Best Scout Guns in Battlefield 1

Find your favorite sniper rifle here.

image via EA's BF1 Press Kit

Battlefield 1 is still popular amongst Battlefield fans and is revered as one of the best games in the franchise by a decent percentage of the player base. Despite being released way back in October 2016, Battlefield 1 still has a loyal fanbase and full servers of players who enjoy the unique World War 1 experience provided to them. Not that we are implying that Battlefield 2042’s shortcomings have influenced this development greatly. Here are the best Scout Guns in Battlefield 1.

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We know that there are many Scout Rifles in Battlefield 1, but we had to pick a group of six for this article. We’ll give you a few historical facts about these just to keep things interesting, and we’ll break down some of the most important stats:

Martini-Henry

If you were to carry the Martini-Henry rifle during World War 1, You would truly be carrying an “old-school” rifle. Martini-Henry is a lever action rifle that remained in service in the British Empire army until the end of World War I, despite the manufacturing stopped back in 1889.

Due to the advancements in technology, it has been replaced with the “Lee-Metford” rifle, and subsequently, with the “Lee-Enfield” rifle (familiar to every World War 2 enthusiast). However, some of the Martini-Henry rifles have been modified and renamed into Martini-Enfield rifles.

The last part of trivia for this model is that it was used sporadically in Afghanistan by the Afghan people during the Soviet invasion.

If it works, it works, it seems!

Now, for the Battlefield 1 side of the matter:

  • This rifle is not good for long-range sniping or for close-range encounters. It is a torso one-shot kill if you hit an enemy that’s located between 30 and 80 meters away from you.
  • Outside of this “Sweet Spot” range (between 30 and 80 meters), it’s not a one-shot kill solution unless you manage to land a headshot, so it’s important to position yourself well in order to get the maximum out of this rifle. You also ought to be a good shot, due to the reload time. If you attack someone at close range with it, you better have a sidearm ready to finish the business.
  • Muzzle velocity is kind of low, sitting at 440 meters per second, so leading your shots against the moving enemy is a must.

The upside is that it has the biggest one-hit kill range of 50 meters. The downside is that it only has 1 bullet, and you will need to reload the bullet every time after firing, which takes 2.3 seconds.

Related: Battlefield 1: Beginner Multiplayer Tips

Lebel Model 1886 Infantry

This is a French-made rifle that was in service until 1940 in the French army, but sporadical usage was noticed in the First Indochina War, the Algerian War, and of course, the War in Afghanistan.

  • It fires 56 rounds per minute.
  • Its capacity is 8, which is above average.
  • Sweet Spot is between 50 and 87 meters, which is 37 meters, making it the second-best on this list.
  • Bullet Velocity is 720 meters per second, which is not as good as some other rifles have it, but it’s fairly decent.

Related: Battlefield 1 Walkthrough and Guide – All Collectibles

Gewehr 98 Sniper

The word “Gewehr” will always ring some bells for World War enthusiasts. This rifle was made by Mauser. It was in service between 1898 and 1935 (when it got replaced by far better rifles). It has also been used by the Ottomans and Nationalist Spain.

Some cool bit of trivia is that the Germans selected the most precise pieces of Gewehr 98 (about 15,000 of them) according to factory tests and added sniper scopes to them. It wasn’t originally intended to be a sniper rifle. It’s important to note that this rifle was one of the predecessors of Kar98k, a legendary German rifle that many collectors are either after or are already cherishing to this day.

  • This Sniper Rifle is highly popular because it has a big bullet velocity of 880 meters per second.
  • It fires 50 rounds per minute.
  • Sweet Spot is between 80 and 125 meters, which makes it the go-to choice for most long-range engagements. And also, having the highest velocity on this list makes it a primary choice for people who do not want to lead shots much.

Related: Battlefield V PS4 Controller Settings Guide

Type 38 Arisaka

Arisaka was used in the Empire of Japan between 1906 and 1945 and has fought many wars, and you could spot it on the battlefields in the far east even after World War 2. The Japanese made an upgrade and invented Type 99, but Type 38 was still used alongside it even though the replacement of them was being actively done during the war.

  • Arisaka fires 57 rounds per minute, which is not that fast compared to other rifles on this list (Martini-Henry being the exception).
  • 30-62.5 meters is the Sweet spot range, which is just 32.5 meters and kind of the smallest “Sweet Spot” on this list.
  • 770 meters per second is the velocity of the bullet.

SMLE MKIII Marksman

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mark III, is yet another legendary rifle that’s sought after by collectors worldwide. It supersedes the above-mentioned Martini-Henry rifle. It was in active military service in the UK until the 1960s, while in some regions of the world, it has seen use from Bangladesh to Afghanistan, even in the 21st century.

  • This sniper rifle is highly popular because it has 10 rounds, unlike other rifles Scout can use.
  • The Rate of Fire is 53 rounds per minute
  • The “Sweet Spot” is between 40 and 75 meters., which is just 35 meters.
  • The velocity of the bullet is 740 meters per second.

ROSS MKIII

This is a Canadian bolt action rifle that was produced between 1903 and 1918 and is an upgrade to an already decent MKII variant. It was a very precise and reliable rifle, which granted it a permanent place in the loadout of some Canadian units until World War 1 ended.

  • Sweet Spot is between 40 and 75 meters, which is just 35 meters.
  • Bullet Velocity is 740 meters per second.
  • The Rate of Fire is 62 rounds per minute, and that makes it the fastest-firing weapon on this list.

About the Author

Nikola L

Nikola has been a Staff Writer at Prima Games since May 2022. He has been gaming since being able to hold an Amiga 500 joystick on his own, back in the early 90s (when gaming was really good!). Nikola has helped organize dozens of gaming events and tournaments and has been professionally attached to gaming since 2009.