FAMAS

FAMAS
Alternate name(s)	Clarion 5.56
Game(s)
Price	$2250
Magazine cost	$60
Origin	France
Caliber
Magazine capacity	25 / 90
Firing mode(s)	Automatic 3-round burst
Rate of fire	666 RPM (Auto) 800 RPM (Burst)
Weight (loaded)	3.40 kg
Projectile weight	4 g
Muzzle velocity	2212 ft/s
Muzzle energy	1712 J
Used by	Counter-Terrorists
Reload time	3.3 seconds
Counterpart	IDF Defender     Galil AR
Movement speed (units per second)	220 / 250 (88%)
Kill Award	$300 (Competitive) $150 (Casual)
Damage	30
Recoil Control	21 / 26 (80%)
Accurate Range	15 m
Armor Penetration	70%
Penetration Power	200
Hotkey	B-4-1 CT
Entity	weapon_famas

“A cheap option for cash-strapped players, the FAMAS effectively fills the niche between more expensive rifles and the less-effective SMGs.”
―Official description

The FAMAS, or Clarion 5.56, as it was previously known, is a rifle featured in the Counter-Strike series.

Overview

The FAMAS (French: Fusil d’Assaut de la Manufacture d’Armes de Saint-Étienne or “Assault rifle from the Saint-Étienne weapon factory”) is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured in France by MAS (Manufacture d’Armes de Saint-Étienne) located in Saint-Étienne. It is notably used by the French Military as a service rifle.

In-game, the FAMAS is a fairly powerful automatic and 3-round burst assault rifle available exclusively to the Counter-Terrorists. It is one of the two weapons in Counter-Strike with a burst feature, the other being the Glock-18.

Although economically friendly, the FAMAS is usually discarded in later rounds for more powerful weapons such as the M4A1 (M4A4 or M4A1-S in Global Offensive) or the Steyr AUG, some players still prefer the FAMAS due to its accuracy in burst fire mode in long ranges and its ability to easily score headshots.

The accuracy of the alternative burst-fire is higher in Counter-Strike: Source, as its spread is tighter at close ranges or/and when crouching.

Like with the Glock-18, Bots never use the burst-fire mode and will fire in automatic mode, unless the FAMAS was already set to burst mode before it was picked up. However, should they use the alternative three-burst mode, they appear notably overpowered at long range even in easy mode due to their excellent overall accuracy.

The FAMAS is one of the four weapons that cannot fire underwater, the others being the Leone 12 Gauge Super, XM1014, and the IDF Defender.

Prior to Counter-Strike: Source, the FAMAS had the highest knockback power out of all weapons (the second is the Galil). Although risky, the knockback effect can be used to make AWP users miss their shot before they can fire (if they fired a shot within 0.2 seconds after being shot by a FAMAS user). The FAMAS can also be used to “lift” a teammate with sufficient health into an area where otherwise cannot be accessed. However this requires the server option friendly fire to be enabled.

Properties

Hitbox	Primary Attack
	Unarmored	Armored
Head	120	84
Chest & Arm	30	21
Stomach	37	26
Leg	22	22
Red signifies a fatal hit.

The FAMAS is a moderate weight weapon. While wielded, the movement speed of players is 220 units per second (default speed is 250), meaning they have 12% speed reduction. The FAMAS is one of the few weapons unable to shoot underwater.

Advantages

• 3-round burst firing is preferable for long-range encounters
• The cheapest Counter-Terrorist assault rifle
• Very accurate at long range when using bursts
• Low recoil while in burst mode

Disadvantages

• Low damage for an assault rifle
• Low accuracy if fired in automatic mode, except in CS:S.
• Low rate of fire if fired in burst-fire mode.
• Slightly smaller magazine size than the other assault rifles.
• Cannot fire underwater
• Slightly more expensive than its Terrorists’ counterpart.
• Long reload time

Gameplay

Tactics

• If the weapon is in the right hands, this weapon can help defeat many opponents either in close, medium, or long range. This is due to the good penetration rate, excellent rate of fire, and acceptable accuracy if the user can control the recoil and shoots in burst-fire of the weapon.
• The fully-automatic mode is recommended for short range combat. Aim for the enemy’s head and spray bullets at full auto.
• 3-round bursts have an accurate punch even at long ranges as the bursts have almost no recoil unless you are moving. Use it to your advantage.
  • When using burst-firing mode, you can hold the mouse button down without having to control the burst.
  • 3-round burst is almost always lethal when a headshot is scored and at least two shots connected. However, this is notably difficult if a target is moving, thus one may have to aim for the stomach/torso to maximize accuracy and still inflict decent damage.
  • 3-round burst mode is recommended for those who excel in scoring headshots, especially in Source where the cone of the tri-burst grouping is reduced. As such, it is possible to get two of the three rounds to hit the head, resulting an instant-kill regardless of the enemy’s condition.
  • The burst-fire mode of the FAMAS can be very deadly against large groups of enemies when they are clustered closely together in tight spaces, aim toward the head or chest to cause maximum damage.
• Due to the small magazine, try to make sure all the rounds hit the enemy and reload often, find a safe spot to reload because it has fairly long reload time.
• If you need to run, switch to your sidearm, due to the slow moving speed when wielding the FAMAS.
• Some players prefer to only use the fully-automatic mode of the FAMAS to prevent a decline in the rate of fire. If they do encounter enemies at longer ranges, they may crouch and fire in two rounds in quick succession. However, do note that the first shot accuracy of full-auto mode is slightly lower than the burst mode.

Countertactics

• Use long range weaponry, but beware of its three-round burst ability.
• Avoid close and medium contacts with the enemy. The FAMAS has a high rate of fire which is useful for spraying bullets.
• At mid-long range, keep strafing and moving. When firing in burst mode, the FAMAS will be less likely to hit you.
• If you need to engage FAMAS users at close range, a shotgun or AK-47 is a good choice.
  • Any weapon with a higher rate of fire or magazine size like the Galil or the P90 are also effective at close ranges.
• Use flashbang grenades when you spot them at long range. If a FAMAS user excels at burst firing, use a smoke grenade to make passing choke points more safely.
• Try to strike between bursts. Keep moving to reduce the chance of being hit by burst fire,.
• This weapon has a long reload time, so try to strike when its user is reloading or has run out of ammo.
• If an unskilled player uses the FAMAS up close, you may have the chance to down them first, due to the high spread of the FAMAS in full-auto and low magazine size.

Comparison to the IDF Defender

Positive

• Has a burst fire alternative fire (good for long range shooting, can decrease bullet spread, improve recoil control, and is more accurate)
• Lighter (220 unit per seconds vs 210 unit per seconds)
• Faster rate of fire when burst firing (800 rpm vs 666 rpm)

Neutral

• Same ammunition type (5.56mm)
• Same firing rate when firing in automatic mode (666 rpm)
• Both weapons cannot fire underwater
• Same damage against unarmored opponents

Negative

• Lower damage to armored targets
• Sightly less accurate than the Galil in automatic mode
• Slightly more expensive ($2250 vs $2000)
• Smaller magazine size (25 rounds vs 35 rounds)
• Longer reload time (3.8 seconds vs 3 seconds)

References

Counter Strike Wiki

Achievements

• • Counter-Strike: Source

• • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Weapon

Clarion 5.56 Expert Kill 500 enemy players with the Clarion 5.56.