Out of all of the weapons in the game, sniper rifles are probably the hardest to use effectively. This is due to the fact that the maps are generally too small to give you a reason to use a sniper rifle over something like an assault rifle. Not to mention these rifles have the worst hip-fire in the game, and since CQC plays a big roll in CoD4, that's not a good thing. I have actually been standing with my barrel just inches from them and had my bullet fire at almost a 90 degree angle away from my target.

I realize that in close quarters you shouldn't really be using a sniper at all, but usually about 3 in 4 fights are fought within medium range (maximum SMG range) and under. This usually causes me to just get frustrated and switch to my pistol for the rest of the match, and I usually end up doing a lot better than I would with a

sniper! All in all, these weapons are fun to use, and certainly a challenge. But if you're in the market for some serious constant winning, you're probably better off with something else. Just see what works for you.

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Assault Rifles
Submachine Guns
Light Machine Guns
Shotguns
Sniper Rifles

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M40A3
Range: Infinite
Accuracy: Max
TTK: Instant - ???s
Tier: 4

In the sniper class, the M40 is just about the best you can find. High damage combined with very high accuracy and low recoil. The only obvious downside is that it is bolt-action, which makes medium range pretty iffy. The best thing about the M40A3 is that when it is equipped with an ACOG scope, it's bullet damage is raised from 70 to 75, meaning that with stopping power, you can hit the enemy ANYWHERE on their body and it will be a 1-shot kill. The reason it gets a tier 4 rating is because after all it is a sniper rifle, and is fairly ineffective in this game compared to Assault Rifles. But if you're really wanting to play around with snipers (as I do from time to time), the M40 is a great choice.



M21
Range: Infinite
Accuracy: Max
TTK: Instant - ???s
Tier: 4

The M21 sniper rifle is a the king of snipers in Hardcore mode, but not so much in regular modes. It's damage multipliers are set up so that unless you make a shot to the neck or head, you will need two shots to kill instead of just one, which to many defeats the purpose of a sniper rifle. It's not that bad, but it pretty much demands that you use Stopping Power to compensate for its low damage.



Dragunov SVD
Range: Infinite
Accuracy: Max
TTK: Instant - ???s
Tier: 4

Although many people overlook the Dragunov, it's pretty good when you want to play around with other 2nd perks instead of Stopping Power all the time. The reason for this is because using stopping power on this rifle will only help you in one-shotting juggernauts, but otherwise the weapon still kills with one shot to the head, neck, or chest on normal enemies. I recommend either pairing it up with UAV Jammer for team games or possibly Juggernaut for the lulz.

 



Remington 700
Range: Infinite
Accuracy: Max
TTK: Instant - ???s
Tier: 5

Unfortunatly, though I love the look of this gun, it has to take a tier 5 rating. Why? The biggest problem here is that the Barret .50 takes all of the R700's strong points and then goes beyond. This rifle has the highest sway of any sniper, which can really throw off your aim if you try to scope in without taking a breath. Extremely high random recoil means after your first shot, you probably will not get a second chance, and add to the fact that it's bolt action so close range is extremely risky. If you run into mulitple enemies with this thing you'll be in deep trouble, so if you must use it make sure you can use that pistol to the best of its abilities. I reccomend using the full scope (no attachments), since it does not benefit from the ACOG scope like the M40 does.



Barret M82A1
Range: Infinite
Accuracy: Max
TTK: Instant - ???s
Tier: 4

The Barret would probably be my second choice of sniper rifle if I really had to pick one. It's extremely fun to shoot and just hear the incredibly loud blast it makes. Even better is spamming it in someones face and actually killing them with it. It's semi-automatic, but only fires accurately at about the same rate as a bolt action rifle, save hip-fire of course. This gun will kill in one shot to the head, neck, and chest. With stopping power the 1 shot kill area also gets extended to the stomach or lower-torso area. I've heard many people say that the ACOG is great on this gun but I just cannot seem to adjust after the recoil, so I usually go with the full scope.