Sniper Rifle

''This article is about the Sniper Rifle. If you are looking for the other scoped rifle, see Hunting Rifle.'' "I'm gonna try this sniper rifle."

- Zoey "I'll be a sniper like in the movies."

- Ellis

The Sniper Rifle is a Hunting Rifle variant in Left 4 Dead 2. As a Tier 2 weapon, the Sniper Rifle deals high damage against Special Infected while still killing Common Infected in one hit. This weapon is extremely accurate at long ranges on account of the quality of its scope sight. It has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds, double that of the Hunting Rifle.

Official Description
A modified assault rifle, the Sniper Rifle is a dependable weapon when mobile and absolutely deadly when stationary. Use the scope for pinpoint accuracy, even from great distances.

Tactics

 * The Sniper Rifle is the second most accurate weapon in Left 4 Dead 2, the most accurate being the Hunting Rifle. Using the Sniper Rifle's scope while moving allows a player to cover the team without stopping (although they will be slowed). Activating the scope tightens the crosshairs faster than standing still.
 * When entering an area, try to clear out the Infected before they can react to your presence. Your weapon is highly effective at dispatching enemies at a range, and reducing the number of infected attacking you will improve your chances of survival.
 * Outside of Realism mode, every hit is a guaranteed kill against Common Infected; headshots are unnecessary. Make use of the rifle's piercing ability by aiming chest-high to increase your chances of striking many Infected in a line.
 * The Sniper Rifle enjoys "infinite penetration"―so long as it doesn't hit a wall or a Special Infected it can't penetrate, the bullet will deal full damage and kill Infected. This allows you to either allow multiple Infected to move themselves into overlapping postions or to adjust one's shooting postion to create target overlaps, and thereby drop multiple enemies with one shot.
 * In Realism mode, it takes two shots on Easy and Normal difficulties and three past that to kill a Common Infected. One headshot will suffice regardless.
 * It also has the power to knock back Riot Infected, unlike any other non-shotgun firearm.
 * Fire slowly. Although the Sniper Rifle has a good rate of fire, it is only necessary to utilize it against Tanks, Witches and Chargers, which are the strongest of the Special Infected.
 * Reload strategically. Be aware that the Sniper Rifle takes significantly longer to reload than an Assault Rifle. As this weapon relies on a magazine, you cannot stop the reloading apart from switching weapons (although this restarts the timer, which is not helpful; only interrupt the reload if you or a teammate are in significant immediate danger). Make use of all 30 bullets in your clip before reloading during a Horde.
 * With a nearby Sniper Rifle weapon spawn, one can simply pick up a new, fully loaded rifle much faster than waiting the full time necessary to reload the weapon normally. With a long range, high damage output, no damage drop off for distance, and a significantly shortened reload speed (courtesy of this strategy), this weapon is limited only by the accuracy of the user and the positioning of the weapon spawn.
 * Pairing the Sniper Rifle with a melee weapon is highly advantageous, as it gives you something to rely on when surrounded by Common Infected who can and will throw off your aim, as well as making up for the rifle's poor close range crowd clearing abilities (because it is so accurate, it does not have the spread necessary to blanket a wide area with gunfire)
 * The Sniper Rifle is slightly less accurate than the Hunting Rifle; however, it compensates for this with having a 30-round magazine instead of a 15-round magazine, as well as a significantly higher ammunition reserve (210 compared to 165).
 * Due to the Sniper Rifle's effectiveness at long ranges, it is beneficial to kill Special Infected before they reach you or your teammates. High fire rate, damage, accuracy and clip sizes allow for players to deal significant damage to the Tank and Witch before they becomes able to retaliate. Special Infected can be killed before their abilities become usable as well.
 * Keep in mind that the Sniper Rifle is one of the only weapons that is not affected by damage drop off due to range (the other being the Hunting Rifle), making it much more effective at killing ranged targets than other weapons.

Pros

 * It can easily kill Special Infected, as the Sniper Rifle's effective range far exceeds the range of all of the Special Infected's abilities.
 * It can kill a Common Infected in one shot at any part of the body on any difficulty (except in Realism Mode or in the Mutation Headshot!), and can penetrate infinite Common Infected in a straight line, making it highly useful for defeating Hordes.
 * It is more useful for attacking a distant Tank as it is closing in on the Survivors than any other weapon. It has higher accuracy and can inflict more damage than the assault rifles or shotguns whilst it possesses a larger magazine capacity than any other sniping weapon.
 * The lack of damage drop off based on range also increases ranged effectiveness against distant Tanks and Witches.
 * It has the highest bullet penetration of any weapon in the game.
 * If you attach a Laser Sight, moving while crouching will no longer reduce accuracy.
 * Like the Hunting Rifle, the Sniper Rifle suffers no decrease in accuracy when used while standing and shooting without using the scope.
 * It has a magazine capacity of 30 bullets, higher than any other non-automatic rifle weapon except the Submachine Gun variants.
 * It is still an effective weapon at close range due to high bullet penetration, damage, and fire rate.
 * Headshots stun a Witch temporarily on all difficulties as long as she is idle (sitting down and crying).

Cons

 * Jockeys and Hunters may be harder to hit because they are both quite small and agile.
 * It reloads slower (albeit marginally) than the Hunting Rifle.
 * It also relies on a magazine, meaning that the entire reload must be performed to regain use of the weapon.
 * When scoped in, you move slower and it is harder to see enemies flanking you.
 * Though highly effective against groups, the weapon is not well suited when surrounded by Common Infected.
 * Lower accuracy than the Hunting Rifle while moving.
 * Pinpoint accuracy requires a skillful player to utilize effectively. Unskilled players attempting to use the rifle will have at least some difficulty hitting enemies.

Behind the Scenes
In the first footage released, the Sniper Rifle's magazine was shaped like the the PSG-1's 5-round magazine, while later footage showed that the magazine is now shaped like the G3's 20-round magazine.

Early footage showed that the Sniper Rifle used the Hunting Rifle's animations. However, the Sniper Rifle was given new animations designed for it.