Sniper rifles have been used in warfare for almost as long as firearms have existed.
In the days of flintlock rifles, such as in the American Revolution, sharpshooters were equipped with smoothbore muskets that were designed to fire at longer ranges than standard muskets. These men were tasked with picking off important targets, such as officers or artillery crews, at long distances.
As weapons technology evolved, so did the role of the sharpshooter. During the American Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy deployed men armed with scoped rifles that were designed with polygonal rifling so their accuracy could be extended out to over 2,000 yards.
By the early 1900s, scoped rifles designed for precision shooting at long distances were the norm in militaries all around the world. This was when the ‘sniper’ as we have come to define it today began to take shape.
Snipers continue to play a critical role in combat operations today. Not only can they pick off critical targets from potentially a mile or more away, they can also provide valuable intel by discreetly keeping an eye on enemy movements.
Here are the seventeen best sniper rifles ever made:
1 – Accuracy International AWM
Accuracy International is a British arms company that specializes in making sniper rifles, many of which are used by militaries and law enforcement units all over the world. The AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum), chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum, is one of the most widely used sniper rifles in the world. The armed forces of Germany, Great Britain, Malaysia, Norway, Russia, and South Korea (among others) issue the AWM to snipers. The AWM loads via a detachable 5-round box magazine and comes installed with a muzzle brake to reduce recoil. The rifle comes standard with a Schmidt & Bender PM II 5-25×56FFP MK sight and a pistol grip stock with a cheek rest.
2 – Accuracy International AT308
The AT308 is a .308 Winchester sniper rifle that Accuracy International markets primarily to law enforcement rather than military units. The AT308 comes standard with either a 20-inch or 24-inch barrel, a two-stage trigger, and the oversized bolt that is customary of most AI sniper rifles. It loads via a detachable 5-round magazine and is accurate out to over a thousand yards.
3 – Accuracy International AXSR
The Accuracy International AXSR is widely regarded as one of the finest sniper rifles ever made. It was originally designed for the United States SOCOM ASR (Advanced Sniper Rifle) program, which among other things mandated that any sniper rifles submitted function after being buried in sand and mud and after being subjected to salt water and -40 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. The AXSR passed the test with flying colors. It’s chambered for calibers such as .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 Norma Magnum, .338 Norma Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum.
4 – Barrett M82
The Barrett M82 is a semi-automatic rifle chambered for the massive .50 BMG cartridge. It was developed in the 1980s originally as an anti-material gun to destroy parked aircraft or radar systems. It didn’t take long, however, for it to find use as a sniper rifle as well since it can punch through concrete to hit enemy troops who dive for cover. One of the longest confirmed kills with a sniper rifle (3,000 yards) was taken by an Australian sniper armed with an M82 in the Afghanistan War.
5 – Desert Tech SRS
The Desert Tech SRS (Stealth Recon Scout) is a bolt-action sniper rifle that was released in 2008. As a bullpup design, the magazine of the SRS is inserted behind the action and the trigger. This makes it extremely compact and maneuverable in tight conditions compared to other sniper rifles. The SRS is available in several calibers, including .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum.
6 – Dragunov
Also known as the SVD, the Dragunov is a semi-automatic rifle chambered for 7.62x54r. In continuous production since the early 1960s, it was a common presence as a sniper rifle in the Soviet Union and many Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War, and is still widely used today. The Dragunov feeds from a 10-round detachable box magazine and usually comes standard with a PSO-1M2 scope. Some versions come with a bipod attached as well.
7 – Heckler & Koch HK417
The Heckler & Koch HK417 is the battle rifle version of HK’s smaller 416 rifle, and is chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO round. The 20-inch barreled version of the HK417 is marketed by Heckler & Koch as a sniper rifle, and it has been used in that role by many militaries around the world including Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and the United States. In American service, the HK417 sniper is designated as the M110A1.
8 – Heckler & Koch PSG1
Heckler & Koch developed the PSG1 in response to the 1972 Munich massacre during the Summer Olympics. At the time, West German law enforcement lacked a semi-automatic precision rifle to engage targets from a distance, and Heckler & Koch sought to remedy that problem. The PSG1 was produced from 1972 to 2014, and took a 5, 10, or 20 round detachable box magazine for 7.62x51mm NATO rounds. It was replaced by the HK417.
