In the post-WW I era, Australiaicon made some heavy barrel target rifles with nicer sights for civilian competition. These were pressed into service as sniper rifles (unscoped) and Winchester produced P14s were retrofitted with scopes (though not as nice as the very late (or too late to see service) WW I scoped P14s. Skennertonicon covers this in his book (don't ask me which one this time b/c I have to go to the library and that means getting up from my arse).

Chapter 13 of World War II Snipers: The Men, Their Guns, Their Story covers a lot of the sniper rifles. You are correct in the Japaneseicon having a great reticle; easily the most advance of the era. Images of it from the National Infantry Museum and Collection (Fort Benning) are included in it. Night shooting is always difficult and the advantage of the scope is amplification for low light shooting. I read an incident where a German coporal/squad leader was shot under very dim light conditions. According to the soldier who told me, it was likely done by a Sovieticon equipped a scoped rifle (I had wondered if it was done with the WW II infrared SMG that the Soviets had).

1,000 yard shots weren't that common back then. Sniping up to 400-600 meters is; something today's snipers consider as medium range. There were some long range hits, some of which were done with iron sights by old time soldiers who learned how to use their sights. I remember reading of one German officer who got his hands on a 98 Mauser (not the shorter K98kicon) and was having fun lobbing long range shots at the Soviets. While a comrade watched with binoculars, he figured if he aimed for the roof, bullets would be somewhat close to the unwary Soviet. It keep the Soviets from exposing themselves at one door. Not sniping but pure harassment.