Hey, you guys still remember Black Ops, right?

Anyway, I frequently get requests to revisit the unfinished Black Ops series – so I figured I’d give their return a try. I’m not sure if there’ll be as large an interest this time around, but a little variety can’t hurt.

In this episode I break the original intended orders slightly, in order to catch up on the larger remaining quantity of Assault Rifles and SMGs – it’s the oft-requested Galil.

Transcript

Hello, this is XboxAhoy and this is the twenty-fourth episode of my Black Ops weapon guide.

Consider this a bonus.

In this episode we’re covering the fifth assault rifle, the Galil.

It’s a fully automatic weapon, unlocked at level 20.

The Galil is an Israeli weapon, taking its name from its designer – Yisrael Galil.

The weapon was introduced into service with the IDF in 1972, winning in testing against rival designs such as the M16A1, Stoner 63 and AK-47.

Its design is based on the earlier Finnish Rk 62 rifle, which in turn is derived from the Soviet AK-47 design.

The version seen in Black Ops is the ARM variant – or ‘Assault Rifle and Machine gun’, intended to fill a squad support role. The larger wooden hand guard and carry handle are the characteristic features of this variant.

When adopted by the IDF in 1972, the Galil replaced the FN FAL as Israel’s service rifle of choice – the FAL not proving particularly reliable in the harsh middle-eastern environment.

The Galil would have 29 years of service as Israel’s prime service rifle, before being supplanted by the newer TAR-21 in 2001.

It did have considerable impact during its era, however – with no fewer than 28 countries adopting the rifle in some capacity.

The design lives on in the licensed South African service rifle, the R4 – which entered service in 1982, and remains the rifle used by the South African Defence Force.

The Galil is chambered for the NATO standard 5.56mm round, although some later Galil variants also fired the larger 7.62mm calibre.

Magazine capacity is a cut above most of the other rifles, at 35 rounds instead of 30 – only the G11 bests it with 48 rounds, and the G11 lacks the extended magazine attachment.

With Extended Mags, you’ll get an unequaled 50 rounds at your Galil’s disposal.

Damage is moderately good, being one of the higher damage automatic rifles, on par with the Commando and AK-47.

Capable of killing in just 2 headshots, this higher damage will mean the Galil kills in 3 rounds consistently out to a substantial distance.

Rate of fire is moderately slow, however – at just 750 rounds per minute.

This will lessen its close range effectiveness when compared to weapons such as the FAMAS, but will give you the ability to lay down more sustained, controlled fire.

Recoil is fairly low, but if you’re not careful it can pull you away from your target – with a fairly predictable pull upwards and to the right.

With good fire control, firing in bursts to keep recoil in check, the Galil can be effective at a considerable range.

Aim time is standard for the assault rifles, at 250 milliseconds – but reloads are a little on the slow side, at 2.8 seconds.

Certainly not a major inconvenience, but it pays to stick close to cover so you don’t get caught reloading in the open.

The Galil has the full complement of the assault rifle attachments available.

The optical attachments are generally less necessary, as the Galil has good, clear iron sights – but the red dot sight certainly won’t hurt your overall performance, as it provides a slightly clearer view of your target.

Thematically, it’s a good fit – the attachment is modelled after the real-life Elbit Falcon, an Israeli sight, used by the IDF.

The reflex sight is similar, with a slightly larger lens but is more obstructive overall – although with a clearer view than the iron sights.

The two long-range sights are generally less effective, with the ACOG sight enhancing magnification while aiming – but increasing recoil and the time required to aim.

The Galil uses the Soviet-style ACOG reticle, with a single white dot circumscribed by a black circle – but under automatic fire will do little to improve your aim.

The infra-red scope is similar, marking enemies without Ghost Pro in bright white – useful in areas of low visibility or through smoke, but hampering your performance in almost every other circumstance.

With its good iron sights, it’s the non-optical attachments that are the most useful for the Galil.

Extended Mags will boost your capacity per magazine from 35 to 50 rounds – rivalling the LMGs in terms of magazine size, and besting all other assault rifles potential countinuous output.

The slower rate of fire means that 50 rounds can go a long way, so this attachment is useful when you need to repel multiple opponents at once.

Dual Mags won’t increase your capacity, but it will give you 2 extra magazines in your total supply, and increase the speed of alternate reloads.

This makes it a great choice when you’re using a blue perk other than Scavenger, and the faster alternate reload also lessens the need for Sleight of Hand.

Another great choice for the Galil is the suppressor – this will decrease your weapon’s effective range, but keep you off the minimap when firing: essential for any stealth class.

Pair the suppressor with Ghost in your first perk slot and you’ll be a deadly silent killer.

