Modern Warfare
CoD4 Ultimate Sniping Guide - Attachments
Sniping Guide: Snipers | Sniping Guide: Attachments | Sniping Guide: Techniques
ATTACHMENTS:
Normal Scope: This is what you should generally be using while sniping. It is extremely accurate and works best at medium-long ranges.
ACOG: Works well if you are planning to snipe on a small level. Vacant and Killhouse are two examples where you should use it. The bullet goes to the tip of the triangle. You can 'steady' it for longer shots by fighting against where the scope wants to sway. The regular scope is for medium-long range, this is for medium-short range, or the sniper on the move.
Once you have chosen your weapon and attachment, you must decide on the perks for it.
Perk 1:
C4: Not very useful for snipers. C4 is okay as a close range grenade, but since you do not need to clear rooms, you should not need a grenade.
Special Grenades x3: This is another room-clearing perk. Do not use it.
RPG: Obviously good for taking out choppers, but that's not really a sniper's role. I would go for something different.
Claymores: This is the typical perk 1 for snipers, and for good reason. It guards your back and greatly extends your life. A must for everyone who is not ACOG sniping.
Frag x3: These are generally used in close quarters maps. Snipers should not get close enough to require these. MAYBE on an ACOG class.
Bandolier: My preference for ACOG sniping. The ACOG is not as accurate as the regular scope; it is just faster. That, combined with the more chaotic close quarters environment, means you will be missing many shots. Bandolier allows me to miss occasionally and I still have ammo to spare. This is my favorite perk one when I do not need to use claymores.
Bomb Squad: This is designed to help you sneak behind snipers. Leave this perk for the ghosts.
Perk 2:
Stopping Power: The standard perk 2 for snipers. Without stopping power, you have to aim really high in the body or make a second shot. Stopping power is going to help ensure one-hit kills, which are necessary for snipers. Unneeded in hardcore.
Juggernaut: Pretty useless while sniping. In sniper vs. sniper scenarios, the enemy should see only your head and neck, in which case juggernaut is not going to prevent a kill. Against rushers, it'll let you stay alive for another bullet, but the power of stopping power is way more useful. In hardcore, it's decent because it lets you stay alive from G3 hits, which are very common in hardcore.
Sleight of hand: You shouldn't be in combat that's fast paced enough to require this. Go for something else.
Double Tap: Makes no difference on the semi-auto rifles. It's OK in hardcore on the M40, but there are better options for hardcore.
Overkill: This is a moderately popular perk for snipers. I'll discuss it's uses in both hardcore and regular modes. The point of overkill is having a weapon to suit every situation. The sniper covers long range. You want a weapon that will perform well at short-medium range. Shotguns cover close range brilliantly, but they don't do anything at long range, so they're out. That leaves assault rifles, sub machine guns, and light machine guns, which I'll talk about for both regular and hardcore.
REGULAR: Light Machine Guns are a little slow to bring up and fire. I see them more as a choke-point clearing device opposed to a personal defense weapon, so I don't use them. Among the sub machine guns, you are looking for not just a point-blank weapon, but also something that can hold it's own at medium ranges. It needs to be pretty powerful, since you don't have stopping power. The P90 is ok because of it's large clip, but I prefer the AK-74u and MP5 because they kill faster, which is very important to you. It's up to you, clip size, or faster killing. Among the assault rifles, you are looking for a high-powered, close quarters oriented one. They all can handle medium and close range, so you might as well get the most powerful. In this case, the AK-47 is going to be what you want. Those are the best options, so out of the P90, MP5, AK-74u, and AK-47, you want to pick out the gun that best covers short-medium range. I prefer the AK-47 myself, but if you want a little more power up close, then you can look into the sub machine guns.
HARDCORE: In hardcore, since you don't need stopping power, overkill becomes a very valuable perk and should definitely be considered. You may be thinking: 'The M4 is popular, so I'll get that as my overkilled gun'. I actually don't recommend the M4 for hardcore overkill. Think about what you're using it for: close-medium range. The low recoil is being wasted. I prefer the AK-47 here as well. It has an acceptable fire rate, but since it's pretty powerful, it has the ability to one-hit opponents from any distance. Another great choice would be the P90. Although it usually requires 2 hits, it has low enough recoil to be affective at medium ranges, but it's high rate of fire, great hip-accuracy, and huge clip make it a beast at close range. Some people would say the SAW is good as well because it has a huge clip, can one-hit, and a high rate of fire, but it just isn't compact enough to bring to a close quarters environment, and the hip fire is very inaccurate. MP5 gets the job done, but it has a decent amount of recoil, and I believe it falls short of the P90. The Skorpion, G36, and M4, can also get the job done, but I believe others cover short-medium range better. To me, you should chose between the AK-47's ability to one hit, or the P90's forgiving clip and fire rate.
The final thing I want to say about overkill is put the full auto gun first. This will be discussed in the priority section, but having a ghillie suit makes you a huge threat, and thus a target for enemy snipers. But having the SMG skin instead, you will be low priority, so you will last a lot longer. Also, if you spawn in the middle of combat, it's always better to have your full-auto weapon out and ready. To put it simply, the ghillie suit is more trouble than it's worth.
UAV Jammer: This is another perk people may consider while sniping. To be honest, I don't like it. People are going to figure out where you are by either the killcam, or the huge sound made when you fire your gun. In regular, you will want to use the Dragunov, but I do not recommend this perk. For regular modes, if you don't want stopping power, you can do better with overkill. The killcam will give away your position time after time. On hardcore modes, this is a viable option. First, you don't need stopping power here, so that frees up perk 2. Second, there is no killcam, so you are harder to track. Third, you can go with a quieter gun such as the M21. I still prefer overkill for hardcore, but this is a great option for those sneaky types.
