M5A2 Folsom Carbine

Resistance: Fall of Man
The M5A2 Folsom Carbine, nicknamed "the paddle" for its wide wooden stock and ability to "spank" an enemy, is the standard issue rifle of the U.S. Army Rangers. The weapon shoots a .303 Round, the same as the British rifle, No. 6 Mk 6. The alternate fire turns it into a grenade launcher that launches 40 mm grenades from the rifle's under-slung M200 40mm grenade launcher. The Carbine is the player's starting weapon.

Single Player

 * The Carbine it is a very common weapon. All friendly AI soldiers will be equipped with the Carbine, and as with Fall of Man none of them will use the 40mm grenade.
 * The Carbine is a good multi-purpose weapon, but it is very effective against Hybrids and Slipskulls. Aim for their head's and they won't cause much of a problem for too long.
 * The grenade launcher extension is also extremely useful against the bigger enemies, such as the Steelhead, which can be taken down in one hit, but ammunition for this is usually very sparse, so make sure it isn't wasted when obtained.

Multiplayer

 * The M5A2 Carbine is the starting weapon for the Human forces. It is an average weapon, with average damage, rate of fire and accuracy.
 * The Grenade Launcher is exceedingly powerful and in some cases, could be considered the best weapon in the game. The player do not start out with a 40mm grenade, but can get one from a prototype ammo/grenade kit.

Trivia

 * Any of Nathan Hale's allies who possess a carbine will not use the grenade launcher. This is most probably due to balanced gameplay given that the carbine's attachment would be overpowered.


 * In the photograph slideshow in the cutscenes, Nathan Hale's carbine doesn't have the grenade launcher attachment. But in the actual video parts of the cutscene, Hale does have a grenade launcher on his M5A2.

Resistance 2
"In December of 1951, SRPA adopted the M5A2 Folsom Carbine as the standard-issue weapon for its Sentinel program. The carbine is the most dependable on the market, firing .303 rounds with an under-slung M200 40 mm high-velocity grenade launcher."

- Intel document on the M5A2 Folsom Carbine

The M5A2 Folsom Carbine has decreased its magazine round to 30 rounds and can only carry 2 grenades for the grenade launcher. It isn't as accurate as it used to be without aiming, and it isn't as powerful either.

Single Player

 * The Carbine useful against generic Hybrids and other Chimera and there is usually plenty of ammo spaced around levels.
 * The Grenade Launcher takes longer to reload and the blast radius isn't anywhere near as big. However, if it hits dead on, it will kill most enemies instantly.

Co-op

 * Only the Medic class can use the M5A2 Carbine and it's the first weapon that they can unlock. It's probably more effective to use the XR-42 Phoenix though, unless the player want to use the Grenade Launcher.

Multiplayer

 * With the new ability to pre-select a weapon in Competitive, the M5A2 Carbine has become more of a specialist's weapon. It's a good all-round weapon, and provides an adequate solution to both close-range and long-range combat.
 * The Grenade Launcher also allows for quick and easy kills.

Trivia

 * In Cooperative play whenever a Black Ops fire the carbine, the bolts that come out look like giant yellow blobs.


 * Occasionally if a player were to look near a carbine on the ground, it will have a strange bullet-shaped object near it with the SRPA symbol on it. If closely examined, it is far too large to be fired off by the primary Carbine barrel, so it is likely that it is a grenade to be inserted into the secondary fire.


 * On the side of the carbine there is information written on the rifle:


 * Mac Klnnon Armory
 * Roswell, NM
 * Nylon/Carbon
 * Serial #870684-E2


 * This may be a reference to the UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.


 * At the butt of the rifle you can see tally marks (most likely kills) which add up to 35.

Resistance 3
The M5A2 Folsom Carbine will make a reappearance.

Trivia

 * The Folsom bears a strong resemblance to the M14 EBR rifle (in which it is also referred to as a carbine by actual soldiers). In Resistance: Retribution, James Grayson's combat jacket has a picture of two M14 EBR rifles.


 * Despite the carbine being a real line of assault rifles, the newest real model is the M4A2.


 * The weight of the carbine with a 50/30 round magazine firing a .303 (possibly .303 Savage) bullet, plus the weight of the wooden stock, grenade launcher, and full metal barrel, would make this rifle extremely heavy.


 * The Carbine uses a 14 rib magazine, which normally contains 20 rounds.