Oh.. and to answer your question of whether I think Army sniper's aren't snipers. Well, the Army quite frequently sends their boys to our school...
I'd hope you saw it coming, I made it pretty easy for you.
EDIT: I am in no way saying that the Army has not produced some of the best sniper's in the world. The man with the highest confirmed kills in Vietnam was an Army sniper. I remember reading an article about one of them in Iraq from Tennessee about a year ago that really layed into them. The Army has produced some cut and dry badass marksmen, capable of doing their jobs and doing them well.
My point has always been that to be classified a "sniper rifle" (and if you've noticed I've always put that in quotes, as it is a loose term), it has to hold a MOA or less. This is due to the precision nature of the job. The SASR simply does not hold a MOA, and therefore it is not a "sniper rifle," in my opinion, the opinion of many 8541s in the community, and I'd be willing to bet it is the same with many Army snipers. Unfortunately, I can't go ask one, because I've only met one.
But, I can tell you this, the guys living next door to me, across the quad and various others will tell you that the SASR is not a "sniper rifle," and shouldn't be classified as one.
Do you classify the M4 as a machine gun? No. But why not? You can flip the selector level to "auto." Isn't a gun that shoots automatically without having to redepress the trigger a "machine gun?"
What about the Stoner in vietnam? Was that a machinegun? It was a modular weapon that could shoot automatically, without having to redepress the trigger. What about the AK? Yes, no?
Do you see where I am going with that? Just because the SASR has a scope and can be used for sniper missions, does not make it a sniper rifle. Just like all of the above, doesn't make those rifles (carbines) a machinegun.
Who was around in the 60s? I wasn't, but I'm pretty sure nobody ever said Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK with a "sniper rifle." I'm pretty sure they called it a hunting rifle. But why, then was it not called a sniper rifle? It had a scope.. he shot him from a concealed position.. so, what changed politically between then and now?
I'll tell you, we did, and that needs to change again.