wanna be sniper trend
 

I don't understand why many hunters think they need a sniper rifle. I think a well built rifle is important......but bull barrels, bipods, and 24 power scopes are overkill. They are excess weight in my opinion. Simple is better. Now im not knocking these types of rifles by any means they are fun to target shoot with but are not ideal in most hunting situations. There are always exceptions. These guns may be great for antelope hunting or something similar but are not needed about 97% of the time. Some people may be good enough to shoot 700 yds but if your not be realistic and stick to your trust deer rifle. I know i cant shoot that far but anything inside 250 is hitting the ground. I went through this phase too but thank god i didnt have any money to buy for myself cause i see now it would have been a mistake. These are just my thoughts not trying to offend anyone

Most people I know, like myself who have target type rifles (you referr to as sniper rifles) don't use them much for a deer rifle shooting 60 yards. Most of us have many tools for the job. I can't say I know anyone that takes out a 15lb 1" OD barreled rifle to sit in a deer stand.

I prefer a heavier rifle, or pistol. I just shoot them better, especially when it's windy.......

no i understand they are used for long range target shooting thats fun. This is geared more toward people with more money than experience. they run out and buy a 300 win mag and a rifle with a 26" barrel. know some people like this pet peeve i guess

A gun is a gun I guess. They all kill.

First I don't hunt with what you call a "sniper" rifle.
I also don't hunt where you do, apparently you don't hunt in the same situations, you only assume you know everyones style and area. You do not.
Come to the open prairie, you will learn alittle about what a rifle can do.
If I want to carry a 12 lb. rifle what business of it is yours and why do you care.
You don't get to decide what I need, its a good thing too.
Just cause you can't, don't assume others haven't passed you by in the "competency with a gun" class.
We shoot well beyond 500 yds. all the time.
We don't all live and hunt in Florida.
Some of us own lots of guns and use what we want.
I hunt 12,000 acres of private farm land, not a tree on it. You have that in FL ?

Are you sure you weren't sent here by the current administration ?

Who care's how heavy someone else's gun is? Or what it looks like? There's no difference between a .308 short barreled "brush gun" and a .308 with a 26" barrel and an A5 stock...they both shoot the same bullet, just one does it more accurately at a longer distance!

My all around hunting rifle is 10.5lbs and its not a "sniper rifle", maybe I should sell it and get a synthetic Savage...??

First off, have you ever seen a 'sniper' rifle? Most are nothing more than a highly accurized Remington 700 and a Leupold scope. (not counting the newer 50 bMGs)
I have friends that have rifles weighing over 30 lbs in monsterous chamberings that they use upstate for deer hunting from mountain to mountain. They have taken deer out to 1300 yds. But this is the exception rather than the rule. And hey, its their thing. But it isn't mine. I like to be close up and personal when I can. Yeah, I shot deer that were way out there but again I bet <3% were more than 75 yds away.
My rifle of choice? Whatever I feel like that day. A bolt action, a lever action, a single shot, a muzzleloader? Who knows? No you don't need a big barreled heavy rifle, but wo cares, as long as your hunting.

Oh yeah, don't use the term 'sniper rifle' or 'assault rifle'. Those are terms used by the idiot liberals and it tends to p**s a lot of us gun owners off.

The heavy target rifles do have their place in the hunting world. Where long shots are normal these rifles serve their purpose well.

i know its not a sniper rifle and im not anti gun by any means. i have a pretty big selection myself. all im saying is alot of people cant even shoot to the extent the firearm is made for. you guys may be able to but alot of ppl are just bad shot and they think a rifle that can shoot clover leafs at 200 yds(in the hands of a good shooter of course) will fix their problems. and skb i hunt a sod farm every year. the shots can be pretty far. its not like im hunting in the everglades. notice some of you guys r getting a little heated. no need for name calling im on your side i own several ars and close to a dozen firearms so dont think im some democrat trying to start a fight with yall. i think a rem 700 in some kind of 30 caliber in the hands of a good shot can shoot 500 plus yds with little modification and cleanly take any animal in north america.

I can see both sides of the story here...

"I would like to conclude by pointing out that long range shots are less common than might be inferred from reading the sporting magazines. Most big game animals in North America are killed at under 200 yards; in fact, most are killed at less than 100 yards."(Chuck Hawks, http://www.chuckhawks.com/hunting_rifles.htm)

last paragraph of the page

i got a bull bore 22-250..it dont weigh alot..i got a 223 with a 6-12X50 on it, but dont consider it a sniper rifle. gotta 300sm too with a very nice burris on it, not a sniper rifle..all these rifles have a place, and i use them as i see fit......just a choice i have, just like your choice, not to have any.

