Regarding laser rifle vs sniper rifle, it's a bit of a toss up. Sniper rifle would probably do more per shot, but laser doesnt have to reload every shot. If you're up against something really heavily armored the sniper might be better, but having to stop and reload every shot kinda sucks. I used a sniper rifle myself for the longest time. I just upgraded.
While out exploring ruins near the ape village, I found a chest with a piece of scrap that gave me TWO nano materials. I used it to produce a pair of overloaded laser pistols (been having the schematic for a while, just didn't have the nanomaterials). The best part is, one of them came out scoped.
Now I just need to collect a bunch of energy cells to feed these babies... right now I have 8 or so chem cells, but if I could get my hands on some nuclear or antimatter cells that'd be even better. I could tinker up some nuclear cells, but that would mean I would have to use my two photonics, which I've been saving for when I find data disks for the super toughness or agility boost autoinjectors (which give a permanent boost when you're a mutant, already used two of them for int boosts).
I've already tried them out on an ogre ape, which were giving me serious trouble with the sniper rifle (one was actually guarding the chest with the nanomaterials - I force bubbled and unloaded on it and still had to kite it around a bit before it died) and it went down in a hail of laser fire before even hurting me. Sniper rifle doesn't hold a candle to overloaded laser pistols. Only thing better that I know of is the phase cannon, but short of killing the super bot guarding Grit Gate I wouldn't know where to find one of those. I'm tempted to try and kill that bot with these to steal his phase cannon, but I wouldn't want to have to kill the merchants.
Wow, I just looted a regular laser pistol and took it apart, then when I got back to town I went to make an overloaded variant to sell it to buy some stuff and it made me another scoped one. Now I have two scoped overloaded laser pistols. With all this good luck, im kinda worried things are about to turn south and have me killed by a swarm of fire ants or something again.