recommendations on a GOOD sniper rifle

[King 5.45]

Originally Posted by BobC

Anyhow I am tired of this thread because it is getting absurd.

[Tomcat088]

Originally Posted by BobC

Well for what its worth, 1.78 miles beats the distance you are talking about and refers to a kill of a prairie dog which is considerably smaller than a person. I suggest you get a copy of the Precision Shooting at 1000 yards which details the episode (I have read so many books in my lifetime I am not certain of the title but am reasonably sure) and I know the episode is detailed on page 89. To be fair to the shooter, he did hit a gong target with a 308 at the same distance but killed a prairie dog with the 338 lapua whcih is about as sturdy a rifle as you can buy. I am aware of its cost - but a 50 caliber rifle is not cheap either nor would I like to drag it through the mud. Black Jack Pershing who pushed the 50 caliber development and Elmer Keith who pushed the development of the 338 were very respectable gun people. The 338 Lapua was developed specifcally as a long distance sniper rifle and courtesy of our defence industry. Anyhow I am tired of this thread because it is getting absurd. If you think a 338 is ridiculous I think the 50 caliber is even more ridiculous. However, if you want the specific name and all of the book I am referring to, send me some email at bobnt@mindspring.com and I will happily give you all the specifics of the person who made the prairie dog shot which is less than a foot sized target and is clearly mind blowing IMO.

bob chronister

Lol, I think it's funny how you phrased the whole thing from earlier. Yes I'm aware that the distance you are talking about is over 3100 yards (3132), the reason I posted the link that I did was because I thought you were talking about a "sniper kill". Now we're talking about shooting prairie dogs with a .338 at 3100 yards, which I won't even pretend to know the "world record" on. Do you know what weight of bullet that he hit a gong with at that distance, and what length of tube? I'd be impressed to see someone hit a gong that was 6 ft tall at 3100 yards with a .308. Please realize that I'm not saying that the .338 lapua is a ridiculous round, merely that it's ridiculous for the OP's intended purposes and desires. I have no doubt about what the .338 can do, and although I haven't fired one, I know the ballistics and it is impressive. For almost the same price though, there are even better cartridges for true personell "sniping" applications past a mile. The shot that you speak of is impressive, I did a quick search and came up with this http://www.shootersjournal.com/Featu...ngintheUSA.pdf . I see nothing about him hitting a gong at 3100 yards with a .308, just a mention that he was working on a .308 AI that he had built. I also saw you mention (drbobc) it on a sniper central forum here http://www.snipercentral.com/forums/...3d823dbf45332e . Kind of funny how you got on me all about recoil and that maybe I couldn't handle it. In that exact thread you talk about a shoulder protector and how good it is, lol. Anyway, it was a great shot, just not what the OP "needs".

P.S. Have you ever actually shot at 1,000 yards? You mention "not this crappy 1,000 yards stuff", I don't know anybody that would call 1,000 yards easy or crappy. It's also funny that you'd recommend a .338 that you say in that thread is way too bloody expensive with the scope for you.

[cory17061]

i shoot long with my savage model 11fcns 7mm rem mag, can hold quarter groups at 650 yards, 700 yards it goes to just bigger then a quarter.

mine is the synthetic stock ,heavy barrel that was ceramic coated and bedded ,
the scope is zeiss victory diavari 6-24x56 and no i didnt buy it, would never spend that much i won it at this years alabama sportsman show in burmingham.
i have a bolt on bi pod that i got from cabellas.
ive been trying to find a smith that can put a muzzel break on it to help with the kick more but cant seem to find one around

[BobC]

Yes I have shot at 1000 yards with a 30-378 which I had customized by a good friend in Washington state. Jim Clark is amazing with what he knows about weatherby rifles. He is working on putting a wooden stock on the 30-378. This rifle was initiated for 1000 yard accuracy and the original size of the group at 1000 yards was set by Earl Chronister and was about a 3 and a half inch group. The 338 lapua was made with a 30 inch barrel and he shot 300 grain bullets at about 2800 fps. Took him three shots to get the little sucker -- the shooting was done in Colorado. The rifle was custom all the way. So you won a scope in Birmingham. I assume you mean Alabama. Believe it or not I also live in Alabama in a suburb of Mobile (semmes) but was born and raised in Pa in a town called Huntingdon. Town was a wild place to grow up for sure. I usually carried three rifles when I would shoot at a 100 yard target area easily reached from my house. Would hunt in the adjacent mountains and even though I was an honor student in high school I would still take off the first couple of days during hunting season. Teachers got upset with me but not in any serious mode. I simply said I needed a break from studying (they all knew I was hunting) and it never bothered my grades. Today they would probably throw me in jail. My dad would never lock the house because he said that if it was locked and someone broke in he would have to change the door and he did not want to do that. Life then was certainly easy and while living with my parents I started handloading. My 30-338 was so accurate it was scary. I could cut bullet holes at 100 yards. While living there I shot 6 deer and one bear. I loaded everything from the 30-338, the 6.5 Gibbs and even my 35 remington. I also shot a 12 guage shotgun (3 & 1/2 magnum), 2 30-06s and an early 22 centerfire also a wildcat. When I went to graduate school I sold all my rifles and it about killed me.

bob chronister

[arrrrgh15]

OP, at this point the caliber debate should be enough to make you want to say the hell with it and run out and get a 22lr and just shoot squirrels or something.

Keep in mind there's a hell of a lot more to a "long range tactical rifle" than the caliber. Other factors to consider...weight, length, stock materials, optics, YOUR BUDGET, etc (ie. a bench rest gun might be super accurate, but would NOT make an ideal "sniper rifle".).

Go chew the ear off of your Marine Scout/Sniper buddy and find out just what this rifle has to be able to handle in the field. Find out what accuracy is good enough. Find out what caliber would be suitable at REALISTIC ranges of engagement. Keeping in mind that snipers DO take short shots at distances of 100 yards or less. Particularly in todays urban environments.

And longer range shots beyond the normal ranges of engagements are very much dependent on some skill, some luck, a good rifle, some very good optics, and perhaps an "enemy" that is completely oblivious that they are exposed and within range. Most "enemy" do not stand still like a target board just waiting for somebody to shoot at them.

The occasional long shot with a .50 caliber on some Vietcong soldier just trying to fill his canteen in a stream or take a piss on a tree might make somebody famous, or might make them legendary, whereas well placed artillary rounds called in by a sniper that kills dozens of enemy soldiers might not. In the end, I'd give more credit to the guy that wiped out a platoon and never fired a shot. Not calling Hathcock a hack or anything but a legendary shot might not be as important in the grand scheme of things.

Hopefully your buddy will help you sift through the bullshit and help you pick the right rifle for you. I don't think you'll get much more useful help here. what's needed to be said has been said already.

The dead horse has been beaten.

[Pa.Bill]

Someone mentioned Hathcock??