Shots Fired: These 5 Weapons Explain Why Snipers Are So Feared On The Battlefield

Kyle Mizokami

Security,

Snipers have an important role to play.

Key point: Sniper rifles are a choice weapon for insurgents and guerrillas, as they are a natural asymmetric weapon against conventional forces.

The sniper, a soldier trained in precision, long-range fire, is one of the most feared opponents on the battlefield. Snipers can make their presence felt far beyond a typical soldier’s assault rifle, cutting down enemy leaders, radio and heavy weapons operators, and damaging enemy equipment at considerable distances. This requires a weapon and optic capable of extreme accuracy, typically no more than half-an-inch of deviation per 100 yards. Here are five of the most common—and effective—sniper rifles.

M40A5 Sniper Rifle

The M40A5 is the latest in a long line of M40 sniper rifles used by the U.S. Marine Corps. The M40 series is a highly modified Remington 700 hunting rifle, chambered in .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm NATO. The A5 model comes equipped with a custom, 1–12 twist twenty-five-inch Schneider barrel. The action and barrel are mated to a McMillan A4 stock. The rifle is topped off with a Schmidt and Bender Police Marksman II 4-16x50mm rifle scope on a thirty minute-of-angle base designed to stretch the legs of the .308 round to a maximum 1,000 yards.

A sniper rifle is commonly defined as semi-automatic or bolt action long gun, equipped with a scope, that is accurate to within a minute of angle. One minute of angle represents one inch at one hundred yards, two inches at two hundred yards and so on. The M40A5 is accurate to within one half-inch minute of angle, meaning that under perfect conditions, shots taken at eight hundred yards should land within a four-inch circle.

M24 Sniper Weapons System