It’s an idea I’ve been toying with for a while, but after a recent sniper training event the argument for a 1j sniper rifle has grown massively.

I know most new players look at the power limits and think “I need to get as close to the maximum as possible”. I even know some famous names who deliberately go over the limits and try lots of tricks to cheat chrono and make it look like they’re under the limits. It’s an unhealthy obsession. And it’s not actually that usable in a game…

The first thing we had to do at this event was set up a range on a runway, with a steel torso sized target at one end (and a plastic “head” target on top) and had ranges marked out at 20m, 40m, 60m, 80m, 100m, and 120m. To be fair, the 60m mark was further out than many of us had guessed. Now, when you watch BB travel time, particularly on YouTube, most scopecams look like they’re shot at the 20-40m mark, which probably explains why Kicking Mustang recently complained at a 35m MED at some sites, because it’d wipe out most of his content without the close range stuff. Indeed, when I’ve done my own events in the past, most sniper on sniper engagements have still been between 30-50m. Now, we did an accuracy test whereby all the snipers started at 20m and had one shot to hit the target. All chose the torso, which was interesting considering the stereotype of sNiPeR hEaDsHoTs we see on media; these snipers knew how to shoot though.

Hitting the target first time is absolutely vital in a game situation; every missed shot could be seen and your position revealed and that’s why we wanted the practice. And you might only have a short window of opportunity to take a shot. For those wondering, two VSR’s stood at the end, and I won but hit just left on the last marker. But that was irrelevant. Nobody misses at 20 or 40m. The bb travel time was short and pretty unavoidable, not that the target was moving. All the platforms were deadly at AEG ranges as you’d expect, but without the noise and missed shots. And that’s kind of what sniping is about. Not fluking a long, 100m+ lob and catching someone in a crowd at respawn – it’s being able to outmanoeuvre your enemy and pick them off with one clean, surgical hit. And the closer you can get, the higher your chances. And we like improving our chances.

Fast forward to the main event at the sniper event and we did a debrief. Of all the kills that day in a sniper vs sniper game, in a huge sprawling site, 2/3 kills were with pistols. Of the rifle kills, none were thought to be beyond 40m. And that’s guys with 2.3j maxed out rifles who definitely could have. So, why do we chase that extra range if we’re not using it?

Surely it makes more sense to have a gun that operates at 0-60m than 20-80m?

It makes more sense for a lot of engagements. But I did have another incident which highlighted the need for a 1j bolt action.

In blue here, I found myself stumbling across two very well camouflaged snipers in a very unexpected position. At a distance of about two metres. Obviously, I had to reach for a pistol but didn’t have it in the most clever of positions, and had to look down to locate it on my rig. This was against a guy who could draw a pistol faster than most people can sneeze. Result – one dead Stip Sniper. Now, as an all out sniper my tendency is to lead with the rifle at all times, sometimes using the scope to spot but always looking for opportune targets, and I always keep it loaded and ready. In the situation I’d just had, if the VSR was 1j and not subject to any MED, I’d have had the rifle in hand pointing directly at the enemy player and would have hit the trigger faster than the opposing pistol draw, resulting in a win, rather than putting the rifle down and scrambling for a different weapon. The VSR was already in hand. It’s quicker, and more efficient. Clearly, if there are any buildings to be breached, you’d still lead in with the pistol but a low power rifle would make all the difference outdoors, as surprising as that sounds.

There are other benefits too. A 1j spring is ridiculously easy to pull, and ultra quiet even though my 2.3j main already is. Of course, I’m not going to just put a new spring in it, I want the two different rifle setups and it’s a great excuse for another build, which will be on the most junk VSR I could possibly find – GSG’s VSR Project gun. I will of course be adding a Rapax spring in, he does a 1j which should be smooth as hell and consistent; link to his shop here.

I’ll cover the actual build in more detail once I get some spare bits pulled together and the gun stripped to see what’s left in it. The VSR Project, take 2!