Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades/Sniper RiflesHot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades/Sniper Rifles - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video GamesHot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades/Sniper Rifles
It's worth noting that H3 does not actually have a dedicated sniper rifle category; as such, the weapons on this sub-page are generally categorized either as bolt-action rifles, anti-materiel rifles, or battle rifles, with the one noteworthy exception being the VSS Vintorez.
Despite lacking an in-game categorization, the game's sniper rifles do provide superior accuracy compared to other bolt-action and battle rifles as of Alpha 2 of Update #94, with the implementation of mechanical accuracy to every "realistic" firearm.
Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum
Added along with the Smith & Wesson Model 500 in Update #59's 7th alpha, the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum is the first weapon in H3 chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum; it is also the largest-caliber sniper rifle in the game that isn't an classified as an anti-materiel rifle.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingAccuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum - .338 Lapua MagnumError creating thumbnail: File missingAdmiring the AWM. A timeless classic, since '99.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading in a magazine. While many of H3VR's weapon models are purchased or donated from third-party sources, they are sometimes still modified on the game's end; the AWM is a perfect example of this, as its magazine and well were slightly too short to fit normal .338 Lapua rounds (which is correct; being retrofitted for .338LM rather than designed for it, the AWM's magazine can only fit slightly shorter-bulleted .338 rounds, which are sold specifically for this rifle; the decision to make it work with standard .338 Lapua was made in the interests of gameplay and development simplicity), so game dev Anton Hand had to perform "model surgery", as he put it, to lengthen the magazine and well.Error creating thumbnail: File missingChambering a round.Error creating thumbnail: File missingRealizing that having a bare upper rail is hardly befitting of a rifle that once set a record for confirmed kill distance, but that a long-range scope is equally unfitting for use indoors, our invisible protagonist compromises and attaches a tube red-dot sight.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAiming the rifle at a Sosig...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and killing the one behind it.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWhile there's sadly no bright blue text across the center of everybody's screen announcing this double kill, it's still cause for celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to eject a spent case in the most unnecessarily dramatic way possible?Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiring a tracer into another Sosig; asistradition, the "Magnum Sniper Rifle" can kill a full-health, fully-armored enemy with a single well-placed shot to the torso.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiring an API (armor-piercing incendiary) round into yet another armored Sosig, producing a suitably impressive shower of sparks in the process.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWith the release of Update #90's second alpha build, the AWM was given a bottom-mounted rail; the purpose of this was to allow the player to fit it with both a scope and a bipod, for more precise shooting.Error creating thumbnail: File missingNo, wait, that's not what I-
ArmaLite AR-50A1
The ArmaLite AR-50A1 was added in Update #104's first experimental build.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingArmaLite AR-50A1 - .50 BMGError creating thumbnail: File missingAdmiring the ArmaLite. Or Arma-not-very-Lite, in this case.Error creating thumbnail: File missingGetting a view of the other side; this is aided by putting a bipod on the bottom rail, and putting that on a short wall.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAttentive viewers may have noticed a key difference between this rifle and the one in the reference image - namely, the former lacks a muzzle brake. Luckily, it isn't gone forever - it was simply added as a separate attachment, known as the "StratBomber".Error creating thumbnail: File missingBeing an interchangeable muzzle device, it automatically scales to the weapon it's mounted on; interestingly, its default size isn't the size it is when it's mounted onto the rifle it was actually designed for, possibly so it looks a little less ridiculous on its own.Error creating thumbnail: File missingOpening up the weapon's rather substantial bolt...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and dropping in a .50 BMG tracer round. Being part of an experimental build, the AR-50A1 was the first bolt-action rifle to feature a re-worked version of the previously-standard chamberloading behavior - rather than going straight into the chamber and then snapping to the bolt as it's pushed into battery, the round simply sits on the bolt face the whole time.Error creating thumbnail: File missingChambering the round in question, safe in the knowledge that it's no longer capable of any form of teleportation-related antics.Error creating thumbnail: File missingGetting up behind the rifle, and disengaging the striker-mounted flag safety.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaking aim at an unsuspecting Sosig dignitary...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and ensuring that he won't get a second term.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWorking the bolt again, and ejecting the now-spent round. A job well done.Error creating thumbnail: File missingStill, it can't hurt to be diligent. The white square on the bottom of the stock is a QR code, which links directly to the modeler's ArtStation page.