1st off I don't currently own a rifle with a bull barrel on it. But if I was going to put something together for a grandchild or some extremely recoil sensitive I would do to add the weight and help to keep the recoil down especially if I was hunting from say a box blind. It all depends on the app and what you want to do your thing with,

I am probably not the norm and I don't own as many centerfires as some here, however all but one have a "heavy" barrel. I wouldn't want to hunt in the mountains with them but I do that with my bow anyway.

Once I put a sling on them an throw them across my back weight is not an issue for me around here. I love trying to call coyotes so I don't shoot that far normally....but I still like to work at long range shooting and the heavier gun helps to soak up some of the recoil.

The scope I use the most is a 6-24 power. These of course are things that work for me, or at least the rifles I prefer, while I am always interested in what other people use for equipment, it doesn't matter to me what they use.

If a guy doesn't practice it really doesn't matter whether he uses a pencil barrel or a bull barrel, a person will never reach the full potential of the weapon or their abilities without some serious "trigger time".

You why I can hunt with a 300 win mag 26" barrell.......because I can!

Dang last week I couldn't even spell sniper now I find I are one . LOL

ok part of this is my fault for not being clear enough. first off when i say "sniper rifle" im being sarcastic. let me clear things up. i know the difference between a target rifle and a sniper rifle. let me clear things up. what i am thinking about when i say "sniper rifle" is a rem 700 26" barrel mcmillian stock bipods extremely high powered scope etc etc. hb420 i own a 22-250 break action w/ bull barrel. I am not necessarily knocking these additions/modifications individually but merely saying all these different things are not necessary most of the time on the same rifle. And yes rhan i agree with u about a heavier guns takes away recoil, and that is a great idea for a young hunter, but the gun itself should be heavy enough if thats what you want. adding a bigger scope, bipods, etc is not the way to go to reduce recoil. i know thats not what u meant just saying the extra bulk isnt necessary and is just plain detrimental to your chances of killing a deer, bear, hog or whatever

If a guy doesn't practice it really doesn't matter whether he uses a pencil barrel or a bull barrel, a person will never reach the full potential of the weapon or their abilities without some serious "trigger time".[/QUOTE]


totally agree with you there.....finally some common ground:biggrin:

Ya gotta do better then Chuckhawks around here...

[/quote]

ok part of this is my fault for not being clear enough. first off when i say "sniper rifle" im being sarcastic. let me clear things up. i know the difference between a target rifle and a sniper rifle. let me clear things up. what i am thinking about when i say "sniper rifle" is a rem 700 26" barrel mcmillian stock bipods extremely high powered scope etc etc. hb420 i own a 22-250 break action w/ bull barrel. I am not necessarily knocking these additions/modifications individually but merely saying all these different things are not necessary most of the time on the same rifle. And yes rhan i agree with u about a heavier guns takes away recoil, and that is a great idea for a young hunter, but the gun itself should be heavy enough if thats what you want. adding a bigger scope, bipods, etc is not the way to go to reduce recoil. i know thats not what u meant just saying the extra bulk isnt necessary and is just plain detrimental to your chances of killing a deer, bear, hog or whatever

[/quote]

So now McMillans and bipods only belong on "sniper rifles"? Wow, ya learn something new everyday...

I have rifles with McMillans, Manners, HS Precision and Bell and Carlson stocks...they all pretty much run bipods, but only one even has a "bull" barrel...

So what about shooting sticks? Do they not belong in the woods either? Maybe we should all just use Model 94 30-30's?

why would u need one of those stocks to hunt with....and why would u put them on anything but a precision rifle? and how would shooting sticks make a rifle more clumsy like bipods would in an off hand shot? not against bipods theyre great for target shooting just dont think you need them. and jeep kid before you question the validity of my source lets see one of your own.

Why can't a hunting rifle be accurate? Oh and two of them came from the factory with those stocks...

Here's one of those evil McMillan stocked rifles that I shouldn't be hunting with...

RR, is that the Gibbs on the right?

Isn't that the point of any rifle? To precisely place a bullet onto its intended target?

