A sniper rifle is a long-range, high-precision rifle that focuses on accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics. They have been around for a long time; in fact it is believed they have been around since 1853. During this time, a prominent British engineer, Sir Joseph Whitworth, developed the first sniper rifle which used barrels with hexagonal polygonal rifting. This allowed the projectile to travel without having to bite into the rifting grooves. In turn this made the rifle far more accurate especially at longer ranges. Since then the evolution of sniper rifles has been incredible with technology that has allowed the maximum range of sniper rifles to go from 2,000 yards to 3,800 yards. As a result, sniper rifles continue to be in use in modern combat. I would even say they have become more effective and popular. Here are 5 sniper rifles we believe have terrorized warzones.
M24 Sniper Rifle Weapons System (SWS)
The U.S. Army’s M24 Sniper Rifle Weapons System has been around since 1988, which is when it replaced the M21 sniper rifle. It is based off the commercial Remington 700 hunting rifle and comes chambered in .308 Winchester/7.62×51 NATO. It is considered a “weapons system” and not just a rifle because it consists of a rifle, detachable telescopic sight and additional accessories. It is believed to have a maximum effective range of 875 yards.
M40A5 Sniper Rifle
The M40A5 sniper rifle is part of the long line of M40 sniper rifles used by the US Marine Corps and superseded the M40A3 sniper rifle in 2009. This is a rifle that deep down is basically a Remington 700 hunting rifle and chambered in .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm NATO. It comes with a custom, 1-12 twist 25-inch Schneider barrel which are mated to a McMillan A4 stock. Topping off this sniper rifle is a Schmidt and bender Police Marksman II 4-16x50mm rifle scope. It has an effective range of 1,000 yards.
Barrett M82 Sniper Rifle
The Barrett M82 Sniper rifle is unique due to its much larger caliber with it being capable of firing .50 caliber rounds. The M82 Sniper rifle has its roots in the Barrett Firearms .50 BMG cartridge which is used in the heavy machine gun as well. It features a 20-to-29-inch barrel depending on the variant and is recoil-operated. The Barrett M82 sniper rifle has an effective firing range of approximately 1969 yards.
Steyr SSG 69 Sniper Rifle
The Steyr SS6 69 sniper rifle, aka the Steyr Scharfschutzengewehr is an Austrian sniper rifle that has international recognition. The 69 in the name plate references the year, 1969, which the rifle was designed by Steyr and originally adopted by the Austrian Army. It is a bolt-action rifle that has a 25.6-inch-long barrel and is chambered in 7.63x51mm NATO rounds. It has a maximum effective range of 4,046 yards.
L115A3 Sniper Rifle
The L115A3 sniper rifle is the rifle of choice for all branches of UK Armed Forces such as the British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Marines. It is an adaptation of the Accuracy International Articic Warfare Super Magmum rifle. The L115A3 sniper rifle is a bolt-action rifle and is chambered in .338 Lapua. It comes with an optic which is the Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56mm scoope. It is believed to have a maximum range of 1,600 yards.
Happy shooting!
Smooth