Whether you like to quickscope or pick enemies off from a distance, it’s good to know the best sniper rifles in Modern Warfare 3 for your personal playstyle.
We’ve went over the three best snipers you can use in Modern Warfare 3 below, including how to unlock them, and what build they’re best used for.
For more help, check out our pages on how to level up fast, how to unlock all weapons, and our Tactical Stance explainer.
Best Sniper Rifles in Modern Warfare 3
Going off their base stats, potential with attachments, and community observations and place in the current meta of best weapons, there are three sniper rifles we recommend using in Modern Warfare 3: the Longbow, KATT-AMR, and KV Inhibitor. While you can use MW2 sniper rifles as well, we think the new MW3 snipers are better overall, and are far easier to unlock if you’re a new Modern Warfare player.
Keep in mind that although we’ve based this page off raw stats and community observations, our best sniper picks are subjective. They may not necessarily be ones you agree with or find the best to use.
With that in mind, each sniper rifle has its ideal build, so here’s more detailed information on the three best sniper rifles in Modern Warfare 3:
Longbow
How to unlock: Reach player Level 4.
Best build: Quickscope or medium-range.
Base Damage: 240 Headshot, 180 Upper Torso, 120 Lower Torso.
Base Range: 12.7m for effective damage range and 63.5m for minimum damage range, with 770 m/s Bullet Velocity.
Base Rate of Fire: 111.1 rpm.
Base ADS Speed:: 550 ms.
The Longbow is making waves for a reason, as it’s a one-shot sniper best used for quick scope kills, or at a medium range. It’s also a very easy gun to unlock, available as soon as you get access to custom loadouts at player Level 4. If you have the Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 3, you also get early access to the Longbow’s many attachments.
You need the right build to make use of this speedy sniper rifle, so here’s our recommended attachments for a quickscope Longbow in Modern Warfare 3:
- Rear Grip: Demo 650 GRIP
- Bolt: SA-M Quickbolt
- Magazine: 10 Round Mag
- Laser: 10 Round Mag
- Ammunition: 7.62X39MM High Grain Rounds
For more of a medium and long-range build, check out our dedicated Longbow loadout page.
KATT-AMR
How to unlock: Reach player Level 4.
Best build: Long-range.
Base Damage: 360 Headshot, 216 Upper Torso, 207 Lower Torso.
Base Range: 78m for effective and minimum damage, with 660 m/s Bullet Velocity.
Base Rate of Fire: 41.4 rpm.
Base ADS Speed:: 760 ms.
The KATT-AMR is another early sniper rifle unlock, but unlike the Longbow it’s a slower, less aggressive sniper with a low rate of fire. This makes it better for your long-range needs, but you need to be pretty accurate to make the most of the KATT-AMR’s one-shot potential.
You can also build the KATT-AMR for quickscoping, but it’s not as effective as the Longbow.
To get the most out of its potential, here’s our recommended attachments for a long-range KATT-AMR in Modern Warfare 3:
- Bolt: Ephemeral Quickbolt
- Laser: FSS OLE-V Laser
- Barrel: Perdition 24″ Short Barrel
- Stock: Tactical Stock Pad
- Underbarrel: Cornerstone Bipod
KV Inhibitor
How to unlock: Reach player Level 25 and make Active at the Armory, then complete three daily or bonus challenges.
Best build: Long-range.
Base Damage: 294 Headshot, 210 Upper Torso, 140 Lower Torso.
Base Range: 38.1m for effective damage range and 58.4m for minimum damage range, with 820 m/s Bullet Velocity.
Base Rate of Fire: 130.4 rpm.
Base ADS Speed:: 540 ms.
You can also use the KV Inhibitor effectively at medium-range, and alter it for a quickscope loadout, but we consider it most effective for your long-range sniping needs. It unfortunately takes longer to unlock than other snipers, as you need to get access to the Armory feature first in order to choose it as your ‘Active’ weapon, then complete the required daily or bonus challenges to get it.
We recommend using the KV Inhibitor over the KATT-AMR if you’re after a long-range sniper rifle, unless you personally feel more comfortable using the KATT-AMR.
To get the most out of its potential, here’s our recommended attachments for a long-range KV Inhibitor in Modern Warfare 3:
- Barrel: KAS-10 584MM Mod Barrel
- Muzzle: Casus Brake L
- Rear Grip: Brace LS
- Stock: ZLR Bulwark Precision Stock
- Ammunition: .338 Magnum Spire Point Rounds
For more details on how to play the KV Inhibitor, check out our dedicated KV Inhibitor loadout page.
Good luck racking up those sniper kills in Modern Warfare 3!
