Historic military sniper rifles up to and including the Second World War were usually based on the standard service rifle of the country in question. They included the German Mauser Gewehr 98K, U.S. M1903 Springfield and M1 Garand, Soviet Mosin–Nagant, Norwegian Krag–Jørgensen, Japanese Arisaka, and British Lee–Enfield No. 4. Models used for sniping were generally factory tested for accuracy and fitted with specialized components, including not just optics but also such items as slings, cheek pieces, and flash eliminators, which disperse gases at the muzzle away from the sniper's view, helping avoiding having the sniper blinded by the flash.

Modern sniper rifles, from the 1960s onwards, have been increasingly purpose-built. The critical goal is reliable placement of the first shot within one MOA (minute of angle). Most include special features for this purpose, including tight building tolerances and precise components. Measures are also taken to ensure the rifle is affected as little as possible by heating, vibration and other effects which may reduce accuracy. Besides that, purpose-built sniper rifle systems often offer factory made accessories like telescopic sight mounting sets, MIL-STD-1913 rails (Picatinny rails), auxiliary iron sights for emergency use, cleaning kits, muzzle brakes/flash-hiders and sound suppressors (silencers), monopods (buttspikes), bipods, handstops, mirage bands, soft and heavy-duty transit cases and various maintenance tools. An example of a non-factory-made accessory could be shooting sticks that can be employed as rifle field rest.

Common modern sniper rifles, such as M24 and L96 are widely used by sniper teams. The importance of using anti-materiel rifle was also considered during World War II.