Barrett M107A1
The Barrett M107A1 anti-materiel rifle is one of the available firearms in-game, added in Update #22. Up until the 2018 4th of July Update and its "M2 Tombstone", the Barrett was the only weapon in the game chambered in .50 BMG.
The Barrett MRAD was added in Update #94, making it the game's second firearm in .338 Lapua.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingBarrett MRAD - .338 Lapua MagnumError creating thumbnail: File missingThe MRAD, sitting pretty on a table in the Sniper Range; laid out around it are a variety of attachments added along with it.Error creating thumbnail: File missingPicking up the rifle, and taking a look at the opposite side.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiddling with the stock - it's supposed to help you adjust the length of pull to better suit your arm length, but it can also be used to procrastinate.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading in a standard 10-round magazine. Little-known fact: the lined-up patterns on the magazine and magwell are actually a visual aid, meant to let the user know if they're putting the magazine in sideways.Error creating thumbnail: File missingChambering a round, confident that the magazine is lined up correctly on at least one of the 3 axes.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFlicking "off" the safety; upon its release, the rifle's safety went the wrong way round, so the "fire" position was treated as the "safe" one, and vice versa.Error creating thumbnail: File missing(This issue was fixed in the subsequent update).Error creating thumbnail: File missingWorking the action, after firing a non-shown shot; this, in turn, came after rather inappropriately affixing the sub-MOA rifle with a "Lion" 1-5 power scope, one of three LPVOs (Low-Power Variable Optics) added in Update #94.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaking the inappropriate customization a step further with two more attachments added in the same update: the "Wrapped" suppressor, and a Fortis SHIFT foregrip.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiddling with the Lion scope's magnification setting...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...before deciding to actually do something sensible - namely, replacing the LPVO with a proper long-range optic, removing the foregrip, and putting the rifle into the game's sci-fi equivalent to a benchrest. The "TOGGLE OBJECT LOCK" button locks the held weapon into the rest, preventing it from moving relative to the platform, the "Control Side" setting changes which side of the rest displays the movement controls, the "Zero Rot" button makes the weapon point perfectly straight forward relative to the platform, and the "Axis Sensitivity" buttons adjust the magnitude of the impact of the movement controls. Said movement controls aren't visible here...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...but they are here - in keeping with the sci-fi theme, they're a set of floating color-coded holograms that you can grab and interact with. The top set are linear adjustment buttons, while the bottom set can adjust the rifle's rotation. All this fine adjustment comes in handy when it comes time to zero a scope properly, attempt to snipe a bottle off a crate at 400 yards, or simply test the mechanical accuracy of one gun against another.
Barrett XM500
The Barrett XM500 was added on day 22 of the Meatmas 2020 Advent Calendar Event.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingBarrett XM500 - .50 BMGError creating thumbnail: File missingThe XM500 just barely fits into the case, one benefit of using a bullpup design.Error creating thumbnail: File missingUp close, it's still a huge gun. so big that it's hard to fit in the whole frame for people without five-foot-long arms.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe right side is pretty much the same story, though you get a slightly better look at interior of the receiver from this angle. The barrel of the XM500 still reciprocates when firing, unlike the real XM500; this is likely a result of reusing the code for the M107A1.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading in a ten round magazine of .50BMG; due to this being a bullpup firearm, this can be a bit challenging since the size of the mag means you have to bring it pretty close to your chest (or in this case, face)Error creating thumbnail: File missingGrabbing the charging handle; placing it farther forward than on the M107A1 makes this easier than loading.Error creating thumbnail: File missingScope affixed, bipod deployed, and we're ready to go. But since the area outside is swarming with drones (and it's freezing cold out), we're going to stay within the warmth and safety of our bunker.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLuckily, there's a Junkbot just on the ridge ahead, and it hasn't noticed us yet. Lining up the shot...Error creating thumbnail: File missingYou can see the huge muzzle flash from the muzzle break venting out the sides. Ignore the fact that the crosshair's on the Junkbot's backpack instead of its torso.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAnd would you look at that, a successful hit. I totally hit that on the last screenshot. It's not like I shot a second time but couldn't use the screencap because the bipod kicked off, knocking the entire gun off and ruining the whole capture... it was totally the wind blowing that round into the Junkbot, I completely planned for that to happen.
Cheyenne Tactical M-200 Intervention
The 22nd day of the 2018 Meatmas event added a Cheyenne Tactical M-200 Intervention sniper rifle, chambered in .408 CheyTac (a round exclusive to this rifle in-game). It is classified in-game as an anti-materiel rifle; while not necessarily intended as such, it can certainly be used as one against certain types of armor.
The Heckler & Koch G3SG/1 was added on day 19 of the Meatmas 2020 Advent Calendar Event. It is more accurate than the base G3 rifle and comes with a detachable scope.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingHeckler & Koch G3SG/1 - 7.62x51mm NATOError creating thumbnail: File missingThe G3SG/1 in its box. Note that, since the G3SG/1 came out in 1972, it is correctly stated to come from West Germany, rather than just "Germany".Error creating thumbnail: File missingExamining the rifle. Similar to the existing G3, but not quite the same.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe stock is probably the clearest indication of that fact.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaking a look at the fire selector; likely due to a bug, the G3SG/1 spawns with the safety on from a gameplay perspective, but with the actual lever set slightly below the semi-auto position.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFor reference, here's what semi-auto looks like. Re-engaging the safety puts the lever back where it belongs, so this bug can only be seen once per gun.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLocking back the charging handle, as is tradition.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading in a magazine; since these are standard G3 mags, they could be spawnlocked right away (as opposed to the specialty mags added as part of a new weapon, which couldn't).Error creating thumbnail: File missingSending the bolt home with that famous slap. Never gets old.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiddling with the settings on the included scope; its magnification is adjustable from 1.5x to 6x in half-power increments, and starts at 3x.Error creating thumbnail: File missingStepping outside, and unfolding the integrated bipod.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSee, this shot was SUPPOSED to be of me lying down, taking some nice, carefully-aimed shots at a distant Swarm drone. However, not only does Windows' default screen-recording program exclusively record the left eye's view, it only records the lower portion of said view, putting the scope more or less completely off the top of the screen for the entirety of that section of footage, and rendering it completely useless. So, instead, here's a shot of me aiming at an oblivious Junkbot from 20 feet away.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAt these sorts of ranges, iron sights are generally preferable to a magnified optic; fortunately, the G3SG/1's scope has holes in its mount that allow for the irons to be used (albeit with a rather cramped sight picture).Error creating thumbnail: File missingFlipping the selector over to full-auto...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and venting 20 rounds of pent-up 7.62mm frustration into a hapless Weinerbot's face. Frustration which, seeing as this was all one recording, technically doesn't exist yet.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingHeckler & Koch PSG-1 - 7.62x51mm NATOError creating thumbnail: File missingPreparing for a mission, and checking over the PSG-1. A nice piece of kit, if a rather pricey one.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe rifle's right side, complete with its forward assist "silent bolt closure device".Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading in a 5-round magazine; not terribly large, but it's not as though the type of precision this rifle is built for usually requires more.Error creating thumbnail: File missingRacking the charging handle, and chambering one of the handful's... fingers? That metaphor doesn't really stretch all that far.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiddling with the scope; it comes with (and permanently attached to) the rifle, and is adjustable from 3X to 6X magnification (starting out set to the latter).Error creating thumbnail: File missingAlso adjustable (and thus ripe for fiddling) is the stock, whose buttpad can be moved back and forth to adjust length of pull.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe cheekrest is also adjustable, though this serves little in-game function. Still fun, though.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDisengaging the safety, and setting off.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaking aim at a distant objective; having a good sniper rifle makes dealing with these substantially less difficult and conflict-intensive.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWell, it usually does, at any rate. The white object in the bottom of the scope's field of view is actually the rifle's muzzle flash, just visible when firing.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDealing with a bit of unplanned resistance, the sniper relents, and loads his emergency 10-round magazine to help get things back under control.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAbruptly approached by a couple extra enemies, he switches to his extra-emergency 20-rounder and does some quick point-shooting; just a temporary measure for this isolated incident.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA fair bit later, as he whacks an enemy over the head with his locked-open rifle, having been failed to notice said enemy surviving amidst its dead colleagues and getting caught off guard trying to load up his extra-extra-emergency 50-round drum, the sniper finally faces the facts:Error creating thumbnail: File missing"It seems that things have gotten... a bit out of hand."
