Official designation: M6C Magnum Sidearm
Projectile type: 12.7mm x 40 Semi Armor Piercing (16.5mm in the books)
Dual-wield: Yes
Damage: Low
Range: Close-Medium
Accuracy: Medium
Rate of fire: Fast
Autofire capability: No
Magazine capacity: 12 bullets
Ammunition (additional): 48 (4 magazines)
Reload speed: 1.5 s single wield, 5 s dual
Melee attack: low
Scope: No
The magazine of this handgun can hold 12 bullets and has moderate stopping power. In close quarters and dual-wielded, it can be surprisingly effective when employed against unshielded foes. It is one of only three human weapons that can achieve headshots.
Disdvantages:
A stripped-down version of the M6D Pistol equipped by the crew of the Pillar of Autumn during their battle with the Covenant on Installation 04, the Magnum does not have a scope - and therefore lacks the very feature that made its counterpart so deceptively deadly in Halo: Combat Evolved. Another disadvantage is that the rounds do not contain the small high explosive charge the M6D rounds were equipped with. (Semi Armor Piercing High Explosive rounds were issued to the personnel on the Pillar Of Autumn) Over longer distances, the lack of scope and modest magazine capacity render the Magnum largely ineffective. It is also rather slow to reload.
Multiplayer Role:
Without a scope, the new Magnum is useless in sniping although it makes a good backup weapon at close range. New players can be deceived by its lack of power compared to its Halo 1 equivalent, but when using dual wielding it is very effective at close range. An SMG/Magnum combo is easily obtainable (seeing as on most maps the player spawns with an SMG) and does more damage than the SMG/SMG combo. A Plasma Pistol/Magnum combo is the quickest way to take down a player at close range - although it is rather difficult. A charged plasma bolt takes down the shields in one hit, and a magnum head-shot kills.
Due to the update, the magnum has lost power and accuracy. 13 headshots on a fully shielded opponent are required to kill. However, the magnum retains its usefulness against unshielded opponents. With the Halo 1.1 update, the automatic headshot (regardless of where a player was hit) glitch that occurred when a Magnum was dual-wielded was eliminated.