Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles
Images via Krafton

Written by 

Tarran Stockton

Published 

11th May 2022 11:22

You may wonder what the best PUBG bolt-action rifles are, as even though there are a limited amount of them to be found in-game, they still have a few differences which set them apart and make some better than others. PUBG may not possess the influence it once had, but it's still one of the biggest battle royale titles in the world. With its multitude of weapons and attachments for those weapons, it can be hard to know what's actually know what's worth keeping on pickup, so here's our primer on the best PUBG bolt-action rifles.

  • Make sure to check out our list of the full PUBG maps for a breakdown of what each map consists of. 

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles: Kar98K

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles: Kar98K
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Without a doubt, the top contender for the position of the best PUBG bolt-action rifle is the Karabiner 98 Kurz. The biggest reason why it ranks so high is because it's the most common of the sniper rifles in the game, meaning you will come across this more often than not. It's not a commonly spawning weapon, and is still considered rare in comparison to the other weapons, but due to how often this will be the bolt-action rifle you come across, you should learn to get to grips with it.

On top of its frequency, the Kar98k has an amazing damage rating, with a hit damage of 79, and the ability to one-shot any enemy in the head if they have a level two helmet or lower. It does have the lowest bullet speed, and a relatively slow time between shots compared to the bolt-action weapons, but this isn't enough to negate just how much more common it is than the other high-damage snipers.  

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles: AWM

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles: AWM
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The AWM is the bolt-action rifle with the highest potential damage, allowing you to ignore helmets for one-shot kills, and deal 105 hit damage to any body part. With such high damage, players who can hit their shots at any range are a force to be reckoned with, and no sniper can even contest it in long-range battles. But that begs the question as to why it's not considered the outright best bolt-action rifle?

This is mainly because it's also the rarest bolt-action rifle, as you can only access it from the highly contested airdrops that occur randomly across the map. If you manage to secure one of these drops and come across the AWM, it's nearly always worth swapping out a weapon for it. Its quality at range is helped by having the fastest bullet speed, being the only weapons that can one-shot players at 500 metres away, and the fact you can increase the magazine size with the appropriate attachment.  

 

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles: M24

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles: M24
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Our next choice for the best PUBG bolt-action rifle is still a quality weapon in any good player's hands, allowing you to still easily deal damage at long distance, but its shortcomings are improved upon by the Kar98K and AWM. Firstly, the M24 doesn't spawn as often as the Kar98K, and it also deals less hit damage overall, at just 75 per shot. This is still high damage, and you can drop enemies with headshots even if they have a level two helmet, but considering you're less likely to find this than the Kar, you're better off only picking this up if you see it first. 

The M24 does have some areas where it excels though, as you can deck it out with a total of four attachments, letting you increase the magazine size to seven. It also has less damage fall off than the Kar, meaning you can put out your max damage while 120 metres away. The rest of M24's stats hover similarly around the Kar, but the latter's higher damage and drop rate help it climb higher. 

  • If you need to play with your friends on different platforms, take a look at how the PUBG crossplay system works. 

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles: Win94

Best PUBG Bolt-Action Rifles: Win94
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Our last spot is occupied by the Winchester Model 94 lever-action hunting rifle. It's one of the more common bolt-action weapons, but it's only available on Miramar, Sanhok, and Vikendi, meaning there are still a few maps this is outright unable to be used on. The hit damage for the weapon is also 66, and though this is lower than the rest, the much faster fire rate of the Win94 manages to balance this out and make it better for use at closer ranges than the rest above. This is also echoed in the range and bullet speed, meaning this weapon shouldn't be used to contest other snipers at long range.

It comes with a built-in scope to use, but this means you cannot swap it out, and the only other space for attachments is the stock. The lack of customisation is another factor where the Win94 falls behind the other weapons, but it does allow for the biggest magazine at eight bullets, and lets you use .45 ACP ammo which is more common than the types the above weapons use. 

That's all for our list of the best PUBG bolt-action rifles, and now you know the order of what we consider the strongest snipers, along with the pros and cons of each weapon.

Need a quality weapon to pair with your bolt-action rifle? We suggest using the PUBG M4 due to how common it is, and the overall damage. 

 

Tarran is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon. He previously wrote reviews for his college newspaper before studying Media and Communication at university. His favourite genres include role-playing games, strategy games, and boomer shooters - along with anything indie. You can also find him in the pit at local hardcore shows.

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