What is a sniper rifle....

[22-rimfire]

A sniper rifle can be any rifle which is why the terminolgy should never be employed in any legislation. I think many would agree that a Remington Model 700 could be considered a sniper rifle in the hands of a skilled marksman. Police use them as do the military.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I've got an SSG, a PSS, and an LTR. Some days I consider them sniper rifles, some days I consider them target rifles. I have on occasion used them for deer rifles. I've got a Bushie Predator, that when I get my Magpul stock on, I may consider a sniper rifle.
Should our country decline into chaos in the next 15-20 years, I suspect most hunting rifles may end up as sniping rifles, as most of them shoot better than their owners

 

[240SX]

Any rifle could be considered a sniper rifle, given the marksmanship of the shooter. I would agree that the Remington 700 would definitely do the job, however, a .22lr or mag. rifle - under the right circumstances could be effect as well.

 

[Hoppy590]

I'd be careful of this. This would include a huge amount of regular combatants under the umbrella of "sniper." If a unit ambushes another unit from concealment, then slips away, are those soldiers now snipers?

not specifically directed at you, but your wording is the most descriptive scenario.

well the literal definition of "Snipe" or "Sniper" by a dictionary is

Main Entry: 2snipe
Function:
intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s):
sniped; snip·ing
Date:
1832

1 : to shoot at exposed individuals (as of an enemy's forces) from a usually concealed point of vantage

the popular usage now assumes some long distance, Carlos Hathcock type shot but it not in the tradition of the description of snipers.

i do feel that those men who "Snipe" ( keep in mind snipe also means a quick insult in terms of speech and conversation) by taking a quick shot from the roof top and then retreat fall with in the definition of a sniper. thier goal, much like a long range sniper is to have minimal exposure to the enemy, pop off a shot or two, then move to remain hidden.

 

[RevolvingCylinder]

Hoppy590 is 100% correct.

 

[NvTwist]

LA LA LA LA LA LA LA....... Hoppy590 nailed it. He's the sniper of this thread.

 

[Spiros [Risk]]

A remington sps is not a sniper rifle, you can say so all day long kid till you're blue in the face.

Kid...Hmmm. Internet muscles I guess. Tell me since the 700 sps is not a sniper rifle to you than you would feel safe standing 800 yards away from the barrel of a 30-06 remington 700 sps with a 8.5-25x44 scope. I bet not and I dont blam you. Ima paintball kid but one which is informed. You on the other hand show all of us what a mall-ninja is. So thank you for being an example.

To everyone else. Thanks for your information. So what I basicly got from all these post is that my 700 sps is a sniper rifle. So long as its used by the right person under the right conditions at distance. I really enjoy reading what everyone has to say minus mall-ninjas.

 

[Hoppy590]

A sniper rifle is a rifle that is built to optimal specs, to make consistent shots at greater ranges than small arms fire can produce

a rifle IS a small arm.

 

[hankdatank1362]

you would feel safe standing 800 yards away from the barrel of a 30-06 remington 700 sps with a 8.5-25x44 scope

Depends who was behind it.

You guys? Zak Smith? Carlos Hathcock?

Just owning a scoped out boltie doesn't make you a sniper any more than a Noveske AR-15 makes you an operator.

When I think of a sniper, I think of someone adept in the arts of stalking, camoflague, milling targets to determine range (a real PITA at long distances if you don't know what you're doing) and all kinds of things I don't even know about.

Having a certain weapon doesn't preclude one to be a sniper; a sniper makes a certain weapon become a sniper rifle through usage and skill set.

Is your rifle capable of good accuracy? Yes. Could it be used in the role of a sniper rifle? Absolutely.

Is it a sniper rifle? No.

Frankly, I believe that you shouldn't go around yelling that you and your buddy (that constitutes your "team" ) bought a new "sniper rifle" unless you want to:

a. freak out anyone within earshot
b. make yourself sould like a COD Fanboy or Mall Ninja Extraordinaire.

I don't mean to sound insulting and apologize if it sounds like I am. I just don't want you guys being branded as a bunch of wannabe mall ninjas.

If you posted the same question over on The Sniper's Hide, along with a mention of your "team", you'd get laughed off the board. I like to think we're more polite than that here. But a lot of those guys have BTDT, or are active duty, and don't have a lot of patience for games.

Me personally? I think it's fun to play around a little. Enjoy your rifle!

 

[etnie]

You got me, I'm the mall-ninja (had to look that up) but you're the "sniper" that has the ghostly death from afar snipin' rifle.

At 800 yards you couldnt hit a truck in 2 shots I would bet.

just glad I could be the example....

 

[yesit'sloaded]

It is the High Road after all...

 

[hankdatank1362]

I knew this was gonna happen...

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

You got me, I'm the mall-ninja (had to look that up) but you're the "sniper" that has the ghostly death from afar snipin' rifle.

At 800 yards you couldnt hit a truck in 2 shots I would bet.

just glad I could be the example....

A remington sps is not a sniper rifle, you can say so all day long kid till you're blue in the face. It's great that you and your friends are into shooting, that is a good thing but to argue the point that you are trying just proves who the air soft and paint ball kids are.
etnie is online now Report Post

It takes a lot of nerve to come on a forum as esteemed as THR with only 4 total posts, and start insulting other members and calling them airsoft kids. I hope your 5th-infinity posts are a lot more classy or don't count on your membership lasting long.


