Sniper Rifle or Deer Rifle?

[LogicGS]

Personally, I would not take anything lighter than a .243 Win into the woods to kill a deer.

This is Missouri deer I'm talking about here too, not Mule deer or Brontosaurus deer (AKA Elk), but plain old Whitetail 120-140 LBS max. In fact, 140 lbs is a big damned deer around these parts, you'd be a fricken hero, but I digress.

In my younger years (say age 10-12), I couldn't handle a 30-06, so I used the Rem 700 in .243 Win that my mom used to hunt with. That rifle killed a lot of deer, for both of us, so I know it's a serviceable round, but you must place the shot correctly.

My old man had one get away on three legs when he hit it in the shoulder joint with that same rifle. Tiny bullet, going that fast, just grenades when it hits bone. I'm sure it died eventually, but we tracked that deer for damned near two miles across three farms and never did find it.

That was the last year either I or my dad would take that small a round into the woods.

He's back to his 30-06 Mauser, and I've got a Rem 700P in .308 Win, as well as an AR10 in .308.

All of them have enough wallop to hit a joint and keep going on through. Something like a Barnes triple shock will damned near exhaust itself inside the chest cavity (still thru and through), but still has the gas to get to the heart and lungs if you happen to crap up the shot and hit a big bone or two.

The recoil difference is negligible between the .243 and the .308 IMO, and the ammo is just as readily available.

IMO, at 500 yds, I wouldn't be taking a shot at a deer, and certainly not with a .223 Rem, which is fine, 'cause around here there ain't an open field that wide in the whole damned state anyway.

 

[C-grunt]

I dont htink he is planning on hunting the deer with the .223 at 500 yards. He just asked if the stated rifles were tactical rifles or deer rifles in tactical dressing.

 

[DeepSouth]

When they want to start banning bolt-actions, they'll call them ALL "sniper rifles".

That was worth repeating.

 

[moooose102]

"It's my opinion that a true "sniper" is defined by a set of skills, not by a certain type of weapon. As another poster said, 223 is not the best choice for deer... It's not the worst, but you could do a lot better."

+ 1 on that. back in the day, you could put malcom smith on a bmw boxer twin and he would out ride almost every other dirt bike rider out there, no matter what they were riding. skill is the basic reason. as for the 223 being light for deer. i agree with that. UNLESS you actually have real sniper skills, and can actually do 500 yard eye ball shots! you do not need a 458 magnum to kill deer. but the less energy you have, the more critical shot placement becomes.

 

[LogicGS]

I dont htink he is planning on hunting the deer with the .223 at 500 yards. He just asked if the stated rifles were tactical rifles or deer rifles in tactical dressing.

I know, that last line was said in jest.

Thus the smiley.

 

[PlayMaker]

Hey Art,

Dr. Hussein said

Ask Art what caliber his deer rifle was when it still held 1 MOA at 500 yards.

What calibre, make and model?

 

[woodybrighton]

the difference between an AI sniper rifle and a similar accurate hunting rifle is the L96 is designed to produce similar accuracy in whatever the weather and take abuse a hunting rifle should never take.
if your trying to make shots at -20 or after a week in mud you really need to have a word with your hunting guide
and do it for 20 years or so
you can make highly accurate easy it will cost.
utter reliability fairly cheap.
combining both not cheap.

while training on possibly one of the smallest army training areas in the UK a
Ash down forest home of Winnie the pooh
got approached by some animal rights types who were protesting about the deer cull (no predators left in the Uk how else are deer meant to be controlled).

explained we weren't hunters we were snipers and were training to kill people
reply "that's alright as long as you don't hurt animals"
unless your military police its a target or hunting rifle or if you feel a need to dress it up call in an interdiction rifle sounds cool and nobody knows what it is.

 

[mljdeckard]

1 MOA is 1 MOA at any range. It's a measurement of angle, not spread. Any rifle that has 1 MOA accuracy at 100 yards will have 1 MOA accuracy at 500 yards.

 

[CWL]

A "Sniper" is a job designation.

You want a precision rifle.

 

[Afy]

Most 'precision' rifles will out shoot a 'sniper' rifle especially if you want tight groups.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

I want a bolt action rifle that can shoot tight groups at 500 yards.
I have a 556 and think I want to stick with the .223 caliber due to only needing one type of ammo. As I have looked at many different rifles I am not sure if they are actual sniper rifles or regular deer rifles with tactical stocks.

Here is what I have looked at: (any thoughts or recommendations appreciated)

Sig Blaser Tactical2
Tikka T3
Nemisis Arms

If you're planning on going hunting with it, get a standard barrel contour. The target guns are way too heavy to drag around the woods all day.

Don't multitask your guns. Do you find yourself shooting targets, or shooting deer more? When you can determine that, you can determine what rifle to buy.

And I'm really sick of hearing about killing deer with .223. I know it can be done, but .223 isn't ideal for deer shooting. If you want to kill deer get a deer caliber (.30-06, .308, .270, .30-30, .243 etc...). If you get a heavy barreled rifle in .223 for deer season, don't complain when it gets heavy walking around looking for the deer you wounded.