EDIT: While I do not prefer UAV Jammer personally, some people do. On the second page, tidsy made an argument on how it can be useful. IT is worth reading and considered both my viewpoint, and his.
Sonic Boom: This is usually a poor choice even with Frag x3 and Martyrdom. It shouldn't even be considered for sniping.
Perk 3:
Extreme Conditioning: Some mobile snipers like to use this to quickly get from spot to spot. I personally prefer steady aim for mobile sniping. I don't find I need to move THAT much as a sniper, so I'd rather have steady aim for those unexpected close quarters encounters.
Steady Aim: This is what I prefer for mobile sniping. When you're moving around, you are bound to run into a guy with a P90. You might as well be prepared.
Last Stand: When you are sniping, you are usually hiding behind a wall, killing people across the map. If you get counter-sniped, you won't be able to do anything in Last Stand. Even if you die from someone sneaking up behind you, odds are low you'll get the kill, so last stand falls short of other options.
Martyrdom: When you are sniping, you are usually hiding behind a wall, killing people across the map. If you get counter-sniped, martyrdom won't do anything. Even if you die from someone sneaking up behind you, odds are low you'll get the kill, so martyrdom falls short of other options.
Deep Impact: This is the perk you should use if you don't need a whole lot of time to steady the scope and take the shot. It works best on the Barrett .50cal because it's got high power, and it's semi-automatic. That way, you have a good chance of one-hitting thanks to the power. If you don't kill in a hit, you can make a second shot quickly. Finally, you don't need precision when shooting through walls. On hardcore, it helps you one hit through respectably thick walls and is an excellent option.
Iron Lungs: This was made for snipers. It really comes into it's own in long range shooting and sniper versus sniper situations. The beautiful thing about Iron Lungs is it gives you the ability to have your scope steadied for a whole 10 seconds, while you wait for the sniper to stick his head up. Don't overlook this one.
Dead Silence: It only makes a difference when sprinting in enemy territory, which is about the last thing a sniper should be doing. Don't use it.
Eavesdrop: Useless even if you are close enough to hear enemy chatter. Since you'll always be too far away from enemies anyway, don't use this.
SPECIAL GRENADES:
Smoke: This is my choice for sniping, just because it has so many uses. It can be used to help you reach locations unharmed, location 1 on Creek from my Sniping Locations guide (https://www.cod4central.com/cod4-weapons-sniping-guide.php) is a good example. It can be used to help you get away if multiple people are rushing your building. If someone is coming up the stairs, you can toss a smoke grenade on them so they don't see your claymores. If you are playing objective game types, it also has tons of uses, such as tossing it on the bomb planter.
Stun: These are used for clearing out buildings. While it can be used to give you an advantage when people are coming upstairs, your claymores can do a better job and you shouldn't fight their MP5 with a puny pistol if you can help it.
Flash: These are used for clearing out buildings. While it can be used to give you an advantage when people are coming upstairs, your claymores can do a better job and you shouldn't fight their MP5 with a puny pistol if you can help it.
Pistols: In your pistol, you are looking for a gun that completes the class you've made so far. Currently, you have nothing to defend yourself with when you are reaching your spot, and when you are in your spot, so you need a gun that is very good in close quarters. To stay competitive with sub machine guns, it needs to pack a punch, so M9 is out. You also need to have excellent hip-accuracy. Time spent bringing up the sights is enough time for you to be dead, so USP is out. Among the M1911 and Desert Eagle, the Desert Eagle has more power, and better hip-fire accuracy. The Desert Eagle is the best pistol for a sniper, but if you want to be able to silence your pistol, then use the M1911.
LOCATIONS AND CLAYMORES:
Locations: Now that you have your class, you need to know where to snipe, how to tell a good spot, and where to place your claymores. for where to snipe, and where to place claymores. Basically, a good spot is higher than surrounding terrain, has 2 or less entrances, preferably 1, an option to see enemy snipers, an option to only focus on rushers without enemy sniper interference, good cover, preferably to the point where only your head, and maybe neck is showing, not very well known, and removed from the action. Obviously, very few if any spots fit all those criteria, but that's the basics on what you should look for in a spot if you'd rather not read my guide.
Claymore Placement: This is also shown in my sniping locations guide, but there is a trick to placing good claymores. First, you have to think what they enemy will be doing in this part of the building. Are they going to be sprinting inside to avoid gunfire, or is it pretty close to the sniper, and they will be moving slowly and cautiously? If they are sprinting, you can afford to put it in an obvious place, and you want something they will set off early, and run right into, unable to stop because they are sprinting, but also unable to run past. If it's closer to you, then they will be moving slowly and cautiously. Here you want a more concealed claymore. Because of how slow they are moving, they will be more alert, but if it goes off without them noticing it, they are dead. The top of ladders are also good spots for claymores, but you have to place them right. It can't have the beams hanging over the edge or they will notice and not go up. But the claymore cannot be too far back because people like to sprint when reaching the top of ladders. It's best placed when the beams reach the edge, but don't go over the edge. Then it'll go off as they dismount the ladder at the top and they will have no where to go. Again, this is in my guide, but these are general tips if you'd prefer not to read it.
Sniping Guide: Snipers | Sniping Guide: Attachments | Sniping Guide: Techniques