The sniper rifle

In the human being’s incessant quest forgunpowder to be translated into bullet speed. They
newer and more effective ways of evening theare also invariably equipped with telescopic sights and
odds, some truly impressive inventions dot the trail ofoften even infrared targeting devices that allow for
history. The sniper rifle is to tactical violence whataccurate placement of the shot. Yet another
the electron microscope is to vision. It drasticallyadvanced feature in contemporary sniper rifles is the
reduces the number of variables involved in zeroing innight scope, which again operates on the infrared
on a chosen target and is, for all intents andprinciple. This allows a target top be aimed at without
purposes, a highly specialized precision instrument.detection.
Given a choice, most manufacturers of sniper riflesFor enhanced accuracy, a sniper rifle may come
would probably market their product under a nameequipped with a swiveling stand on which it is
that has less negative connotations. While such riflesmounted to reduce the margin of error. This is
are doubtlessly highly accurate and a credit to the artalmost mandatory, since human body is not the
of firearm making, they are almost never used understeadiest of mechanisms under circumstances of high
very valorous circumstances. A sniper specializes instress. Despite the frequent Hollywood depiction of
picking off a target from a location of concealment,cold-blooded killers with nerves of chilled steel, most
without warning. This considerably detracts from thereal-life snipers are people who are subject to the
image of the fearless gunslinger. One of the mostsame levels of stress that others are.
descriptive depictions of a rifle manufacturedAnother frequent feature in a sniper rifle is the
exclusively for sniping (or rather, assassination) wassilencer. Though the need for one depends on the
the one made by a Belgian manufacturer for Edwardsituation, it can generally be assumed that the sniper
Fox’s character in the film ‘Thewill have to shoot at more than one target and that
Day Of The Jackal’.he therefore cannot allow his first shot to give him
However, sniper rifles are also necessary equipmentaway. Silencers, unfortunately, subtract from the
in war situations, and their effectiveness (coupledrange of the fired bullet and can affect accurate
with the sniper’s skill, of course) haveplacement of a shot even over shorter distances.
often turned the course of many a battle. In warSniper rifles are invariably manufactured with trigger
situations, snipers may also be required to targetmechanisms that minimize the required pressure on
installations rather than human beings, in which casethe trigger a s much as possible. This is because the
the rifle used would pack a considerably heaviergreatest danger of fudging a shot arises at the time
punch and even explosive bullets. They are also usedwhen the trigger is pulled. In most other rifles and
in law enforcement.other firearms, triggers are heavier on the pull as an
However, the sniper rifle is primarily an anti-personneladded safeguard against accidental shooting.
device and most models have been derived from theWhere they are used in law enforcement, sniper
hunting rifle model, since accuracy and long range arerifles are generally not required to be manufactured
common factors in both. Other than that, they doto extremely high standards. For one, range if usually
not initially appear to differ very much from othernot a necessary factor (even though accuracy
highly accurate rifles, other than in the fact that rapidalways is). Most rifle work in law enforcement takes
repeat-firing capability is not a prerequisite. Manyplace in confined city locations.
purists would contend the claim that sniper rifles areExamples of sniper rifles being manufactured today
jazzed-up hunting rifles, and with good reasons.would include the Barrett M98, the Dakota Longbow
Sniper rifles may be needed top shoot at stationary,T-76, the Enfield No. 1 and the Mauser 86SR. German
slowly moving targets and targets in rapid motion.and Swedish makes have found the highest favor
They tend to be bolt-operated or semi-automatic,down the ages, owing to more precise engineering.
and calibrated for longer than usual ranges. TheHowever, several Russian, English and American
primary means of achieving longer range is via amodels such as the Tactical Ops Tango 51 are also in
longer barrel, which may measure up to 600 mm inextensive use today.
some cases. This allows the entire power of ignited