It is time we finally ranked all the sniper rifles in Insurgency: Sandstorm. There are a total of 7 sniper rifles in Insurgency: Sandstorm, and I’m going to rank them from the best ones to the worst ones. 

Some sniper rifles have higher penetration, while others can’t even go through some furniture. The way I’ll be ranking these sniper rifles is by their strengths alone and how useful they can be in different combat situations. With that, let’s get into the article!

7. Mosin-Nagant

The WW2 sniper rifle.

Although this sniper rifle might be a fan favorite amongst people who love WW2 weapons, in reality, it isn’t that great. It’s a bolt-action sniper rifle, which means that you have to reload it after every shot. Because of that, it isn’t that good at killing multiple targets at once. 

The weapon does have some decent penetration. The only time I suggest that you pick this weapon is when you’re playing in the PvE game mode or if you’ve already spent all of your points on your equipment and utility. 

Mosin-Nagant Stats:

• Cartridge - 7.62x52mmR Armor Piercing
• Vertical Recoil - 41
• Horizontal Recoil - 32
• Muzzle Velocity - 865 m/s
• Rate of Fire - 55 rpm
• Penetration - 664 pp
• Magazine Capacity - 5 rounds
• Reserve Ammunition - 5+20 rounds
• Supply Points - 1
• Weight - 10%

What Mosin-Nagant Excels In:

• It doesn’t cost a lot of supply points to use.
• It’s great against single targets.
• It has decent penetration.

How To Get Mosin-Nagant:

• You can obtain the weapon once you pick the marksman class in the Insurgent Forces.

6. M24

A modern era mosin-nagant.

This weapon is almost equal to the Mosin Nagant. The only thing that makes it better than the Mosin is the faster muzzle velocity. Because of the faster muzzle velocity, you will be able to kill two people if you have fast enough reflexes. It has lower recoil than the Mosin, which makes it viable to shoot from the hip. 

Other than that, the gun is pretty similar. The sniper might look cool enough, but during gameplay, it doesn’t seem practical, as you’ll do much better with some other sniper rifles on this list. It is highly customizable though, so keep that in mind.

M24 Stats:

• Cartridge - 7.62x52mmR Armor Piercing
• Vertical Recoil - 42
• Horizontal Recoil - 30
• Muzzle Velocity - 790 m/s
• Rate of Fire - 55 rpm
• Penetration - 600 pp
• Magazine Capacity - 5 rounds
• Reserve Ammunition - 5+20 rounds
• Supply Points - 1
• Weight - 10%

What M24 Excels In:

• The gun can be fired from the hip as it has low recoil.
• It has a higher muzzle velocity than the Mosin, which makes it viable to kill two targets at once if you’re fast enough.
• It is highly customizable.

How To Get M24:

• You can obtain this sniper rifle after picking the marksman class in the Security Forces.

5. M1 Garand

This sniper has the best reload sound in the world.

This sniper rifle has the famous “Ping” sound when reloading it, and it’s amazing to hear every single time. Although enemies who have good hearing or a good headset might hear this ping sound and use it to their advantage to know when you’re out of ammo, so make sure to bring a pistol with you. 

The weapon is also semi-automatic, which makes it wonderful for killing multiple targets at once. If you’re playing on a map that’s medium-to-close combat oriented, you can use it without a problem. Just make sure to slap on a recoil grip to make your life much easier.

M1 Garand Stats:

• Cartridge - .30-06
• Vertical Recoil - 50
• Horizontal Recoil - 50
• Muzzle Velocity - 853 m/s
• Rate of Fire - 160 rpm
• Penetration - 430 pp
• Magazine Capacity - 8 rounds
• Reserve Ammunition - 8 clips
• Supply Points - 2
• Weight - 16%

What M1 Garand Excels In:

• The weapon is good at killing multiple targets at once.
• It’s good in any combat situation and can even be viable in close combat situations.
• The weapon has a high rate of fire and is semi-automatic, which is great if you want to push on an objective.
• It has the best reload sound in the whole game, which is the “ping” sound.

How To Get M1 Garand:

• You can obtain this masterpiece when you pick the marksman class in the Insurgent Forces.

4. M99 

Blow a baseball size hole through someone’s chest with the M99.

The M99 has the power to make a hole in someone’s chest without a problem. It can do that through a wall if you were wondering. The stopping power of this thing is insane, and you can also use it against enemy helicopters, although that can be a bit hard to do and you might waste all of your ammo trying to take one down. 

