Annabelle

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Production information
Type	Rifle
Model	Winchester Model 1886
Technical specifications
Magazine size	2 rounds
Ammunition type	.357 Magnum
Maximum ammunition	12
Damage	30 (Grigori) 40 (Player)
Rate of fire	40 RPM
Operation	Lever action
Accuracy	Perfect
Range	Medium-Long
Usage
Used by	Father Grigori
Counterparts	SPAS-12
Game information
Entity name	weapon_annabelle

Annabelle is the name given to the rifle used by Father Grigori in Ravenholm during Half-Life 2 when Gordon Freeman arrived. Modeled after the Winchester Model 1886, it is extremely accurate and very powerful.

Overview

The Annabelle's characteristics and capabilities bear a resemblance to not one, but two kinds of firearms: a lever-action rifle and an over-and-under shotgun. The lever-action and the fact that the weapon uses .357 Magnum ammunition suggest it to be a rifle. However, the Annabelle acts much like a double-barrel shotgun, as it isn't cocked between shots and it can only hold two rounds. This may be due to Valve simply not wanting to take the time to create a custom animation, and figuring the dark setting it is used in would make this omission unnoticeable.

Real-life lever-action rifles can be operated very rapidly, and this would thus be a barely visible operation even if it were included. Indeed, Grigori's brief pause between shots does suggest operation of the lever, and would be more than sufficient time to cycle an actual lever gun. More than likely the low magazine capacity was simply Valve's means of balancing Father Grigori so he would not appear too powerful.

Tactics

Father Grigori is the only NPC that uses the Annabelle, and it is his signature weapon. In combat, Grigori wields the weapon with great skill and accuracy, and he usually manages to hit Zombies in the head for an instant kill.

The Annabelle can only house two rounds at a time (as mentioned above), so Grigori has to reload frequently. While at first this isn't a problem when he spends his time on the rooftops of buildings, this can become a problem when facing a large number of Zombies up close. Therefore, try not to leave Grigori to kill all the Zombies himself; he'll most likely become overwhelmed.

Obtaining the Annabelle

Freeman is not intended to use the Annabelle, but the weapon can be obtained through the use of some tricks. There is no viewmodel for the weapon, so it takes the form of the player's pump-action shotgun (although there is a mod on PC that gives it a "proper" viewmodel). It should be noted that the Annabelle fires a single bullet rather than shotgun shells, as the Annabelle is loaded with .357 rounds and does same amount of damage as the Colt Python.

• On PC, the Annabelle can be wielded by typing "give weapon_annabelle" in the console.
• The player can pick up the Annabelle if Father Grigori dies, but can only use it briefly as the screen fades to black when the game ends.
  • This does not apply after he opens the gate to the mines, at which point he is no longer mission-critical. The player can grab a radiator with the Gravity Gun at an earlier part of the chapter, carry it until this point and place it underneath the gate. After proceeding to the other side, the gate will be blocked by the radiator, which will overheat and kill Father Grigori if placed correctly. The player can then crouch under the gate, pick up the Annabelle and continue the storyline.
• It may also permanently be obtained just before Father Grigori gives Gordon the shotgun on the roof of a building. Run towards the edge of the roof while sprinting, fire a grenade from the MP7 at the ground whilst jumping (grenade jump) and hit the bottom of the catwalk that Father Grigori is standing on. The Annabelle is lying inside on the wall.
  • A much easier method is partially following the instructions detailed here: IGN FAQ; the SPAS-12 shotgun that Grigori normally throws to the player is on the catwalk before he spawns. After encountering the first Fast Zombie of the game (before going indoors and upstairs to trigger Grigori), walk over by the water tower to the catwalk with dead people hung from it, and use the Python or an SMG grenade (found under the water tower) to shoot the SPAS-12 off that catwalk from below. (Do not retrieve that particular SPAS-12 - which will trigger the Fast Zombies and make Grigori not appear but his voice will still be heard and not toss the gun - another is located a little ahead in the next part of Ravenholm) When triggered, Grigori will actually throw the Annabelle instead, and equip a duplicate.
    • The Annabelle can also be obtained by using the console command "noclip".

Trivia

• On the PC version of Half-Life 2, the Annabelle uses the same slot as the AR2. Wielding Annabelle creates a few minor weapon selection glitches after obtaining the AR2. After obtaining the AR2, the player cannot select the AR2 through mouse scrolling through the weapons selection. The Annabelle appears instead and is selected when clicked. The AR2 can, however, still be selected by pressing the rifle hotkey, 2 by default, twice on the keyboard (if fast weapon switch is enabled, left-clicking is not necessary).
  • On the Xbox version, the Annabelle will be located in the same category as the Gravity Gun. An interesting note is that the selection icon is the picture used for when the player first picks up the Shotgun, complete with the word "SHOTGUN" in slightly transparent glowing yellow text to the upper-left. However, the SPAS-12's proper selection icon is still visible underneath.
  • In the Xbox 360 version, the weapon is unselectable once any other weapon is drawn, as there is no icon for it in the weapon select menu.
• After firing the two rounds of the magazine, Gordon will automatically load one round only. The "reload" button must be manually used in order to have two rounds loaded.
  • If the player has enough .357 ammunition and has the Annabelle wielded, they can hold both the "reload" button and "primary fire" button to fire the Annabelle at an automatic rate of 150 RPM.
• On Xbox 360, the player's controller does not vibrate when firing the Annabelle (likely due to its unintended usage), unlike most other firearms.
• Grigori does not pull the lever beneath the trigger down after each shot to put the second bullet into the chamber, he just pauses after each shot, and then fires again. In addition, since the Annabelle's animation shares with the SPAS-12 and in fact Grigori has unique firing animation for both aforementioned weapon, Grigori does not pump or pull the lever, rather the "recoil" animation is used instead.
• Shooting to the body does not deal much damage, unless one tries to shoot non-combat characters, like Breen. However they will only die after a headshot.
• The Annabelle is a Winchester Model 1886 rifle. The real weapon is available in a number of chamberings (primarily .45-70), but not .357 (which is available on the Model 1892 instead).
  • Actual Winchester rifles can hold as much as 15 rounds. Grigori's small, 2-round magazine was likely implemented for game balance.
• Reloading with the Annabelle results in the console saying "ERROR: Shotgun reload called incorrectly!".
• If any character other than Grigori use the Annabelle, the damage is only 30 per bullet unless that NPC manages to shot the target in the head like Grigori (which does 90 per damage). However since this weapon is treated in same way as shotgun when used by NPCs, they will only fire the Annabelle at close range despite it's long effective range.
  • Similar to the Shotgun, NPCs fire the Annabelle in semi-auto mode while moving and fire in pump-action if they are standing still.
• In the PC version of Episode One, the Annabelle is in the sixth weapon slot, under the Bug Bait (if the player uses the cheats "impulse 101" and "give weapon_annabelle") it will not display the HUD icon or weapon name.
• The beta HUD icon for the shotgun shell will appear if the player picks up the .357 ammo box without the Colt Python.
• Despite firing .357 cartridges, the weapon will eject 12-gauge shotgun shells.

Gallery

Father Grigori holding the Annabelle.

Ditto, Beta version.

The texture of Annabelle

Winchester 1886 rifle, the gun Annabelle is based on.

List of appearances

• Half-Life 2 (First appearance)