Sniper Rifles: Top 10

reply to post by alldaylong


A little late...we clarified it last night. Thanks!

reply to post by EvanB


Quality

Since I'm not military, and never was, I'm never going to get my hands on any of them. I am saving up my pennies for one of these:



It will probably get a yet to be determined Leupold scope. And before anyone asks "why?" it's simply because I can. Well, that, and if the SHTF in a big way it might be nice to have the option to remove a threat at 500+ yard ranges. I shot .22 competitively in school a little bit and would like to see what I can do at extreme ranges.

reply to post by 46ACE


Whatever makes you feel safe. By all means. Some people need a right shoulder rocket grenade launcher to protect themselves and others only need a hammer by the bedside for protection.

If someone broke into my house, I have three dogs to alert me. I have no problems skewering an assailants eyeball out. It would be effective with a simple ball point pen. Of course there is bear repellant and electronic devices to protect yourself with.

I would hate to have a high caliber weapon and fire it.......then hit my neighbors child. I'd shoot myself if that would happen.

Don't come down hard on me for making survival simple. The weapons spoken of here is for war. Not self protection. The weapons I've seen here listed is way above the need of self protection.

When "Armageddon" happens....I will be on your side with my left shoulder rocket grenade launcher! You will then be my BFF! LOL

When comparing sniper rifles, you really need to split them into 2 categories:
Semi-Auto and Bolt Action.

As far as semi-auto rifles go, the PSG-1 and MSG-90 are probably the most accurate you can get. They were based on the HK G3 series of rifles and modified for increased accuracy and reduced weight. They fire a .308 and have decent range.

However, that is up to debate. It gets about the same results as a Knights Armament SR-25 or M110 SASS.

The M21 is also pretty accurate. Based on the Springfield M14 but also accurized. Although it weighs about the same as the M14. Also fires a .308 and has about the same range as the PSG-1.

As far as range goes, the Barrett M107 has probably got the longest for semi-autos.

Now Bolt Action rifles will always be just a little more accurate than any semi-auto.

I really think coming up with a list of the top 10 is always just going to be based on preference. I'm not even going to bother. Everybody has their favorite.

well here is one man's use of a m14

South Viet Nam, 1966. A flash of movement caught the eye of a young Marine Military Policeman who was keeping watch for possible enemy action. As he observed, he could make out a figure crouched in the distance, working busily with something he couldn't quite see. The man was in civilian clothes... but... there was the rifle slung over his back - the telltale mark of a Viet Cong guerrilla. The enemy soldier continued about his task, oblivious to his danger as Sgt. Carlos Hathcock brought his M-14 to bear. The range appeared to be between 300 and 400 yards - child's play for Hathcock, who had won the 1000 yard Wimbledon Cup Match at Camp Perry only the year before. The rackgrade weapon he now held was a far cry from the finely-fitted National Match M-1 he had used in competition, but it was certainly capable of making this shot. With his M-14 rested comfortably, Hathcock verified his target - yes, definitely armed - and adjusted his position slightly. He let the front sight settle naturally, centered on the crouching soldier, who appeared to be placing a booby trap.

one of the best USMC snipers of the war, not many can do what he did. BTW he past away. the above is from this link usmcscoutsniper.org... if you want to know what it takes to be one read some of his books. and if you are wondering what the price is for your long range shooting or seeking advice from pro's www.snipercentral.com...

if you had to choose , would you go for the 7.62x54 or 7.62x63mm?? or would you go 303 or take the 308? just asking there is no right wrong answer, just getting diff views/ opinions.

Ideally, you would probably want to go with a .338 against soft targets. It causes a massive amount of cavitation.

But, of course all calibers have their uses. .308 is a great all-around caliber which is why it is also one of the most used. Decent range, cavitation, and so on.

There isn't really too much of a difference between using a .308 (7.62x51) and a 7.62x54R round. You will get just about the same results. The only significant difference is that only a few rifles can use the 7.62x54R round.

