What makes a Sniper Rifle different from a regular Rifle?

Answer 1

The man using it.

Miketyson26

Answer 2

There are really three answers to your question, and you probably won't like any of them.
First are the rifles issued to snipers by the military. These days, everybody's gaga over the Barrett, but the others are basically target rifles with minor modifications.
Second are the target rifles (or even light sporters!) used by military wannabes basically to prove, I suppose, their immaturity.
Third is the most dangerous. It's any rifle that anti-gunners think they can get away with labelling that way in order to give them an evil sound, to make a subtle difference in the mindset of those who don't know any better. Note how twenty years ago, an assault rifle by definition had to be capable of fully automatic fire, but the political landscape and the definition changed because of propagandists.
It would be better if the term "sniper rifle" were not used except in terms of those issued by the military.

Answer 3

The previous two answers are 100% correct. The person holding the firearm is what makes it a "sniper's rifle".

The term "sniper rifle" as used by politicians and the media is nothing more than an inaccurate term used as a scare tactic.

A rifle is a rifle - a rifle in the hands of a sniper is a "sniper's rifle".

Answer 4

I would disagree with those that say it is the man holding the rifle that makes a rifle a sniper rifle. If they were to say that it was a "sniper's rifle" well then I would agree.

If any rifle could be a sniper rifle then then the armorer's at Precision Weapons sections, Weapons Training Battalion, Quantico, Va would not spend so much time hand assembling the rifles they make for their intended roles and they would buy the guns they needed of Wal-Mart's shelves.

What makes a sniper rifle different from other rifles is that it is designed and assembled with the goal of increasing accuracy, repeatability, and dependability to the utmost level. There is a huge difference between military and law enforcement snipers (mostly the distance shots are taken as well as the way in which the sniper travels to their intended shooting spots and how they leave them.) and as such there is some difference in their weapons.

But suffice it to say that a military sniper rifle is usually 10-15 lbs, will group better than .75" at 100yds and can maintain a sub M.O.A. group out to at least 800 yards. They are usually hand assembled with special techniques designed to create consistency and ruggedness. A lot of care and dedication goes into the creation of such a precision instrument that can withstand an incredible amount of abuse and still perform. Military rifles are typically .308 Win but some are even .300 Win Mag, or .338 Lapua. The .50 cal Barrett is typically not a sniper rifle but more of an anti material rifle or special application scoped rifle (SASR). Not that you can't shoot it at people but that is not what it was primarily intended for.

Answer 5

A scope maybee.Now days due to all these couch commandos and air soft commandos everyone wants a sniper rifle.I guess they think it would make them cool or somthing.What most people dont realise is how easy and cheap it is to make a sniper rifle.I bet rite now the gun industry is making so much money off these people.I see them all the time at gun shops asking for sniper rifles and things like that.What most people don't realize is how mutch training and dicipline is involved in the art of sniping.

Answer 6

rambo;
You are joking of course, an HMG barrel that shoots into 3.25" at 1000 yds? Maybe you could tell us what make of barrel this is, and what gun that it was used on? I am sure that you will start a rush to buy them.
No machine gun barrel is designed for accurate bullet placement of this degree, why would the military want 600+ RPM in the same hole?
Sad to think that all of you bench-rest boys out there have been paying thousands for your custom made, hand lapped barrels, when all that you needed was a $10 surplus MG barrel.
Also, 308 is not, in modern terminology, regarded as a HMG round.
Do you even own a gun ? Give the readers credit for some intelligence.

Answer 7

While there are many features that can give a rifle greater inherent accuracy, Miketyson26 is correct. What makes any rifle a sniper rifle is the man (or woman) holding it.

Answer 8

Sniper rifles normally have a heaver stock and a thicker barrel and weights more vs a regular rifle a good example my rifle normally weighs about 5.5Lbs after I changed out my stock my front and rear grip installed my scope mount took my standard barrel off and installed a heavy machine gun barrel. My gun now pushes 10Lbs and I have gone from shooting a group of 3" at 600 yds to shooting a group of 1.5" at 600 yds and 3.25" at 1000yds. By the way I'm shooting a modified .308win.

Answer 9

Sniper Rifles are any rifle designed specifically for Military and Law Enforcement use that is manufactured for high power, and increased long range capabilities along with pin-point accuracy. A "regular" rifle is any other rifle manufactured for general sporting use hunting,and target shooting purposes

Answer 10

the person behind the trigger