I fill if a shooter/hunter has improved his/her ability with these various items then it is a good thing if they have the money and desire to buy and use them and we have less buzzard bait lying around i'm all for it "Whatever trips your trigger"

Jeepkid all I can say is nice rife. I stand corrected. I was thinking more along the lines of one of those thumbhole hole stocks that weigh a ton. And whoever posted the pic of the other guns they are sweet too but aren't really what I'm trying to describe here. I'll post a pic of the kind of rifle I'm failing to describe properly here

Maybe this is what your thinking? My .223 Remmy 700pss...sweet coyote and squirrel gun btw...

Nice, except the bolt is on the wrong side :eek2:

HAHA! I was kinda confused for a second there :s2:

http://www.vandykerifles.com/images/custom-rifle2.jpg

would you hunt with something like this? seen some ppl with similar rigs.im sure they wouldnt be this expensive. not practical

Bradc-
Listen to RR, he knows his stuff when it comes to long range shooting, no doubt.

But, I think I know where you are coming from. I was at Bass Pro over Christmas and heard 2 young guys talking "sniper" while looking at rifles. Later I heard a kid telling his father he wanted a "sniper" when they were looking at BB guns a Wal-Mart. Fast forward to the first squirrel hunting trip I took my 12 year old nephew on. What was he asking me about? Snipers! I asked where the heck did he learn about that?? You guessed it, PlayStation. Evidently quite a few games (hunting types and war) have this type of stuff in it. Now I'm not against video games, but if you look at the content and see who is obsessed with some of the long range stuff, I think there is a connection. So after chewing my nephews ass a la "The Old Man and the Boy" I hoped to instill in him what a sniper is and that they have a specific job that has nothing to do with hunting as we know it.

It concerns me that there are young mislead hunters that could possibly make wrong or unethical decisions trying to emulate what they've "learned" about this stuff. Sorry to say, the kids today are not raised like some of us were. They know everything and will try anything. Some of these questionable actions may reflect on all hunters.

Just my .02

if you guys have these guns and are good shooters great! but some dumba*** who has never owned a guns before and buys a 2000$ rifle cause he saw a sniper show a tv is more of what im talking about

All that is is a 700 action, with an ACI ( I believe ) stock on it, I'm guessing its a .338 Lapua...

Depends on where you hunt what practical means. Western Extreme took a deer the other day with a .50 BMG, overkill yes! Would I do it if I had the chance, YES!

I'll hunt with anything that shoots accurate enough for the job at hand. :biggrin:

Okay, I see where your coming from now, and I do agree with you. It won't do any good to go out and buy an expensive rifle capable of MOA accuracy at 1200 yrds for your first hunting rifle. But then again, ya gotta start somewhere...:s4:

long range
 

:) Hello new to the forums. Like what i read Like the pics. I see. To hit at lond range requires a good set of eyes an nerves an a lot of pratices. With that skill you can place a good shoot with any good quialty rifle. Just my thought usedto take care of small targets at long ranges for UNCLE SAM :fighting0007::wave:

I still can't figure out why the OP cares what I hunt with and how far I shoot. If I want to hunt with a 25 lb. rifle with a 40" barrel that measures 1.5" diameter and launches a 250 gr. bullet at 4000 fps. And my shots are in excess of 1000 yds. , as long as its legal its really only my business.
When we start trying to decide what others should be doing within the scope of the law we start sounding alot more like what the current administration sounds like.

my "evil sniper rifle" scope is a little small...its only 6-18x...but its a Leupold!

yes thats a 26" bull barrel...

man thats dumb...i got a bipod on that rifle and am shooting off a round bale! what a moron!!


what you dont see is my truck is maybe 100yds away...i dont carry that rifle very far...im no expert...but ive made 1 shot kills out t0 350yds with that rifle...its all factory...even the trigger still...and shooting factory ammo...i dont have the fields to reach much farther than that withouth doubling or tripling that distance...im not ready for the big leauges yet...but that rifle is my base for getting there...

i didnt buy that rifle and set it up how i did to carry it....its made to sit and reach out and touch somethin...

when im done with it, its going to be a bit bigger and heavier..and its a pure hunting rifle....

i dont claim to be a sniper or have a sniper rifle...but i enjoy laying behind the rifle and squeezing the trigger on a target that most people would never see if i didnt point it out to them

yep just dont think you need it. shooting deer at 700 yds isnt hunting its just target practice. and skb quit calling me a damn obama fan its starting to piss me off

Hey RR - I see ur a fellow southpaw. Wonder how many more of us are in here.

I am!! Just don't shoot lefty... :sad: