Another Black Ops weapon guide down, 15 more to go. There are some good clips in this one!
Transcript
Hello, this is XboxAhoy and this is the twenty-seventh episode of my Black Ops weapon guide.
Fifteen left.
In this episode we’re covering the PM-63.
It’s a fully automatic weapon, unlocked at level 29.
The PM-63 RAK: ‘Ręczny Automat Komandosów’ – translating as ‘hand-held automatic commando firearm’ – is a weapon that originates from Poland.
Its development started in the late 1950s, with the design finalised in 1963 by the state-operated Łucznik Arms Factory.
Production of the RAK began in 1964, and approximately 70,000 were produced over the next decade.
The weapon was originally developed at the Warsaw University of Technology as a compact weapon for use by drivers and gun crews.
It entered service with the People’s Army of Poland in 1965, and would also see limited use in East Germany, Vietnam, and a number of Arab countries.
In 1971, The PM-70 was produced in the NATO 9mm Parabellum cartridge – but didn’t progress beyond its prototype stage. Similarly unsuccessful was the PM-73, chambered in .380 ACP.
The original PM-63 design is chambered for the Russian 9mm cartridge, the 9-by-18 millimetre Makarov, as used in its namesake pistol.
In real-life, magazines were either 15 or 25 rounds in capacity, but in-game they are 20 rounds by default.
The PM-63 is a low damage SMG, requiring at least 4 body shots to kill, and up to 5 at a distance.
This lack of lethality is made up for by a higher rate of fire – at 937.5 rounds per minute, like most of the low-damage SMGs.
The PM-63’s handling traits are generally pretty good – the weapon handles in a rapid, consistent fashion that suits a typical aggressive playstyle.
Its recoil is moderate, but quite controllable if you burst fire at distant targets – this helps to eke out more firepower from the short magazine, ensuring fewer shots are wasted.
Aim time is as quick as any other SMG, at a sprightly 200 milliseconds.
Reloads are similarly quick, being the second fastest in the SMG category, behind the Mac-11, at 2.05 seconds.
The PM63 only has a subset of the attachments available – you won’t be able to apply an optical attachment, nor can you suppress this weapon.
Thankfully, the iron sights are open and easy to use – and the brightly coloured front post is almost like a built-in red dot sight, clearly indicating your target.
Extended mags addresses one weakness of the PM63 – by granting you 50% extra capacity between reloads, for 30 rounds total.
This can prove very useful when facing multiple enemies, as with just 20 rounds you may find yourself running out at an all-too-critical time.
The grip, which presents itself as a stock for the PM-63, can help enhance your mid-range performance with the weapon, reducing overall recoil.
This will extend your reach, and help ensure that more of the 20 rounds in your magazine will meet your target – greatly enhancing the versatility of the weapon.
Dual Wield will attain the reverse – it will effectively double your close-range damage output, at the cost of your ability to aim.
This inaccuracy, paired with small mags and low damage, mean that dual wield is not an effective attachment – any close-range gains are dwarfed by the massive drop in mid-range performance.
Rapid Fire is a far better way to bolster your close-range power – as you retain the ability to aim, allowing you to better direct your damage.
Effective recoil will be increased, but as long as you remember that the PM-63 is an SMG – a weapon specialised for close-range encounters – the extra kick is manageable.
For our class with the PM-63, we’ll be taking advantage of this extra close-range performance that Rapid Fire grants, and building a class to ensure gunfights happen on our own terms more often.
All of the attachments, with the exception of Dual Wield, are useful, however – both Grip and Extended Mags will provide considerable improvement to the PM-63’s performance.
Our perk selection is largely dictated by necessity: a small magazine size means frequent reloads, and a limited starting supply of ammunition.
Our first perk helps prevent you from depleting this meagre supply: Scavenger will resupply ammo and grenades from fallen enemies, and Scavenger Pro will increase your starting reserve.
This means you can dispense your firepower without holding back, and still have magazines to spare.
Our second perk helps speed up the frequent reloads: Sleight of Hand will halve the time it takes to replenish your supply, which with an attachment like Rapid Fire is very useful.
The PM-63 already has a fairly rapid reload, but Sleight of Hand reduces the process to just a little over a second – resulting in very little downtime.
In addition, the pro benefit will also permit faster aiming, which can give you the edge against an opponent.
Our final perk is a protective one – Tactical Mask will prevent Nova Gas from dealing damage or blurring your vision, and the pro variant will provide the very useful benefit of limiting your enemy’s Concussion and Flash Grenade effectiveness.
Of course, Tactical Mask is most useful when employed with the Nova gas grenades in your tactical slot – use them to control your enemy’s movement, denying passage through chokepoints – or forcing stubborn defenders away from their post.
For your lethal grenades, the quick throw of the tomahawk is very useful should your magazine be empty – although a successful hit does require a dose of luck.
For your equipment, the two viable aggressive options are Tactical Insertion and C4 – the former useful for game modes like Sabotage or Capture the Flag, the latter for Domination or Demolition. Choose whichever works best for you.
For your secondary, the quick swap of a pistol is tough to beat – especially useful with the smaller mags in close-up circumstances.
Alternatively, the Crossbow is an interesting choice that can work in tandem with the area-denying effects of the Nova Gas – to force your enemy’s movements, and lure them into the blast radius of an explosive bolt.
Tactical use of the SMGs can benefit from such use of these area-denial tactics – with a little caution, you can get close to the enemy, but hold them at an arm’s reach.
Siphon off kills one at a time, and change your position often to give yourself space to reload and resupply. Paired with the close-range effectiveness of rapid fire, you can stack the deck heavily in your favour.
The PM-63 is a weapon that offers nimble handling with a devastating rate of fire.
It’s also very consistent in its performance – and while recoil isn’t as mild as some of the other SMGs, over short to middle distances it remains very controllable – and with very consistent damage.
Its only major downside is its limited capacity – you can’t spray recklessly, or engage groups of enemies: you have to make every single shot count.
Still, most gunfights tend to be one-on-one – and twenty rounds is normally sufficient for such a task.
Much of your success with the PM-63 will come through ensuring you don’t overextend yourself: avoid groups of enemies, and instead lure single opponents towards you.
With careful use, you can polish off the enemy team – and RAK up your killstreaks.
Thanks for watching, this has been XboxAhoy.
Until next time, farewell.