Is it a good idea? I see this phrase on social media a lot and I don’t understand it. Why would a sane player run a sniper setup in an close quarters environment? CQB tends to be a quicker paced, shorter game fought often at ranges inside a snipers Minimum Engagement Distance (MED). Not sure about global rules, but in the UK the higher powered sniper rifles (between 350-500fps depending on the site limits) are not permitted to engage at less than 20 metres for obvious safety reasons. So already, it makes no sense in running one. Additionally, at a quicker pace with an emphasis on reaction speed, a single shot weapon that is difficult to manoeuvre with isn’t a clever choice at all. If you were to drop the power to under 350 to remove the MED, you lose a lot of the advantage of having a sniper rifle in the first place.

Bump style helmets are ideal if you have a habit of walking into doorways. I’ve since fitted a cover to hide the cracks. 

If we were to assume that by CQB, somebody actually meant an urban area, there is perhaps a better use for a sniper to cover open ground inbetween buildings. I’ve attempted it myself at the British Army FIBUA village at Catterick Garrison with Stirling Airsoft, although switched to an M4 because it was more effective for moving through buildings with, and being effectively on overwatch from a window is a very static style of play. The urban area is ideal for skirmishes for the simpler sniper, predominantly amounting to sitting at windows or picking off targets who have little cover at street level and are often suppressed by close-ranged enemy fire and don’t tend to move much. Grenades are more common providing a lot of background noise and distraction. Good for low skill, high kill YouTube videos, it doesn’t really push the sniper to develop stalking or camouflage skills.

It’s not that I dislike CQB, I do do it and enjoy it but I kit up for it correctly and leave the long rifle at home. It’s about as effective as a support weapon with a 30rd low cap mag. You’re just not getting the most out of it. And that’s today’s thought. I’ll flick back to instagram now.