What Sniper rifle would you take to Battle?

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Thats a real hard question to answer. I would still rather trust a bolt action (prolly a M40 A3 or some tuned up Rem 700). Less chance of problems in the field.

Semi auto is nice if you are at close range but thats what side arms are for. Past 500 yards a good man with a bolt action can get "accuarate" follow up shots off just as fast as a semi auto. You can always use like a AI Chasis so you can take 10 round mags too.

If most of your combat will be up close within a 100 yards you might as well just pick up a m4 but for sniping I would stick to a bolt action.

for sniping i would take an M40A3 or a (my) Remington 700P in .308
they are mroe reliable in the mud, sand etc
more accurate and Flea is right a good shooter can get an accurate follow up shot off just as fast and for close range you have your sidearm... for that id take a Mk23 or a USP Tactical, i love those 2 guns and currently debating which im gonna get when i get my pistol permit

i am assuming you mean long ranges that a sniper would normally be at, > 600y

M-14s are good semi-auto battle rifles but for sniper rifles they can give away your position by launching thier brass
a 20 round mag from the same sniper hide is going to mean your death... enemies will notice it and all be on top of you

The m-14 is used extensivley in the military, and thats not because it's a bad rifle. A lot of the times both you and the enemy are firing at each other (if you were attached to a squad) so it's not like ejecting brass would be much of a concern. I know of a guy in the Force Recon (retired) went to Bosnia and he was the designated marksman for his squad and he carried a m-14 and he swears by it. Good enough for him good enough for me. I just believe overall this would be my pick.

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Nothing wrong with your pick Drew.....that a great rifle but its more of a spotter, scout, support weapon then a true sniper rifle.

You will always find people who swear by what has worked for them.....hence me always carrying a .45 even though balistically a 9mm, 10mm, .40 might be better for certain applications. :roll:

Drew pointed out at the beginning of his first post (i think he implyed it) he meant a rifle that you would shoot while in the heat of combat, not in a deep penetration recon mission. if i were to pic, MSG 90 would be my choice.

Max338 I couldn't have said it better!!!!!

thanks

I would have to agree with FLEA. I know my 700 would never let me down, that is why I would take an M40 or an M24 into battle with me. I'm not sure on the exact differences, but to my understanding they are very similar. FLEA also mentioned the AI chasis (sp?), a good mix of bolt action and capacity.

Max- You are correct that Drew pointed out that -

he meant a rifle that you would shoot while in the heat of combat, not in a deep penetration recon mission.

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However, his thread is also titled

What Sniper rifle would you take into Battle.

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I think FLEA's point, is that if he was going into battle with a sniper rifle, he would prefer something that will fire every time. Thus his sworn allegiance to bolt action rifles.

Don't get me wrong, the M14 kicks ass, and I would love to go into battle with an M14/21/25 or whatever, but when it comes to going into battle as a strictly a sniper, I want something that will fire all the time. My life depends on it.

Now this if just a layman speaking and what I think I would do if in a combat situation. If I knew I was going to be specifically in an urban environment a M14 series rifle would do excellent. If I knew I was going to be taking out something from a great distance it would be a M40A3. If I didn't know where, when, and exactly what I was doing I would pick the M40A3. And this of course is if I could pick and choose what I could use.

The word "Battle" is very broad. Battle could mean deep penetration, attachment to a squad, or even hostage rescue support missions. So I think picking one particualr rifle out of the endless list and saying that's what I'd use for EVERY situation is a bit of a stretch for me.

IMHO, semis are fine for reliability as long as you keep them clean. If I were attached to a squad, I would want something that gave me good firepower and didn't distinguish me as a sniper, so I would go for an M25 or a Mk11 Mod 0. Range wouldn't be a very big issue since you wouldn't be far behind your squad, nor would flying brass since brass is already flying everywhere. :wink:

For a hostage rescue, I would either go for a PSG-1 for the increased firepower, or a TacOps .

For a standard sniper deep penetration, you can't get much better than M40A3.

If I absolutely HAD to pick one rifle for every possible scenario, I would probably choose an M40A1.

I'm happy Drew and Westpointranger mentioned being part of a squad lol. Then we wouldn't have to worry as much about a fast shooting weapon for close range work, and let the guys with the M4s do their thing. As for the penetration missions, I hope I would have a spotter with something nasty for close range work. Maybe even a shotgun.

Any of the Remington rifles would be good for me. I kinda like the idea of the back up sights on the M-24 though.

Easier to maintain, more simple than an auto. And no 20 round mag getting in the way, which they sometimes do.

Just my opinion, but if I were attached to a squad in Fallujah or some such place, I would want a M14 or Mk 11 for the simple reason that if it got a little too close for comfort, I could just yank of the scope (just an expression) and id still have a battle rifle. Definately not as good as an M4, but definately better than an M24.

westy,
i have to agree with that, the SR-25 would be my choice, quick detachable mounts and flip up sights
certainately better than drawing an M9 when things get too close for comfort

I have to pony up to the M14/21 side. Reliability issues for semi's keep coming up here, but in my two years of shooting an M21 in the Army I had exactly zero (0) malfunctions, feed problems ect. Granted, this is a very broad question and there are a few other really good weapon systems out there, but, those of you who do not have experience with these weapons try not dismissing them because they are old . The Russians are teaching us a thing or two about "mature" systems in our space station program right now, and that is how I think about the M14/21, mature.

TOPO

Thanks TOPO I am glad somebody sees my side. Your right about the m-14 not jamming, I have never seen one jam before.

Westpoint why would you chose the M40A1 over the M40A3?

only reason i can think of would be the stock
the M40A1 stock is a popular choice, so is the A4 though
it would all come down to personal preference

perhapes your right the M14 is a 'mature' system which hasnt jammed
what about the M25 SWS, its just an M14 w/ a mcmillian stock, should be the same reliability its the same barreled stock
just a thought

TOPO-sniper said:

I have to pony up to the M14/21 side. Reliability issues for semi's keep coming up here, but in my two years of shooting an M21 in the Army I had exactly zero (0) malfunctions, feed problems ect.
TOPO

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I have seen a M21 jam before (Bad ammo maybe). I have also seen a bolt from a remington 700 break off before (Lots of abuse maybe).

If something can go wrong it will. If it can break it will. I just like to keep somethings as simple as possible. You can't say anyone is saying its not a good weapon cause its old......ummm and the remington 700 is new?

Westpoint why would you chose the M40A1 over the M40A3?

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Jeff was right. I think the A4 stock is great, but IMO it's best suited for prone fire. The A1 stock works excelent in any fireing position. The A4 is excelent for standard deep pentration, but if I had to choose a sniper rifle for ANY GIVEN MISSION, it would be an M40A1.

yea i can agree with that westy
the M40A1 HTG is a MUCH better multi-purpose stock
i dont think the A4 stock was designed considering anything but prone
for shooting prone you cant beat it

yes u can.... an A5. lol :lol: