How about selecting a Sniper Rifle?

I have virtually no realistic need for a rifle capable of precision shooting over 500 yards. I have a Springfield Armory M1A Socom 16 in .308, that will do that job better than I am capable of. Having a hand tremor, I am just not long range shooter material. There has been a "sniper rifle" I have eyed in it's various forms for years, however. The Steyr SSG/SSG 04. available in 300 WM and .308, in a variety of barrel configurations, this is a fine weapon by all accounts I have read over the years.
Last year, for a brief time, I worked at a firearms manufacturer.
When I walked in to apply, I ran into the gunsmith whom worked on my 1911, back in the late 80's. That pistol ran very well, utterly reliable.
This fellow is an extremely competant and respected gunsmith, a retired MGySGT, and builder of sniper rifles for various 3-letter entities.
He also built rifles for the USMC Rifle Team, while stationed at MCB Quantico.
I would be happy to put you in touch with him, if you decide to go ahead with a weapon system.

DaddyDett
 
Spectre said:
So, again, Bill:

At what range? And at what kind of target?

If this is a dedicated paper puncher or varmint gun (also useful on annoying humans), a .223 or .22-250 may do everything you want, for as far as you want- with little recoil and flat trajectory.



I'd be interested, too, Dave. Especially since I can't see any except for the 6.5mm Mausers being described as "very accurate", and the base rifle alone would run over $200, and even NEF rifles with glass would be more. Give.

J
Click to expand...

Hi John,

I would guess that in Georgia, a long shot would be 300 yds. I did not realize until you made your earlier remarks that a .223 would be that accurate at that range. I thought that any windage would really affect that light bullet. 55gr?

I also like the idea of a gun that is distinctive and different looking. Weight would not be a big factor as I don't think I would be carrying it very far.

I like the .223. I have one of the first AR15s and it is a good carry gun and I have killed a few deer and varmits (not possums, I don't shoot possums :D :D). But I have never really tried it for precision shooting. It still has the original 4x military scope. Do have a bipod and a LOT of ammo!

I was thinking of a paper punching range gun from a bench rest. But I also want something really unusual looking!

You know, here in Georgia .50 cal BMC rifles are legal. :eek: :eek: :eek: I don't know much about them, but I like the way they look. Have heard of some very long rnage shooting with them. I could reload. The ammo is expensive. :D :D :D

But what makes the most "I-want-something-that-looks-llike-this-sense" to me is something like a Walther WA 2000-looking rifle, kevlar stock. There may be a stock that would make an existing barrel/action target/sniper weapon in .308 look like that. I really like the way that gun looks. It really "stirs my chili," but the idea of laying out 9000 of my favorite bucks cools me right back down!

"lmalterna" had some really interesting weapons. Particulary like Terry Cross designs.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek046.html

I could get into spending as much as $2,000 for the right piece. Maybe Terry has a few "Last Year Clearance models?" :D :D

Had one of these almost stick to my fingers at a gun show about a month ago. Seller wanted $1800. Not a sniper piece, but one really neat gun! Had a 50 round clip.

http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg13-e.htm (Civilian version)

they also come in Lego colors
http://mocpages.com/moc.php/22460

I have seen them on the internet for about $1400. I LOVE the way this looks. But the ammo is expensive and unless you rig a brass catcher collecting the empties might be difficult even though it ejects through the bottom.

They use the military version on Star Gate SG1, if it is good enough for Jack and Sam (What a fox she is!) . . . . good enough for me.

Now if is could find something that looks like this in a sniper weapon. They say that the FN P90 is good out to 200 meters, but what accuracy does that mean? It can't be any kind of really accurate shooter, wasn't designed for that, but still. . . . . . .

Tell me something good and I'll go back to the gun show with some engravings of Ben Franklin and see if the guy likes pictures of dead presidents more than that little pop gun!

I think black instead of green, this time. Yeah, I got the kevlar / bullpup fever!
 
Last week a guy was whanging away on the 200-yard at my club with one of these:

http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn26-e.htm

It was in .338 Lapua and disconcertingly loud for people on the neighboring benches due to the big side-deflecting compensator on it. However, some of his groups were right around an inch. This outfit didn't look cheap though.
 
If you want to go big- .338 LM or 50 BMG. Give Armalite a look see- the AR30 is around 1200.00, shoots well, uses a pistol grip similar to the Ar15 you like and has a modular design. The AR50 is around 2500.00 but can be found used a little under that.
Terry custom builds to order but his rifles ocassionally come up for sale. I recently saw one in an AICS 1.5 that went for 2200.00.
Something ellse to look for might be a gently used HS Precision HTR, I have had two and both shot very well. The Savage BVSS and Rem VLS are real sleepers if you like laminated stocks.
For precision under 300 yards at targets- a nive Varmint Ar15 with 18-20" barrel and fast twist(1-7"/1-8") shooting black hills 68 through 75gr bullets is a very nice rig.
Bill
 
gravertom said:
Inquiring minds want to know. Less than $200 with glass??
Click to expand...

K31 w/ a SA 6x scope. :thumbup: The scope was part of the "Loaded" package that my M1A came with. I suppose that one might argue that the scope was $1200 and the M1A was free but that doesn't make as much sense.

Me and the glass are holding it back. I'll cut down on the coffee and stick something better on it one day. The original intent was merely to test the concept.

