Sniper Rifle vs Hunting Rifle

[Double Naught Spy]

I'm sorry, but I can't consider the M-1107 a sniper rifle at the exclusion of others.

The rifle was designed for the anti-material role. It had and continues to serve in the long range sniping role, but all the guys in our Sniper Section preferred the M-110 or M-24, with the .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua replacing the .50 BMG in the long range role.

The M-107 is a variant of the M82A1. It was NOT designed for the anti-material role. The US Military originally adopted the M82A1 for such a role (actually for EOD), but that was not what it was "designed for."
http://www.nramuseum.org/the-museum...arrett-m82a1-semi-automatic-sniper-rifle.aspx

By RB's own words, he designed the 82A1 because he wanted his own .50 caliber weapon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLBmc-Lgtb0

There is a huge distinction between the conception of design and application and this is a clear example. Even if an anti-material role was the design intent, intent does not matter. Lots of items are designed with a given intent that turn out to be quite useful for other intents.

The bottom line is that the M82A1 and M107 like every other rifle out there are simply designed for the purpose of launching projectiles down range in a controlled manner. Whether they are shot at materials or humans is the application, NOT the design.

Specifically see 4:30 in the video for the design-intended application of the platform. It was NOT designed as an anti-material military weapon at all.

 

[SPEMack618]

Double Naught Spy, that's what I intending to state, that the rifle was originally adopted in the EOD/anti-material role.

The rifle, from my understanding, and this maybe incorrect, was that the first users of the Barrett were EOD teams.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Okay, it still doesn't matter what it was adopted for originally, that does not negate its use in other areas or reclassification.

And, the Swedes apparently didn't adopt it as an anti-material weapon, only the Marines as a SASR (special application scoped rifle). It is now the M107 LRSR (long range sniper rifle). Go figure.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19882700/Inspection-and-Repair-of-the-M107-Long-Range-Sniper-Rifle-LRSR

 

[SPEMack618]

Heck, it took me forever to stop wanting to call it the M-82A2.

As an aside, the only time I ever saw a Barrett (HA! call it by it's given name) employed was by an EOD guy engaging a suspicious looking package along side a road that we were going to have drive by.

 

[44 AMP]

Just curious, when the police snipers have to shoot animals, do the sniper rifles they use become hunting rifles?

I would say no, because the police sniper rarely has to hunt the animal. Animal control rifle? maybe?

Sniper rifles are rifles used for sniping. No matter what they were intended for originally, if they were used for sniping, then you could call them sniper rifles.

There are purpose built sniper rifles, but a rifle need not be purpose built to be a sniper rifle.

A maker or marketer can hang any name on their product they wish, so that is another caetgory of sniper rifle.

Likewise, the term "sharpshooter" doesn't just apply to people shooting Sharps rifles...

 

[kraigwy]

Just curious, when the police snipers have to shoot animals, do the sniper rifles they use become hunting rifles?

I carried a sniper rifle in LE, a Remington 700 BDL Varmint in 223. Also had to shoot a lot of animals, mainly moose after vehicle/moose incounters. I didn't use the rifle, I used a Model 28 Smith in 357.

It wasn't a sniper rifle or hunting rifle, it was a service revolver.

 

[Art Eatman]

From Wikipedia: "The verb "to snipe" originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India where a hunter skilled enough to kill the elusive snipe was dubbed a "sniper".[2] The term sniper was first attested in 1824 in the sense of the word "sharpshooter".[2]"

There obviously has been some evolutionary change in usage during the decades.

 

[allaroundhunter]

if you are a member of a NATO military then yes you have to use FMJ

.....No, you don't.... OTM ammunition is allowed, and it is used in 5.56, 7.62x51, and other calibers.

What NATO members are required to use is ammunition that is designed not to inflict undue damage (by expanding in tissue). OTM (open tip match) ammunition is designed to have better external ballistics than FMJ ammo, but have similar terminal ballistic performance. 77gr OTM ammunition is currently in use in 5.56x45mm and 175 gr (OTM) M118LR ammunition is in use in 7.62x51mm.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I carried a sniper rifle in LE, a Remington 700 BDL Varmint in 223

How illustrative of the issue at hand. The Remington 700 BDL you called a sniper rifle is billed as a great hunting rifle by Remington and has been for the last 40 years.
http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-bdl.aspx

Heck, it took me forever to stop wanting to call it the M-82A2.

The M82A2 is what I think is the coolest version of the rifle. It is a semi-auto bullpup version that is much more readily fired offhand than the M82A1.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...AsbW2AXuwYHgCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEEQ9QEwAQ&dur=4567

 

[Bart B.]

Back in the late 1960's when the US military folks went looking for a new "sniper" rifle platform, the one preferred by the top level marksmen and snipers was not picked. Didn't matter that it was more reliable, more easily maintained and had fast and easy parts replacement in the field should they go bad, more reliable in feeding (especially in rapid fire situations), had a receiver over twice as rigid and stayed put in epoxy bedding, a more positive safety and had established an unbeated track record for performance in competion. That's what the folks using them back then wanted.

But the rifle's maker was in dire financial straits and the flag ranked powers at hand did not want such a company to provide it. They wanted a company that would probably be around for a long time. So they picked the Rem. 700 over the Win. 70.

 

[Nathan]

I've said it before, and it bears repeating, if the gun grabbers are targeting semi-automatic rifles today, so-called assualt weapons, then tomorrow they will be after bolt action rifles, the so-called sniper rifles.

Let's not forget all single shots could probably classified as zip guns and all handguns as Saturday Night Specials!

 

[kraigwy]

Quote:
I carried a sniper rifle in LE, a Remington 700 BDL Varmint in 223

How illustrative of the issue at hand. The Remington 700 BDL you called a sniper rifle is billed as a great hunting rifle by Remington and has been for the last 40 years.
http://www.remington.com/products/fi...l-700-bdl.aspx

Yeh, it was also billed as a great LE Sniper Rifle per the USAMU Counter-Sniper Guide from the '70s.

Annex E

ITEMS ARE LISTED IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE
THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT OF ANY
PRODUCT OR CONDEMN THOSE WITH WHICH WE ARE NOT FAMILIAR




Telea.copea:



Redfield Leupold Unertl Realiat Tasco

- 6X with 4 post crosa hair reticle
- 1.5 X with duplex reticle
- 6X Condor with poat reticle
- 6X Campute r with standard reticle
- 6X Super Deerslayer with appropriate reticle



Scope Mounts:



Redfield Bushnel Weaver

• Brigde mount with 1 in rings
• Bridge mount with 1 in rings
- Top detachable 1 in rings



Rifle: Remington model 700 Varnut Special
- Winchester model 70 Target Heavy Barrel
- Remington model 40XB Target Heavy Barrel

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Yeh, it was also billed as a great LE Sniper Rifle per the USAMU Counter-Sniper Guide from the '70s.

And so the same rifle does not care what it is doing. You can give it whatever name you want, calling it a hunting rifle or a sniper rifle, but in the end, such a name isn't a classification of the firearm, but an application of it.

Sort of reminds me of the differences between hunting scopes, sniper scopes, and countersniper scopes.

 

[Art Eatman]

Looks like the poor ol' hoss is gettin' tired.