COD MW3: Best Snipers

Highlights

• The Victus XMR Sniper Rifle in
  Modern Warfare 3
  is a powerful one-shot weapon with high damage, but players must deal with recoil and slow rate of fire.
• The Longbow Sniper Rifle offers a lightweight option for players who want to be more active in combat, with precise shots and a decent rate of fire.
• The FJX Imperium Sniper Rifle excels in damage and range, making it effective against enemies and their scorestreaks, but players must handle its weight and limited mobility.

Trickshotters, hardscopers, and quickscopers alike can rejoice with the selection of Sniper Rifles added to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Every player who enjoys these slow-firing, hard-hitting rifles has quite the arsenal to choose from. Yet, which is the best Sniper Rifle in Modern Warfare 3? With their scopes well adjusted, and their position uncomprimised, these Sniper Rifles will ensure that players take out the competition.

Snipers are universally loved and hated in Call of Duty due to the fact that most players get killed in one shot from them, and the fact that they will never see it coming. Snipers can be a rogue nuisance on the battlefield, and the best Snipers in MW3 will certainly cause a few rage-quit situations.

Updated on February 27, 2024, by Jake Fillery: Sniper Rifles remain one of the top contenders for damage when it comes to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. For players looking to brag about their aim, and to snuff out the competition in a single shot, look no further than the best snipers in MW3, which harbor an intense bout of power in each shot, so long as players don’t miss. Since Modern Warfare 3 is constantly updated with new weapons, outfits, and maps thanks to new seasonal content, it’s time to see how the new sniper rifles in MW3 hold up against the competition to make players talented marksmen.

9 MCPR-300

.300 Magnum Rounds

• How To Unlock: Reach Level 55 and Activate the Challenge

Chambered with plenty of high-powered bullets just waiting to be fired, the MCPR-300 is a Multi-Caliber Precision Rifle, a cutting-edge piece of weaponry that deserves to be held by the very best marksmen in MW3. Its damage hits hard, and its range and accuracy lend itself nicely to those in need of a sleek sniper rifle with no real faults to them. However, the mobility and handling can use some work, so it’s best to practice the sway and movement with this sniper.

8 XRK Stalker

.50 Cal

• How To Unlock: Reach Level 25 and Unlock Associated Quest at the Armory

The XRK Stalker is fittingly named, for players will be using it to stalk their prey, making targets paranoid and unaware of when this sniper is going to strike. It’s a great weapon, even if limited in its rotation in playlists. The XRK Stalker has an unstoppable damage capability, with a full 100% damage on every shot. However, players will have to put up with its slow fire rate, meaning if someone flanks their sniper nest, the sniper is probably going to lose.

7 Carrack .300

.300 Bullpub Sniper Rifle

• How To Unlock: Reach Level 55 and Activate the Challenge

Whilst the Carrack may not seem impressive at first glance, players should not be fooled by either its stats or its wooden design. The Carrack is an absolute classic sniper, and this semi-auto bullpup rifle has a great rate of fire, higher than all other snipers, as well as grand handling and stability, allowing for players to move around more in combat, and pull off some impressive shots, rather than being restricted to hold position in a sniper nest due to the heavy weight of other rifles. The Carrack excels in medium-range battles, and players can quickly pull up the scope to aim at enemies and shoot them dead in just one shot if they have fast enough reflexes and an accuracy to boast. However, the Carrack isn’t for everyone, as its quick style of play might be limited to some players’ styles.

6 Victus XMR

.50 Cal bolt-action

• How to Unlock: Reach Level 55

If players want a hard-hitting one-shot sniper, then this is the one for them. Victus XMR boasts tungsten sabot-tipped bullets to provide fast and powerful shots. That is, if players can best the recoil, lacking mobility and handling, and slow rate of fire. If players miss their shot, they’re going to regret it, but if they do hit, no matter where it’s more likely than not a confirmed kill due to the fact that the Victus XMR has such a high damage capability.

5 Longbow

7.62 High Grain

• How to Unlock: Reach Level 4

The Longbow is a great Sniper Rifle for those players who aren’t happy to just sit around and spot targets. With the Longbow, players are more likely to be out in the field, and facing combat directly.

This comes from the fact that this is a lightweight sniper, heavily modified so that players can pull off some incredibly precise shots, with a consistent rate of fire maintained by a decent recoil and huge magazine size. Whilst the Longbow won’t be a one-shot kill to the chest, it’s still a powerhouse of a rifle.

4 FJX Imperium

.408 anti-personnel, bolt-action

• How to Unlock: Reach Level 55

As a bolt-action weapon, the FJX Imperium may not hold a great sense of fire rate, but it does harbor some incredible damage and range capabilities. Players can use this weapon and its ammo type to take out their enemies, and their enemies’ scorestreaks with ease, as long as they can aim the weapon.

Tense situations are made easy thanks to this hard-hitting anti-personnel sniper rifle, but it’s a fair bit heavy to handle, even if it does come with a great bout of reserve ammunition for this shorter campaign COD title.

3 Signal 50

.50 Cal anti-material

• How to Unlock: Reach Level 55

The Signal 50 may have been built as an anti-material rifle, but it certainly gets the job done when it comes to flesh and bone. There are many improvements that have been made to make the Signal 50 a powerful Sniper Rifle in MW3, including the reciprocating barrel that helps to mitigate the recoil of its devastating rounds. Each bullet fired, if hits, is an assured kill thanks to its exceptional damage potential, and decent recoil control. Just don’t expect to fire this weapon so rapidly.

2 KATT-AMR

.50 Cal bolt-action

• How to Unlock: Reach Level 4

Devastation with every bullet, the KATT-AMR deals a diabolical amount of damage to guarantee death to whoever is victim to the other end of the barrel. Each .50 Cal bullet will pierce and destroy targets made of flesh, so players will want to use this weapon when perched in a tower or some high ground to make sure their shots count, because if they don’t, then the slow fire rate, lacking recoil control, mobility and handling, will have them reeling for this Sledgehammer Games COD title.

1 KV Inhibitor

.338 semi-auto

• How to Unlock: Reach Level 25

Modern and fairly lightweight, the KV Inhibitor is perfect for the discreet operator using this rifle who wants to get a quick and clean kill. The damage is impressive, and the recoil control is wonderful, allowing players to maintain control and stability with every shot fired, miss, or hit. This weapon may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s worth bringing out to the field, especially to the players who hang back and wait for an opportunity to fire.