9 Best Sniper Rifles in Battlefield 1 [Ranked]

The scout rifles in Battlefield 1 have three basic variants: Infantry, Marksman, sniper, Trench, Carbine, and Experimental that are specific to different guns. In this guide, we rank the best sniper rifles in Battlefield 1 as we look at their stats, in-game performance, the feel of the weapon, different variants, and the viability of these rifles in various situations. With these criteria, we have ranked the following guns as the best scout rifles in the game: 

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M1917 Enfield 

Best Sniper Rifle for Stealthy Engagements.

The Enfield is a classic weapon that has been replicated in several world war era games. With the apocalypse DLC, this weapon proved to be a valuable addition to the already great arsenal of sniper rifles in Battlefield 1.

In terms of perks and stats, this rifle is very interesting to me. It has a suppressed variant, which is perhaps the best one to use. As the suppressor doesn’t change anything about how the gun performs, it is only better to have it. The muzzle velocity is pretty decent, so you can take both mid and long-range fights and be effective with it. 

The gun has a 6-bullet chamber, which is a rarity as well as a luxury in a bolt-action rifle. The bolt-action animation is fast as well, so that’s another pro on the list. However, the full reload is extremely slow, which is a bit of a disappointment. 

Gameplay-wise, I enjoy using this gun a lot, especially because of the suppressor that improves your experience 1000 times. Given all these things, some of the other guns are still better than it, justifying its number 9 spot. 

Ross MKI III

Best Sniper Rifle for Aggressive Long-Range Play.

The Ross MK III was added to the game in the Apocalypse expansion along with our previous entry, M1917 Enfield. This is an extremely interesting weapon because performance-wise, it is a Gewehr M.95 and SMLE MK III’s baby. Its range, muzzle velocity, and sweet spot are similar to the SMLE, one of the best guns in the game. It also shares a similarity with the SMLE as both use the same caliber bullets. The Ross also has a high muzzle velocity of 740 m/s with a low bullet drop, which is much favorable. 

The similarity it pulls with the Gewehr M.95 is the “straight-pull bolt,” the most essential feature of this rifle. “This rifle’s straight-pull bolt allows for a high rate of fire, even while aiming down the sights.”, reads the in-game description for the Ross. Thanks to this feature, you can shoot, remain aiming down the sight during the bolt animation, and then shoot again. This not only increases the fire rate but also makes aiming at long-range targets easier. 

This cross SMLE and M.95 cross have actually started to thrive in the game. It is a fine choice of a weapon, and one really enjoys using it, primarily because of the straight-pull bolt. Although it is a very promising rifle, a few tweaks here and there can take this gun to the very top of this list. 

Carcano M91

Best Sniper Rifle for Aggressive Mid-Range Sniping.

Carcano is a weapon that is much better than how much it is actually used. Players don’t trust this rifle as much, but it is a pleasing gun to use. 

This bolt action rifle comes with a muzzle velocity of 700 m/s and a standard bullet drop. It has a 6 round magazine and with every reload, you load the whole clip instead of individual bullets. The weapon has a decent damage profile, which, although doesn’t look that good on paper, actually isn’t bad for the actual use. The most interesting thing about this weapon is its fast fire rate. This allows you to get really aggressive with this rifle and take fights that you won’t be taking with other guns in your hands. With this kind of playstyle, the average-looking damage profile becomes moot. 

Carcano does not come with a sweet spot and cannot one-shot headshot kill after a certain range. But you probably won’t be taking many fights at a long-range for that. However, these things still put the Gewehr M95 ahead of Carcano. 

Lebel Model 1886

Best Sniper Rifle for Balanced Long-Range Power.

The Lebel is my favorite sniper in the game when it comes to aesthetics. On the screen, it has unmatched looks and one heck of a gun sound! which sends shivers down my spine every time I shoot it. Kudos again to Riot’s design team here. 