 

[Acera]

Also remember your accuracy will fall off when the bullet it uses goes subsonic.

While you rifle may be 1 MOA, you ammo could make it 1 MOA out to a particular range, then the accuracy will fail because of the failings in the bullet.


The distance at which there is a transition between supersonic and subsonic is a limiting factor in your accurate effective range.

So choose cartridge accordingly.

 

[Plinkeriffic]

A deer would be unable to make the distinction for you. With a .22, pistols, and shotgun slugs I regularly snipe bottles, cans, little plastic army men, clay pigeons set on edge, and, recently, plastic pastel-colored easter eggs. Sniping is what you make of it!

 

[Coronach]

Sniper Rifle or Deer Rifle?

The minute someone uses a deer rifle to shoot someone high profile, you'll discover that they're one in the same in the eyes of congress and the media.

Seriously. There is no practical difference between a long range hunting rifle and a sniper rifle.

Mike

 

[deerhunter61]

I agree with the other poster....sniper is a reference to the shooter and not the rifle.....

That is the difference maker

 

[Jim K]

Rifle with telescopic sight:

If you are a hunter, it is a deer rifle.

If you are a liberal, it is an evil, long-range assassination weapon, designed and used only for killing innocent people from miles away.

Jim

 

[lefteyedom]

Real Tree Camo or Gillie Suit?

Sniper rifle this, Tactical Scope that,
Would somebody please call this what is...

MARKETING!!!!​

Deer rifles, target rifles, sniper rifle, varmint rifles

It is just a scam to relieve us of our hard earned wages.

Yes, there is a little in all of us Walter Mitty and the folks in marketing know how to milk it for very dime.

Who is Walter Mitty.....

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Walter Mitty as "an ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs."

 

[pwillie]

I have two rifles. One is a Winchester model 70 classic with a boss chambered in 257 weatherby,Hart match grade barrel,with a Mc Millan stock. The other is a Winchester model 70 chambered in 300 weatherby with a Hart match grade barrel,HS stock. All have Swarovski scopes. 500 yd shots need good glass.Speed kills,and each of these rifle rnds produce 3500 out the barrel.The boss makes it easy to get the moa.I use nothing butNorma ammo consecutive numbered boxes.Nosler partition bullets.I think the reason the services use the 308 is the availability of ammo on a multi service need.I don't think Weatherby ammo would be an easy find in Afghanistan.The 257 is by and far the sweetest shooter. I really am not a Weatheby rifle person,but I do like Roy's ballistics.I have taken many deer @ 450 + yds

 

[C-grunt]

I know, that last line was said in jest.

Thus the smiley.

That wasnt toward you LogicGS

 

[woodybrighton]

if its got a scope on its its a sniper rifle
if it has an magazine that protrudes from the stock its an assault rifle
if its a pistol its a magnum
hence 9mm magnum
.45acp magnum etc
so a bubbered jungle carbine painted black with a scope on it would be a
deadly compact tactical assault rifle:banghead:

 

[C-grunt]

deadly compact tactical assault sniper rifle.

You forgot the sniper since its got a scope

 

[GLOOB]

1 MOA is 1 MOA at any range. It's a measurement of angle, not spread. Any rifle that has 1 MOA accuracy at 100 yards will have 1 MOA accuracy at 500 yards.

Only in a perfect vacuum with no gravity.

In ballistic flight, the path of a projectile is parabolic. Any variation of initial muzzle velocity will cause error in vertical accuracy. This error is exponential with distance, not linear.

Then there's wind, air resistance, and wobble.

I wonder if the Coriolis force might even come into play at some point??

 

[Art Eatman]

"Ol' Pet" is a German-made, 1971-vintage Weatherby Mark V. .30-'06. #2 profile barrel, 26". Canjar trigger, set at two pounds. I free-floated the forearm and have a little shim at the tip for dampening the vibrations. 1997-vintage Simmons 44Mag 3x10 scope with Weaver mounts.

Loads were all with IMR 4064. Sierra 150-grain SPBT, 165-grain HPBT and 180-grain SPBT.

When the scope was adjusted to zero at 500, all three loads had very near the same point of impact. A bit startling, really.

I later tried H414 with the 180s and first crack out of the box got a three-shot group of 0.4 MOA at 100 yards. I sez, "That's good enough for one day," and loaned the gun to Justin as my Provider Of Elk Steaks. Good man, Justin. He's accumulating merit against his own old age.

 

[jbech123]

A 60 grain Nosler Partition was designed for deer hunting.

It will work, just like a 243 will work for elk if the right bullet is used. There are just much better choices.

 

[jbech123]

1 MOA is 1 MOA at any range. It's a measurement of angle, not spread. Any rifle that has 1 MOA accuracy at 100 yards will have 1 MOA accuracy at 500 yards.

True for the rifle for the most part, although the number of people that can shoot moa at 100yds is greater than the number that can do it at 500, even more so at 1000.