Izhmash SV-98
Added in the ninth alpha build of Update #59, the Izhmash SV-98 sniper rifle makes its mark in H3 as the game's second Russian sniper rifle, and its first bolt-action one at that.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingIzhmash SV-98 - 7.62x54mmRError creating thumbnail: File missingExamining an SV-98, this particular specimen being fitted with a red-dot sight and a side-tilting toggleable magnifier.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA good view of the rifle's distinctive green wooden thumbhole stock.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaking a look at an empty magazine; while a relatively-normal looking staggered-column box magazine, it does notably possess an unusual circular hole up at the front...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...which interfaces with a corresponding metal peg in the magazine well, as seen with this considerably less empty example.Error creating thumbnail: File missingChambering a 7.62x54mmR round.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaking aim at an oblivious Sosig.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThat target (and several more) down, and it's on to the next.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWell, looks like it's time to call it a day.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe post-Update-#90-Alpha-2 version of the SV-98, complete with its integrated bipod. There wasn't any real reason it couldn't've been fitted with it before; at the time of its release, the bipod was simply omitted (owing to developer Anton Hand being tired of working with the bipod system) and then forgotten about for thirty updates.Error creating thumbnail: File missingCycling the rifle with the aforementioned bipod set up on a wall. This update changed bipods significantly; among other things, it allowed bipod-mounted weapons to be picked up and redeployed far more easily, and allowed bolt-actions to be cycled without needing to shift one's hands around so much (though this was later fixed due to being buggy, and restricted to bolt-actions with their bipods set on a surface).Error creating thumbnail: File missingAiming at a hostile Sosig through the SV-98's integrated irons. Or, at least, attempting to.
Kimber Model 8400 Advanced Tactical SRC
The Kimber Model 8400 is one of the rifles added in the 2016 Meatmas Update. In keeping with Update #46's theme of shortened variants of existing guns, the Kimber received a rather strange short-barreled variant in this update.
The Mechem NTW-20 chambered in 20x82mm was added on day 24 of the Meatmas 2020 Advent Calendar event.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingMechem NTW-20 - 20x82mm MG151Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe NTW-20; a gun so big, it clips right through the case it spawns in.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAs with many weapons that we in the professional world refer to as "heckin' chonkers," getting the full rifle in a screenshot can be a challenge.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSeriously, these still images do not do justice as to how enormous this feels to be holding. Or the strange feeling of needing to purge some aliens. Can't decide if we should start with the squid lips or the prawns though...Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading a three round mag of 20x82mm, currently (and quite likely for a long time) the largest "rifle" round in the game. These easily dwarf .50 BMG cartridges, which for the longest time had been the go-to-round for excessive damage.Error creating thumbnail: File missingEven with just three rounds, the explosive payload can do quite a bit of collateral destruction.Error creating thumbnail: File missingNote the safety switch, which physically covers the trigger to prevent it from being used.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTurning the safety off, and we're ready to roll.Error creating thumbnail: File missingChambering in a 20mm round; even on other bolt-action anti-materiel rifles, the length of travel on the bolt isn't nearly as long as it is on the NTW-20, so you're going to need plenty of space (in real life, that is) to work with. And with the bright yellow warhead on each shell, it's easy to see whether you've got a round chambered.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSince we have such a huge firearm, it's only fitting that we challenge ourselves with the largest enemy in the scene, the Regenerative Drone. Note the carry handle around the scope; this is the only grabbable surface besides the pistol grip that the player can use; so either you have to aim with one arm way above your head, try to shoot this thing one-handed (good luck), or fire it using the bipod, as intended. The carry handle also leaves a small gap between itself and the scope, where the NTW-20's only placement for a Pic rail is located.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAs with other enormous caliber rifles, the muzzle blast is tremendous.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSadly, even 20mm won't bring down the Regenerative Drone in one hit. Chambering a new round, we see the spent shell fly out like its going out of style.
