There are many different types of combat in Fallout 4, including melee and ranged weapons. Sniper rifles have the furthest range that you can achieve and they are a weapon type that is present in every Fallout game. There isn’t a single type of sniper rifle; instead, they consist of a large variety, including ballistic and energy weapons.

Some weapons come pre-equipped with a scope; however, there are many other rifles in Fallout 4 that you can create a sniper rifle out of by crafting a scope onto it yourself. Regardless of how a sniper rifle came into the world, there are some in Fallout 4 that you should familiarize yourself with if you’re going to create a sniper rifle build.

13 The Best Scope For A Sniper Rifle

Although all scopes are great, they’re not all equal. You can’t install every scope onto all weapons in Fallout 4, but most rifles feature many options, so it’s likely that you can craft the best scope, regardless of your choice of sniper rifle. However, there are two scopes you should know about if you’re looking for the best of the best.

The Laser Long Recon Scope is by far the best scope in Fallout 4. It not only offers better accuracy and long-range views, but it’ll also track targets for you after you have them in your sights and begin combat. The Laser Long Night Vision Scope is also quite powerful since it features the same long-range view as the Laser Long Recon Scope, but also allows you to see in the dark via its night vision feature.

12 The Best Sniper Rifle For A Beginner

Generally, pipe weapons are fairly weak. However, they’re not too bad at the beginning of a playthrough, especially considering how easy it is to modify them. You can add all sorts of modifications to a pipe weapon, and you can even turn a standard Pipe Rifle into a Pipe Sniper Rifle by adding a scope to it.

You can find Pipe Rifles all over the Commonwealth, regardless of your level. However, you can buy one from Arturo Rodriguez in Diamond City if you don’t want to go searching for it. Pipe Rifles can even have scopes with night vision, so they’re a great option immediately after leaving Vault 111 if you want to use rifles but don’t know where to start.

11 Railway Rifle With A Scope

  • Location:
  • Purchase from Tinker Tom while in good standing with the Railroad
  • Effect:
  • No unique effect

The Railway Rifle isn’t the best sniper in the Commonwealth if you plan to use it from a mile away. However, some stealth builds like to get closer to their enemies, which is where the Railway Rifle comes in handy.

Although the range is somewhat limited while using a Railway Rifle, it still has enough range to shoot a powerful shot at enemies that are a medium-range away from you. At 100 base damage, a Railway Rifle with a scope is the perfect weapon for a sniper that likes to stay in the shadows but also prefers to stay somewhat close to their target.

10 Syringer With A Scope

  • Location:
  • The Greater Mass Blood Clinic’s basement. Also, as a reward for completing the “Hole In The Wall” quest
  • Effect:
  • Shoots unique syringes

The Syringer is one of the most unique guns in the Fallout franchise. It shoots small syringes that have all sorts of effects, from causing temporary paralysis to making the target flee the area in terror. There are so many ways to make a Syringer work well with a sniper rifle build due to how many syringes there are to collect.

You can earn a Syringer is numerous ways, but one of the easiest ways to get it is to compete the “Hole In The Wall” mission inside Vault 81. You can install many scopes onto the Syringer, so it can also work quite well as a traditional sniper rifle if that’s how you want to use it.

9 Reba II

  • Location:
  • Inside the Rook Family House near Salem, on the eastern coast of the Commonwealth
  • Effect:
  • Deals 50 percent more damage to Mirelurks and insect-like enemies

Reba II is only a useful weapon in certain situations, but Mirelurks are one of the toughest enemy types in the Commonwealth, so having this gun on hand at all times will aid you many times throughout your adventure. Outside of its unique effect, Reba II is a standard Hunting Rifle that deals 37 damage upon hitting an enemy.

Since Reba II is a Hunting Rifle, it works especially well as a sniper. You can even customize this weapon with the scope of your choice, which makes it a fantastic rifle that’s worthy of consideration regardless of what level you’re at when you find it.

8 Virgil’s Rifle With A Scope

Location: Obtained after killing Virgil

Effect: 50 percent extra damage towards super mutants

Virgil is a super mutant character that you meet during the main storyline of Fallout 4. He’s a scientist and knows a lot about weapons, which is why he has a powerful rifle. Virgil’s rifle is an energy weapon, which means that you can only use energy cells as the ammo type.

