Militaries Worldwide Use These Longest-Range Sniper Rifles

Special Report

Published: December 23, 2023 9:14 am

Sniper rifles are predominantly essential tools of modern military forces, offering precision and destruction in long-range engagements. Among these rifles, a select few stand out as the longest-range sniper rifles currently in use. These rifles are paramount to the success of today’s snipers and together with these weapons, they are changing the face of the battlefield.

A great example of this is Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who is known as the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history. During his tour in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, he recorded 91 kills, earning him the name of “The Devil of Ramadi.” Kyle was also credited with hitting an insurgent over 1.2 miles away, a feat of incredible skill aided by modern sniper technology.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed sniper rifles cataloged by Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more to determine the longest-range guns used by militaries around the world. We ranked the guns according to their maximum effective range, limiting the list to guns with maximum effective ranges above 3,000 feet. Supplemental data on country of origin, first year of service, caliber, cartridge, and the ammunition used by each rifle also comes from Military Factory.

The rifles on this list fall into two categories: anti-materiel rifles (AMR) and anti-personnel rifles. Anti-materiel rifles are meant to pierce armor or fortified positions, while anti-personnel rifles are meant to neutralize combatants. The rifles near the top of this list tend to be anti-material as these are longer-range than most anti-personnel rifles. More than half of these rifles are capable of chambering a 12.7x99mm NATO caliber round, making this ammo fairly ubiquitous among most snipers. (Also see, the fastest-firing machine guns in the world.)

The American-made CheyTac Intervention is one of the top names on this list. This anti-materiel rifle chambers a .408 CheyTac cartridge and can reach distances of more than 6,500 ft. with considerable accuracy. Its repeating mechanism allows for swift follow-up shots. The Intervention set a world record for the best grouping at a distance (2,122 meters). (These are the world’s largest gun makers.)

These Militaries Around the World Use These Longest-Range Sniper Rifles

29. Siyavash SWS

Source: Majid Saeedi / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Maximum effective range: 3,280 ft. (tied)
Country of origin: Iran
Year entered service: 2013
Used by: Iran
Caliber/Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO

28. MKEK JNG-90

Bora-12 (CC BY-SA 4.0) by YenilenebilirAdam

Maximum effective range: 3,280 ft. (tied)
Country of origin: Turkey
Year entered service: 2008
Used by: Turkey, Azerbaijan
Caliber/Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO

27. Brugger & Thomet APR

BT APR338 LM silenciada Ejercito de Chile by RaulRiosCavada

BT APR338 LM silenciada Ejercito de Chile (CC BY-SA 4.0) by RaulRiosCavada

Maximum effective range: 3,280 ft. (tied)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Year entered service: 2005
Used by: Switzerland, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Singapore
Caliber/Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO, .338 Lapua Magnum, .308 Winchester

26. Accuracy International L96

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare by Mr Bullitt

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Mr Bullitt

Maximum effective range: 3,608 ft.
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Year entered service: 1982
Used by: United Kingdom, United States, France, Belgium
Caliber/Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO, .308 Winchester Magnum, .338 Lapua Magnum

25. NORINCO CS/LR4

CS-LR4 Sniper Rifle (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Rhk111

Maximum effective range: 3,610 ft. (tied)
Country of origin: China
Year entered service: 2012
Used by: China, Philippines, Venezuela
Caliber/Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO, .308 Winchester, 8.6x70mm

24. GA MSSR

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Maximum effective range: 3,610 ft. (tied)
Country of origin: Philippines
Year entered service: 1996
Used by: Philippines
Caliber/Cartridge: 5/56x45mm NATO

23. Accuracy International AWM

AWM-338-white (CC BY-SA 4.0) by MathKnight

Maximum effective range: 3,610 ft. (tied)
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Year entered service: 1996
Used by: United Kingdom, Norway, Russia, Poland
Caliber/Cartridge: .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum

22. Remington M2010 ESR

Tac50white1 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by MathKnight

Maximum effective range: 3,935 ft.
Country of origin: United States
Year entered service: 2011
Used by: United States
Caliber/Cartridge: .300 Winchester Magnum

21. Accuracy International Mk 13 (SOCOM)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Maximum effective range: 3,940 ft.
Country of origin: United States
Year entered service: 2017
Used by: United States
Caliber/Cartridge: .300 Winchester Magnum

20. PGM 338

Mini Hecate 338 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Rude

Maximum effective range: 4,600 ft.
Country of origin: France
Year entered service: 1993
Used by: France, Armenia, Israel
Caliber/Cartridge: .338 Lapua Magnum

19. Steyr HS.50

Steyr HS .50-right side-scope by Steyr Mannlicher

Steyr HS .50-right side-scope (CC BY 2.0) by Steyr Mannlicher

Maximum effective range: 4,920 ft. (tied)
Country of origin: Austria
Year entered service: 2004
Used by: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine
Caliber/Cartridge: .460 Steyr, .50BMG (12.7x99mm NATO)

18. Remington MSR

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Maximum effective range: 4,920 ft. (tied)
Country of origin: United States
Year entered service: 2013
Used by: United States, France, Israel
Caliber/Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO, .338 Lapua Magnum, .338 Norma Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum