What does "Sniper or Sniper Rifle"mean

[bd1]

What's your "go-to" centerfire rifle-scope rig you know is going to deliver unwavering first-shot accuracy at the longest range you can safely hunt N American game animals firing from the shoulder or a field rest? That's a "sniper" rifle. Caliber can range anywhere from the 6 mm's to a .375.

[chuckindenver]

my personal rifle. an early 1980,s Remington PSS in .308 , Redfield 4-12 scope,
when i found this rifle, it was in a pawnshop, new in the box, in 1985.
at that time, you had to have a military or police ID to get one,
i picked it up for 350.00 and spent 450.00 for the scope, added a Canjar set trigger.
iv taken many many deer and Antelope with this rifle, Coyotes, and won several matches at my gun club.
if i had to keep a couple rifles, this would be one of them.

my next personal rifle, id keep.
my Remington 700 Safari grade in .375H&H. redfield 5 star 3x9 scope will kill anything on this planet,
iv taken a couple record class mule deer with it, as well as some 20 Bull Elk.
never had to shoot them twice.
both rifles shoot better then i do.
are they {sniper} rifles? not in my book, though the PSS was made for a police or combat sharp shooter, it has not and likely will never be used as such.
it does and has, taken medium sized game at very long range, if i do my job right, it take them down, usually with one shot.

[Clark Howard]

While it is true that a sniper rifle meets the same requirements of accuracy and reliability as a sporting rifle that is designed for same, the huge difference between the civilian marksman and the military sniper is the absolute certainty that the sniper will be opposed very quickly by enemy fire. The popular picture of the sniper smiling smuggly after a kill is in contrast to the reality of the shooter quickly vacating his hide and attempting to avoid the inevitable relatiation from the enemy. The term "sniper" is applied to persons and hardware in order to enhance the positive reaction to them by people who wish to benefit from the reputation of the term. Regards, Clark

[snakehunter]

Whether one should vacate one's position (shoot and scoot) or stay in that position (shoot and xxxx [or shoot and sit, if you prefer]) depends on the mission and tactical situation.

[Critch]

Well, the libs already started years ago griping about scoped rifles, I think it was Feinstein who made a big deal about a scoped rifle being able to hit something at 100 yards. (Moron)

I never refer to my 10FP as a sniper rifle, its a Savage 10, I've never been through sniper training and I'm really only learning how to shoot at really long ranges...but it is an awfully accurate rifle when I do my part.

I have an issue also with so much being tactical this and tactical that...it's irritating. I also don't like average cops going around all tactical, I don't think it sends the right message for people who are supposed to be peace officers, but I'm older and my training and experiences were different.

It bothers me when I see that someone has taken a heavy barrelled rifle, painted it camo and calls it a sniper rifle,,it isn't...

But, we can't stop them...only tell them they are mistaken..

To the uninformed, any scoped rifle is a sniper rifle, whether it's a 22 squirrel rifle or a Old Remington 700 in 30.06 with the heavy barrel...theres not much we can do to educate them anyway...

[bd1]

Most of our old NRA Match Rifles would qualify, most of the F Class rifles, even a lot of Benchrest rifles. I agree it's not a wise idea in the current socio-political USA to even use the term "sniper" among strangers. Better to let your scores do the talking; you know the folks on the firing line appreciate accuracy.

[Fogtripper]

Perhaps this subforum should be changed to "precision rifles"?

I agree that many who are merely couch commandos may build up a LR rifle and call it a "sniper", but (as with my recent new rifle post shows) there are precision rifles that don't really fit into any of the other subforums.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

In my mind, a sniper rifle is a military weapon designed to be used in combat (police sharpshooters use tactical weapons in my opinion). My monicker is out of respect for what I believe to be one of the best combat sniper rifles ever used in combat. I am prejudiced, as I am partial to combat arms used as sniper rifles under combat conditions against individuals who shoot back.

I am influenced by such actions as that performed by Marine Pvt. Roland Fisher of the 51st Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment who killed 6 Germans at 1400 yards on 11 Jun 1918 while under attack by both infantry and artillery (three witness statements in his file) in one of the most vicious battles in US history. Pvt. Fisher was shooting from a haystack and was subsequently wounded by responding artillery fire. His rifle was a 1903 Springfield, star gauged, with a Winchester A5 scope using regular ball ammo. Pvt. Fisher was picked as a Marine Scout Sniper because of his ability to shoot, and his records indicate no special "sniper" training.

In comparison, no way could I ever consider Charles Whitman a sniper, although he shot 33 people and made some incredible shots and he too was a Marine. Whitman was a murderer, pure and simply.

The term "sniper" is like the term "spy", it can be used in many circumstances, but we all know what a real spy is. Real spies get shot or imprisoned, and are not tried in state courts. Real snipers are under federal/military jurisdiction and get medals for their exploits.

Jim