For all the recon guys out there...

[TG_JBRanger]

Okay, for all you Recon guys out there...

What is your preference on rifle? I know the pluses and minuses of each but what do you prefer and why?

Me? I lean more towards the Park/Moretti rifles as opposed to the Zeller upgrade. Why? Well, while the Zeller has more knock down power I find the standard rifles have a larger field of view even given similar zoom ranges. Yes, I realize the Zeller can zoom further but what good are you doing at those ranges on anything other than stationary targets? I see the benefit of the ability to take out roller mines, apm's and such as well, however the reload times are shorter with the standard rifles as well. Not to mention the red ring of death of the Zeller. The red just throws me "off". Not accuracy wise, just visually it seems more difficult to pick up movement or fine details for those "gnat hair" shots.

Yes, I've tried them all including the Lambert. The Lambert is just meant for more run and gun play style which is not for me. That's not to say I'm not mobile. Quite the contrary. It just seems if you wanted to play that way you'd pick assault or support and REALLY benefit your squad.

What say you?

[TG_JBRanger]

Bah, guess the reload times are the same.... so that goes out the window.

However, the Zeller does have a much louder report and a visible signature when fired.....

[Acreo Aeneas]

Hmm, I find the Zeller has a slight muffled report while the Park/Moretti have a "crack-clink" report.

I find I use the Zeller more as opposed to the Moretti for the larger/open maps where I engage from longer distances. If it's a smaller map, I tend to opt for the standard sniper rifle or the Lambert due to its larger ammo cap per mag and slightly faster reload time.

[Lyramion]

I use stock sniper rifles for run n gun also

I prefer the stock rifles and I usually go for quick body shots to support my team. So a clip of 5 ****s is way more useful

[Anospa]

Originally Posted by Lyramion

I use stock sniper rifles for run n gun also

I prefer the stock rifles and I usually go for quick body shots to support my team. So a clip of 5 ****s is way more useful

Yep, I run and gun with 'em mostly too. I'm a mean sniper, I shoot people in the face most of the time.

I actually find the Zeller louder than the others, and its got a very visible bullet. I can hear that thing's "crack," from pretty far away, whereas the park seems the quietest, followed by the morreti.

Only time I take the Zeller is if I'm dicking around or trying to go for a real far range shots because the dmg is useful. Plus, plain funny to see someone standing there drop drop from shots from 200m out.

[=MAXx=]

Zellar=lol pwnage. Why? iono....

[Arf]

I tend pack the Zeller only for long range shooting. At close ranges the loud report and easily spotted tracer give you away pretty fast. Once they know where you are you only have 2 more shots before 5 or so enemy players are all over you. When you get to a good distance between you and the enemy it's great because despite the report and tracer you're just too far away for them to hit you with most weapons.

Most of the time I use the stock rifles. As Lyra said if you put 5 shots into 5 enemy players anywhere on their body with a sniper a rifle they're pretty much walking dead until they find a med hub, it'll give your squad a huge advantage. Plus it has a larger magazine then the Zeller; if you kill 3 guys with a Zeller one Medic can grab all those revives but if you get 4 kills then that medic is going to need a second to recharge his defib which makes all the difference.

The Lambert is underrated. It's a great weapon for the man on point and more versatile then a shotgun. Seriously, if you think the Herzog is a good idea pick up a Lambert once in a while (it's great even without the sights) unlike a Herzog you'll be able to engage targets at medium ranges and you can even miss a few shots at close range without dooming yourself to be riddled by bullets.

[Hidus]

Originally Posted by Arf

I tend pack the Zeller only for long range shooting. At close ranges the loud report and easily spotted tracer give you away pretty fast. Once they know where you are you only have 2 more shots before 5 or so enemy players are all over you. When you get to a good distance between you and the enemy it's great because despite the report and tracer you're just too far away for them to hit you with most weapons.

Most of the time I use the stock rifles. As Lyra said if you put 5 shots into 5 enemy players anywhere on their body with a sniper a rifle they're pretty much walking dead until they find a med hub, it'll give your squad a huge advantage. Plus it has a larger magazine then the Zeller; if you kill 3 guys with a Zeller one Medic can grab all those revives but if you get 4 kills then that medic is going to need a second to recharge his defib which makes all the difference.

The Lambert is underrated. It's a great weapon for the man on point and more versatile then a shotgun. Seriously, if you think the Herzog is a good idea pick up a Lambert once in a while (it's great even without the sights) unlike a Herzog you'll be able to engage targets at medium ranges and you can even miss a few shots at close range without dooming yourself to be riddled by bullets.

