Sniper rifles?

[Colt Ward]

Look for two categories . . . and two subsets . . .

Best sniper rifle in the game in 3060s available on the market for merc use.  Not talking about the 'defected from the Death Commandos' type backstory, but something artist of the trade would pick up at the top of their career.

In relation to that . . . what would be the most common 'quality' sniper rifle in the 3060s.  It may not be as good as the 'best' but it still works really well across the board- professionals swear by it.

Looking for answers in two flavors as well . . . laser & projectile.

Do you think a sniper would have both along?  Situations being what they are, IMO there would be times one or the other would be superior for the tactical situation.

[Decoy]

Stupid question. For what type of sniper? Are we talking about the military type who's going to keep the same weapon day after day or something that may need to be left behind or disposed of as it may be incriminating evidence? Either way, IMHO it's the Federated Long Rifle ><

[Colt Ward]

Sorry . .  yeah, talking about the equivalent of a issue item- a personal possession, listing for a job just like a mechwarrior who owns his mech lists it when being hired.

Reason I asked about laser vs ballistic was would a sniper have both in his personal kit.  Actually . . . I had also not thought about a gauss rifle vs a combustion based cartridge.

[Liam's Ghost]

Is the generic Sniper Rifle up for consideration? It's about the best combination of hitting power, range, and availability in the ballistic category. Another reason to go ballistic are the options for special ammunition. An AP round in a sniper rifle WILL go through pretty much any personal armor that isn't power armor. Exploding or flechette rounds are great for soft targets, and if you value stealth over hitting power, subsonic rounds make it harder to hear the shot. You could even get tricky and use airburst or incendiary ammo, if you wanted.

I wouldn't suggest gauss guns. They're expensive and extremely rare.

Laser weapons... they have great range though for most of them the beam can end up pointing right back at you. The Starfire ER Laser Rifle is purpose built for assassination. It has the best range of any inner sphere laser rifle, and its beam is harder to spot. Downside is that it has a five second (one turn) recharge cycle between shots and it's painfully rare outside the free worlds league.

[Colt Ward]

Sounds good . . . I was looking for personal kit to round out the backstory on a merc sniper who was offering his services on MercNET.  Using a specific model rifle for detail purposes, it would be more of a fluff hire unless anyone was using him- they could stat but I would provide backstory.

Any personal lightweight armor recommended?  Something small-arms resistant without getting a mobility penalty for the table top?

[Daryk]

Pick up a surplus FedCom armor kit.  By 3060, there should be plenty lying around.  They have a divisor of two, and aren't encumbering.

[FedRatCowboy]

Need a couple of good back up weapons. Recommend a pistol and a SMG. You know for those times when a sniper rifle just a little obvious.

[Colt Ward]

Sure, but I was looking for the sniper rifle to outfit the kit.  Besides, the spotter should generally be carrying the back up/rapid fire weapon afaik from doctrine.

[Nav_Alpha]

My personal choice would be the Ceres Arms Stalker. Reach out and touch people!
It's made in the CapCon but I reckon the Chaos March would be awash with them thanks to arms deals, captured kit, Cappies funding dirty little insurgencies, etc.
Arms your spotter with one of the Federated Barrett in case you run into any trouble