Best Sniper Rifle Options Available Today (2024)

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Each sniper rifle is unique, and it’s crucial to carefully consider the details that could make all the difference for one shooter and not for another. Factors such as chassis construction and material, ease of disassembly, action type, chambering, and barrel design should all be taken into account.

Best Sniper Rifles On The Market


Barrett MRAD

Can one rifle do it all? The Barrett MRAD is trying to adapt to a variety of user needs without sacrificing performance. This bolt-action newcomer defines a whole new class of long-range rifles.

The heart of the MRAD is the rifle’s user-changeable barrel system. This is truly a modular rifle. The precision-grade barrel can be removed by simply unscrewing two bolts using a standard Torx wrench. Besides reducing maintenance and logistical burdens, this unique design paves the way for future caliber interchangeability and serviceability. The base rifle is offered in .338 Lapua and barrels for .300 Winchester Magnum and .308 Winchester are in the pipeline.

The MRAD also boasts Barrett’s new easily accessed trigger module. This match-grade trigger is drop-fire-proof and combat-ready. The thumb-operated safety can be configured for left- or right-handed operation. The ambidextrous magazine release can be used intuitively while retaining a firing grip and cheek weld. Integrated into the MRAD rifle’s 7000 series aluminum upper receiver is an M1913 rail with 30 MOA taper and 21.75 inches of rail space.

The MRAD rifle’s stock is foldable for enhanced portability yet locks in as solid as a fixed-stock rifle, creating a rigid platform for consistent firing. When folded, the stock latches around the bolt handle for added security during transport. Because the stock folds to the bolt handle side of the action, the rifle is the same width overall, folded or extended. The rifle’s length of pull can be set to five different positions with the push of a single button.


IWI US DAN

IWI US is best known stateside for its Tavor-style bullpup carbines and Galil ACE on the rifle side of things, but the manufacturer recently unveiled its DAN bolt-action rifle. Chambered in the long-range favorite .338 Lapua Magnum, the DAN rifle was designed with input from Israel Defense Forces special forces operatives and was built to fill a long-range sniper and anti-material rifle role.

The rifle is built on a one-piece, lightweight aluminum-alloy chassis and features a full-length, one-piece Picatinny rail up top with 20 MOA of built-in canted drop, along with a full-length bottom rail as well. The DAN’s skeletonized stock is fully adjustable for length of pull, drop of heel and comb height, and it folds to the side to reduce the overall length of the rifle when needed.

The DAN utilizes a 1:10 twist, 28-inch heavy, fluted, free-floating, cold hammer-forged barrel that has 5/8-24 threads at the muzzle for attachments. To support this long and heavy barrel, the DAN comes with an Atlas BT46-LW17 PSR bipod, as well as an ACCU-SHOT BT13-QK-PRM adjustable folding monopod.

The IWI US DAN also features a two-stage adjustable trigger and an ambidextrous safety and mag release. IWI states that the gun achieves sub-MOA accuracy, and reports suggest the rifle is capable of this to ranges of 1,200 meters and perhaps more. At about $9,000, however, you do pay for this performance.


Barrett M107A1

When in combat, every ounce and pound counts. To help snipers stay hidden and perform at their best, Barrett made some weight-saving changes in their newest .50 BMG sniper rifle, the M107A1.

Unlike the simple evolution of the Model 82A1/M107, every component of the M107A1 has been re-engineered to be lighter and stronger, resulting in a high-performance rifle that weighs four pounds less than the original M107 but is just as tough.

The M107A1 is designed to be used with a suppressor, allowing operators to reduce their signature while maintaining flawless reliability. An all-new bolt carrier group has been added to make the rifle suppressor-ready, and a titanium four-port muzzle brake is engineered to work seamlessly with a quick-attach Barrett .50 BMG Suppressor.

The lightweight aluminum upper receiver features an integrated, rigid 27 MOA optics rail and a thermal-guard cheek piece to protect the user’s face from extreme heat or cold. The bolt carrier rides on a hardened steel, anti-wear strip for added durability, and the rear-barrel stop and front-barrel bushing are bolted and bonded with a compound similar to that used on space shuttles.

The M107A1 rifle’s lower receiver includes a new aluminum recoil buffer system optimized for use with a suppressor, and the bolt carrier’s components are protected with a mix of ultra-hard PVD coatings and advanced nickel Teflon plating, making it corrosion-resistant and easy to clean.