9 – Knight’s Armament M110
Another popular semi-automatic sniper rifle is the Knight’s Armament M110, which was developed in 2005 in response to the U.S. Army’s XM110 SASR competition for a new sniper rifle. The weapon was developed from Knight’s Armament SR-25 rifle, and formally entered service with the American military in 2008. It received generally favorably by the military, with many troops reporting that it was an improvement over the bolt-action M24 rifle. The M110 was scheduled to be replaced by the HK417, but as of today both weapons are in use.
10 – McMillan TAC-50
Produced since 2000, the McMillan TAC-50 is a bolt action anti-material rifle chambered for the .50 BMG caliber. Competing directly with the Barrett .50 BMG rifles, the TAC-50’s main claim to fame is that it was used by an unnamed Canadian sniper in 2017 to make the world’s longest confirmed kill with a sniper rifle at a distance of 2.2 miles.
11 – Mk 13
The MK 13 is a bolt-action sniper rifle that combines the Accuracy International chassis with the receiver of a Remington 700 long action. Unveiled in the early 2000s, the MK13 has primarily been used by U.S. SOCOM and Navy SEAL units, and was also known to be a favorite rifle of famed sniper Chris Kyle. The MK13 is chambered for the .300 Winchester Magnum.
12 – Mosin Nagant
Sniper variants of the 7.62x54r Mosin Nagant, which feature a curved down bolt handle in contrast to the standard Mosin Nagant’s straight bolt handle, were the primary sniper rifle used by the Soviet forces in World War II. It continued to be used throughout the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries throughout the Cold War and into the modern era. Perhaps the most distinctive fact about the Mosin Nagant is its longevity, as it’s arguably the sniper rifle with the longest continuous use. Mosin Nagant sniper rifles are still being used in the Russian-Ukrainian War today, for instance.
13 – Remington M24
The M24 is a sniper rifle that was built by Remington on their Model 700 platform’s long action to U.S. Army specifications. Most M24s in service were chambered for .308 Winchester or .338 Lapua Magnum. M24s faithfully served in the U.S. Army from 1988 to 2014, at which point they were all converted into the M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, which are chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum and feature upgrades such as a pistol grip and a folding buttstock with a cheek rest.
14 – Remington M40
The M40 is another sniper rifle based on the Remington Model 700 that is used by the United States Marine Corps. In continuous use since 1966, each M40 rifle is heavily modified by armorers from the Marine Corps Base Quantico, where the rifles are routinely upgraded and serviced as well. A key difference between the M40 and the M24 is that the M40 uses a short action primarily for the 7.62x51mm NATO round, whereas the M24 uses a long action to handle larger calibers like .338 Lapua.
15 – Sako TRG
The Sako TRG is a Finnish-made bolt-action sniper rifle that was first introduced in 1989. Initially chambered in .308 Winchester, it has since also been released in several more variants with calibers including the .260 Remington, 6.5mm Creedmoor, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum. Most TRG rifles come from the factory outfitted with either a Zeiss or a Schmidt & Bender scope. The TRG is used as a sniper rifle by many militaries around the world, including Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, and Sweden. It’s also used by the New York police department as well.
16 – Springfield M1903A4
The Springfield M1903A4 was the standard American sniper rifle throughout World War II. It was basically a Springfield M1903A3 with some modifications, including removing the iron sights and the addition of either a Weaver or Unertl scope. The M1903A3 was widely used in both the European and Pacific theaters of the war, and had an effective range up to 600 yards.
17 – Winchester Model 70
The Winchester Model 70 is one of the most popular hunting rifles ever produced. In the early-1940s, the United States military ordered a small number of Model 70s to experiment with them as sniper rifles. Even though the Springfield M1903A4 ended up being far more widely used, the Model 70 nonetheless saw limited service as a sniper rifle across World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Most notably, famed sniper Carlos Hathcock used a Model 70 in .30-06 as his primary rifle in the Vietnam War, including to shoot a Vietcong sniper through the scope of his own rifle.
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