I do not generally recommend the milsurp route, though, as you never know what you're going to get. Certain makes and models are generally more accurate than others but it's always a bit of a crapshoot. I was thinking more along the lines of tuning a budget production rifle and skipping the tacticool surcharge that comes with some items. Such a thing would be more than $200 but there would be far less luck involved.
 
I thought that any windage would really affect that light bullet. 55gr?
Click to expand...

Well, a 77 grain bullet would be a lot less affected. Thus, my comments about twist rate. (I actually saw a couple of crates of Mk 262 Mod 0 yesterday while working in our ammo supply point.) With a good rifle, hits out to 600 meters with 77 or 80 grain rounds wouldn't be a problem, and 700 wouldn't be out of the question.

Here is a picture of a Mk 12 rifle.

You can get an MK 12 upper that will shoot .5 MOA (with Black Hills ammo) for $1450 from Angus Arms...and it should fit onto your AR-15 lower. :)

John
 
munk said:
Sheesh- you know how much the military pays for those!!!??? A bunch. A whole whole bunch- when they're done tricking it out and throwing away what they don't want I think it's well over 5000 bucks. It might be 8 or 10- don't recall.

munk
Click to expand...

Yes i do know how much they pay for them but i also know how much time goes into them to get them that way (used to be the shop monkey for the guy who would re-build them at 29palms) and that's why i want one. Since I can't own anything with a pistol grip and a detachable magazine here in the republic of california. besides they make great long distance zombie killers:)
 
They throw the barrel away. They take the reciever out and redo the whole thing. Everything is redone. You get a wonderul rifle, but as noted, it weighs a ton, and the custom work alone would cost a civy a fortune.

I'm the 'cheap sniper'.

BTW- Desert Hot Springs, 29 Palms, Yucca Valley et all are my old stomping grounds.

munk
 
Perhaps "Frugal Sharpshooter" might be a more apropos moniker, for the fiscally challenged among us??

:D

Tom
 
Sheesh, I can't really hit that well anymore with my vision anyway.

>>>>>>>


What's the average distance a Police sharpshooter trains for? Isnt it like across a city street?


munk
 
Paper out to 300-600m, the 5.56 and 77grn Match Kings should work well out of a 1-8" twist barrel and 20'' barrel. They did out of my personaly built A2 with stainless 20", 1-8" twist, .223 chamber Shilen barrel. Easy to shoot all day low fatigue to shooter.

For game larger than Coyotes and no larger than Southern Muel Deer at 300m(my personal perfect conditions absolute limit for hunting distance) I personaly prefer something in .30 cal. with 180gr SST.

If my targets were huminoid, and I had a choise in calibre/weapon. At 300-800m it would be .308 and the 168-190gr Match King in a 1-10" twist HB bolt rifle.

Granted, the 5.56 may be accurate enough, but I don't trust the cartrige to perform at that range with torso hits. And I am not good enough to ensure consistant hits to the brain or CNS at that range under pressure.
The 5.56 has a bad rap from what I've read, for low tissue distruction and lack of incapacitation at ranges approaching 400m with hits to the torso. I could be wrong, but this is what I have read and been told about the 5.56 out of a 20" barrel. Tell me if I am wrong here.

P.S
The K31 is a fantastic shooter with impressive accuracy. You may want to take a look. They do pack a rather stiff kick though with the GP11 ammunition but again impressive accuracy. .308 cal as well.
 
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn63-e.htm

in .408. So pretty it has been my avatar for ages.

cheytac-2.jpg
 
keep your eye out on discovery channel-they just did a show with the new416 sniper rifle-guy hit a target at 2500 yards with his first shot-
i think its called "future weapons"
 
For really long range play I built up a 270 Weatherby Mag with a Leupold Mark IV scope....one of my sons "adopted" it. Rather than go the whole route all over, I went to a local gun show and found a pristine Weatherby Accumark in the same caliber for $600 (list 1800) and bolted on a Leupold 6.5-20x50 side focus and, using the same handload preferred by the first 270 mag, started printing 1 1/4" groups at 200 yards, with one going 0.90"!!!

Due to the cost of factory ammo, Weatherbys are rarely shot much and represent excellent used rifle buys. The heavy fluted barrel on this factory rifle is a hand lapped Krieger....the whole rig is fairly heavy at 10 lbs with scope, but for long range shooting beats the hell out of some 30 cals. The 270 Nosler 150 grain ballistic tip has a ballistic coeffecient right at .500, and recoil levels are right down there with the 308 and 30-06. I have not tried one, but I suspect a 7mm Weatherby would do as well. I have $1250 in this latest combination, but will continue to hunt deer with a much used (and much lighter) Ruger 270 Mannlicher stocked RSI. Another son is drooling over this second Weatherby :D
 
Now the Ultra mags are here, Weatherby products don't look quite as overbore as they used to.
I've a 270 barrel I may screw on a Mauser reciever some day.

munk
 
Norma brass is available in Weatherby calibers, and can be purchased in bulk (plastic bags) thru Sinclair shooters supply by catalog or on the net. Quality is great....Norma makes it for Weatherby with their head stamp...the only difference and significantly cheaper for us handloaders.
 
Norma still makes their own brass. They are always amongst the top product you can get.
Always wanted a .308 Norma. But then, the list of arms I've always wanted is long.


munk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top