PGM Hecate II
The only non-fictional weapon added in the 2019 April Fools' Day update was a PGM Hecate II, the game's first bolt-action AMR. The next update, Update #71, gave it a functional, fixed bipod.
Added along with the SV-98 in Update #59's ninth alpha build, the Remington M40A1 helps pad out the game's collection of sniper rifles. The weapon in-game has a woodland camo stock, and is fitted with a standard-issue, non-detachable 10x scope.
Another weapon that came out of the "Meat Fortress" TF2 crossover was the Sniper's "Sniper Rifle", a cartoonish-looking weapon seemingly loosely based on the Remington Model 700. Update #89 added three new ammo types, as well as two new variants: the "Snag Sanger" (Australian slang for a sausage sandwich) is a carbine variant, with a shorter barrel and stock, a 2-round internal magazine, an underbarrel laser sight instead of an overbarrel one, and a set of notch-and-post iron sights in place of a scope, and "The Last Bit" is an Obrez-esque version with a cut-down stock, barrel, and trigger guard.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingRemington Model 700 BDL - 7.62x51mm NATOError creating thumbnail: File missingThe "Sniper Rifle" on a table, along with several other TF2 weapons. We're showing it off here...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...since it's a bit hard to fit into the frame when you're holding it. The ludicrously massive scope is loosely based on an AN/PVS-2 Starlight, an early Vietnam War-era night vision scope (though the one in-game is just a standard scope, since H3's engine can't support NV overlays).Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaking a close look at the receiver. This shows off the cut in the receiver bridge that wasn't on the original model; it was added to the VR version to allow the bolt to move backwards, which wasn't a problem in TF2 since the bolt didn't actually move horizontally there.Error creating thumbnail: File missingIt also shows off the moving striker, another alteration from the original model.Error creating thumbnail: File missingOpening up the action; since the bolt wasn't initially set up to move back and forth, both it and the area it concealed (the loading tray and the chamber) had to be fully modeled and textured.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading a round into the single-shot rifle; the Sniper Rifle's pre-release placeholder round of choice was the mighty .50 BMG, a cartridge which fits more in behavior than in physical space.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLooking through the colossal scope; note the red dot that serves as the scope's reticle...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...though this doesn't necessarily mean that it's actually part of the scope. This is instead the weapon's permanently-affixed and permanently-active laser sight (the comparatively-small tube in front of the scope with a wire leading to it); in TF2, this was only active when the scope was in use, but there's no real way for a VR game to distinguish such things.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaking advantage of the laser sight, and no-scoping a Spy Sosig's head off. More by proxy than anything else, but still.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWorking the bolt prompts the rifle to spit out a spent casing far too large to fit in or out of the ejection port. Damn you, Merasmus!Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe round that the finished version of the Sniper Rifle uses is the "18x50mm Packawhollop" which is this short, stumpy affair, somewhat reminiscent of rounds like the .458 SOCOM.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe Sniper Rifle is also the last one of the TF2 weapons capable of accepting suppressors (apart from the fictional pneumatic "Syringe Gun"); this particular suppressor is a fictional 2-stage model with an integrated muzzle brake, known as the "HexBolter" suppressor.Error creating thumbnail: File missingPerfect for somehow making a round spark off of wood getting your suppressed shotgun to stop spinning around on the floor.
