What's the best sniper rifle?

M

Mike Fontaine

Beginner
Feb 28, 2006
129
0
Just looking for some info on sniper rifles. What’s the best sniper rifle currently available? Please consider the following criteria:
Availability
Dependability
Availability of ammunition (Does Nosler make bullets for reloading?)
Availability of replacement parts
Cost
:wink:
 
Based on some of the questions you asked, specifically, "Does Nosler make bullets for reloading?" I gotta ask, why do you want a sniper rifle?
 
By “sniper rifle” I mean a rifle that is accurate at long rang shooting. I am interested in getting involved in long range shoots (1000 yards) at my local sportsmen club. As far as “Does Nosler make bullets for reloading?" I have had good luck with Nosler products (reloading) and would not want to purchase a rifle that was of an obscure caliber and therefore difficult to find materials. I apologize for my ignorance in terminology. I have been a hunter for years but new to the sport of competitive shooting.
 
Rifles most use for 1000 yd match shooting don`t come from a factory. I would hang around the range you plan on shooting at and talk to the guys that are shooting. Most target shooters are more then willing to help a newbie get started.
You might also try asking about this at http://www.benchrest.com/
go to the 1000 yd forum and post there.
 
Ol` Joe":2cl5aepl said:
You might also try asking about this at http://www.benchrest.com/
go to the 1000 yd forum and post there.
Click to expand...
BAH!
There are more 1000 yard prone shooters in the US than there are long range benchrest shooters in the entire world. There are more 1000 yard prone only ranges, and more 1000 yard prone only matches as well.

There is a competition forum on this board. Other boards (such as www.long-range.com ) specifically discuss long range target shooting from the prone position.

DISCLAIMER: I am a moderator on the Long Range board. And contribute occasionally to the benchrest one.
 
:grin: Mike, see my post below, in the competition section, on F-class shooting. I think F-class is the easiest way to get into long-range shooting and a fellow can be remarkably successful at long-range shooting with some of the better factory rifles.

http://noslerreloading.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=2064

A well-loaded .308 Winchester will be dependably accurate at 1000 yards. If you're shooting a factory rifle, you're probably limited to a 26" barrel. For reliable accuracy at 1000 yards consider one of the fine 175 grain match bullets. A 168 from a .308 is NOT reliable 1000 yard medicine. Nosler's 155 grain competition bullet also does very well at long range.

There is factory match ammo avail for the .308 that will perform at 1000 yards. Look at Black Hills and Federal for starters.

The .308 Win is NOT the ultimate long-range cartridge, but it's a great one to start with because:

It will do the job, and do it well at 1000 yards.

Mild recoil, contributes to the shooter developing his LR skills.

Ready availability of heavy barrel factory rifles, factory match grade ammo, incredible array of match-grade loading components. Heck, sometimes surplus match-grade ammo is avail.

Long, really long, barrel life. A lot of hot 1000 yard cartridges (6.5-284, .300 Win mag) eat barrels at a rapid rate. Not unusual for one to go south at 1000 - 1500 rounds. The .308 typically provides at least 4000 rounds of accurate barrel life, sometimes considerably more. When I had a STA platoon in the Marines, our sniper rifles were re-barreled at 5000 rounds, but expected accurate life was 8000 rounds - that's for the 7.62 NATO.

The barrel life point becomes very important when a fellow starts figuring out the expense of re-barreling every year vs every three years...

A fellow can get started with the .308 Win, develop his LR skills, then move on to a hotter cartridge if desired. There are all sorts of excellent cartridges you can re-barrel that .308 to, when the time comes.

There's an excellent article on the .308 Win over at 6mmBR.com. Also, highly recommend the long-range target shooting web site mentioned by Asa.

In addition to F-class, there is conventional prone. My absolute favorite! Learn to shoot with a sling from prone and challenge yourself. It's incredible to watch the top shooters put round after round into the X-ring at long range, from a prone/sling position with iron sights...

BTW - most of these competition shooters prefer to call 'em "match rifles" not "sniper rifles" because they're not snipers. They're match shooters.

Regards, and welcome to the long-range club - it's a fascinating area of rifle shooting! Guy
 
Here's some more info a new LR shooter might find useful:

http://www.6mmbr.com/308Win.html That's the .308 Win article - well worth reading.

440396.jpg

Me, with my Win 70 match rifle at a 600 yard match last month.

448963.jpg

The Rem 700 - an excellent factory rifle. Remington builds an accurate rifle, and you can customize it from there with barrels, stocks or whatever you want.