Don’t even bother trying to shoot this thing from your hip, as you might hit one guy, but after that, you will be aiming at the sky. The best way to use this sniper rifle is on maps where you can  put a large distance between yourself and the enemy. 

M99 Stats:

• Cartridge - 12.7x108 Anti Materiel
• Vertical Recoil - 85
• Horizontal Recoil - 104
• Muzzle Velocity - 800 m/s
• Rate of Fire - 32 rpm
• Penetration - 652 pp
• Magazine Capacity - 5+1 rounds
• Reserve Ammunition - 3 mags
• Supply Points - 3 
• Weight - 26%

What M99 Excels In:

• This sniper rifle is best used at long distances.
• It can go through a wall and cover.
• It kills anyone in one hit.
• It can be used to take down helicopters, although you might have to use all of your ammo for that.

How To Get M99:

• You can obtain the weapon when you pick the marksman class in the Insurgent Forces.

3. M82A1 CQ

Time to lock ‘n load with the .50 cal.

This is the all-time fan-favorite sniper rifle in the game, and it’s the most used one as well. Especially because the sniper has a lot of power behind it. It’s very similar to the M99, but it has higher penetration and a faster muzzle velocity. 

It’s best used over long distances. You can also use the weapon against technical pickup trucks by shooting their engines two to three times. It is not recommended to use this weapon in close combat, as its slow reload speed, slow draw speed, slow aim speed, and small magazine capacity are some of its huge drawbacks. 

M82A1 CQ Stats:

• Cartridge - .50 BMG Anti Material
• Vertical Recoil - 89
• Horizontal Recoil - 96
• Muzzle Velocity - 853 m/s
• Rate of Fire - 32 rpm
• Penetration - 691
• Magazine Capacity - 5+1 rounds
• Reserve Ammunition - 3 mags
• Supply Points - 3
• Weight - 28%

What M82A1 CQ Excels In:

• It can take down technical pick-up trucks with two or three shots to the engine.
• It can easily go through a wall to kill enemies.
• It has a high muzzle velocity and can easily decimate an enemy squad in seconds.

How To Get M82A1 CQ:

• You can obtain this weapon when you pick the marksman class in the Security Forces.

2. SVD

Perfect Russian engineering.

For the second-best sniper in the game, we have the Russian SVD. This is a semi-automatic sniper rifle that uses 7.62x52 rounds. Which is good for penetrating some walls and covers, but not thick walls or anything like that. What this sniper rifle excels at is killing whole squads in seconds. 

The recoil of the weapon isn’t that bad, and you can easily control it, but if you do run into some issues, you can slap on a recoil grip, and you’re good to go. You can’t go wrong with picking this sniper, and it will serve its purpose during gameplay.

SVD Stats:

• Cartridge - 7.62x52mmR
• Vertical Recoil - 34
• Horizontal Recoil - 36
• Muzzle Velocity - 830 m/s
• Rate of Fire - 160 rpm
• Penetration - 428 pp
• Magazine Capacity - 10+1 rounds
• Reserve Ammunition - 3 mags
• Supply Points - 4
• Weight - 18%

What SVD Excels In:

• Killing a whole squad in seconds if you have the aim for it.
• The recoil is easily controllable.
• The weapon is good at any combat range.
• It has decent penetration.

How To Get SVD:

• You can obtain the weapon if you pick the marksman class in the Insurgent Forces.

1. M110 SASS

We are going tactical with the M110 SASS.

To be real with you, this gun is very similar to the SVD in stats; the only thing that makes it better is that it has a higher muzzle velocity. The penetration is the same as with the SVD, while the recoil is a little bit higher by only 2 points. 

This isn’t a lot in the long run, but sometimes it can throw you off a bit, so please slap a bipod or a recoil grip on the gun before using it.  As with the SVD, it can drop a group of enemies in seconds. It’s useful in any combat range if you have the skills for it.

M110 SASS Stats:

• Cartridge - 7.62x52mmR
• Vertical Recoil - 34
• Horizontal Recoil - 38
• Muzzle Velocity - 850 m/s
• Rate of Fire - 160 rpm
• Penetration - 428 pp
• Magazine Capacity - 10+1 rounds
• Reserve Ammunition - 3 mags
• Supply Points - 4
• Weight - 18%

What M110 SASS Excels In:

• You can use this gun at any combat range with the right attachments.
• It’s a very easy gun to use, and you can drop a whole squad of enemies in seconds.
• It has 10 rounds in the magazine, which is more than enough to kill a squad.
• Due to the high caliber, you can kill people in one shot.

How To Get M110 SASS:

• You can obtain this weapon when you pick the marksman class in the Security Forces.

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