Sniper Rifle

The Sniper Rifle has been an Unreal series mainstay. With two exceptions, a Sniper Rifle has been in every single game.

Unreal
This five-foot-long Rifle, commonly referred to as Sniper Rifle, the "Pocket Howitzer" and sometimes a "Skaarj Hunting Rifle", packs an incredible wallop. Formerly used as a hunting rifle in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, it was useful for taking down the biggest game.
 * Primary Fire
 * A long range, very powerful, accurate shot.


 * Secondary Fire
 * Zoom scope

The original Rifle's alt fire was supposed to cause a multiple slug shot, but this feature was replaced by the sniper zoom, although the feature returns in Unreal Championship 2. When the zoom was active, a scope would pop out from the bottom of the rifle and would arrange itself on top of the rifle, but this animation was never originally used in Unreal. However, the animation appears in Unreal Tournament's OldSkool mod.

Unreal 2
The Widowmaker Sniper Rifle of Unreal 2 is the best weapon for long range in game. It is also capable of headshoting for extra damage. When the player is in the zoom mode, it is very difficult to see enemies coming from behind or the sides as they are blacked out. It is the most similar weapon to other Unreal series weapons from the Unreal 2 arsenal. The only changes are the clip usage and the zoom technology.
 * Primary fire
 * Fires a single shot.


 * Secondary fire
 * Toggles the scope on and off. The zoom, unlike the ones in other Unreal series games, is not controlled by the time you hold the trigger, but is controlled by the weapon scroll buttons. To zoom in, use the mouse wheel up, to zoom out, use the mouse wheel down. When out of ammo in clip and still using zoom, the view will automatically come out of zoom mode, play the reload animation and zoom in again (that's why it takes longer to reload while using secondary fire).

Unreal Tournament
Classification: Long Range Ballistic


 * Primary Fire
 * Fires a high powered bullet. Can kill instantly when applied to the cranium of opposing forces.


 * Secondary Fire
 * Zooms the rifle in, up to eight times normal vision. Allows for extreme precision from hundreds of yards away.
 * Disadvantage: Unaware of close opponent(s) in zoom.


 * Techniques
 * Great for long distance headshots!

Unreal Tournament 2003/Unreal Championship
The sniper rifle was replaced by the Lightning Gun in UT2003 and Unreal Championship.

Unreal Tournament 2004

 * Primary Fire
 * Fires a high velocity bullet.


 * Secondary Fire
 * Activates a scope allowing you to zoom in on your opponents.


 * Game Description
 * This high-muzzle velocity sniper rifle with a 10x scope is a lethal weapon at any range, especially if you can land a headshot.


 * Notes
 * A puff of smoke appears when firing this weapon, partially obscuring the player's vision.
 * The Lightning Gun is still available; it's the mappers choice to include one or both of the weapons. Players can use the Lightning Guns or Sniper Rifles mutators to force one weapon or the other.

Unreal Tournament 3
Features a red bullet tracer - all the better to see you with, my dear.
 * Primary Fire
 * Fire a high velocity sniper round.


 * Secondary Fire
 * User-Controlled Zoom.

''The venerable Axon Research long-range target interdiction rifle is the weapon of choice for the discerning sniper. Acquisition of a target at distance requires a steady hand, but the rewards merit the effort: the high-caliber round is lethal at any range. With a precise headshot, the target will be neutralized by the super-sonic bullet long before they hear the report. As they say in the N.E.G. Marines: 'any shot you hear is nothing to be worried about.'
 * Game Description

Unreal Championship 2
"The old Axon Research long-range target interdiction rifle is the weapon of choice for the discerning sniper."

- Unreal Championship 2 website

The Sniper Rifle of Unreal Championship 2 uses the Energy type ammo.
 * Primary fire: A burst of three deadly shots. It seems to be similar to the originally planned Unreal rifle's alternative fire. Headshots might or might not be enabled when using this mode.
 * Secondary fire: Enables the sniper's scope and changes the type of fire. When zoomed, the rifle fires a more powerful round which is an instant kill on a head shot.