416585.jpg

Real-world SWAT sniper rifle. A bone-stock Rem 700P in .308 Win, with a 3.5-10x Leupold mounted on a base and rings by Seekins Precision, Idaho.

369783.jpg

A long-range shooter needs good sights, and/or a good scope. Here's the one I prefer for LR match shooting, a 12x Leupold.

374068.jpg

My personal rifle, carried on SWAT calls for 11 years. A Rem 700 with a McMillan stock, Krieger barrel, Badger base and rings and shown here with a US Optics SN3 scope - one of the best available. Not my scope - on there for testing only. Wow - was I impressed... That's another story worth it's own post.

311019.jpg

My model 70 match rifle. Pretty typical of older match rifles. This one is currently barreled in .308 Winchester, with a 30" Krieger and a custom stock from Jim Cloward. All the match rifle I'll ever need.

Hope this helps - there are some excellent resources to help a guy get started. Bring a fat wallet... Wish you weren't 3000 miles away from the Pacific Northwest - I'd be happy to help you get started at the range.

Regards, Guy
 
Guy,
Thank you for taking the time to give me that great info! I appreciate it.
Thanks again, MIke
 
:grin: No sweat Mike - I seem to have mis-spent a fair amount of my life messing with accurate field rifles of one kind or another... Love talking about 'em and working with 'em.

If you're truly looking for the "best" sniper rifle - there are a lot of them that could be contenders. Here's a few I've been very impressed with:

Sako TRG
Accuracy International
GAP's wonderful Rem 700's

Many different builders can set up a wonderfully accurate match or "sniper" rifle. Seems that most are based on the Rem 700, but there's no reason a Winchester or Savage can't be built to be a very accurate, robust rifle.

Regards, Guy
 
The smile tels it all.

TRG42-sf05.jpg




The sako TRG 42 in 338 LM whit a Zeizz 6-24x56

I use the 250 grs Lapua Scenar, shood do fine whit AB too 8)
 
I know that this is not the answer for which you were looking, but in the real world, it makes sense.
Many years ago, I had the privilege of speaking to a Colonel of infantry, who'd just returned from his third tour in Vietnam. During our conversation, I asked him what was the best sniper rifle being used in Vietnam. His reply was that it was the rifleman and not the rifle that made a great sniper and that given the field craft skills and nerve of some of the snipers he'd seen in action, most any rifle could make the mark.
 
roysclockgun":e0azfdks said:
I know that this is not the answer for which you were looking, but in the real world, it makes sense.
Many years ago, I had the privilege of speaking to a Colonel of infantry, who'd just returned from his third tour in Vietnam. During our conversation, I asked him what was the best sniper rifle being used in Vietnam. His reply was that it was the rifleman and not the rifle that made a great sniper and that given the field craft skills and nerve of some of the snipers he'd seen in action, most any rifle could make the mark.
Click to expand...

This is true, 6mth agoe i shoot my Sako huting rifle in 7mm-08 rem for a weekend at ranges from 300 to 650m. Workes fine, but the hevyer bullets whit bc over 600 is better in my world. But it also depends on how mutch you are shooting. 150 rounds whit a 338 lapua in 2 days is a bit on the hevy side for me.
 
The Rem 700

M43A1 or M24

I shoot a SSG-69 P1 in 308 win........bone stock......with a 3.5x10 leupold Tactical Scope..........shoots 1/2" @ 100 yards with Fed GM 168/ 175gr. My handloads will do even better.
 
A 308 Winchester utilizing the excellent, fully accurized Remington Model 700 short action as a platform for all around sniping work, can't be beat.

IMGP2716.jpg
 
Sam wrote : "All of that and I still dont get it."

There is nothing to "get" Sam. Just people doing what they enjoy and finding pleasure in sharing that joy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Guy Miner
Added a light to my Marlin 1895
Replies
16
Views
606
Vince
V
cloverleaf
Saving my 250-Savage- is it worth it? Talk me out of it.
2
Replies
22
Views
909
RL338
RL338
cloverleaf
Black powder cartridge rifle....
Replies
8
Views
1K
cloverleaf
cloverleaf
W
Shot Show...........
Replies
3
Views
288
Blkram
B
B
Federal Custom Shop
Replies
8
Views
720
hunter24605
hunter24605
AMMUNITIONAmmunition BULLETSBullets BRASSBrass FirearmsFirearms GearGear
Back
Top