Sniper Rifles and the use of the term "Sniper"
snip·er
A skilled military shooter detailed to spot and pick off enemy soldiers from a concealed place.
One who shoots at other people from a concealed place.
A sniper rifle by definition is a rifle used by a skilled military shooter or by someone from a concealed position to shoot at people.
It gripes me to no end to hear some one ask "What's a good "SNIPER" rifle?" You have to ask yourself; "What the hell are they planning on doing?" Three scenarios come to mind. The first: they are in swat or the military; the second: they are planning on going on a shooting rampage; the third: they want an accurate rifle that is capable of hitting its target at a great distance with a great deal of precision and accuracy.
The First is absurd and no swat or spec ops member would flounder around on the internet asking a bunch non profesionals for advice in their career field. The Second is somewhat remote as such shootings are typically rare but do occur occasionally. The third is the more obvious choice as many commercial rifles can fit the description with minor add ons and some minor customizing.
So we have established that the person is not a military spec ops member and he is not a would be assassin wanting to be the next DC Sniper. So why then does he use the term "SNIPER" when asking about a precision rifle? Could it be his ego, or his wanting to sound cool amongst his peers or feeling like he has something of great desire? Maybe that's all he's ever heard those type of rifles called and just follows what he's been incorrectly taught.
If the person is looking for a platform in which to build a highly precision rifle capable of great accuracy at great distances then that is what they should ask for. We as gun owners should encourage this type of thinking.
Consider all the legislation that has been introduced to ban guns. It is more likely to pass with unquestioned support from the masses if a bill is written to ban highly precision SNIPER and SNIPER CAPABLE weapons which are not needed for self defense and are only owned by crazy anti government nutjobs who own guns and talk about SHTF sceanarios and shoooting cops should they come to confiscate their guns.
Now there are times when one could ask about a sniper rifle without running up my ire. One could ask what rifle does the military use for sniper rifles? or "Are there any historic sniper rifles for sale?" or "I just bought a reproduction of a soviet WW2 era sniper rifle."
Just don't go asking "How can I build a cheap sniper rifle?" If you want a presicion rifle with high powered optics with some great accuracy then that's what you should ask for!
A skilled military shooter detailed to spot and pick off enemy soldiers from a concealed place.
One who shoots at other people from a concealed place.
A sniper rifle by definition is a rifle used by a skilled military shooter or by someone from a concealed position to shoot at people.
It gripes me to no end to hear some one ask "What's a good "SNIPER" rifle?" You have to ask yourself; "What the hell are they planning on doing?" Three scenarios come to mind. The first: they are in swat or the military; the second: they are planning on going on a shooting rampage; the third: they want an accurate rifle that is capable of hitting its target at a great distance with a great deal of precision and accuracy.
The First is absurd and no swat or spec ops member would flounder around on the internet asking a bunch non profesionals for advice in their career field. The Second is somewhat remote as such shootings are typically rare but do occur occasionally. The third is the more obvious choice as many commercial rifles can fit the description with minor add ons and some minor customizing.
So we have established that the person is not a military spec ops member and he is not a would be assassin wanting to be the next DC Sniper. So why then does he use the term "SNIPER" when asking about a precision rifle? Could it be his ego, or his wanting to sound cool amongst his peers or feeling like he has something of great desire? Maybe that's all he's ever heard those type of rifles called and just follows what he's been incorrectly taught.
If the person is looking for a platform in which to build a highly precision rifle capable of great accuracy at great distances then that is what they should ask for. We as gun owners should encourage this type of thinking.
Consider all the legislation that has been introduced to ban guns. It is more likely to pass with unquestioned support from the masses if a bill is written to ban highly precision SNIPER and SNIPER CAPABLE weapons which are not needed for self defense and are only owned by crazy anti government nutjobs who own guns and talk about SHTF sceanarios and shoooting cops should they come to confiscate their guns.
Now there are times when one could ask about a sniper rifle without running up my ire. One could ask what rifle does the military use for sniper rifles? or "Are there any historic sniper rifles for sale?" or "I just bought a reproduction of a soviet WW2 era sniper rifle."
Just don't go asking "How can I build a cheap sniper rifle?" If you want a presicion rifle with high powered optics with some great accuracy then that's what you should ask for!
Total Comments 12
Comments
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i call em target rifles!Posted 11-03-2007 at 08:29 AM by billy
- how about if i shot a snipe?
Posted 11-03-2007 at 10:30 AM by billy -
Good point !!! SPO And good advice...A.HPosted 11-03-2007 at 07:00 PM by ArkansasHunter -
this was an example of a great blogPosted 11-11-2007 at 08:39 AM by Chris - well knowing i could hit fly at 1500 yards would just make me feel all warm and fuzzy insidePosted 03-18-2008 at 07:40 AM by boudreaux
Updated 03-18-2008 at 07:44 AM by boudreaux -
TARGET or HUNTING rifles my friend. I have a cabinet full of long range rifles, and none are sniper riflesPosted 11-11-2008 at 03:35 PM by woodhippy -
A label is a label is a label...what real difference does it make unless you're scared of phrasing? Sort of reminds me of folks referring to pickups as "trucks". As an ex-trucker, I don't consider anything under 8,000 lbs. GVW to be a truck. Even those are considered baby trucks-real trucks start around 14,000 empty weight IMO...Posted 11-12-2008 at 12:09 AM by toolman
Updated 11-12-2008 at 12:12 AM by toolman - Well there isn't much legislation taking place over concealed trucks, semiauto pickups, the number of rounds you can haul or if you can even own a truck, now is there?Posted 11-12-2008 at 12:13 AM by woodhippy
- You'd be surprised. Trucking is one of the highest regulated industries in the U.S.-No they aren't talking about "concealed, or semi-auto", but then again, when was the last time you were forced to pee in a cup by the rangemaster while target shooting? How about being required to take a physical to shoot, or pay more for your license depending on what gun you want to shoot? For that matter, most states don't require a license to shoot at all...Posted 11-13-2008 at 08:21 AM by toolman
- The last time I was driving my Isuzu box truck and was stopped by DOT for having a cab light out and had to piss in the cup. I know all about keeping a log book and keeping the rig under weight. You just don't hear about any truck legislation taking place like you do about the firearms. Those politicians are just itching like a hooker with herpes to put some kind of ban on the guns or even take them from us.
You rarely hear of a guy on a killing rampage with an 18 wheeler, or a kid killing 27 classmates with a 24ft box truck, or a guy sniping passing motorists from an overpass by driving his 3/4 ton pickup over the side.Posted 11-13-2008 at 08:10 PM by woodhippy - You rarely hear about guys going on shooting rampages either, but just like truck-related accidents, airplane accidents, industrial explosions, etc. , when it happens, it's front-page news. I fully understand the point you're trying to make, but it's similar to changing the phrasing for "sex" on television. "Making whoopie", "hiding the salami", "playing undercover baseball", etc, etc...means exactly the same thing, and your kids know that it's something they aren't supposed to hear. We can hide the "bad words" all we want, but it won't stop them from coming after our guns, it's all semantics.Posted 11-13-2008 at 11:02 PM by toolman
Updated 11-13-2008 at 11:35 PM by toolman -
I wonder if I paint my black Sav110 fp
maybe say puce or fucia or periwinkle blue they might not consider it a sniper weapon but then again they wanted to some obscure .69 cal flint lock a anti aircraft gun.
Could a bag of flower be thought of as a wmd?Posted 11-15-2008 at 08:13 AM by Paul T