Aesthetics aside, Lebel is great a gun to use as well. It has everything that you would want in a great rifle. A high muzzle velocity, low bullet drop, and great damage stats. It also comes with a sweet spot which, for me, is a big plus in any weapon. The only thing that is worrisome about the Lebel is the reload. It can carry 8 rounds in the chamber, but you have to reload every bullet individually. The animation looks pretty sick but it does take a lot of time as well. This is the only negative I found in this gun. Other than this, I love using the Lebel for it provides some really good shots and some very nasty clips. 

Russian 1895

Best Sniper Rifle for Versatility & Close-Quarters.

Carrying the tag of one of the coolest snipers in the game, the Russian 1895 is a lever-action rifle. It comes in four variants that are infantry, sniper, trench, and cavalry. The most interesting variant of these is the trench variant, which changes the damage profile of the weapon to make it even better. It also increases the fire rate which makes another significant improvement. This allows you to play very aggressively with this gun, which if you are feeling it, will make for some really good shooting. The cavalry variant is a default weapon for the cavalry class.  

The Russian has good stats in almost all the departments. It has good damage, decent range, and very fast bullet velocity. It also has great hip-fire stats making it one of the best guns for no-scoping. The different variants have different stats and you may use them according to a variety of situations that you may find yourself in. 

In my opinion, the Russian 1895 deserves way more respect than it usually gets, for it is extremely underrated. Just like the Martini, you better recognize its worth once you start using this weapon regularly. That is why it is deserving of number 5 spot in this ranking.  

Gewehr M.95

Best Sniper Rifle for Rapid-Fire Precision.

This is the second gun in this list that bears a straight-pull bolt, which allows it to stay aiming down the sight during the bolt-action animation. Once again, this is a big plus for not only me but a majority of players who prefer this mechanic. This allows you to aim well at long-range targets and makes aiming at multiple targets in sight almost effortless. Something worth mentioning here is that the reload animation while ADS is smooth as butter, without any screen shake that makes this weapon that much more accurate and lethal. 

Gewehr M.95 is capable of killing enemies with a single headshot at any range. It has one the highest rates of fire among the scout rifles. With a very decent range and a less noticeable bullet drop, this weapon is one to be reckoned with. Unlike many other guns, this rifle actually has a pretty fast reload in any situation, which further improves its worth. 

Using Gewehr M95, you are provided with a few different options for scopes. A special mention here is for that red dot scope which is unique to this weapon only, giving aggressive sniping a whole new look. Even though it does not have a sweet spot, the Gewehr still constitutes the absolute top tier of the scout rifles and in my opinion, is worthy of the number 4 spot. 

Martini Henry

Best Sniper Rifle for One-Shot Powerhouse.

Ah yes! The legendary Martini Henry. Who could forget the pre-nerf Martini Henry, a colossal weapon to use. Even after several tweaks, the gun remains extremely good at what it is supposed to do, I.e., killing people. 

It doesn’t need to be said that Martini has one of the best sounds any gun has ever been bestowed within a game. Riot really did pull off the gun sounds in this game with near perfection, and this gun is a prime example of that. This makes it one of my favorite scout rifles to use in Battlefield 1. 

The inherent greatness of this gun aside, let’s take a look at what makes it so good. First and foremost, Martini Henry takes pride as the gun with the highest damage (of 112) within the sweet spot. This means that even if you hit an enemy in the arm, you are going to kill him if he is in the sweet spot. This makes Martini a beast of a weapon. 

Martini is not designed for very long-range sniping. It works best at a medium-range and in its sweet spot. But you can turn this into an advantage if you are an aggressive sniper who loves to play the objectives, where the Martini comes in much handy. The gun carries a single bullet in its chamber, so it is loaded every time you take a shot as it is lever actuated.

Objectively speaking, this is probably the only downside of this gun. But it does not affect the gunplay in any way and the weapon still retains its dignity. It also has a relatively lower bullet velocity, so you have to lead the moving targets a fair bit to hit your shots. 

Martini has two variants, the infantry, and the sniper variants. Both these variants are great and can be used in similar scenarios according to one’s preference, scoped or not scoped. The iron sight on the infantry variant provides clear vision in the field of view which is great for aiming. Many players also prefer the scoped variant to hit those sweet headshots. 

