by switching to another weapon during the bolt animation. Doing this would allow players to maintain a moderate rate of fire. This glitch was patched for the Source version of the game, as of October 2011.

AchievementsEdit

Counter-Strike: SourceEdit

WeaponEdit

Icon	Name	Description
	Magnum Sniper Rifle Expert	Kill 1,000 enemy players with the Magnum Sniper Rifle

KillEdit

Icon	Name	Description
	Snipe Hunter	Kill 100 zoomed-in enemy snipers
	Eye to Eye	Kill a zoomed-in enemy sniper with a sniper rifle of your own

TriviaEdit

The AWP is one of the most used weapons in the Counter-Strike series.
The AWP in the German version of Left 4 Dead 2 is a direct port of the Counter-Strike: Source version, which uses a 20 round magazine intsead of 10 and uses the same firing sound clip as heard in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The game file name for this weapon is awp.
The .338 Lapua Maganum used by AWSM is the most expensive ammunition in game, $125 per magazine.
The AWP can penetrate multiple targets, making it one of the few weapons that can earn the Ammo Conservation achievement.
AWP is not available for the Counter-Terrorists in Assassination maps.
A numerous amount of servers ban this weapon or restrict it to a specific amount per team due to it being extremely powerful, and how easy it is to kill another player with it.
In Counter-Strike 1.6 and Condition Zero the third person model of the AWP is unusually short, almost being of equal length as an AK-47. This visual error has been fixed in Counter-Strike: Source.
In Deleted Scenes, if the AWP is used by an enemy NPC, the A.I. will not inflict maximum damage. Instead, they will activate a laser sight if they attempt to shoot the player and they can gib targets if killed by the NPC. However, if used by player, they won't gib anything but will kill anything instantly.
- Although in some missions, an NPC who uses an AWP can instantly kill another NPC without being gibbed (it can be seen in mission Hankagai as a Kidotai member called Anakah is killed by a gang leader).
Strangely, the scope of this weapon in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is probably the smallest scope of all sniper rifles of this game. It also features an olive color unlike the black scopes featured elsewhere in the series.
Like its real-life counterpart, AWP in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive supposed to have all-black finish as shown in the Launch Trailer. However, this was later changed in development of Global Offensive.
The barrel of the AWP in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has the words "ACUMEN MULTINATIONAL ENGLAND AKA OAKRIDGE TN" engraved on it.
This weapon is considered a "high risk, high reward" weapon because it is powerful but very slow.
The 'AWP' can be best described as a hybrid of the Accuracy International AWP (size in GoldSrc based titles, magazine capacity) and AWSM (caliber, weight, size in Source based titles).
The AWP in real life uses 10 round magazines, while the AWSM uses 5 round magazines.
The AWP in real life is normally chambered with .243/.308 Winchester Magnum, instead of .338 Lapua Magnum; while the AWM in real life is chambered with .300 Winchester Magnum or .338 Lapua Magnum. The .338 Lapua Magnum version of the AWM is also known as AWSM. In Britain, it is designated L115A3.
The Accuracy International AWSM holds the distinction of the longest sniper kill until 2012. The rifle was used by Corporal Craig Harrison of the British Army to establish a new record distance for a confirmed kill shot in Afghanistan in November 2009 (2475m/2707yd), surpassing the previous record held by a McMillan Tac-50 fired by Corporal Rob Furlong of the Canadian Armed Forces (2430m/2657yd). The record was broken by an Australian sniper using Barrett M82A1 .50 Cailber sniper rifle. (2815m/3078yd)
AWP was added to Team Fortress 2 under name The AWPer Hand as a reskin of the Sniper Rifle for the Sniper class and can be obtained to players who pre-purchased Counter-Strike: Global Offensive before August 21, 2012.
In Global Offensive, the firing sound for the AWP is reused from the hunting rifle in Left 4 Dead 2.

GalleryEdit

Main article: Magnum Sniper Rifle/Gallery

External linksEdit

Arctic Warfare Super Magnum at Wikipedia
Arctic Warfare Super Magnum at Internet Movie Firearms Database for its appearances in various media.

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