I'll take the other side if this argument. I use the staff shell for a couple different reasons, but before I get into that, I want to be clear. I do NOT use them as my tank's primary weapon. That would be my sabot shell.

Okay so I started using the sabot/staff combo when the glitch was still possible and that makes me terrible. However I still use them today for a couple reasons.

1. They fly straight, which makes them great for counter sniping as well as taking out equipment (like spawn beacons) from distance (like on silk road). They also allow me to hit vehicles stupid enough to fly straight or hover with little effort.

2. Tanks try to keep an advantage, this may mean ducking behind a rock or around a corner to avoid incoming fire. Often times, the staff shell can still hit em.

3. This is probably my most important point - Multiple tank engagements. There have been a few times where I find soloing 2 enemy tanks. Now I don't always win, but when I do, I use staff shells. (Yes, hear the Dos Equis man) So with sabot shells, I have 5 rounds, which. depending on where I hit the first tank, I can kill in 4, worst case 5 shells. However the reload time on these shells is horrible, and now I have a second tank creeping up my ass. If I have the left over shell, this usually goes much better. If not, I need to hit all 5 staff shells to kill a tank. Even if I miss one, by the time I burn through the 5 staff shells, I have 2 or 3 sabots again. (This is all assuming I manage to stay alive) So staff shells can get you out in a pinch.

4. This kind of links to my previous point, they are the only secondary weapon effective against vehicles, with as much ammo as my sabot shells. Guided shells are good, but they only have 2 rounds before that long ass reload timer.

5. They kill jihad jeeps and atvs very quickly. (So do the sabots, but sometimes I miss. I'm not a 1337 gawd)

6. My final point. I am not aggressive with tanks. I don't charge into points and try to capture them. I stay 50-75m off and use the tank for support. This makes me less vulnerable to C4, and makes it easier to gtfo should I get overwhelmed. Having a total of 10 shells (5 sabot 5 staff) that are relatively easy to aim makes it a lot easier to support.

Feel free to counter my points. I would love to hear why people prefer other things, aside from the usual LMG/HMG to fend off infantry. That one is kind of obvious.

Some excellent points there, you sir sound very similar to how i use tanks, although i do tend to be a little more aggressive and go for flag caps. i also find that Staff shells have that explosive payload that kills infantry and i tend to use it instead of the HMG as that sucker doesn't half block your view (since i'm not really a fan of using third person for gunning which i really need to perhaps start doing)

Yea I hate how bulky the HMG is. I never could 3rd person gun. I just suck at it. The explosive payload is small, but if you manage to put it next to a poor soul, it takes 50-75% of their health.

I seem to always get a kill with the explosive load, but i might just be good at the direct impacting. i don't get why people hate on the staff shell when it can be so useful. I wouldn't say it was n00by to use it, its more a tactical selection if anything