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Mind_Storm · 10-05-2003, 10:07 AM

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WEAPONS OF THE WORLD: Snipers Want an Arsenal

October 4, 2003: For the last few years, the U.S. Marine Corps has been gradually replacing it's M-40A1 sniper rifles with the new, and improved, M-40A3 rifle. The M-40 type rifle has been used by the marines since the 1960s. The rifle is actually a militarized Remington 700 bolt action rifle. The 7.62mm M-40s are modified by Marine Corps technicians. The new A3 model is more comfortable to use, which is important if you are spending hours watching an area waiting for an opportunity to shoot. The A3 also has the new "rail system" that allows easy attachment of night and thermal imaging sights available for military rifles. But the A3, at 16.5 pounds, is two pounds heavier than the A1 model it replaces. For many marines, that two pounds matters, especially since most Marine snipers are known as "scout/snipers" and are expected to be on the move most of the time. For infantry, every pound counts. The M-40 is meant for long range shots; out to 800 meters during the day and 600 meters in the dark. But recent urban battles in Iraq and Chechnya have shown that most sniping took place at much shorter ranges, and that lighter, general purpose rifles with better sights (especially night sights that see in the dark) were more often used for sniping. Weapons like the M-40 are now being seen as one of several specialist weapons a sniper might use. Indeed, some snipers are calling the M-40A3 a "defensive sniping" (a sniper spending most of his time hidden and waiting for a shot). weapon, but calling for use of lighter weapons for "offensive sniping" (snipers moving more than staying in one place waiting for a shot).

September 29, 2003: The lowly .22 caliber LR (long rifle) round is becoming a favorite among snipers. Professional assassins (usually thugs working for organized crime) have long favored using .22 caliber (5.56mm) pistols for their work. While not a powerful round, if you shoot someone up close with a .22 caliber pistol several things are noted.

1- The victim is dead if you shoot him in the head, whish is what pros usually aim for (as these guys like to say, "two in the head and you know he's dead.")

2- There is hardly any sound if you use a silencer, and not much even if you don't.

3-A 22 caliber pistol is small, even with a silencer. That makes it easier to conceal, and easier to dispose of.

Then the Russians noted that Chechen snipers were effectively using .22 LR (long rifle, them little bullets kids use to hunt squirrels and rabbits with) weapons. Inside towns and cities, the .22 LR sniper was very effective, especially since the Chechens would improvise a very workable silencer by putting a plastic bottle on the end of the rifle's barrel, with a hole in the bottom of the barrel for the bullet to exit. Using a cheap scope, Chechen snipers were very deadly at ranges of less than a hundred meters. Such ranges were pretty common in built up areas. And since you usually did not hear the shot (to the head or face, of course), you had a hard time finding the shooter. Having suffered from these low tech .22 caliber Chechen snipers for ten years, the Russians have come out with their own professional .22 LR sniper rifle, the SV-99. This is a little heavier (at 8.3 pounds) than your usual .22 LR rifle, but is built for professionals. It has a heavier barrel, a bipod, silencer and scope. It's 39 inches long and can accept five, eight or ten round magazines. There is a compartment in the butt stock for two five round magazines. With the SV-99, at a hundred meters, a skilled shooter can consistently put all rounds in a half inch circle. This is a specialist weapon, most likely used by commandos. But any trained sniper can quickly adapt to using it. And snipers like not being heard.

September 24, 2003: The war on terror has made personal security a bigger business than it already was, and this has brought to market a lot of innovative weapons that would have otherwise never left the drawing board. One of the more interesting is Heckler and Koch's MP7. This is an unusual automatic rifle. Although not so unusual when you realize that's primary market is bodyguards for people with large security budgets. The MP7 is 21.2 inches long and weighs only 2.64 pounds unloaded. Retract the butt stock, and it’s only 13.4 inches long. Put in a 20 round magazine (4.3 ounces) and it weighs only 2.86 pounds. Load a 12 ounce 40 round magazine and it still weighs only 3.4 pounds. It keeps the weight down by using a high speed 4.7mm round. Optimized for close range (under 200 meters) shooting, the 4.6mm bullet can match 5.56mm rounds in accuracy and penetration at ranges up to a hundred meters. On automatic, it fires 950 rounds a minute. (about 15 a second). Recoil is about half that for 9mm submachine guns. The weight is kept down by using carbon fiber-reinforced plastic for most of the weapon. In addition to bodyguards, the MP7 is being bought, or evaluated, by commando organizations.

September 22, 2003: No one know how many AK-47 rifles have been manufactured, although comments by Russian and Chinese officials indicate that it's been over fifty million so far. There are so many AK-47s out there that they are quite cheap. Recently, the U.S. bought 40,000 new (or "like new") AK-47s for the new Iraqi army (most of the army's original AK-47s were stolen right after the war). The weapons cost $59 each. In many countries, especially Arab ones, it's considered part of growing up to learn how to take apart and clean an AK-47. Ammunition is cheap, often about ten cents per round. Best of all, the AK-47 is a rather humane weapon. Compared to the M-16, the low power 7.62mm bullets of the AK-47 do much less damage to a target than the higher velocity 5.56mm bullets from the M-16. The AK-47 is still plenty lethal, killing thousands each year. It's the preferred weapon for criminals in many countries. In addition to it's low price, the weapon looks impressive, so much so that it appears on several national flags.

