HankB
Member
I'm not a trained military sniper, but . . .
I think the guys using 7.62 sniper rifles are probably able to be employed more flexibly than guys using .50 Barretts. I really wouldn't want to be dropped somewhere 25 miles from nowhere and have to maintain concealment on my own or as part of a 2-man team for a week or more if I had to lug around a 35 pound .50 rifle, ammo, plus all my other gear.
The military 7.62 sniper rifles are about a third the weight, and the ammo is lighter too. Out of a bolt action, the ammo ought to stay supersonic up to 1000+ yards so the accuracy will be there out to that range, the signature is much less than a .50, and ammo is readily available, so it's a more practical choice for general issue.
A .50 will do things no 7.62 will . . . for that matter, it will do things no .300 WinMag will. So the .50s unquestionably have their place. But easily portable for extended deployments it ain't.
I think the guys using 7.62 sniper rifles are probably able to be employed more flexibly than guys using .50 Barretts. I really wouldn't want to be dropped somewhere 25 miles from nowhere and have to maintain concealment on my own or as part of a 2-man team for a week or more if I had to lug around a 35 pound .50 rifle, ammo, plus all my other gear.
The military 7.62 sniper rifles are about a third the weight, and the ammo is lighter too. Out of a bolt action, the ammo ought to stay supersonic up to 1000+ yards so the accuracy will be there out to that range, the signature is much less than a .50, and ammo is readily available, so it's a more practical choice for general issue.
A .50 will do things no 7.62 will . . . for that matter, it will do things no .300 WinMag will. So the .50s unquestionably have their place. But easily portable for extended deployments it ain't.