I've been playing this game for quite a long time, and I realised that I really have no idea of the differences between the rifles. I know that the SMLE has 10 rounds, I know the French rifles sounds the nicest, and I know that I don't like most of the American rifles because of their circular sights. However, that's about it. So, I decided to compile a list of all the rifles available to the Entente: their reload speeds, their round capacities, and - most importantly - their sound.

The late 2019 Update to Verdun added one crucial fact - when fully scoped (and holding breath), all rifles are now 100% accurate. I'm still not fully sure how to feel about this update. It seems like the rifles have been put on somewhat easy mode, and it has certainly dissolved some of the distinguishing factors between rifles. That being said, there are still some I see as objectively better - even if they are now all as accurate as one another.

So, I've put together a selection of the rifles I consider to be "the best", based on factors including the loadouts they are found in, as well as a list of my personal favourites. If you have questions, a suggestion, or I've just got something plain wrong, please tell all in the comments and I'll do my best to set it right. Thanks!

-- WIP --
I will be adding substance to the weapons by nation categories at some point. I mean to put together a description of each weapon, which loadouts it is found in, and some pictures and graphics for each. Naturally, this is gonna take a while, so don't expect it any time too soon. I'll focus more on it if this guide gets any attention.

1. Lee Enfield Mark III* (SMLE)
   What can I say? 10 round capacity, can reload at any time (with Stripper Clips for rapid reload), solid sights, and to top it all off: ubiquitous. This rifle is found everywhere among the British squads, including being the primary rifle for what I consider to be the most balanced squad in the game: the Tommies. This is by far and away my most used gun in the game. It's hard to overstate just how overpowered having a widely used 10-round magazine is for the Entente. I'll go into more detail about it later, but the SMLE is hands-down the best rifle in the game. In my opinion, no other rifle comes close to knocking the SMLE down off the pedestal.
   
   
2. Model 1903 "Springfield"
   This is the primary rifle for the two american squads: The Marines and the Doughboys. With a 5-shot, fully reloadable magazine, this rifle comes in at average for reload and fire speed. It is one of the few (if not the only) American rifle with non-circular sights in some way, which is one of the reasons it comes out ahead of similar rifles such as the M1917 Enfield. Almost always, the Springfield comes with attached M1917 Bayonet. One downfall of this rifle, however, is that in the Doughboy's rifleman third loadout, the Springfield comes with the downright worse scope in the game - the Telescopic Musket Sight M1913. Yeah, that beast is pretty ugly. I wouldn't recommend the Springfield as the sniper's weapon of choice almost purely for that reason. In almost every other respect, the Springfield can be compared to a lower capacity SMLE.
   
   
3. Mauser Model 1889
   With a fully reloadable 5-round magazine and a placement in one of the best defence squads in the game - the Belgians - the perhaps little-known Mauser Model 1889 snakes its way into third place on this list. There is something about this rifle, that I can't place, that just makes it feel powerful. The sights are brilliant, although the bolt is slightly bigger than optimal and not downturned. Of the four instances of this rifle in Verdun, three times it has the Seitengewehr bayonet attached - and the fourth appearance comes with the Goerz 3x Custom sight. Playing as a Belgian officer comes with a max of -50% rifle reload time, adding to the overall effectiveness of this weapon.
   
   
4. Mousqueton Mle 1892 "Berthier"
   This French rifle has one downfall that robs it of a better place on this list: it has a magazine of three rounds, and can only reload when empty. That being said, this is my favourite rifle in the game. It fires extremely quickly, and has one of the fastest reloads in the game. It is often fitted with the Rosalie bayonet. The M. Berthier is the primary rifle for several squads, including the Senegals, whose ability to spawn on any teammate make them (in my opinion) the best attacking squad in Verdun. I actually like its bigger cousin, the 'Mousqueton Mle 1892 M16 "Berthier"' better, due to it having a 5-round magazine - thus negating the M. Berthier's main downfall. However, the M. M16 Berthier is only available in certain loadouts that I see as less effective than consistent loadouts in the Senegal, Polius, and C.A. squads.
   
   
5. Pattern 1914 Enfield
   This is the other widely used American rifle. I had some difficulty placing the P. Enfield on this list. I really like the 6-round magazine, and the use of a stripper clip to reload five rounds at once is always very useful. However, there is one key aspect of this gun that turns me, and I know a fair few others, off: the circular sights are really damn annoying. Yep, this gun deserves to be higher on the list, and I really want to like it more. It is placed well in two solid squads, it often has the M1917 Bayonet, and the Doughboy's NCO can get that sweet max -50% reload time - but the sights are just too much of a downside for me. It's the same case with the Browning Automatic Rifle: solid gun, sights just make it hard to use.

For this section and the next (Reload Times), I have had to somewhat estimate. In the future I may find the time to do a frame-by-frame real time analysis, but currently, I'm just some guy with a stopwatch and a spare hour. Playing with the rifles, you will get a feel for which is faster, so I may have the actual figures slightly off, but there is certainly a palpable difference between the guns ingame.

Here, the French rifles dominate the top four slots with belt-fed 3 or 5 round designs. The Pattern 1914 Enfield just happens to be the fastest 5-round rifle using a stripper clip.

1. Mousqueton Mle 1892 M16 "Berthier"
   Mmmmm, sweet sweet French engineering. Say what you will about the French historically, the Mousqueton Mle 1892 M16 "Berthier" is one sexy piece of equipment. Two more rounds than its cousin, a great reload and fire rate, silky smooth sounds - this gun has it all. If only it could swap places with its non-M16 cousin in terms of loadouts, there would be no contesting this weapon as my absolute favourite of Verdun.
   
   
2. Lee Enfield Mark III* (SMLE)
   The only other rifle with a ten round mag is the Magazine Lee Enfield, which is also only found in one other loadout slot. The SMLE is my most played weapon by far, and for good reason. It's just good. A massive plus in the SMLE camp is that it is the rifle of choice for the Tommies, my most played squad, and most of the time I play NCO (for those sweet sweet arty kills). I've never had any complaints about the SMLE, which is why it's my second favourite rifle.
   
   
3. Mousqueton Mle 1892 "Berthier"
   Picture the Mousqueton Mle 1892 M16 "Berthier" with two less rounds, but better placement in loadouts. Now you see my predicament. If only, if only, the M16 and non-M16 versions of the Mousqueton had swapped places in the loadouts, this would be an easier desicion. But, because of the fact that I love this rifle and the loadouts where it finds itself, this Mousqueton is my third favourite rifle. I love the French Berthier rifles in general, and this is just the most consistently solid one here.
   
   
4. Fusil Colonial Mle. 1907 Berthier "Sénégalais"
   I really love playing the Senegals (not least because of the amazing ability to spawn on any teammate), and this is the primary weapon of that squad. It's basically another version of the no.1 and no.3 of this list, and it also happens to be the fastest reloading gun in the game. The main downfall with this rifle is the same as that of the M. Berthier: only three rounds in the chamber. However, taking into account a 3:50 reload time, I think I can deal with that.
   
   
5. Model 1903 "Springfield"
   This is basically another SMLE, just American and worse. I don't mean bad, I just mean not as good. Five less rounds and I don't like the sights as much. Nonetheless, the Springfield fits right into the two U.S. squads, and for that I count it as my fifth favourite rifle.