Reply #92: DEER Rifles are not Sniper rifles

[dr28704]

A deers vital area is approximately 16 inches. Most modern hunting rifles are capable of 2 to 3 MOA. Slapping a scope on a hunting rifle does not make you or your rifle a capable of sniping. Most people with training can learn to fire within 4 MOA without a scope and 2 MOA with a scope, unsupported prone and possibly 1 moa supported prone. So most people can hit and kill a deer with a scoped hunting rifle at up to 200 meters(220yards) That does not make them a sniper

A sniper rifle is an instrument capable of less than 1 MOA. It consists of; a well made stock such as the Mcmillan A5, a good action a 'blueprinted' Remington 700, a great barrel-Shilen or Kreiger, a great optic(scope) with Mil-Dot reticle and ranging like IOR Valdada 4-16x50, good rings like the Burris XTRs, and a solid base(pick one). This isn't including a gunsmith that can put it all together, face the bolt, true the receiver and barrel, lap the lugs, free float the barrel, and aluminum pillar bed the receiver. The hours spent at the range and the reloading bench working up a good round, like Lapua 308 palma cases weighed and sorted, CCI small rifle primers, Lapua Scenar or Berger VLD bullets, and Vihta Vhouri powder xx.x grains.(yes I love the Finnish bullet products) Or, you could go out and pay 4,500 dollars for a TacOps 51 XRay, put a solid scope on it for another 1500 dollars and be capable of .3 MOA with Federal Gold Medal Match, or possibly .125 MOA if you spent about 50 hours working up a handload. That is a rifle and round capable of sniping.

A sniper has to learn how to; squeeze his trigger, breathe properly, aim properly, range estimate, target speed estimate, wind judge, consult his D.O.P.E.(data on previous engagements) for; wind, temperature, humidity, the spin of the round, slope, and distance, if far enough a shot the rotation of the earth has to be included. Choose a position to snipe from, not the hollywood sniper position with the barrel sticking out the window.

Not that I personally have anything invested in this, I'm just sayin'. :evilgrin: