Police sniper caliber?

.308

Good for people. Good for hunting as long as you keep the ranges down to reasonable. Yes, they use the 308 for 1000 yd matches, and yes, military snipers use it for 1000 "meter" shots. But in most circles, it is felt that it doesn't retain enough energy for animals at long ranges. ie: Deer beyond 200 yards, or elk beyond 150 or so yards.



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"Charlton Heston is my President"

Danny45
NRA, NAHC, Buckmasters
 
> But in most circles, it is felt that it doesn't retain enough energy for animals at long ranges. ie: Deer beyond 200 yards, <

Damn glad the deer I took @ 250 yards didn't travel in that circle. ;)

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Schmit
GySgt, USMC(Ret)
NRA Life, Lodge 1201-UOSSS
"Si vis Pacem Para Bellum"
 
TCW, yes, the .308 has most power, but the majority of police/SWAT engagements fall within 100 yards, hence the .223, as well as pistol-caliber carbines. Less chance of over-penetration in urban settings, and the subsequent liability...
 
What gewehr said.

It is highly unlikely that a police sharpshooter will ever get the green light to take a shot at more than 100 yards. Within that range, a .223 is plenty accurate. You're not really going to see a difference in accuracy between a good .223 and a good .308 until you start getting out there in terms of range (400+ yards) with a good wind blowing. And since we're talking headshots, most likely, the .223 is plenty powerful enough.

Still, most police sharpshooters use .308.

M1911
 
The .223 is plenty accurate for most needs and poses less danger in urban areas.

But some PDs have chosen .308 because they can get military tracer, incendiary and AP for it. There is not much real use for that stuff, but it is nice to know there are a few rounds tucked away just in case.

Jim
 
Schmit, There's always the exception. :D I didn't say that was always my opinion.

Bob, the 300 win mag is way too much gun for urban environments. Great for 1000 yard matches though.

Alot of the reason they go with 308 instead of 223 is the ability to penetrate barriers with little deflection, like glass. Also, alot of the police snipers shoot competition also and the 308 is much better for that than the 223.

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"Charlton Heston is my President"

Danny45
NRA, NAHC, Buckmasters
 
.308 gives more options to the rifleman. Match ammo is pretty standard for snipers, and the rounds, usually a 168 gr. HPBT, provide the most accuracy. The .308 also comes in a couple different good varities, as previously mentioned, but one of the most important rounds for this is the 165gr Federal Tactical ammo. It is better against barriers, i.e. glass, than a match bullet, and pretty much keeps the same zero as the 168gr HPBT. The .223 is good for shots with no barriers.
 
A good big game round, plus a good rifleman can easily use .308 to well past 250 yards for deer. For elk, some of the .308 rifles with 1-12" twist may not adequately stabilize the heavier 180+ gr. bullets. My PSS does not like the 180gr. Winchester Failsafes, but is one hole with 168gr match and 165 gr. Federal premium hunting loads.

.308 would not be my first choice for elk, but 150 yards is a might bit short. A friend used a .307 (very close to .308, but rimmed) lever gun for a one shot moose in Canada at 185 yards.

Again, know your gun, know your load, know your game.
 
my local marshall uses his .270 deer rifle with a leupold scope.
he has never had to use it for the sniping purpose tho, but since i have been shooting with him on occasion i know that he could if need be.

this is in a town of only a couple thousand people, maybe about 1500, where the first murder in about 20 years happened 3 years ago. so nothing ever goes on really.

from what i have seen, read, heard, been told .ect .308 is the choice round for police snipers.
but some use other rounds, .223 .300 win mag .ect.
 
According to "The Ultimate Sniper" by John Pastick, the most popular calibers for police marksman work are, in order:

1. .308 Winchester/7.62 Nato
2. .223 Rem/5.56 Nato
3. (way behind #1 and #2) Everything else, including 300 Magnum, .243, .50BMG, etc.

As a rule, police marksmen and not generally called snipers, as they do not employ quite the same tactics as military snipers nor do they typically operate at the distances that military snipers do. Usually, police departments have "marksmen" or "sharpshooters" not "snipers."

Most police marksmen take shots under 100 yards, mostly for liability reasons (this is from FBI data posted in the aforementioned book). However, they do train to shoot much farther if the situation demands it. Miltary snipers are trained to use the ballistic advantage of their rifles to engage targets usually beyond 400 yards in order to minimize the effect of counter-fire.

The .223 is often used in situations where over-penetration is a great concern. Hollow point bullets in .223, especially Federal 62-grain BTHPs, are devastating at close ranges, particularly on cranial and thoracic shots. The .308 is much better against protected targets, though, especially at longer ranges. The Federal 168-grain BTHP is a clear favorite in this role.

Hope this helps!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chad Young:
As a rule, police marksmen and not generally called snipers ...[/quote]

Well, at least the Columbia, Mississippi Police Department has not given in to this bizarre form of Politically Correct job title sparring. The link is to its weapons page where they describe the weapons used by its sniper teams.

Their teams are armed with both .223 and .308, the observers having the .223 and the sniper having the .308.
 
Wow, what a swat team! I can't believe they have all of that info and even pictures on their website. They even have the HK G36! Impressive. I guess it is sort of a good way to make your swat team look less oppresive. They are all dressed in blue and have big smiles on thier faces. They even have a attractive looking female leader on their containment team who no doubt would punch your clock in 1.5 seconds. Quite astonishing.
 
Well, Shippensburg PA didn't have one when a headcase went into their local Kmart, asked to see a shotgun, then loaded it and took the whole store hostage. It took the State Police quite a while to get their Emergency Response team in position...and the first thing all the monday morning quarterbacks were asking was why the Shippensburg PD (which actually didn't have jurisdiction...it was just outside of town, but nevermind that) didn't have a 'SWAT' team. *roll eyes*

I mean, chances are you'll never be attacked. you don't really need your guns, either.

Mike



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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
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