Although you can use Virgil’s Rifle with or without a scope, it’s the perfect candidate for creating a powerful sniper because it deals extra damage towards super mutants, an incredibly common enemy type throughout the Commonwealth. If you’re trying to defeat mutants in the Commonwealth or on Far Harbor, then you should obtain Virgil’s Rifle as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, you have to kill Virgil before you can obtain it.

7 Hub’s Alien Blaster With A Scope

Location: Quest reward for completing “Trip To The Stars” quest

Effect: Your critical meter fills 15 percent faster, and your critical hits deal twice the damage

The alien blaster is a powerful and unique weapon in Fallout 4; however, the Nuka-World DLC added a new variant of this weapon in the form of Hub’s Alien Blaster. This gun can be equipped with a scope that effectively turns it into a sniper rifle.

Similar to Virgil’s Rifle, the alien blaster is an energy weapon that you can use with energy cells after modifying it at a weapon workbench. This special variant of the alien blaster is particularly useful for critical hit builds that rely on the Luck stat since it makes your critical hits deal double the damage.

6 Wazer Wifle With A Scope

Location: Given to you by synth Shaun after completing the main storyline and his quests

Effect: Unlimited ammo clip

The Wazer Wifle is a unique energy weapon given to you by the synth version of Shaun if you choose to take him with you at the end of the main storyline. You’ll have to complete a few small tasks for Shaun before he gives you this weapon; however, they’re quick and worth it since you acquire this weapon as a reward.

Although there are weapons that deal more damage per shot than the Wazer Wifle, it’s a very useful gun because you aren’t required to reload while using it. This means that you can use this weapon as much as you want, which is useful when it has a scope equipped since you can take as many sniper shots as you need without reloading. If you want a unique weapon in Fallout 4, then you should attempt to obtain the Wazer Wifle and craft a scope for it.

5 Tinker Tom Special

Location: Sold by Tinker Tom

Effect: Increases VATS accuracy, but it costs extra AP to use; this effect only occurs outside of combat

The Tinker Tom Special isn’t the strongest sniper in Fallout 4, but it has its place in many important situations. Most notably, this weapon is great for attacking enemies from a distance before moving into the location where the enemy currently resides.

You can use this rifle to attack a single enemy, and it will give you extra accuracy, but you can’t have entered combat yet; otherwise, the special effect won’t activate.

4 The Last Minute

Location: Sold by Ronnie Shaw inside the castle

Effect: Deals 50 percent extra limb damage towards enemies

There aren’t many unique weapons that focus on dealing limb damage in Fallout 4, which is why The Last Minute is such a great weapon. You can acquire this weapon by speaking with Ronnie Shaw after taking back the Castle, which is great because it means that you can obtain this weapon regardless of which faction you side with during the main storyline.

The Last Minute is also a gauss rifle, which is one of the strongest base energy weapons in the Commonwealth. If you want a powerful weapon that’s relatively easy to obtain, then this is a perfect option.

3 The Problem Solver With A Scope

Location: Given to you by Mason after choosing a series of correct dialogue choices

Effect: Increases damage with each consecutive hit on an enemy

The Problems Solver is a weapon in the Nuka-World DLC, and you can only obtain it if you installed this expansion pack.

A scope can be attached to this rifle which turns it into a powerful sniper rifle. This gun deals extra damage per each shot hit, which stacks many times for a powerful final damage bonus.

2 Overseer’s Guardian With A Scope

Location: Sold by Alexis in Vault 81

Effect: Shoots 2 projectiles

Vault 81 is an interesting location that every Wastelander should explore at least once, and one of the best reasons for this is that it’s the only location where you can obtain the Overseer’s Guardian.

The Overseer’s Guardian is a rifle that shoots two bullets instead of one, which means it deals twice the damage of a regular projectile. If you’re creating a sniper build, then there’s no other sniper rifle in the base game of Fallout 4 that’s better than this one.

1 Kiloton Radium Rifle With A Scope

Location: Sold by Brother Kane in the Nucleus

Effect: Bullets explode upon impact

The Kiloton Radium Rifle is the strongest sniper rifle in Fallout 4 because, in addition to dealing ballistic and radiation damage, it also deals explosive damage with each hit. Explosive damage deals damage to every enemy in the area.

This gun is great for automatic rifle users; however, it’s also worth using as a sniper rifle since you can craft a scope onto it. You can only buy this weapon if you’re a member of the Children of Atom on Far Harbor.

NEXT: Fallout 4: The Best Perception Perks, Ranked