Semi-Automatic Rifle

You are on a hill above a monument, someone is looting crates below, and your pistol cannot reach. That is the job the SAR was made for. It is one of the most cost-efficient guns for mid-range fights, and it unlocks at the same Level 2 workbench as the pistol it replaces.

It fires 5.56 rifle ammo, the same rounds you will later pour into an AK, so the ammo habit carries forward. Recoil is mild by rifle standards, and many players crouch to steady it further. Many also bolt on a simple handmade sight early instead of using the iron sights.

It has a ceiling. In a close fight a pump shotgun or an SMG out-trades it, and it will not out-range a real sniper. It covers the gap between them.

Supply drops and the travelling vendor hand them out often enough that you might never craft one. When you reach a Level 3 bench, the SKS is the natural step up: same idea, more damage and faster bullets.