What makes a sniper rifle, a sniper rifle?

Question

What separates a regular scoped rifle or machinegun from a sniper rifle?

Answer 1

must have:
1. a rifled bore
2. effective range must be very long. 1500 yards maybe.
2. .5MOA or less. the lower MOA the better
3. can be almost any type of action, but bolt action is preferred as it doesn't have any moving parts that shake the rifle around during firing like most machine guns do.
4. (single most important factor) must be used or at one time have been used by a sniper. snipers are highly trained police or military personnel specializing in killing high value enemy personnel at long range. a punk with a scoped rifle is not a sniper.

Answer 2

traditionally, a sniper rifle is a model of rifle that has been tweaked for range, accuracy, and scope mounting. Kinetic energy delivered at the desired range is also important. The parts are of a higher quality than a regular weapon, with usually tighter tolerances.
But any rifle can be made into a 'sniper' rifle by the application of a scope and use for skilled shots to, well, kill people. That is a sniper rifle's intended purpose: kill people with one shot from a great distance.
And the popular term (if a little PC) in now marksman, not sniper.

Answer 3

sniper rifles are generally fairly heavy, because they are equipped with heavier barrels. The barrels are also typically floating or fiberglass bedded. Most modern sniper rifles also fall into the .30 caliber category. 1/2 minute of angle accuracy is absolutely imperative. that means at one hundred yards the average three shot group whould be within 1/2". And as everyone else has mentioned here, a high quality scope. Any true sniper grade rifle is going to be much more expensive than your run of the mill wal-mart or ***** sporting goods deer rifle.

Answer 4

The technology and engineering that go into today's sniper rifles, ammunition, and scopes are far superior to those used in previous wars. In Vietnam, I used an old WWII/Korean War M1 Rifle with a commercial hunting scope. But it worked fairly well - I could hit the paper edge of a target turned horizontally and/or vertically at 100 yards. I began shooting a 22 cal rifle at 10 years old.

Answer 5

What makes a sniper rifle such is it's inteded purpose. During world war I and II, snipers used an M1903 service rifle that had been mounted with a scope, during vietnam, the military commercially purchased hunting rifles such as the Winchester Model 70 and the Remington 700, and then, using these designs, later developed them into purpose built sniper rifle. The Marine Corps uses the M40, which is developed from the Remington 700, and is chambered for a custom load .308 (commercially known as 300 magnum).

Law enforcement uses a variety of weapons, from the purpose built Heckler & Koch PSG-1 from Germany, the FN (Fabrinque Nationale) SSG from Austria, as well as any number of commercially produced weapons built in the United States. Some of these manufacturers include Browning, Savage Arms, Winchester and Remington. Most of these rifles are modified from hunting rifles, and have accesories that most hunting rifles don't normally come with (bi-pod, low level/night vision/theram/infra-red optics.) Most rifles purchased for military and law enforcement will tend to have a much heavier barrel and a match-grade (competition) stock.

Answer 6

the Barrett 50 cal Sniper Rifle looks to be the deadliest, even at 2,000 meters (over a mile). The armour piercing shells, the low recoil allowing you to stay on target, getting 10 shots off in less than a minute and you get shot before you hear the sound.....you won't find this from a regular scoped rifle.

Answer 7

John S,

How many hours do you have.

A sniper rifle is an extension of
the sniper. It is a piece of art
in which every tiny breath,
movement, has an effect on
the target. The Sniper is so
well acquainted with all his 'piece'
can do, ie humidity, air density,
wind speed/direction, etc, etc.
They are calibrated to the point
of almost perfection,
There is a great book
I recommend you read,
which is where I learned
about this:

'Point of Impact' by
Stephen Hunter
ISBN 0-553-56351-3

Enjoy it!

Answer 8

Functionally not one single thing, it operates exactly like any other rifle however they have
A thicker barrel with a slight dimple at the muzzle sometimes with grooves cut into them called fluting, Some folk swear by it others can do without it,
More precisely fit parts,
Barrels are generally free floated meaning nothing touches it forward of the receiver,
Triggers are generally lighter,
Optical riflescopes
Synthetic stocks
Any caliber can be utilized however .30 and .50 are the most utilized.
They are also popular for benchrest competitions!

Owning a precise rifle does not mean anyone can pick it up and hit a target, there are many other factors involved which takes time and patience to learn.

Answer 9

A sniper rifle is usually a weapon that has been retooled with a better firing mechanism and a polished barrel for maximum accuracy.

Los Angeles Swat used to use the Remington 700, after heavy modifications.

Answer 10

The Sniper using it!