The Satisfying Struggle of a Sniper in Tarkov

Bolt-action rifles are easily the worst class of weapon in the game. Out of the ten main weapon categories that you will engage with when playing Tarkov, bolt-actions have some of the largest drawbacks of all the categories, while not having many, if any, positives that make them stand out from the rest of the guns on offer. They have naturally lower ammo capacities, very low rate of fires, and bolt-actions always have to chamber a new round after every shot. DMR’s and carbines at least have the luxury of being single shot and can be tapped rapidly and repeatedly to have a higher rate of fire, even if they don’t compete with full auto. The only saving grace for bolt-actions is that most of their ammos usually pack a massive punch. The 54r category, every round is useable to a certain degree, but the weeds begin to show with smaller calibers like .308, and .366. And after all of that, despite the laundry list of problems bolt-actions must deal with in this game, they are still easily the most satisfying class of weapon to use in the game.

There is something viscerally satisfying when it comes to correctly using a bolt action in Tarkov. If you have one of these in your hands, the number one aspect to making them effective is positioning. You need to be in the right place at the right time. You can’t compete with fast firing, low recoil weapons up close and personal, so making sure you have the distance and/or the height for whatever situation is thrown at you is paramount to making sure you can actually setup and landing effective shots. Every map plays differently, so each situation across each map is going to be vastly different from another. As someone who spends most of their time on Customs, that map doesn’t have a ton of interesting or effective angles to really work from. Well, there are powerful spots, but most of them leave you very exposed, which is exactly what you don’t want as a sniper. The goal is to out of the way, quiet; able to observe what is going on around you, and pick your moments carefully, to land the perfect shot. Before they ever knew you were even there.

Which rifle you pick and how you decide to kit it up can really make the difference when you are on location and are scanning across a particular area of a map. To be fair, every bolt action can be extremely effective with the right setup. The only one I might shy away from personally, is the .366 hunting rifle. Sadly, the accuracy of the rifle, combined with the ammo that makes landing shot even harder, lacks the consistency we want as a sniper. The round is solid, with 90 damage and 42 pen, but having those shots miss their intended mark is something we can’t afford. If we miss, it should be because we whiffed a shot, not because the round didn’t go where we were aiming. Otherwise, every other rifle and caliber can be devastating in the right hands, at the right place and time. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. I’ve always leaned towards .308 M62 because it’s a tracer, and many years ago, it had 55 penetration, meaning even altyn’s couldn’t stand a chance against it. That is no longer the case, only have 44 penetration now; which is still enough to lay out level 4 helmets, but I have felt the loss of that extra lethality over the years. M61 would obviously resolve this issue, but again, I’m weird and like the tracer so I can adjust my hold if the shot doesn’t land. Another strong alternative is 54r in something like an SV-98 or even a Mosin. That ammo is very much consistent like .308, and the weapons that are used alongside it are strong as well.

After you’ve figured out what you want to use, the next important aspect of being an effective sniper is location. Not necessarily which map you decide to play, but where you go on those maps. In reality, the only map that should be avoided is obviously factory. Every other map that is larger can be worked to having good raids with a bolt action. Each one has their pros and cons. Now, the first map you probably thought of trying a bolt action was of course woods. And that’s a very valid point. For years now, woods has kind of been the DeFacto map for using long range of any kind, especially bolt actions. Even before the expansion, the map was fluid enough that using range just made sense. But for other maps like customs or even something like interchange, these maps while completely serviceable to bolt actions, can create problem points that leave you very vulnerable. They aren’t as open ended as something like woods or even shoreline; with tons of dead space in between the high traffic areas allowing for lots of movement and rotations to better place yourself wherever the action might be. Customs is very narrow as you move from one side of the map to the other. And interchange, well, the mall is the main attraction. And yes, the inside has long hallways, the lighting and lack of any real counter movements that don’t have you running in one direction or the other, can quickly create problems with getting around other people and finding perches to find who you’re looking for. But like I said, all the big maps in the game work for sniping. You just need to play a lot differently than you normally would with any other weapon class. And hopefully that is reflected in what you’re watching. Sometimes I can’t even follow my own advice. But no matter where you go in Tarkov, you can do very well with a bolt action rifle, if you play your cards right.

And I would say the final aspect to being a successful sniper, is patience. You have to be willing to hang around and not see a whole lot. When you have slow firing, long range rifles in your hands, you can’t just rock up to dorms and kill everything in there; that’s not how it works. You might only get one kill that raid, but it might be from hundreds of meters away, which makes it all the more satisfying. Being a sniper sacrifices the potential excitement of killing multiple players in a raid; wiping squad after squad to reap the benefits of having an entire backpack’s worth of loot on you. That isn’t how your bolt action raids will go down normally. No, instead, you bide your time, being in the right place at the right time, to land the one shot that can potentially snowball into a very successful raid. Some occasions, this play by play will occur. And other times, you won’t even see a single PMC. But to be fair, that happens even when you have a kit intended to wipe the entire lobby. So, it’s not that big of a deal when they happen. Notice how I said when and not if. From personal experience, this tends to be the result a lot of the time. And the other chunk of time spent in raid, is me running for my life trying not to die. Because that’s something else to consider. If you fire, even if you are suppressed, your location becomes compromised. And people will not hesitate to make a be-line straight to where you are. If you think this is going to happen, reposition. Don’t be afraid to stay mobile. Depending on the weight of your kit, if you travel light, you can outpace and run circles around people, moving to cover another high traffic location and intercept them when they reach where you last were. Standing your ground is risky, and usually ends up becoming overwhelming, especially if there is more than one after you. Don’t be afraid to retreat; there’s always another shot to be had.

Sniping in Tarkov is the easiest way to put a handicap on yourself. Forgoing the use of fast firing, high-capacity magazines with powerful ammo, for a rifle that can only fire maybe 30 rounds per minute. But excels at tackling people from extreme distances. It’s a shame there aren’t too many sightlines in the game that reach this level of range, but even the kills that end up being just over 100 meters, that still feels good. Hell, every bolt action kill feels good. That’s what makes them so enticing. It has the highest skill ceiling in the game, and because of that, you can always improve and become a better sniper. These weapons, and this playstyle are the main reasons why I stick around for super late game Tarkov. It's a challenge; a different way to play the game. And it’s always a good time. No matter where I am, or what I am up against. If I play my cards right, the struggles of a sniper go away, and for a moment, I can take someone out in Tarkov, without them ever even knowing I was there. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to watch this video, let me know in the comments down below what you think of sniping in Tarkov, and be sure to subscribe for more videos about my favorite way to play the game. I hope to see you in future ones.