As far as the actual topic, unless you are a sniper, or training to become one, I would stress against using the term "sniper rifle". That is the very sort of thing the antis latch onto and call us psychos. The SPS is a precision rifle yes. It is capable of being a sniper rifle if used in that scenario by someone with sniper training. But please, don't paint us all in a bad light tossing around that term. It's just like "assault rifle". The word, outside of specialized military and police applications, really does more harm to gun owners than good.

 

[Thernlund]

^^^^

Aye.


-T.

 

[sarduy]

I posted a thread >> http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=375545 and someone found it in themselves to say that A remington 700 sps isnt a sniper rifle.

That's me!

In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a rifle used to ensure accurate placement of shots at greater ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military centrefire cartridge. The term is often used in the media to describe any type of accurized firearm fitted with a telescopic sight that is employed against human targets.

The military role of sniper (a term derived from the snipe, a bird which was difficult to hunt and shoot) dates back to the turn of the 18th century, but the sniper rifle itself is a much more recent development. Advances in technology, specifically that of telescopic sights and more accurate manufacturing, allowed armies to equip specially-trained soldiers with rifles that would enable them to deliver precise shots over greater distances than regular infantry weapons. The rifle itself could be a standard rifle (at first, a bolt-action rifle); however, when fitted with a telescopic sight, it would become a sniper rifle.

Links that you may want to take a look;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sniper_rifle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_700

 

[nwilliams]

Any rifle used by someone to snipe is a sniper rifle in my book. Any rifle can be a sniper rifle since the term refers to an action by an individual. The term sniper rifle gets tossed around way too much, no rifle is a sniper rifle unless its used as one to perform as such. If a sniper uses a rifle to perform the act of sniping than the rifle he or she is holding becomes a sniper rifle.

I have a Rem 700 LTR and I don't consider it to be a sniper rifle because I am not a sniper, its a bolt action rifle and that is all. I also own a MN 91/30 ex-sniper and I don't consider it a sniper rifle anymore, the day it was taken out of service it lost the title of sniper rifle, now its just another bolt action milsurp.

Just my 2¢

 

[mr.trooper]

I volunteer to be the FIRST 1911-A1 "sniper" LOL

 

[Thernlund]

Let's make this productive. Let's see....

Sniping doesn't require specialized training. Oswald and Whitman weren't specifically trained, but they did "snipe". Whitman from a fair distance, Oswald at a moving target.

Sniping doesn't required specific equipment so long as the weapon in question can be consistently, reasonably accurate out to a distance.

So what are the defining variables here? Distance would be one. Concealment could be another, but it's not imperative. Everybody knew where Whitman was after a few shots. He still "sniped". So beyond distance, I can't think of any other defining variables. So what distance? I'd say any distance at which a sidearm (read: handgun) is not consistently or reasonably effective. This is not to say that there aren't handguns that can't hit at a long distance. But those handguns are the exception, not the rule. We're talking about the average sidearm. So maybe typical "throwing distance" would be a good standard.

So then, we have this...

A "sniper" can be anyone shooting at a target beyond "throwing distance" with a weapon capable of the task.

A "sniper rifle" can be any rifle that can be used to consistently hit a target at a distance beyond "throwing distance".


-T.

 

[GunTech]

Any rifle that be made to hit a man-sized target out to 1000 yards I'd absolutely classify as a sniper rifle. The 700 certainly qualifies.

Not really, since a sniper is just someone who shoot from a position of concealment - technically speaking. Many famous snipers, with huge numbers of kills, did most of their work at relatively short range. Hayha and Surkov come to mind. Both racked up over 700 kills, almost all at under 300 yards. Hayha's weapon of choice was a Mosin Nagant with iron sights.

 

[ThomasT]

Did everyone forget the DC snipers. They made a perfect team. One spotter and one shooter. They made the shot and left without being caught. The gun they used and the range was unimportant. It was the act that made them snipers.

I remember reading that the Marines bought off the shelf model 700s and model 70s and put across the counter hunting scopes on them and sent them to Vietnam as sniper rifles until they could get purpose built guns ready.

I have also read that some SWAT teams have accurate 22s for use inside of 50 yards. I believe the Israelis have used 10-22s to pick instigaters out of crowds of rioters.

I guess a "sniper rifle" is whatever you want it to be.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Of course any rifle used by a sniper is a sniper's rifle, but not necessarily a sniper rifle. Words are funny that way. Here is an example. Here are two rifles, guess which one is sub-MOA and guess which one was designed to kill people from a distance.

 

[RancidSumo]

I agree with highorder. So unless you are shooting at people accurately from a hidden position while being able to determine target distance and drop etc. of the bullet then your rifle is not a sniper rifle. It could be a sniper rifle if put to use sniping but shooting at paper at 100yds is hardly enough to consider yourself a sniper.

 

[22-rimfire]

I hate the term sniper rifle. It has so many anti-gun connotations that it should never be used for civilian arms. You don't "snipe" deer unless you are talking about doing something illegal (or at least I don't).

 

[yesit'sloaded]

I've been on a snipe hunt before so I must be a sniper

 

[240SX]

GoodGreef. This is just nutz!!! I believe the title of the thread was "What is a sniper rifle?" Not what defines a sniper or who is a sniper. As I've already said, any rifle could potentially be a sniper rifle. That's all I've got to say about that.