"Snag Sanger"
Error creating thumbnail: File missingPreparing for a mission to capture some strategically-critical condiment bottles, a RED Sniper looks over his Snag Sanger.Error creating thumbnail: File missing"She's a beaut, ain't she? Picked 'er up at the poll last Saturday."Error creating thumbnail: File missingOpening up the Sanger's action...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and loading in three - count 'em - 3 fully-jacketed rounds of 18x50mm Packawhollop, thanks to the rifle's 2-round internal magazine (whose presence is indicated by a metal plate on the bottom of the stock).Error creating thumbnail: File missingLooking at some teammates through the carbine's iron sights. Yep, that's it. Just looking. Definitely didn't forget which team I was on within 30 seconds of starting the game.Error creating thumbnail: File missingCycling the Sanger's action after firing a few rounds at some "enemies"; the round about to be chambered here is a "Barbie" round.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiring the Snag Sanger one-handed at an enemy Spy that got a little too close for comfort.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThis serves as an excellent demonstration of the Barbie round's properties; it is the only offense-oriented round out of the three added in Update #89, being a high-explosive incendiary round.
"The Last Bit"
Error creating thumbnail: File missingChecking out The Last Bit in the Breaching Prototype scene.Error creating thumbnail: File missingIt's times like these, when you're holding an 18mm bolt-action pistol in one hand, and a claw hammer in the other, that you start to wonder where you should draw the line between "breaching exercise" and "home invasion".Error creating thumbnail: File missingOpening up the Bit's bolt; all of the Sniper Rifle's variants are shown as being cock-on-open.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading in one of the concurrently-added ammo types; this purple-and-copper hollowpoint is a "Drongo" round.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAiming at an unsuspecting Sosig; while it lacks the Sanger's magazine, it still possess its rear sight.Error creating thumbnail: File missingNeedless to say, the recoil and muzzle blast of an 18mm handgun are quite something to see. And hopefully not feel.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWatching the slow-moving Drongo round hit its mark; aside from making a bunch of purple smoke, this increases the damage vulnerability (and decreases the damage output) of anything caught in the blast radius (including the player), serving as a ballistic analogue to the TF2 Sniper's Jarate. A far less... concerning ballistic analogue.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading in another specialty round, this one a "Gobsmacka", while a concerned homeowner enemy Sosig photobombs the shot with a suppressed Glock.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe Gobsmacka is a less-lethal concussion round, perfect for knocking enemies off of their... whatever Sosigs have instead of feet...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and then bashing them to bits with a hammer. And then wondering just where it all went wrong.
Steyr Scout
A long-requested addition (not leastly because the Weinerbots and Sosigs got to play with it first), the Steyr Scout was added in Update #84 (the 2019 Meatmas update). The ability to hold spare magazines in the stock, however, wasn't added until Update #105, almost three years later.
The SVD Dragunov is one of the available sniper rifles in-game (though due to its semi-automatic nature and full-power chambering, it is categorized as a battle rifle). It was added in Update #18; at the time, it was permanently fitted with a side-mounted rail adaptor bracket, but this was made removable in Update #40, allowing the use of Soviet-type dovetail optics (or, for that matter, open iron sights).