Overall, the M107A1 rifle is built to withstand the extreme duty required in modern combat, making it an excellent choice for snipers.


Knight’s Armament M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS)

The M110C is the latest version of the Knight M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS) is the U.S. Army’s latest medium-caliber sniper rifle. There are also reports that the United States Marine Corps will soon adopt the weapon. The M110C is lighter than the original version but maintains that legendary Knight reliability and accuracy. The 7.62mm SASS delivers a new level of long-range precision rapid fire that enables execution of operational missions not possible using manually operated weapon systems.

High-capacity, quick-change magazines enable ammo selection optimization in both the suppressed and unsuppressed firing modes. The semi-automatic M110 has increased sniper rate of fire, precision and lethality against personnel and light material targets, especially in target rich environments and scenarios requiring multiple follow-up shots. The SASS is also the first U.S. Army weapon system that integrates an optimized quick attach/detach sound suppressor to aid with Warfighter survivability by reducing weapon firing signature.

Chambered for 7.62 NATO the M110C weighs in at 16 pounds with a barrel length of 20 inches. And an overall length of 47.25 inches.


Savage Model 10 GRS

Savage’s time-tested Model 10 action has been around for a while, and although it may not seem as fancy as some of the others floating around out there, it has proven to be an accurate and reliable platform. And it’s also, generally speaking, less expensive, without much, if any, sacrifice in terms of quality.

The new GRS model, available in .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and, recently, 6mm Creemdoor, pairs this classic action with GRS Riflestocks’ excellent Berserk stock. The rock-steady stock is adjustable for length of pull and comb height and is constructed using 15-percent fiberglass-reinforced Durethan, with 65-percent glass bedding material. The stock also features a slim design along with textured rubber surfaces for improved grip, even in wet conditions.

Other great features include 5/8-24 threading for attaching muzzle devices; a fluted heavy barrel of 20, 24 or 26 inches, depending on caliber; and flush cup sling loops and sling mount for bipod use. It’s also pretty affordable for a rifle in this category at right around $1,500.


Ruger Precision Rifle

Ruger’s Precision Rifle (RPR) has been one of the hottest commodities of the past couple years in the firearms industry. Designed to be relatively affordable while retaining a pretty high degree of performance, the RPR is truly packed with features.

The “upper” receiver and one-piece bolt are both CNC machined from pre-hardened 4140 chrome-moly steel, while the “lower” half is precision machined from aerospace-grade 7075-T6 aluminum and receives a Type III hardcoat anodized finish. The rifle utilizes a medium-contour, cold hammer forged 4140 chrome-moly barrel featuring 5R rifling and equipped with the RPR Hybrid Muzzle Brake.

Up top is a 20 MOA Picatinny rail for mounting optics. The RPR Short-Action Handguard also offers improved scope clearance for some of the larger optics used in long-range applications. The stock is Ruger’s Precision MSR stock, which is a left-folding design that works with an AR-style buffer tube; the use of the AR-style buffer tube also permits the use of other compatible stocks, if the user desires.

The rifle’s three-lug bolt features a smooth, 70-degree throw. And it comes with an oversized bolt handle for more fluid operation. An extended trigger-reach, AR-style grip rests below the bolt, though, any AR-style grip is compatible. In terms of the trigger, the gun uses Ruger’s Marksman Adjustable Trigger, which is variable from 2.25 to 5 pounds of pressure.

All in all, there’s a lot to like about the RPR. And at right around $1,600, it won’t break the bank. It’s available in .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6mm Creedmoor and .223 Remington/5.56 NATO.


FN Ballista

Although SOCOM ultimately awarded its relatively recent PSR (Precision Sniper Rifle) contract to Remington’s MSR, the FN Ballista was also a competitor, and it remains a highly capable sniper rifle system. Featuring a modular, multi-caliber design, the Ballista can be configured, or reconfigured, to shoot .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum or .338 Lapua Magnum in under two minutes.

The FN Ballista utilizes a lightweight, high-strength, vibration-isolated aluminum-alloy receiver that features a full-length top rail and multiple rail segments at other positions. The barrels are each 26 inches in length and are fluted and come with polygonal rifling.

A fully adjustable trigger (single- or two-stage) is included and breaks at between 3 and 5 pounds of pull. The sniper rifle incorporates multiple safety systems, has an ambidextrous magazine release forward of the trigger guard and features an ambidextrous folding stock.

The MSRP of the Ballista is listed at $7,499.


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