The full complement of underslung attachments are available, although their usefulness is limited.

The underslung grenade launcher, much like the ACOG sight, is of the soviet type – as the model used is the GP-25, normally seen on the AK-47.

It behaves as you’d expect, adding a blast radius weapon to your arsenal, but is generally less useful than some of the other attachments on offer.

While the Galil isn’t necessarily geared towards close-quarter combat, it can normally handle itself well in most gunfights – hence the Masterkey underslung shotgun isn’t really a necessity.

While it will grant the potential for a one shot kill, you do need to switch to it first.

The same applies to the flamethrower – although occasionally useful in a close-range firefight, its application is marginal enough to warrant electing another more general-purpose addition in its stead.

For our class with the Galil, we’re going to focus on one of its key attributes that sets it aside from the other assault rifles.

While it is a versatile rifle, suiting many of the attachments well, our class is going to leverage the sustained fire ability of the Galil, thanks to its larger-than-average magazines.

Extended mags is our attachment of choice, then – 50 rounds capacity is unparalleled for its class, and lessens the number of reloads that you’ll need to perform – making for a potent defensive class with a potential to repel small groups of enemies.

Also worth a mention are the suppressor, which keeps you hidden and removes muzzle flash – and dual mags, with their extra supply and speedy alternate reload.

With the perks we’ll be using there’s less need for dual mags, however – as our first perk will ensure we almost never run out of precious bullets.

Scavenger is an excellent perk for any class geared towards sustained defense – with near-limitless ammunition, and regular resupplies of your lethal grenades – you can take your mind off your ammo count, and instead keep it on your target.

Alternatively, if you do decide to opt for dual magazines – swap Scavenger out for Flak Jacket instead, or pair the suppressor with Ghost for total radar silence.

Our second perk works well with any automatic weapon with good ranged damage – and the pro benefit will also help ensure you stay on target.

Hardened will boost your bullet’s ability to find their targets through cover – particularly useful when you have a large magazine and an ample supply to spare.

With Hardened equipped, don’t be afraid to spray through thin walls if you know there’s someone behind – there’s a good chance you’ll be able to turn their so-called cover into mere concealment for their corpse.

Hardened Pro will also help keep you on target when taking incoming fire – making you very difficult to dislodge from a good defensive position.

Our final perk will help give you an insight into enemy locations – and will also protect you from any traps your enemy may have laid while moving about the map.

Hacker will highlight enemy equipment in red through walls – and as such is the perfect complement to Hardened.

With a single bullet you can defeat your enemy’s entrenched defense – and potentially take them out in the resultant blast.

Additionally, with the pro variant you’ll also be able to wrest control of your opponent’s turrets – and leave booby traps for hapless foes who neglected to take care of their airdropped packages.

For your grenades, the versatility of the Frag Grenade is hard to beat – it can be used to clear points or clusters of enemies in tight interior spaces – or can deny enemy movement temporarily and buy you enough time to reload.

Concussion grenades in your tactical slot can similarly delay incoming waves of enemies – and grant you just enough time to reach a perfect firing position.

For your equipment, the defence of a claymore can be very useful while you’re in a long-haul defensive emplacement – otherwise, use one to cover a domination point or objective to potentially score a free kill.

The Strela-3 makes for an excellent secondary weapon, ensuring you don’t fall foul of enemy air support – and with Scavenger you’ll have an extra rocket, which may come in handy on a longer streak.

The M72 LAW also makes a fine stand-in for those who haven’t unlocked the Strela yet.

The Galil is a weapon that’s best employed in a manner similar to a mobile LMG – you’re able to lay down impressive fire while still retaining the mobility and aim speed of an assault rifle.

In a temporary defensive emplacement, the weapon is very effective – the moderately high damage will despatch enemies before they can target and dislodge you, and quite often you’ll even find you’ll have the advantage over groups of two or three unexpectant enemies.

The Galil is king in sustained mid-range gunfights, with both substantial damage and unequalled capacity at its disposal.

No other assault rifle can match its capacity, and with controllable automatic fire the Galil rivals the LMGs in its capability to lay down suppressive fire.

However, the lower rate of fire can sometimes result in close-range foes getting the jump on you, with the SMGs and some of the assault rifles boasting a better time to kill.

This need to keep enemies at arm’s reach means it’s generally best to avoid direct close-quarter gunfights with the Galil, as such exchanges will all too often lead to you losing against superior firepower.

Still, if played to its strengths the Galil is no doubt a top-tier weapon, and one that can tilt the tide of battle in your team’s favour.

Whether defending the holy land or a key objective in Black Ops, no other rifle – has quite the capacity.

Thanks for watching, this has been XboxAhoy.

Until next time, farewell.