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSVD Dragunov - 7.62x54mmRError creating thumbnail: File missingAn SVD on a table, next to a Sako 85.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading up the Dragunov.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFlipping the rifle over...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...disengaging the safety...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and chambering a round.Error creating thumbnail: File missingOf course, logic dictates that a sniper rifle should have a scope.Error creating thumbnail: File missingIt also dictates that a sniper rifle should have a cheek pad; fortunately, this rifle has both.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLaying prone and observing the area ahead, which gives a good view of the scope's markings. They read "NIRKON OPTICS" (an obvious play on real-world optics manufacturer Nikon) on the first line, ".233 SCOPE" (presumably a misspelling of .223) on the second, and "1x-24x ZOOM" on the third. Fortunately, the fact that the scope is meant for .223 (or perhaps .233) rifles is a non-issue in-game, since scopes in H3 are self-zeroing for convenience's sake.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAiming the rifle at a watermelon...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and blowing it away.Error creating thumbnail: File missingHaving dealt the enemy of the revolution a copper-jacketed 7.62mm lesson, the Red Sniper reloads, looking for more targets in need of "re-education".Error creating thumbnail: File missingHe then flips the rifle over, revealing the locked-open bolt...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and releases it.Error creating thumbnail: File missingHis nonexistent spotter having informed him of a particularly bourgeois-looking melon out at 250 meters, the Red Sniper adjusts his magnification accordingly, adjusting the knob to its highest setting.Error creating thumbnail: File missingHe then takes aim...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...fires...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and lands a hit. Once again, the effects of a properly-modeled ballistics system make themselves clear.Error creating thumbnail: File missingIn the end, the Red Sniper's revolution would ultimately fail, in large part due to him being a raving lunatic who stood on a balcony and fired down into crowds of innocent watermelons because of a delusional fantasy about being a soldier for a communist revolution that didn't even exist, punctuated by his only help being his imaginary spotter friend. His rifle, however, would go on to have its own far more successful revolution, freeing itself from the oppressive shackles of aftermarket rail mounts, scopes graduated for the wrong cartridge, and government-controlled media.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe SVD is now free to choose its own path in life. It can finally be the 20th-century infantry rifle that it always dreamed of being. Maybe it'll even get to make use of its bayonet lug.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWhile the SVD's path from here on out might not be certain, one thing's for sure:Error creating thumbnail: File missingSnayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova is firmly in control of its own destiny.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAnd its first stop on its path is to a small range in the middle of the woods, for some sight-adjustment exercises. Like its Soviet contemporaries, the SVD has sights adjustable from 100 meters to a kilometer in 100-meter increments, along with a basic battlesight position...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...with the main distinguishing feature being that said battlesight position is simply named "P" instead of an incomprehensible jumble of Cyrillic. (Well, incomprehensible to me, anyway...)
"USPSAECIAL"
The "USPSAECIAL" is one of the April Fools guns added in Alpha 2 of Update #102. Like the "IPSICK 2011" pistol that came before it, it is a garishly-colored "competition" AR-15 variant. Also like the IPSICK, it is actually a break-action single-shot rifle, chambered in a ridiculous cartridge - 20x82mm, in this case.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingHeading out to the range with the USPSAECIAL, and admiring its... interesting appearance.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDespite being anodized in no less than three different colors, with some black components thrown on for good measure, it somehow still manages to be less garish than its pistol counterpart. It compensates by being even more ridiculously proportioned.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAttempting to shove a 30-round polymer magazine into the rifle's skeletonized magwell is met with limited success...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...not leastly because we did this joke already.Error creating thumbnail: File missingInstead, loading the rifle begins by pulling back on the "stock" (actually an arm brace meant for US civilian-legal AR-15 "pistols", since US law only places additional regulations on rifles with sub-16" barrels if they have a stock, and these sorts of braces don't qualify as such; being H3's first firearm fitted with such a device, it only makes sense that it's on a rifle that wouldn't qualify as an SBR anyway); this splits the rifle open at the rear, hinging on the front receiver pin. As another note of gun-law trivia, some AR-15 variants are actually loaded (approximately) this way - to get around state regulations on semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, some rifles feature a fixed magazine that can only be accessed by pulling the rear receiver pin and pivoting the upper and lower apart.