Yeah the lambert is a beast in close, I just hate how gimpy it is > med range especially when you are used to the feel of the AR's.

[Virigoth]

Zeller is good for two things:

1) Teaching yourself to win fights by shooting them in the face.
2) Clearing mines.

Once you can score a medium range headshot faster then an assult can kill you there is no point in Zeller other then mine clearing etc. Stock sniper rifles have a better field of view from their scope as well.

PS. I can't remember the last time I sniped anyone at 150m+. I used to know the exact bullet drop in the scope for long range sniping but then I found that you get far more kills if you use sniper rifle more like sharpshooter then a sniper.

[MasterEditorInChief]

Originally Posted by Virigoth

Zeller is good for two things:
...
2) Clearing mines.

Virigoth is right about that.

Since the Zeller scope is red, it limits sight on the maps of Tunis, Sidi, Suez and Camp Giblets since the maps contain warm colors that make visibility hard. In contrast, the red scope makes visibility better on the city maps like Belgrade or Berlin, bring out the troops against the drab gray environments. In the long run though, I prefer the stock rifles for their neutral scopes that work on any map and their amount of ammo in each clip. Reloading after every 3rd shoot gets annoying. Ever since the invention of motion mine bait, the Zeller has one function that's less valuable now.

[Muhnk]

I'll mainly stick to the stock rifles in infantry-based maps like Gib, Tuna, and Carebear. When concering headshots, it's all about whether you want five rounds per clip as opposed to three. It always takes 2 body shots to kill infantry with full health no matter which rifle you choose (that also includes Zeller against Light Armor). So I don't usually aim for the body unless my teammates are already engaging them, or if I know that one shot will take them down.

I'll use the Zeller mainly for mine clearing purposes, so it plays a bigger role in the vehicle-based maps. Even with that said, you can still get a lot of kills with the Zeller if you use it in conjunction with the pistol.

[DLBlue]

Real recons snipe with their knife

....


Seriously though, I enjoy the zeller or lambert depending on the situation

[Cpt.Pierce]

I usually use the sniper rifles, though I occasionally break out my Lambert Carbine.

The Zeller is an amusing rifle to use- Watching the guys you shoot in the head sail backwards 5 feet when shot from ahead or face plant when shot from behind is always rewarding. On pub servers, I usually use it, mainly because I don't run into well organized squads there. I have also found that I don't really mind the red scope. However, I may be wrong, but does the Zeller's bullet drop a little more, especially from 100~180 meters? Either way, it is also useful for "using the enemy's RDX and APMs against him." Few things are more confusing for a recon guy than planting an APM only to have it blow up in his face. This is especially good in maps like Verdun, where you can be a fairly long range away and have a nice, stationary target to aim at, and maybe take 2 tickets with one shot (if a support is running around with the recon).

However, on TG servers, I generally use the Park 52 and Moretti sniper rifles. It is an amazing advantage to be able to find an enemy squad, shoot one of their medics in the head, take out their sniper and other (1 or 2) medic(s), then finish the (usually) helpless support guys with only one reload in there, as opposed to two or three.

As for sound though, I think the Zeller can be heard from farther away, but it is hard to pinpoint its exact location, only a general direction. The Moretti, to me, has the most distinct sound, like a sneeze almost, and is fairly load and easiest to locate. The Park 52, my favorite, is very quiet, and amid lots of other gunshots in an intense firefight, like you get in FoB, you might never hear it at all. However, if you do hear it up close, it is certainly easiest to locate, as its sound does not diffuse at all.

Final verdict
Park 52
Moretti
Zeller
Lambert
(Except on Pub servers)

[jonathanshifty]

in the sniping spot 3 and 4 is bad i think because everyone can see u and u have no concealment but #2 looks like a pretty good spot

[Guardianx11x]

Originally Posted by Cpt.Pierce

Final verdict
Park 52
Moretti
Zeller
Lambert
(Except on Pub servers)

I agree with most of the stuff said so far. However my personal preference reverses the stock rifles, Moretti being on top. The difference in sounds between park and Moretti has never made a big difference for me, as long as you are shooting people in the head, they genereally wont find you if you simply duck a corner after the shot for a split second.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet, but the Moretti has a huge advantage over the zeller and park because the shape of the scope is a rectangle. This provides you with a larger field of vision that--at least for me--has come in handy countless times.