On paper, it might seem like there are better weapons than the Martini in the scout class to use, but believe me, your opinion changes when you play with this gun. 

We have now reached a difficult and controversial place, for it is very difficult to rank the top 2 best sniper rifles in Battlefield 1, but here go: 

Gewehr 98

Best Sniper Rifle for Extreme Long-Range Dominance.

Gewehr 98 is and has been a top 2 sniper rifle since the very start of the game, probably also from the beta. Some might even argue that it is the best sniper. 

Gewehr 98 is blessed with everything that you look for in a great sniper rifle, especially in Bf 1. Does it have good damage? Yes. Muzzle velocity? The best in the game at 880 m/s. Effective range? Also, the best in the game. Bullet drop? As good as it gets. These stats put together with high power scope make a premium long-range sniper rifle in Battlefield 1 that hardly anyone can hate. It comes with a five-round magazine and the reload time is decent enough to not hinder your experience with this weapon. 

On top of all these qualities, the Gewehr also has a sweet spot. It can’t stop getting better, can it? This weapon is just way too good in every way. We can even say that it is any sniper’s dream weapon to use.  

SMLE MK III

Best Sniper Rifle for The All-Around Sniper.

Although some players consider the Gewehr to be the best rifle in the game, we have ranked the SMLE to be the number one by odd choice. There are multiple reasons for this. Let’s look at the stats first.  

With a muzzle velocity of 740 m/s, the SMLE has a standard bullet drop of 12m/s². Although the bullet velocity does not match Gewehr 98, it is still pretty darn good. The damage profile is great on this weapon and once again, it also comes with a sweet spot. This weapon is mostly meant for mid-range sniping but you can still get good value out of it at slightly higher ranges. The SMLE shines particularly well in city-based maps with buildings and alleyways. The reload time too is decent that will not bother you while you try to take off enemy heads.  

Despite all these amazing stats, the question still stands. Why put the SMLE ahead of the Gewehr 98? Well, first of all, it is established, that SMLE is better than the rest of the sniper rifles in Battlefield 1. If you want a pure long-range, hard scoped sniping experience, you go for the Gewehr 98. On the other hand, if you want a solid scout rifle that caters to a variety of situations and is reliable at all times, you go for the SMLE. 

You can check a similar guide for ranking of best sniper rifles in Sniper Elite 4.

Why Others Were Not Chosen?

• Vetterli-Vitali M1870/87: This lever-action rifle has a unique four-round magazine but suffers from low damage output and difficult handling.
• Type 38 Arisaka: A Japanese rifle with decent stats but a smaller magazine and slower reload, making it less competitive in sustained firefights.
• Mosin-Nagant M1891: A solid rifle, but its stats are very similar to the Russian 1895 while lacking the same versatility of different variants.
• Bodeo 1889 Carbine: This is a sidearm for the Scout class, intended for very short-range engagements, not true sniping.
• Gewehr 1888: An earlier generation German rifle with a low bullet velocity and outdated design.
• M1903 Springfield: This American rifle features decent stats, but its bolt-action mechanism isn’t as fast or smooth as some of the others presented.

What Would I Recommend?

As an experienced Battlefield 1 player, if you love getting into the fray and prefer mid-range engagements, I would recommend Carcano M91 to be your best friend. Its quick fire rate and fast reload allow you to play aggressively, even going for follow-up shots if you miss. While it lacks the long-range punch, it’s a powerhouse within its ideal range. 

Additionally, if you want a classic, all-around sniper experience, the SMLE MK III is a timeless choice. It has good damage, a forgiving sweet spot, decent bullet velocity, and handles well in most combat situations. It’s versatile, reliable, and won’t let you down in a pinch.

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Final Words

Battlefield 1 has mastered the mechanics of our much-beloved sniping and delivered them to us. Everybody loves sniping in this game and rightfully so. It’s not just the sniping that you fall in love with but also the guns that you are using, for the weapons have been developed really well. This ranking is a mixture of some of the best rifles in the game with a little bias towards some of my favorites too.