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThis rifle, however, lacks a magazine of any sort - instead, the barrel comes all the way back to where a normal AR-15's bolt would end, and a single 20x82mm round is inserted straight into the back of the upper. This particular round is an inert practice loading ("inert" in the sense that it uses a solid projectile with no additional payload, not that it isn't a live round at all), defined as an FMJ in-game.Error creating thumbnail: File missingOptionally, before closing the rifle, one can first fiddle with the trigger, and note its functional internal components.Error creating thumbnail: File missingClosing the rifle is, however, a mandatory step.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAiming at the target; while it doesn't have any sights by default, the USPSAECIAL was introduced alongside its own set of backup "Dualsight" irons, so named for their dualness. Such a special set of sights is superlatively significant at such a distance as this - a record-shattering two meters.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiring - as one would expect, shouldering a 20mm cannon in this position isn't the most pleasant experience. The fact that its stock isn't technically a stock doesn't help matters - though, to be fair, most braces wind up being used as stocks anyway.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading up another round - this one's an M1A2 HE round, developed by Denel. Currently, only these two ammo types are available, though more are planned. Now would also be a good time to point out that, while not regulated as an SBR, the caliber would undoubtedly make this a "Destructive Device" under US law.Error creating thumbnail: File missingPausing the loading process once again to take a look at the lower - it features a fancy-looking adjustable trigger, an extended safety lever, a pistol grip with a palm rest, and an aftermarket magazine catch and trigger-finger-accessible extended bolt release (both of which are of somewhat limited utility on a gun like this). According to the markings, the rifle/cannon was made by "ALTF4 Firearms" of Bacon, Texas; it also lacks a serial number, unless "20MM" is pulling double-duty as that and the caliber marking.Error creating thumbnail: File missingNoticing that the target has shuffled out to an even more indomitable 3 meters, and realizing that something more advanced than just a pair of pairs of iron sights will be needed. The weapon's special "UltraScope" seems a good fit.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe "Ultra" prefix presumably refers to how this scope has advanced so far in optical technology that it suffered a buffer overflow and looped back around to being a set of irons again.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiring the weapon results in... about what you'd expect, really.Error creating thumbnail: File missingObserving the effect on target, and ejecting a spent case. This is done by pulling the charging handle, naturally.
VSS Vintorez
Along with its assault-rifle sibling, the VSS Vintorez was added on the 14th day of 2018's Meatmas event. As mentioned, it is in a different category than the rest of this subpage's weapons; like the Val, it is classified as a carbine, as (unlike the other self-loading sniper rifles in H3) it fires an intermediate cartridge. Update #94 gave the VSS superior accuracy to the AS VAL, giving it a more functional distinction over the latter.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingVSS Vintorez with PSO-1 scope - 9x39mmError creating thumbnail: File missingLook familiar?Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading a 10-round magazine into the VSS. The Val's 20-rounders work just fine as well, but aren't exactly ideal for using the rifle while laying prone.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAdmiring the rifle. Something about wooden thumbhole stocks just looks... right.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWhich is fortunate, because a lot of the other things about the rifle - namely, it being a sniper rifle shorter than your average 3-year-old with a muzzle velocity under the speed of sound that can fire in full-auto - seem about as far from "right" as you can get without a passport.Error creating thumbnail: File missingUnlike the reference image, unfortunately, the VSS in the box doesn't come with a PSO-1 scope - or any scope for that matter. Iron sights'll have to do.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFiring off a few shots at the crystal snowflake. A spent casing can just barely be seen on its way out of the ejection port.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDiscovering that the fact that something has to work doesn't necessarily meant it will, the scorned sniper gives his VSS one last look before putting it back away, and trying to figure out how to tell HQ that he failed his mission without shooting himself twice in the back of the head.Error creating thumbnail: File missingHaving definitely survived perfectly fine with no issues at all, definitely the same guy in definitely the same place adjusts the sights on his post-update VSS; these are pretty much the same as the Val's, with the same 25-50-100-150-200-250-300-350-400-450-500-meter settings, so we've added an optic to make things more interesting. This also means that the sight's setting isn't visible past certain distances (since it clips into/is blocked by the optic body), though the fact that said optic also obscures the front sight at any range setting renders this point a bit moot.
Walther WA 2000
The sixteenth day's gift during the Meatmas 2018 event was a second-pattern Walther WA 2000; like the Dragunov SVD, it is classified in-game as a battle rifle.
