So for the first time since Black ops 1 I actually really like the way the best gun in the game looks & handles & performs. Sadly, it will probably be nerfed. Why? I'll talk about the pros and cons of each AR (in comparison to the Bal) Yes I have too much free time today.
Bal-27 OP? - YES.
Why?: Because it beats 99% of other Assault rifles at something if not everything.
Average of 700 RPM
3-5 Shot Kill
32 Round Mag
Manageable Recoil
+Foregrip It is Extremely Accurate
Clear Iron Sights
IMR: 4-5 shot kill. The biggest plus of this gun is it's extreme accuracy at long ranges. Problems; added difficulty to use because burst fire. When you put a foregrip on the BAL it is almost just as accurate as the IMR without one, however because the BAL is fully auto you're able to focus a little more on your aim and movement rather than precise trigger timing. The biggest problem is that the IMR has no 3 shot kill range making it suck at close range. Even the m8a1 had a 3 shot kill range of 5 meters in b02. The 'infinite ammo' is a nifty little addition but it's really not a factor when you're constantly dying because you're using a gun that is outclassed by almost everything at close range. Even if you don't die, you have to play at snail pace for the 3d printer to keep up with your ammo usage. Moral of the story: foregrip on bal = better than IMR in every way except at sniper range and even then if you burst fire the BAL you'll do just fine.
HBRA3: 3-5 Shot Kill. I personally love this gun. Easy to use. Problems; 100% requires an optical attachment because the iron sights, while they look cool, are horrible. 100% requires foregrip because without it the gun kicks like a mule and is difficult to use at long range. Slower rate of fire than the BAL. 2 Rounds less in magazine. First 3 rounds are 900something RPM and following rounds are 625RPM so in a heads-up gun battle the HBR will win but those rarely happen in this game with the verticality factor + exo suits etc.. My biggest problem with this gun is the fact that I HAVE to use foregrip and an optic leaving me only 1 attachment to play with so I either lose my parabolic microphone or my quickdraw handle or if you're into it the stock.
HBRA3 Average Joe: 3-4 Shot Kill. This gun outclasses the BAL at longer ranges because it does require 1 less shot to kill, however, you're still almost REQUIRED to use those 2 attachments. Another detractor is that this one has far worse hip fire than the BAL or the stock HBRA3. I fired 10k rounds of hipfire in a controlled test in the ingame firing range and the BAL ended up 53% accuracy, HBRA3 52% accuracy, and the HBRA3 Average Joe was 41%. With maybe 100k rounds it's very possible the BAL and the HBR stock would have identical hipfire spreads. I didn't test the IMR hipfire because didn't feel like pulling the trigger 2500 times. One other thing to note is that this gun has almost double the 3 shot kill range of the BAL.
AK12: 4-5 Shot Kill. Super Accurate. *Clearer iron sights. Biggest problems with this gun, once again no 3 shot kill range and 2 less rounds in the mag. Even the AK12 RIP version has no 3 shot kill range and that gun only has 22 rounds in the mag.
My personal opinion, the HBRA3 Average Joe is the current closest competitor to the BAL but it still does not come out on top because I can use the iron sights on the BAL, the hipfire is better on the BAL, and the rate of fire (after the HBR's first 3 shots) is far better on the BAL. The IMR would be a close second because I don't have to use a foregrip on it, allowing me to use an optic + quickdraw which definitely helps at all ranges. I'm really curious to see in what way the NERF the BAL or buff the other guns but it definitely seems like something will be coming.
One last thought:
I haven't had an opportunity to test it because I haven't gotten the gun in a supply drop, but if the BAL-27 Carbon goes from a 5 shot kill to a 4 shot kill at long ranges it would be even more OP. If anybody had the BAL-27 Carbon and could test that for me would be awesome. Would also like to test any version of the IMR that adds + damage and see if it takes less bullets to kill at any ranges.
AND THATS ALL FOLKS
This post was edited by FukYoRules on Nov 13 2014 11:34am