Hello, this is XboxAhoy and this is the twenty-fifth episode of my Black Ops weapon guide.
Better late than never, right?
In this episode we're covering the fifth SMG, the Uzi.
It's a fully automatic weapon, unlocked at level 23.
Like the Galil, it's an Israeli weapon, manufactured by Israel Military Industries, or IMI.
The weapon is as old as the State of Israel itself - with the design dating to 1948.
The Uzi takes its name from its designer - Major Uziel Gal of the IDF.
Largely thanks to the Uzi's simple construction and low production cost, in 1951, the weapon
was adopted by the Israeli Defense Force.
It found its way into the hands of IDF Special Forces by 1954, where its compact size and
automatic firepower made it ideal for clearing bunkers and entrenched positions.
The weapon would go on to see a half-decade of reliable service, and a number of variants:
such as chamberings for .45 ACP, .41 Action Express - and the scaled-down Mini-Uzi and
Micro Uzi models - with their diminutive size enhancing concealability and with an increased
cyclic rate of fire when compared to the parent SMG.
The Uzi remained in service with the IDF until late 2003, when its role was ultimately replaced
by the Micro Tavor, or MTAR-21.
The Uzi fires the 9-by-19 millimetre Parabellum cartridge - fairly typical for an SMG of its
era.
Magazines are of a standard box type, manufactured in capacities between 20 and 50 rounds - in
Black Ops default magazines are of a 32-round capacity.
The Uzi is a low damage SMG, typically needing 4 shots to kill at a close range, and 5 at
a distance.
Mercifully, rate of fire is high - at 937.5 rounds per minute, on par with most of the
low-damage SMGs.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the Uzi is its heavy recoil - it suffers from the
highest degree of kick in the SMG category by quite some margin.
Paired with its rather obtrusive iron sights, the Uzi has a reputation of being tough to
handle that serves to make it an unpopular choice.
Aim time is quick, however - like the other SMGs, aiming down your sights will take 200
milliseconds.
Reloads are fairly average in duration, taking 2.4 seconds to complete - although the favourable
magazine size means reloading is less frequent overall than with some of the weapons in the
Uzi's class.
The Uzi, then, is a weapon with a whole host of negative traits - but, some of the attachments
on offer can help remedy its performance issues.
The iron sights on the Uzi are arguably the most obstructive of any weapon, and as such
will hamper your efforts to quickly acquire a target, and can make the sizable recoil
difficult to control.
The optical attachments can help, then - and the Red Dot Sight is a useful addition to
the weapon.
As with the Galil, it's also thematically fitting, modeled after the Israeli Elbit Falcon
sight.
The Reflex Sight is identical in functionality - and, like the red dot sight will help you
to acquire targets more quickly, and will assist in compensating for the recoil more
effectively when firing.
If you insist on aiming with the Uzi, then these two close-range sights are a very worthwhile
addition.
The ACOG sight isn't particularly effective on any SMG - and as you can imagine, the Uzi
certainly isn't any different.
While the crosshair does allow for precision placement of your first shot, recoil is increased
and your aim time slowed - massively decreasing your close-range potential performance with
the weapon.
I strongly recommend you avoid it.
The Grip, on the other hand, tackles the Uzi's heavy recoil, increasing CenterSpeed and generally
making the weapon more controllable.
If you can tolerate the obtrusive iron sights, the Grip - which manifests itself as a stock
for the weapon - can help extend the Uzi's effective reach.
One potential option is to pair an optic with the grip attachment, but this comes at the
expense of some particularly useful perks in the second tier.
Rapid Fire will increase the Uzi's rate of fire from its usual 937.5 to 1250 rounds per
minute - a 33% increase in output.
This works well when paired with the Uzi's generous magazine size, as long as you aren't
too concerned about your accuracy.
You will see an increase in recoil, but the ability to put more shots downrange will compensate
for this, especially if you burst fire the weapon.
The Suppressor will prevent you from appearing on the mini-map while firing, and will be
most effective when using the weapon in a stealth role.
