WHAT IS THE EFFECTIVE RANGE OF A 50cal SNIPER RIFLE?

Question

I know its a creepy question... we were just doing the morning watercooler chat and somebody mentioned the movie shooter... seemed a bit unrealistic... someone clarify this for us. include relevant scope info as well if you know it

Answer 1

#1 it wasn't a .50cal on shooter, it was a chey tac .408. the beginning of the movie had a .50 shooting at the helo. that being corrected hathcock did not make the mile and a half sniper shot with the mod deuce, it was someone else. and the movie shooter is actually pretty realistic aside from the tenderheartedness about the blood and gore. US optics for your scope info. hell, go to google.com type in "accurate long range rifles" and have a field day researching for yourself.

oh yea, doc...he didn't "rig it" all M2 machine guns come with single shot and full auto....and a clip on scope mount.

Answer 2

Just for added info the Barrett .416 has greater "effective" range and much better accuracy than the .50BMG

http://www.barrettrifles.com/rifle_99.aspx

Later: "Johnny y" It's Ma Deuce not Mod Deuce and there is no mounting bracket on a M2(not unless that's something very new). Carlos Hathcock used a mounting bracket that he designed so that he could use the Unertl scope from his Winchester Model 70. An M2 can be fired 1 round at time, with the bolt release unlocked.

Answer 3

It depends on the marksman. In the right hands, with the right equipment, and firing the right ammunition, there are still only a handful of people in the world that can make a shot like the one in the movie "Shooter" (and they probably either work for the government or are wanted by it). The detail in the movie that made it impossible was the paper wrapped bullet. Such a thing would have an unpredictable affect on trajectory. I hunt and with a 30.06 or 270 I can hit a medium sized target at 100 yards.

Answer 4

During the Veit Nam war, Marine Sgt Carlos Hathcock killed an enemy at over 1000 yards with a .50 BMG round. However, a British SAS sniper outdid Sgt. Hathcock by killing an enemy at over 1 mile with a .50 BMG. So, it is obvious that a .50 BMG sniper rifle can reach out and touch someone at a loooooong distance.

Answer 5

Gosh... "effective range" and maximum range are two different things. The world record (as mentioned above) is over 7000-feet.

If you watch the special features on "Shooter" you'll see that they did a LOT of research on this & the science is sound for the shots they did in the film. Although they fudged the impact of the .50-cal round into the guy's head... at THAT range (and they say this in the commentary) ... the bullet pretty much hits from a VERTICAL trajectory - straight down on top of the target's head.

Answer 6

During the Vietnam War, Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock rigged a Ma Duce to fire single shots, and mounted a scope on it. He used that rig to kill and NVA General at a range of almost 2500 yards.

I do not remember the sniper involved, but I've heard that a sniper in Iraq, using a MacMillian bolt-action .50 BMG rifle made a kill at nearly 2800 yards.

Mil-Spec for M-2 Heavy Machine-gun barrels specify capability of delivering minute of angle accuracy at a range of 2,000 meters.

I suspect that limitations of optical sights, and target identification at extreme range limit effective range more than does the range capability of a .50 BMG chambered rifle.

Doc

Answer 7

The current world record for the longest range sniper kill is 2,430 meters (7,972 feet), accomplished by a Canadian sniper, Corporal Rob Furlong, of the third battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI), during the invasion of Afghanistan, using a .50 BMG (12.7mm) McMillan TAC-50 bolt-action rifle.

Answer 8

As stated earlier, the Canadien sniper, Rob Furlong is the longest confirmed kill at 2,430 meters(2,657 yards). The "paper effective range" is 2,000 yards. The reason why it was effective is because the air density of the land in the Shah-i-Kot Valley is less than at sea level

Answer 9

if a standard 22 rifle is dangerous up to one mile a 50 cal is more lethal with a excellent scope it will take out Any one in 2 or 3 miles i saw it on future weapons if you got cable you should check that show out see ya

Answer 10

It feels numb at first then it goes to a burning stinging pain. I was shot in the left bicep with a 7.62x39 mm round. Missed my humerus by 1cm and about an 1 inch lower and I couldve lost my lower arm.