“The R8 Revolver delivers a highly accurate and powerful round at the expense of a lengthy trigger-pull. Firing rapidly by fanning the hammer may be the best option when point-blank stopping power is required.” ― Official description
The R8 Revolver is an eight-shot revolver introduced in CS2 and Counter-Strike 2. It was introduced as part of the 2015 Winter Update. In Global Offensive it can be replaced with Desert Eagle.
ReviewIn the world of CS2, the R8 Revolver stands out for its uniqueness. This revolver, which in reality is known as the Smith & Wesson Model 327 Performance Center M&P R8, was the third addition to the game's arsenal of pistols after its official release.
This weapon is especially notable for its limited capacity - only 8 rounds in the cylinder and the same number in reserve. However, despite this “minus”, the R8 is one of the heaviest pistols in the game, surpassing even some main weapons in weight. Its striking power is amazing: one precise shot to the head can instantly send an enemy to the next world, even if he is protected by armor. With high penetration damage and low damage reduction at range, the R8 is also capable of destroying unprotected opponents with a single shot to the abdomen and pelvis, and its ability to penetrate obstacles is comparable to the Desert Eagle.
What makes the R8 truly unique are its two shooting modes. The main mode involves delaying the trigger before firing, which increases accuracy, but reduces movement speed and adds a delay of 0.2 seconds before firing. This feature makes opponents tense, because the sound of a cocked hammer can give away the shooter’s position. The second mode is a faster but less accurate hip shot, ideal for close range shooting. This technique allows you to fire without delay, making the R8 more flexible in a variety of combat situations.
Compared to the Desert Eagle, the R8 wins in damage power and ability to clear space through obstacles, even offering a slightly more affordable price. However, its primary fire mode requires a more deliberate approach to shooting due to the slow pace and the need to prepare for each shot in advance. This affects the speed of movement and requires the player to save ammunition, because there are only one spare cartridge for one drum.
Despite being temporarily removed from Competitive Matchmaking, R8 has returned, proving its place among player preferences alongside the Negev since the April 2017 update, which only serves to highlight its importance and popularity within the community.
Bugs
Up until the December 9, 2015 update, using the R8 Revolver's fast fire mode while the game was temporarily paused near allies resulted in a spectacular but harmless spark effect. In this case, no real damage was caused, and only ammunition was consumed. Another interesting feature was the ability to simultaneously hold down the button for a quick shot and press the button for an accurate shot, which allowed you to shoot with the accuracy of a standard shot, but at a much higher speed. In addition, players could use a quick shot even while defusing a bomb, which added dynamism during critical moments of the match.
Behind the scenes
- Long before these weapons were introduced during the 2015 Winter Update, icons for them were present in the game files. Said icons depicted it closer to the Python design than the released short-barreled revolver.
- His entity name also appeared in the game's configuration files.
- The R8 Revolver originally used the shot delay attribute, but this was changed in the second update on the same day as the revolver attribute.
- The recoil seed for the revolver is 12345.
Interesting Facts
Unusually, in CS2, the R8 Revolver uses the same ammo as the Desert Eagle, the .50 Action Express, although the revolver is actually chambered in .357 Magnum or .38 Special ammo. The gameplay noticeably slows down the R8's firing process, attempting to recreate the feel of the heavy trigger pull of a double-action revolver. In reality, of course, revolvers work much faster, and this delay in the game is a gross exaggeration.
One of the unique features of the R8 is its secondary firing mode, in which the player "vents" the trigger, that is, quickly pulls it back with his hand while keeping the trigger depressed. This technique originates from the days of the Wild West and was intended to speed up the shooting of single-barreled revolvers, which required manual cocking each time. However, given that the R8 is a double-action revolver capable of firing without first cocking the hammer, using such a technique in reality would not only be impractical, but also dangerous due to the possible high recoil.
Another interesting point concerns reloading: if the player has fewer than eight bullets left, when reloading, the animation still shows that a full eight-round drum is inserted into the revolver. Additionally, the R8 features a unique idle animation where the weapon moves slightly, and has two different random draw animations for added visual variety.
The real revolver has the Performance Center logo on the body, but in the game it is replaced with a fictitious "Precision & Accuracy" logo. And, as if that weren't enough, there is an unused laser sight on the bottom rail of the revolver, adding to the intrigue. There was a short period where the R8's damage was equivalent to that of the AWP, which caused quite a bit of discussion in the community.
R8 Revolver in nubmers
- Price $600
- Purchasable by Counter-Terrorist Terrorist Statistics
- Damage 86
- Armor penetration 93.2%
- Rate of fire 85 RPM (primary fire) 150 RPM (secondary fire)
- Accurate range (meters) 18.9 m (primary fire) 2 m (secondary fire)
- Reload time 2.3 seconds
- Magazine capacity 8
- Reserve ammo limit 8
- Running speed (hammer units per second) 220 180 (when using primary fire) Kill award $300 (Competitive) $150 (Casual)
- Penetration power 200%
- Ammunition type .50 caliber
- Firing mode Semi-automatic (double-action) Fanning (single-action)
- Other Counterpart Desert Eagle
- Entity weapon_revolve
