When broken down into it’s most basic elements, what is it specifically that makes a sniper rifle far more accurate than a normal infantry assault rifle, or average hunting rifle?
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January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Consistency. A highly accurate rifle is characterized by the ability to always do the exact same thing. Also a design that minimizes misalignment and out of balance stresses. So the barrel is supported evenly or not at all, no use having pressure in one spot. The bolt lugs should make up 50% of the available space and should all bear evenly so the bolt face doesn’t twist under pressure. The magazine spring should not press so hard on the cartridges that they deflect the bolt. The barrel needs to be accurately machined and free of loose or tight spots, there should be minimal variation from the narrowest to the widest part of the grooves or lands. The stock should be made of a material that does not suffer large changes of dimension with heat or humidity.
The cartridge case volumes must be identical, the primers must be seated consistently and the primer pockets and flash holes must all the as near identical as possible. The powder should fill the available space, or nearly so. The powder weights must be identical shot to shot. The bullets must also be identical and free from faults or blemishes. A flat tip will be more accurate than a spire point. The bullets must be seated to the correct depth and crimped to exactly the same force.
The optics should be top class and built very well. Sorry, I don’t know the specifics of scope construction, other than that all the lenses are mounted so that their rest position is 100% consistent.
But after all that the most important thing is the operator at the blunt end.
Why are assault weapons inaccurate? They were built for a different purpose, they need to work when full of sand and mud or the crud from 1000 rounds. They aren’t required to be able to hit a man sized target at 800 yards, though some will. The AR-15 is compromised by a crummy gas system, an uneven bolt lockup and a thin barrel with inconsistent rigidity (wide and narrow points). Considering what a poor design it is, it does OK. Other rifles do a better job with the same varmint round. I believe the British SA-80 is very accurate, though heavy and having had terrible reliability and usability issues in the past.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
barrel length, ammo used, stable stock and scope.
hunting rifle is a low grade sniper rifle. had it had ammo with the power to travel a further distance
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
It is all about consistency. You need a locked chamber, preferably bolt action, for consistent chamber pressures, a well machined barrel with durable rifling that will not wear too easily, good ergonomics for a repeatable grip and firing position, light weight trigger with consistent pull, quality optics, and a high quality round of ammunition with consistent projectile weight and measured powder to generate a consistent quantity of expanding gases. Take all of that and put it in the hands of a shooter blessed by God with marksmanship talent, and practice, practice, practice!
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
the shooter!
There are a LOT of average hunting rifles that will fire 1 MOA on a bench locked in a vice to remove the human element.
There are also some hunting rifles that will fire 1/2 MOA in the same circumstances.
Take your basic 1 MOA hunting rifle, that gun is mechanically capable of making headshots at 700 yards. It’s just that most shooters lack that ability.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
All starts with consistent, minimal dimensional tolerances. Everything that’s supposed to be parallel is, everything at 90 degrees is at a 90 degree angle, etc. It’s fitted without undue stresses to any components to cause a bend or shift and the same goes for the bedding of action to stock and for the mounting and manufacture of the sights.
Of course you can build a rifle that is perfect and you still need a skilled marksman to make it a sniper rifle.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
There are a few basics about sniper rifles, here is a list:
Bolt Action rifles are superior
Optics (Scope)
The Shooter
The cartridge
The bullet
Bolt Action rifles are more reliable and accurate no discussion here.
The optics obviously aid in visualization obviously little discussion needed here as well. The shooter is about the most important aspect of a sniper rifle. Does the shooter know the rifle? This is extremely important while every rifle has its own way of shooting even if it is minute. The cartridge effects the velocity and the energy the bullet will deliver. Too much powder the bullet tumbles and is worthless about 100 yards downrange. Too little and the bullet doesn’t have the energy needed for a kill at long ranges. The bullet itself is the second most important aspect. A very light bullet is very accurate between 100 and 150 yards. A very heavy projectile is less affected by wind and temperature. A happy medium has been discovered by the Barret family. A .416 cal bullet has been found to be that medium. The shape of the bullet effects the flight path and entry and exit (if at all) of a target. I saw something on future weapons and researching the Barret .416 would be recommended.
