Using a sniper rifle in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the no-brainer choice for players with excellent positioning and aim. On almost every map, gamers will likely only see opponents for a fraction of a second and they'll need to aim, fire, and score a kill in that tiny window.

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Given the five sniper rifles offered, some of them make the job look too easy. Others demand headshots and make those headshots tremendously difficult to land. Snipers in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 already require tremendous player knowledge and talent, these players should not be saddled with anything less than the best weaponry.

Updated on May 3rd, 2023 by Hodey Johns: With a few seasons, new maps, statistical teaks, and some major overhauls over and done with, the landscape has predictably shifted in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The franchise has always been quick to nerf guns that see their win rates get too high and buff weapons that see their win rates drop off. The changes may be subtle, but in a game that differentiates time to kill by milliseconds, that's all it takes to see something's usage go from top to bottom. This list has been overhauled, looking at the loadouts of the best players and the most successful loadouts of the community at large.

6 LA-B 330

The issue with the LA-B 330 is a failure to do just about anything well. The only thing it's better than average at is accuracy, but accuracy among sniper rifles is a given; even the least accurate sniper rifle is not going to affect the experience much.

Gamers who alter the aim sensitivity settings may get some success with the LA-B 330, but it's not anything they couldn't have succeeded in doing with another gun. With optimism, the LA-B 330 is below average. In practice, it's a notch worse than that. It's also bolt-action weapon as are many of the bottom guns on this list. Pro players know to group up and take on snipers in groups to counteract such single-shot guns.

5 FJX Imperium

It's already a tall task to use sniper rifles with more night maps likely on the horizon. Using anything less than the best is a serious hamstring. When compared to the starting sniper rifle, the MCPR-300, this gun is fairly similar. They're both bolt-action, so neither is built for sustained fighting.

It seems the target audience for the FJX Imperium are those seeking massive killstreaks as the gun possesses a huge ammo dump. The tradeoff won't be worth it to anyone playing competitively as the range and damage are slightly less than the MCPR-300, making it hard to acquire long killstreaks except in public games.

4 MCPR-300

As the initial sniper rifle players have access to, the MCPR-300 feels pretty standard. The damage and accuracy do what sniper rifles are meant to do. The best build for the MCPR-300 will beef up these attributes further, but it's doomed to be average.

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The handling is a drawback, forcing players to get in position and watch an area since they won't be able to aim down the scope in time. This speed can be brought up, but that's at the expense of possibly more damage, especially against armored enemies.

3 SP-X 80

The handling and mobility bail out the SP-X 80 in a big way. It's hard to justify using the sniper rifle with the lowest damage because it often means players will need two shots to take down opponents. That's a bullet some experts are willing to bite.

For those confident in their headshot skills, the SP-X 80 is a solid sniper rifle. Most of these guns are highly immobile and susceptible to being spotted after taking a few shots. The SP-X 80 is built to shoot and run off. Veterans that know the maps well can switch vantage points rapidly and use more aggressive and better field upgrade options. Be warned that the recoil on this weapon is the worst in its class, so oftentimes lining up that quick second shot after the first can be difficult unless specifically tuned otherwise.

2 Signal 50

The ideal is that players will only ever need one shot to kill an opponent but, in the thick of combat, that's often a distant dream. The only sniper rifle that can reliably get off more than one shot during this window is the Signal 50. Tune up the graphics settings and even new players will find that spotting and killing combatants is a piece of cake.

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This gun would take the top spot if it weren't for that poor handling. It condemns players to pick a spot and peek through the scope and wait. Even so, the high fire rate and minimal recoil allow players to get in several shots during these moments, like an extra lethal marksman rifle. Aim down sight time is important for mobile snipers and they should probably use another gun. But true snipers that enjoy camping in specific spots will love everything else this weapon has to offer.

1 Victus XMR

The Victus XMR is a bolt-action rifle which is usually tough to recommend except that the damage mitigates this issue. This is the sniper rifle that kills players even if it hits a foot or an elbow. Tops in damage, accuracy, and range, the Victus XMR is meant to be used from afar, negating the need for mobility, the only attribute that is below average.

The handling is surprisingly fantastic, so players don't necessarily have to peek through the scope and wait the entire time. Tune this gun up for more damage to score one-shot kills that pass through all potential defenses an enemy can put up.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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