The challenge of adding weapons to your load out is formidable especially given the number of new weapons in Chapter 4.  One of the easiest ways to reduce the complexity of your decision making process (and enhance your ability to move and heal) is to only carry 2-3 weapons max. For most competitive load outs, there are really only two questions that need to be answered.  

1. What is the best long range weapon?
2. What is the best short range weapon?

In this analysis, we are going to evaluate the first of these questions to provide readers with data driven answers. We will consider the following measures of effectiveness to be able to determine the best options:

1. Damage
2. Fire Rate
3. Magazine Size
4. Reload Time 

We hope you enjoy this analysis!

1. Which long range weapon should I choose?

 If you are able to activate the Perk that enables the Tactical Assault Rifle you should strongly consider it as this weapon outperforms the best of its peers regardless of tier. When it comes to the Red-Eye and DMR, there is little separate them given this view, we need additional information.

2. Why is the Tactical AR good?

As is clear from the visual above, the Assault Rifle (AR) options available to Fortnite players trade off Fire Rate with Damage per Round with the DMR hitting the hardest and the Tactical AR providing the fastest fire rate. This does not  materially change my position on the best AR but might be something to consider if you prefer precision over fire rate.

3. Something else to consider...

One thing to consider, however, is the amount of damage that the Red-Eye can do before reloading. This is roughly double the DMR and significantly higher than the Tactical AR. This is a potential game changer as you consider engaging with multiple targets or need to lay down covering fire. This should put the Red-Eye above the DMR in competitive loadouts especially when considering the DMR is a projectile weapon (requiring time for the bullet to move to its target).

4. Conclusion

When choosing between the DMR and Red-Eye, pick the Red-Eye for its superior ability to ~2x the damage prior to reload.

If you are fortunate enough to get your hands on the Tactical Assault Rifle, use this as a primary weapon because it provides a roughly 13% performance improvement over its peers.