10-05-2003, 10:07 AM	#1 (permalink)
Mind_Storm Tilted Location: The Finger Lakes of New York	WEAPONS OF THE WORLD: Snipers Want an Arsenal http://www.strategypage.com/fyeo/how...get=htweap.htm WEAPONS OF THE WORLD: Snipers Want an Arsenal October 4, 2003: For the last few years, the U.S. Marine Corps has been gradually replacing it's M-40A1 sniper rifles with the new, and improved, M-40A3 rifle. The M-40 type rifle has been used by the marines since the 1960s. The rifle is actually a militarized Remington 700 bolt action rifle. The 7.62mm M-40s are modified by Marine Corps technicians. The new A3 model is more comfortable to use, which is important if you are spending hours watching an area waiting for an opportunity to shoot. The A3 also has the new "rail system" that allows easy attachment of night and thermal imaging sights available for military rifles. But the A3, at 16.5 pounds, is two pounds heavier than the A1 model it replaces. For many marines, that two pounds matters, especially since most Marine snipers are known as "scout/snipers" and are expected to be on the move most of the time. For infantry, every pound counts. The M-40 is meant for long range shots; out to 800 meters during the day and 600 meters in the dark. But recent urban battles in Iraq and Chechnya have shown that most sniping took place at much shorter ranges, and that lighter, general purpose rifles with better sights (especially night sights that see in the dark) were more often used for sniping. Weapons like the M-40 are now being seen as one of several specialist weapons a sniper might use. Indeed, some snipers are calling the M-40A3 a "defensive sniping" (a sniper spending most of his time hidden and waiting for a shot). weapon, but calling for use of lighter weapons for "offensive sniping" (snipers moving more than staying in one place waiting for a shot). September 29, 2003: The lowly .22 caliber LR (long rifle) round is becoming a favorite among snipers. Professional assassins (usually thugs working for organized crime) have long favored using .22 caliber (5.56mm) pistols for their work. While not a powerful round, if you shoot someone up close with a .22 caliber pistol several things are noted. 1- The victim is dead if you shoot him in the head, whish is what pros usually aim for (as these guys like to say, "two in the head and you know he's dead.") 2- There is hardly any sound if you use a silencer, and not much even if you don't. 3-A 22 caliber pistol is small, even with a silencer. That makes it easier to conceal, and easier to dispose of. Then the Russians noted that Chechen snipers were effectively using .22 LR (long rifle, them little bullets kids use to hunt squirrels and rabbits with) weapons. Inside towns and cities, the .22 LR sniper was very effective, especially since the Chechens would improvise a very workable silencer by putting a plastic bottle on the end of the rifle's barrel, with a hole in the bottom of the barrel for the bullet to exit. Using a cheap scope, Chechen snipers were very deadly at ranges of less than a hundred meters. Such ranges were pretty common in built up areas. And since you usually did not hear the shot (to the head or face, of course), you had a hard time finding the shooter. Having suffered from these low tech .22 caliber Chechen snipers for ten years, the Russians have come out with their own professional .22 LR sniper rifle, the SV-99. This is a little heavier (at 8.3 pounds) than your usual .22 LR rifle, but is built for professionals. It has a heavier barrel, a bipod, silencer and scope. It's 39 inches long and can accept five, eight or ten round magazines. There is a compartment in the butt stock for two five round magazines. With the SV-99, at a hundred meters, a skilled shooter can consistently put all rounds in a half inch circle. This is a specialist weapon, most likely used by commandos. But any trained sniper can quickly adapt to using it. And snipers like not being heard. September 24, 2003: The war on terror has made personal security a bigger business than it already was, and this has brought to market a lot of innovative weapons that would have otherwise never left the drawing board. One of the more interesting is Heckler and Koch's MP7. This is an unusual automatic rifle. Although not so unusual when you realize that's primary market is bodyguards for people with large security budgets. The MP7 is 21.2 inches long and weighs only 2.64 pounds unloaded. Retract the butt stock, and it’s only 13.4 inches long. Put in a 20 round magazine (4.3 ounces) and it weighs only 2.86 pounds. Load a 12 ounce 40 round magazine and it still weighs only 3.4 pounds. It keeps the weight down by using a high speed 4.7mm round. Optimized for close range (under 200 meters) shooting, the 4.6mm bullet can match 5.56mm rounds in accuracy and penetration at ranges up to a hundred meters. On automatic, it fires 950 rounds a minute. (about 15 a second). Recoil is about half that for 9mm submachine guns. The weight is kept down by using carbon fiber-reinforced plastic for most of the weapon. In addition to bodyguards, the MP7 is being bought, or evaluated, by commando organizations. September 22, 2003: No one know how many AK-47 rifles have been manufactured, although comments by Russian and Chinese officials indicate that it's been over fifty million so far. There are so many AK-47s out there that they are quite cheap. Recently, the U.S. bought 40,000 new (or "like new") AK-47s for the new Iraqi army (most of the army's original AK-47s were stolen right after the war). The weapons cost $59 each. In many countries, especially Arab ones, it's considered part of growing up to learn how to take apart and clean an AK-47. Ammunition is cheap, often about ten cents per round. Best of all, the AK-47 is a rather humane weapon. Compared to the M-16, the low power 7.62mm bullets of the AK-47 do much less damage to a target than the higher velocity 5.56mm bullets from the M-16. The AK-47 is still plenty lethal, killing thousands each year. It's the preferred weapon for criminals in many countries. In addition to it's low price, the weapon looks impressive, so much so that it appears on several national flags.