L96A1 Black-Magnum

"A heavier variant of the fearsome L96A1 chambered for an even more powerful Magnum round. The bolt has been reworked for faster reload."

- The Arsenal

The L96A1 Black-Magnum is the devastating NX-Rare variant of the L96A1, and a Cosmetic Variant of the L96A1 Super-Magnum. It specifically features a slight damage boost and faster reload.

Legacy
By far, the L96A1 Black-Magnum is currently the most powerful Sniper Rifle in the game. It is easily capable of inflicting 999+ damage in one headshot, and few have survived a direct hit.

Compared to the Super-Magnum, the Black-Magnum has an even faster reload time. It is also capable of inflicting even more damage than the Super-Magnum itself, making it a OHKO in most circumstances. With its improved reload speed, the purely bolt-action Black-Magnum is in a class of its own; it could practically be considered a semi-automatic weapon.

The Black-Magnum virtually has the same frame as the rest of the L96A1 series. It also incorporates a Muzzle-Brake (like the Super-Magnum), as well as. The difference is that it has a higher tactical advantage, and it features a black camouflage for stealth. It has very few disavantages, but the two most prominent downsides of the Black-Magnum are its accuracy, and the fact that it cannot be silenced, therefore making it ineffective for stealth kills.

However, the overwhelming raw damage can easily take down a foe with one shot, making covert firing unnecessary. The accuracy may be lower than most Sniper Rifles, but it still IS a Sniper Rifle, so it has far better accuracy than other weapons. In the hands of a skilled marksman, the accuracy can easily be adapted for long to even close-range combat. The Black-Magnum can be paired with almost any gun, and still be the most efficient and devastating setup in all of CA.

Overview
Very few weapons can equal the L96A1 Black-Magnum in power, let alone surpass it. Currently, the only weapons that are even close to rivaling the Black-Magnum in terms of power are the L115A3, M107CQ Air Force/Ghillie, and the DSR-1 Tactical.

Because of its insane damage and user-friendly skill, the Black-Magnum is featured as one of the Overpowered Weapons within Cabin Fever. It can take down most Infected in one hit, being capable of crippling even the most powerful adversary in just 2-3 shots.

As the price to being so overpowered, it is considered to be one of the most exclusive weapons in the game. Though the chances of obtaining a Black-Magnum are very slim (as it can only be received via the Supply Crate MYST-N or Supply Case GIFT-N randomly), it can still be seen from time-to-time. However, the chances of getting it for a long period of time is mostly fractional.

Item of the Week
On 4/23/2010, the Black-Magnum was the item of the week. Here is what the review included:

"This week’s item of the week is the L96A1 Black-Magnum. This is a heavier variant of a classic sniper rifle chambered for an even more powerful Magnum round. The bolt has also been reworked for a faster reload. Like most sniper rifles, the L96A1 is best on larger maps with lots of open space and hidden positions where a sniper can set up a "nest" to take out unsuspecting victims. According to our Combat Arms soldiers, you'll definitely appreciate the qualities of the L96A1 Black Magnum on Snow Valley, Road Kill, Wave Rider and Two Towers. Fans of this gun also point out that it's more powerful shot can take out opponents even if they're wearing protection and have reported some success in destroying Enforcers in Cabin Fever."

Let’s see what a few of your fellow Combat Arms players had to say:

“The L96A1 Magnum is a perfect weapon for all-around situations, for popping that annoying sniper's head in Snow Valley, (and) using its one-hit kill power and quick scoping for Junk Flea games.” – Gus A..

''“Its tremendous power makes it more or less impossible top tank a shot from this beast of a gun. This gun is in a class of its own. No L9 variant even comes close to the power of this gun. Its bolt speed is so fast one can even say that it is semi-automatic. Overall the best sniper I have used.” – Diego W.''

''“I feel the Black Magnum is best on Snow Valley, sitting on top of the tower picking off opponents like they were sitting still. One beautiful shot to the skull sending the rest of their team into a panic. The best kill is in the dead silence, a shot rings out from your gun, the opponent falls dead.”- Joshua P."''

Trivia

 * The firepower of this weapon is notably higher than the Super-Magnum's, which likely means that the Black-Magnum may fire the .338 Lapua Magnum sniper round while the Super-Magnum uses an alternative round. This is probable as there are L96 variants in real life chambered for the .300 Winchester Magnum, otherwise known as the Super-Magnum.


 * The Black-Magnum is one of the few weapons that spawn an exclusive fireteam variant in Cabin Fever, after Wave 11 is reached. To an Enforcer-type Infected, the special Cabin Fever Black-Magnum version is a 2-hit KO to the head.


 * The L115A2, L115A3, and L96A1(variants)are based similarly to this gun structurally and in its animations. The main outward differences are the scopes and the coloring.
 * The draw rate of this gun is the same as L115A2/3 and L96A1 Artic Wolf/Ghillie; slower then the standard.
 * This gun has the most damage out of any gun in the game, disregarding any Instant Kill weapons.