How to beat the IS-7

A quick run down on how to take down this russian beast.

First and most important step.

Dont panic. The first thing alot of people do when they see an IS-7 is panic and throw their shot in the general direction of it. I know it can be pretty intimidating, especially if your in a 7.0 and come across this behemoth, but even if you are in a spot where you cant get a killing shot you can always disable their gun or track.

The ammo you should be using.

Now that you know not to throw away your shot; lets talk about which shot is best against the IS-7. For the most part HEAT and APDS is key. Notable mentions are american 90mm HEAT-FS and 105mm APDS which can work when engaging from the front but wont be reliable. The type of ammo you should avoid is any basic AP or APHE, in general around this BR this ammo is really only good for side shots and leopards. While there are exceptions to this rule they are only exceptions and shouldnt be treated as the norm. Such examples are the M103s AP which has similar performance to 105mm APDS and the AMX-50 Foch and Surbaisse which also have similar AP. If you lack a round with 300mm of pen you shouldnt not engage from the front. If you have to go for the barrel or the track and try to disengage unless you can get to his side.

The spots you should be hitting.

Now that you have the right rounds in your tank its time to get to the thing most people are reading this for; where to shoot the tank. If the IS-7 is looking at you for the most part you'll want to hit the area around the mantlet, specifically to the left and right of it.
This will take out two of the 5 people in the thing and has a good chance of taking out the breach at the same time, and if youre lucky enough you might even ammorack it if your round hits the auto loader rack! Just be mindful not to hit too high or the rounded shape of the turret will cause your round to bounce.

Another great place to hit if he's looking straight at you is the lower front plate. While this will only kill the driver most times it atleast stops the tank from moving with a chance to knock out the engine.

Now if the IS-7's hull is angled, this greatly increases your ability to pen the upper front plate due to the pike nose design. This spot has a high chance to to ammo rack as well as take out multiple crew members as well. Keep in mind what ammo you have loaded though as APDS slope modifiers make this a tough spot to get through.

Now if you're lucky enough to get to the side of one, youre in a good spot to get a one shot on him. Be mindful though there are a few tricky spots to avoid. There is what appears to be a flat spot but its a trap.

Behind these 5mm plates is an insanely sloped 100mm plate that will auto bounce pretty much every round. Above the tracks and below the 5mm plates the 100mm plate begins to straighten out, making for a much easier and deadlier target.

Another place to hit is above those 5mm plates and the lower sides of the turret, while still a good shot most the time you'll only get one side of the turret crew due to the breach protecting the other two.

If you get to his rear you have him dead to rights. Dont shoot at any extreme angles and you should have no problem given the lack of armor on the rear.

More info about the IS-7.

Most of this stuff will be things you can learn from going up against it but I figured I'd include it anyways. The IS-7 has a 7 shot autoloader giving it a reload rate of 10 seconds flat until its empty. at which point it takes around 25 seconds for the loaders to put another round in the loader and the auto loader to load it. The gun while big has pretty mediocre pen for being at 8.0.

The IS-7 while fast has pretty poor hull traverse, making close quarters a hassle for it. The IS-7 is also a gift tank, meaning it doesnt have the premium RP and SL bonus and also comes stock and has to be spaded. The IS-7 was made as a direct counter to the Maus, pretty much meaning the IS-7 is immune to the maus from the front.

Pictures for quick reference.

And heres all the pics for quick referance for all those that have already read or dont care to read the guide. Might put in more pics if people want.

[Karsk]

trump 2020

[MirageTank]

STEP 1: you can't kill it gg

[krabb]

"Avoid AP and APHE shells" Oh okay, so germany can basically use its machineguns up until 7.7

[captcool]

we dont need this "GUIDE" i killed it with AA gun

[LinusTechTits]

You dont.

[krabb]

Step 1. Unbalanced.
Step 2. Realize it's a russian game and it hates german plays.
Step 3. It's op.
Step 4. I am semi-serious

[mewbie23]

Thanks i am actually glad that the Panther is going to be 6.7 so i dont have to face this beast anymore

[2003 R53 Mini Cooper S]

@mewbie23 with the panther 2 and the 105 tiger 2 youll want to go for the cupola or the side.

[mewbie23]

what if i am in my tiger 2 105 or panther 2? should i shoot apcr or aphe?

[2003 R53 Mini Cooper S]

First guide so feedback is appreciated. Will make one for the KV-220 later on since I know thats another one people struggle against.