For some, Escape From Tarkov can be considered a weapons simulator. It's a game that's realistic to its core, and it boasts one of the most detailed weapon loadout and customization platforms in the business. It's a borderline milsim game, and one of the most widely-appreciated styles of play is that of the sniper.
In Escape From Tarkov, it's far too easy to post up somewhere with a long line of sight and pick off enemies at two, three, or even four hundred meters - or further away, even. There are several core bolt-action sniper rifles in the game, but not all of them are economical, easy to come by, or suitable for certain play styles. For some, the most advanced weapons are aspirational pieces of equipment that they'll never get to wield, leaving them with a need to run with a sniper rifle that's much more of a realistic prospect.
7 T-5000 (7.62x51mm NATO)
The ORSIS T-5000M is the heaviest, largest sniper rifle in the class, weighing in at around 6.3 kg. In a game where weight management and ergonomics are everything, that immediately creates a sore spot for even the most accomplished Tarkov sniper.
It uses the 7.62x51mm cartridge, which is one of the most powerful categories in the game, but the player will need to work hard to unlock a round that is ranked high enough to deal that damage. Furthermore, the T-5000 is quite hard to obtain, as it's not unlocked for purchase until the player reaches Skier LL3, and even then, it costs quite a lot to buy, and it isn't worth that much to sell back.
6 AXMC (.338 Lapua Magnum)
When it comes to aspirational weaponry, the AXMC is at the top of the class. It's a wondrous weapon that few will ever unlock, let alone use, and it's probably one of the toughest weapons to run in the entire game. It hits harder than a freight train at full speed and is the newest sniper rifle in Escape From Tarkov, but it's just so hard to obtain.
To unlock the AXMC, players will need to traverse one of the toughest questlines in the game, and only when they've got Jaeger LL4 can they finally buy the AXMC. It'll cost them a quarter of a million rubles to buy, and it'll only sell back to the trader for 13,000. There's another spot of bother in obtaining the ammunition for the weapon, as it's hard to buy and even harder to find it in-raid. Finally, at 5.8 kg, it's a massive, unwieldy piece of kit.
5 SV-98 (7.62x54mmR)
The SV-98 is rarely seen in Escape From Tarkov, save for Scav characters and for the quest that orders players to stash one on the Shoreline map. It's a long, bulky weapon that weighs just over 5.1 kg, and it fires the 7.62x54mmR cartridge, a very capable round that'll punch a hole in most pieces of armor - provided the correct ammunition is being used.
It can be a little tricky to unlock the SV-98, though. If players want to buy the weapon outright, they'll need Prapor or Jaeger at LL3, but at just 50,000 rubles, it's a fairly economical weapon. It can quickly become expensive to optimize the SV-98, however. There are several attachments and modifications that can be carried out to make the SV-98 look like an entirely different weapon, but it's a pricey task to carry out.
4 VPO-215 (.366 TKM)
The VPO-215 is one of the most economical, rudimentary sniper rifles in Escape From Tarkov. It's a hunting rifle at heart, but its extremely low price combined with the chunky ammunition it uses makes it perfect for a strong early-wipe rifle. It's typically used by Scavs, meaning it isn't at all hard to come by, and the limited range of modifications that can be carried out on the weapon means that it'll remain economical for as long as it's being used.
As one of the easiest sniper rifles to acquire, players unlock the VPO-215 with Jaeger LL1, which is hidden behind a very basic and early quest. It'll cost just 18,000 rubles to acquire, and once an optic is attached, it's still the cheapest sniper rifle on the market. If a player can secure TKM AP-M rounds, they'll be able to penetrate any armor that their opponents may wear, and at just 3.3 kg, the VPO-215 is the largest sniper rifle in the game.
3 M700 (7.62x51mm NATO
At the start of the wipe, the Remington Model 700 is everywhere, owing mainly to the fact that it's present in the Edge of Darkness pre-order pack, and new PMCs will run it fairly early on. It's a massive capable weapon that is regularly found on Scavs, which effectively wipes out the fact that it's quite hard to buy from traders. For players looking to purchase the M700 directly, they'll need to have Peacekeeper or Jaeger at LL3.
It's a fairly economical weapon, costing just $400 or around 50,000 rubles, and the ammunition it fires is both capable and readily available. It's a heavy-hitter of a weapon that's not too heavy or large, and it can accept a staggering number of modifications - more than any other sniper rifle in the game, in fact. It's a tried-and-tested weapon utilized by one of the game's bosses, who uses a heavily customized version of the M700 called the Mescalero.
2 DVL-10 (7.62x51mm NATO)
The Lobaev Arms DVL-10 is a fantastic sniper rifle in Escape From Tarkov, making use of the powerful 7.62x51mm cartridge. It has a fantastic ergonomic rating from the get-go, even if it is a little heavy at around 5 kg. This sniper rifle is highly accurate and easy to use, and there aren't many modifications that can be done to it, which keeps the cost down over time.
Once a player unlocks Skier LL3, they can carry out a relatively simple barter to get their hands on the DVL-10 Urbana variant. At LL4, Skier will open up a trade option for the DVL-10 Saboteur, which is an inherently-suppressed variant of the rifle. It's a subjective thing, but the DVL-10 is also considered one of the best-looking sniper rifles in Escape From Tarkov, so it also wins points for aesthetics as well as its ability to take down targets at ranges of up to 1000m.
1 Mosin (7.62x54mmR)
The Russian-built Mosin, primarily the Infantry (but also the Sniper) variant could be considered the best sniper rifle in Escape From Tarkov. It's dramatically affordable, massively easy to obtain, incredibly powerful, and at the start of the wipe, it's a PMC-killing machine like no other. It's a sniper rifle that will last the entire wipe, it's unlikely to be looted, and it can help a player tick off a long list of tasks.
If a player wants to pick up the Infantry version of the Mosin, they can do so at LL1 Prapor, which is available at the start of the game. It can be bought at the Flea Market for next to nothing, and even from Prapor, it costs just 34,000 rubles. If a player uses the Sniper variant, they can run a semi-decent scope, and the 7.62x54mmR can dispatch any enemy with ease, with the best ammunition for the caliber tearing effortlessly through every piece of armor in the game.
Escape from Tarkov is available on PC.