In conclusion, a sniper rifle can really be any rifle as long as the shooter is a sniper. I know many people will disagree, but I have seen people pick up the "worst gun in the world" like a M1 carbine with a crappy .30 cal cartridge and pluck off deer from 800 meters. This man was about 75 years old, and has had his rifle since WW2. He knew his rifle and how it shot. That is the main concept that makes a sniper rifle accurate.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
The technology and engineering that go into today’s sniper rifles, ammunition, and scopes are far superior to those used in previous wars.
In Vietnam, I used an old WWII/Korean War M1 Rifle with a commercial hunting scope. But it worked fairly well – I could hit the paper edge of a target turned horizontally and/or vertically at 100 yards. I began shooting a 22 cal rifle at 10 years old.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
the person using it
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
quality control and tight specs for consistency! all which are apart of good rifling, materials, sights,…ect! but the main factor is the shooter!
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
#1 – The shooter……..
Assault rifles are full auto and are inaccurate for that reason…..
Although a hunting rifle in the hands of a trained sniper is a "snipers rifle" they are usually outfitted with higher quality scopes, different stocks and finish….. The also have had custom work done to the triggers, action, etc, etc…….
Look over these examples of fine sniper rifles……
http://www.snipercentral.com/rifles.htm
Other sniper info and commentary……….
http://www.snipercentral.com/
http://www.snipercountry.com/
Although geared more towards competition shoots this info is quite valuable…..
http://www.6mmbr.com/index.html
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
This is a question that can have an extremely complex technical answer. Beyond that, it also has to do with terminology and perspective.
A SNIPER is a person and more specifically a job description for a soldier. It can mean different things in different military organizations and in different historical times.
A sniper is NOT a rifle, or type of rifle. The term is misused in almost every context these days. Also, Hollywood movies and the media, video games, etc. have distorted the perception of the role of the sniper and his actual impact on military tactics.
Any hunting rifle for medium to large game could be used as a sniper’s rifle. Also, any standard WWII rifle in a standard Main Battle Rifle caliber could be used, often with the addition of a telescopic sight. Back when all infantry soldiers were actually trained in longer range shooting, it was expected that every soldier would have a level of competency to kill an enemy combatant at distance. Sadly, with the dumbing down of training and the adoption of automatic weapons capable of massive but inaccurate firepower, these once-expected skills have become lost and the tactics more specialized.
When in Vietnam, the US Army recognized that the role of the sniper had been neglected for several decades and no provision was made to equip them, they simply purchased common standard hunting rifles like the Remington 700 and Winchester 70 and pressed them into service.
Of course, the equipment has seen specialization and refinement. Longer ranges are sometimes needed and you want to most accurate platform possible. But the job can still be done with any .30 caliber range rifle and a precision sighting system.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
manufacturing quality, on triggers scopes barrels ammo, not mass production open tolerance specks to accomidate operation in difficult circumstance mud,ice,dust make normals less accurate,theoretcly ,
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
The loose nut on the end of the stock! In essence, the rifle is ONLY as good as the guy pulling the trigger. Experience makes the combination effective. Regardless of how it shoots, if he learns how to shoot it, I don’t want to be in his way. From my research on the subject and using Vietnam as an example, the weapon of choice was a Remington Model 700 in .30-06 caliber. The second choice was the same cartridge in the Model 70 Winchester. Today, the guys I see making consistent 1,000 yard + shots one right after the other are using a special scope and 7mm Remington Magnum bullets….combined cost of the setup? Close to $3,000.00 or more. Just a bit "out of range" for the average gun buyer. Right? ;o)
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
First off the guy squeezing the trigger.
The fit of the gun.
The scope.
Length and twist of barrel, floating barrel.
Ammunition, home load is best. British Army use "green spot" this is the first 5000 rounds from new dies.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:25 am
the major thing that makes a rifle a sniper rifle is the scope and the bullets that are fired from the gun. most M2 Browning machine guns aren’t built for scope, but in vietnam some were customly made for some soldiers for this purpose, and they use inaccurate 50 bmg ball ammo because it’s inexpensive compared to more sophisticated, expensive ammo.
the Barrett M107 uses a 10X multi-dot scope, making it extremely accurate and the army usually uses Hornady A-MAX bullets for their ammo, which is used for it’s extreme accuracy, low wind drift and farther range due to low drag.