Is the LA80 bolt action sniper rifle worth buying to replace the default NC bolt action? I hear it is slightly faster (and thus less bullet drop/leading), but also takes longer to reload. Is there really a huge difference between the two weapons? Also, how are the bouncy betty mines? Do they one-shot people, and how long do they stay on the battlefield?
A thousand times, YES. Reload speed is insignificant for a bolt action(since they should only be used at long ranges). You can snipe at extreme ranges with a 12x scope before bullet drop becomes significant. It is a very solid direct upgrade to the default weapon. As for bouncing betties, they do. The trick is learning how to properly place them. They stay, IIRC, until you either die or put more down(beyond your carry capacity).
Yes - has very little bullet drop and much faster bullet speed. So less leading targets. Takes a little while to get used to after getting good with the default bolt action.
If you're a long range sniper (as opposed to a close support marksman) then a million times yes, I got it with alpha squad and it's brilliant. Massive difference in muzzle velocity and bullet drop. Also IIRC it bolts slightly faster too. +1
LA80 is probably the best sniper rifle for medium to long range (for NC anyway). Given that the others are about as good short-range as your pistol (Shadow's damage and accuracy is pitiful), it's actually my preferred setup despite being way more comfortable in other games going as a "combat sniper" with a semi-auto. Very little bullet drop over effective distances, great velocity on the round (you won't be leading targets more than a couple character widths). Depending on the scope you use, you'll only have to over-compensate maybe 1-3 ticks on a scope, and that's at pretty extreme distance. Bouncing Betty is amazing if placed right. Get free kills ALL THE TIME on Amp Stations when you throw them down on the landing spots on the towers. These mines will basically one-shot anything but a Heavy or MAX. Heavy will be brought down to next to nothing. I think the only other thing that can survive it is Infiltrator with Armor Cloak, but since that's practically worthless, you won't have to worry about that often. They make for great booby-traps when capturing zones by yourself or with a small squad. Put them in the cap room and wait for unsuspecting people trying to stop you. You'll only need to be ready to finish off a Heavy, which should last no more than a couple pistol shots. I have noticed that they sometimes randomly explode in your face for no apparent reason.. not a pleasant experience. And they can cause significant friendly fire damage.