When you speak of 7.62X54 you are talking about the Mosin Nagant and Dragunov, both Soviet battle rifles with a long history.. The VC and NVA used the carbine version of the Mosin Nagant, mostly of Chinese manufacture, against French and U.S. forces in the two Indo China wars and I can attest to their ruggedness and accuracy having called in many medevac choppers for Marines that were categorized as emergency or permanent routine and seldom classified as priority and nearly never routine... That big old rimmed cartridge looks archaic but is on of the deadliest I ever saw... It wasn't often that you would hear one being fired that there wasn't a severely wounded or dead Marine being carried on a makeshift stretcher by four or more other Marines to a makeshift landing zone to be evacuated.. I was one of four that one night in September 1968 carried a Mexican American Marine with a wounded arm that was joking about his million dollar wound that was going to get him back to Texas...His company had been pinned down by no more than 3 snipers early that afternoon through to the early hours of the next morning and every so often a round would be fired and it would take out another 18 or 19 year old kid... The kid from Texas died as the Ch-46 was setting down on the LZ while still laughing and going on about his ticket out...The AK-47 was a toy compared to those ugly little carbines that fired that big cartridge.. It made me want to trade my M-16 for a 30-06 Garand.

reply to post by bekod

When comparing any of these rounds, the 7.62x54r, or the .303, .308 etc.… They have all proven themselves on the battlefield. I remember hearing about, after the soviet invasion of Afghanistan, that the soviets were having an unusual amount of head wounds. Turns out that the Afghans had been giving surplus Enfield’s, these .303s did a number on the Russian soldiers. Mauser rifles have been used by many mid-eastern countries from 1948 thru the 1950s. As many has stated on this thread, it depends not only on the rifle, but the person behind it. Today many of these weapons have been made into sporting rifles, not mine. Would I use them for home defense? Only if I had no other choice. These old “war horses” are part of my collection. I take them to the range when I can to enjoy some” trigger time”
I do not have any sniper grade rifles in my collection, the cost of these are beyond my means. A WWII K-43 German sniper could easy go for $3000.00 or more. But I say; as long as you follow the law, enjoy what firearm you wish. If you are into collecting, shooting target, home defense, hunting, or whatever as long as it is legal, enjoy!

A friend of mine was really into 303 Enfields and like you said it is an accurate and very fast loading bolt action rifle and powerful round... I have no understanding why but he purchased his first one at Montgomery Wards in the early 60s and chose the chopped down "sporterized" version.. The poor guy seldom shoots but buys guns all of the time and due to a serious drinking problem either gets into trouble with them or has them stolen by the company he keeps.. He has had more than a couple of other Enfields in the original military form that have "just up and disappeared"...

m110 SASS!!

All day long, and all night...seriously!

.50 Cal No thanks!

Cheers

Robbie

Originally posted by stratsys-sws
m110 SASS!!

All day long, and all night...seriously!

.50 Cal No thanks!

Cheers

Robbie

AR platform with the 7.62 round, very nice!

reply to post by hypervigilant

I know many who has had or still have enfields set up as a hunting rifle. It was one way to have a hunting rifle and not pay the higher prices of a new one. I know a gun store that has a Enfield M-1917 cut down to be a deer rifle. Oh well my lost


Your friend needs some help. Not only for the money he is losing, one does not know who has them now. The last thing he would want is one of them ending up being used in a crime. The odds of that is small, these are not what most bad guys are looking for when it comes to crime. I have yet to hear of a gang leading a bayonet charge, but you may never know..

reply to post by hypervigilant


G 43 is also widely used in ww2. MG 42 is one of the most heaviest machine gun and has 50 rounds. As saying about the large number of rounds PPSH 4 is widely used by soviet forces. It has 71 rounds at a time.

Canadian sniper team that made ~2400m kill in Afghanistan actually used a US made TAC-50, not AWM.
It's a shame they got booted out, and stripped of all awards and decorations.

Should've had Sako TRG 21/42 series on that list as well.

reply to post by Cosmic911


If you're going by number of successful kills made, the model 70 chambered for 30-06 has to be near the top or the number one.

Originally posted by aorAki
I would have thought that the person using it would make the difference.

I dislike Chuck Norris, for the record, and am not a fan of guns either, but I thought my observation was pertinent.

The performance ability of the weapon can limit the success of the shooter.
The shooter IS a major determining factor, but the proper equipment for the peoper job should be used.

Example: No matter how good you are, you cannot consistantly hit a moving target at 75 yards with a snub-nose .38 revolver....The weapon just isnt designed to be accurate at that range.

However, an experienced military trained sniper can shoot out your retinas with a m40 at 75 yards, as sniper rifles are designed to be accurate at a distance.

reply to post by bekod


That guy was maybe the most talented shooter to ever live.

In 1967 Hathcock set the record for the longest combat kill. He used a Browning M2 machine gun mounting a telescopic sight at a range of 2,500 yd (2,286 m), taking down a single Vietcong guerilla.[22] This was not exceeded until Canadian snipers from the 3rd Bn. PPCLI during the War in Afghanistan in 2002.

source

How can you do that with a machine gun?

reply to post by Evolutionsend
he was a Marine, that should say it all, not even a SEAL can or do what he did.