M24

The M24 SWS (Sniper Weapon System) is used by the snipers in the U.S. Army and United States Marine Corps in Battlefield 2, Battlefield: Bad Company, and its sequel Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

Battlefield 2
The M24 is the default sniper rifle for the USMC team. Out of the 3 default sniper rifles in-game (M24, SVD, Type 88), it is the only bolt-action rifle, not to mention the most powerful and most accurate. Its scope crosshairs are similar to that of the Chinese Type 88 with the traditional intersection line arrangement, but the lines go to each end of the scope. As a bolt-action rifle, the M24 does have its limitations, especially in fire rate. A headshot with this weapon, like all Sniper Rifles, will result in an instant kill. Otherwise, two body hits are required to kill a target. Because of its thin scope lines, it is recommended to use the M24 for long range shooting before acquiring the British L96A1 sniper rifle, which has scope lines even thinner than the M24's. Like many of the usable sniper rifles in the game, it does not have the kind of penetration needed to kill truck drivers and helicopter pilots.

Battlefield: Bad Company
The M24 is the default sniper rifle for the U.S. Army Recon class. Much like the other bolt-action sniper rifles, the M24 takes 1 shot to kill with a headshot and 2 to the body, just like in Battlefield 2. Its Russian counterpart is the SV-98 Sniper Rifle and the MEC's counterpart is the GOL sniper rifle.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Only available in multiplayer, the M24 Sniper is the default sniper rifle for all Recon players, requiring no points to unlock. Despite being the first Recon weapon available, the weapon inflicts high damage (headshots at any distance and any shots at close range are instant kills, while other shots at long range require two hits). This comes at the cost of low rate of fire with the bolt action and a small 5-round magazine. The M24 SWS is equipped with a 6x telescopic scope by default, however a 4X Rifle Scope, 12X High Power Scope, Red Dot Sight , and/or spotting scope can also be used. The weapon has slight bullet drop and flight time to reach targets at extremely long ranges, which means that the player must anticipate the movement of the target and lead the shots as well as aim slightly upwards. Attaching a Red Dot Sight or 4X Rifle scope to the weapon will cause the bullet drop to seem to disappear, although it is still present. The 6x and 12x scopes magnify the bullet drop as well as the target.

The M24 SWS is best suited for medium-long range combat, being able to easily win in a firefight at that distance. Its high magnification scope also means that spotting enemies with the weapon is very easy. The M24 SWS has limited effectiveness in close quarters where quick scoping and/or no-scoping may sometimes result in a kill, but this is not recommended and should be used as a last resort. Because of its effectiveness, new players may find this the easiest sniper rifle to get used to and many players continue to use this as their main sniper rifle even after unlocking all the other Recon weapons.

Trivia

 * Owners of new copies of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 that have entered their VIP codes into the game and played at least one online match have the opportunity to unlock the M24 in Medal of Honor  from the start.
 * In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the M24 is the only weapon without an SA counterpart that has camouflage.