The loss in range isn't a major detriment, as the damage drop isn't too severe and the
Uzi isn't particularly effective at longer distances, anyway - so if you don't like showing
on radar the suppressor isn't a bad option.
The final attachment, Extended Mags, will increase your capacity from its default 32
to 48 instead.
This grants the Uzi the largest potential magazine size of the SMG category - only the
MPL shares the 32-round default, and the MPL lacks extended mags.
Large magazines suit the Uzi's spray and pray style - and for that reason it's my recommended
attachment for use with the weapon.
Forgo accuracy for liberal use of your trigger for maximum use of the Uzi's strongest trait.
A strong alternative would be Rapid Fire - this will enhance your close-range performance,
but you'll need to be more careful in your ammunition use, as you will need to reload
often.
For our perk selection, we'll be building a class designed for getting close to the
enemy - and one that's able to tackle multiple enemies at once, making good use of the Uzi's
generous capacity.
Our first perk - Ghost - will help you move unseen on the radar, allowing you to get into
a better position to flank your opponent without being intercepted.
Hitting an unprepared group of enemies from the sides or rear will enhance your odds of
tackling them in a firefight, and will mean more fights occur on your own terms.
The Uzi doesn't fare well outside of close range encounters, and even up close it's wise
to not give the enemy a fair fight.
Our second perk choice will help improve your close-quarter performance, by improving your
hipfire accuracy.
Steady Aim will effectively double your performance when firing from the hip, which is useful
given the Uzi's recoil and terrible iron sights - rather than attempting to aim, you can simply
spray down your foe - with a surprising degree of effectiveness.
Our third perk works in tandem with Ghost to help muffle your movements - Ninja will
decrease your footstep sound, and the pro variant will silence you completely, eliminating
callouts when reloading that may otherwise reveal your position.
You'll also have the benefit of louder enemy footsteps - tracking enemy movement will assist
in ambushing them at the most opportune moment.
For your lethal grenades, the Tomahawk will enhance the Uzi's poor reach with a silent
one-hit kill with a well placed throw.
For your tactical grenades, flash grenades are very useful when tackling multiple opponents
- use them liberally in high-traffic areas where you suspect the enemy may be, and pick
off those caught in the flash at your leisure.
C4 can be very useful in your equipment slot - ideal for laying traps near objectives,
or in lieu of an explosive lethal grenade for enemies beyond your line of sight.
Finally, A pistol rounds out our class as your secondary weapon - a weapon such as the
Python is quick to switch to, and a godsend when you're caught with an empty magazine.
With 48 rounds between reloads, the Uzi has some of the best sustained fire capability
in the SMG category.
High capacity and a high rate of fire means that this firepower is effective from the
hip, and you'll have the capacity to tackle multiple enemies at once.
Getting close to your enemy is essential, but it's important to avoid head-on firefights
with larger groups of enemies - 2 or 3 alert foes with a FAMAS in-hand will prove tough
to beat in a straightforward firefight.
Flanking your opponent becomes essential to make good use of the Uzi, then - break away
from your team-mates and take the long route to strike unseen instead.
The Uzi is a weapon that's tough to master - but one that leads its class in capacity.
Paired with a generous fire rate and effective hipfire performance, 48 rounds will go a long
way in a close-range firefight, reducing the odds that you'll be left high and dry, with
a need to reload.
The spectacular level of recoil puts many off however, doubly so when paired with perhaps
the worst iron sights in-game.
Those extra few rounds seem like a scant benefit when compared to these downsides, when there
are alternatives that handle much better with equivalent damage output.
However, in practical terms these downsides are exaggerated - whilst fearsome at first,
the Uzi's recoil isn't a factor within your effective range, and can be tamed to a degree
with careful use of the trigger.
This weapon can be challenging to use - but become acquainted with its quirks, and performing
well - will be Uzi.
Thanks for watching, this has been XboxAhoy.
Until next time, farewell.