Progenitors of modern developments
The sniper rifle was not initially a single unit - glasses, pince-nez and eyepieces of different diopters were used as a targeting device. The first diopters could be worn or attached to hats.
The invention of the telescope became a prerequisite for the use of lens tubes to achieve maximum precision over long distances. We can say that the famous Galileo, without knowing it, gave a wonderful idea for improving weapons.
Smooth-bore versions did not provide the required characteristics, so the sniper rifle received its further development only after the invention of rifled models.
The very first sniper rifle
It was at this stage that the problem of achieving the required accuracy became quite acute. Weapons of the mid-19th century could provide the required range, but already at 500-700 meters the front sight was comparable in size to the figures of the enemies. It is clear that there was no talk of any more or less accurate aiming at distances over 300 meters.
One of the first sniper rifles produced on an industrial scale was the Colt carbine (1855), which had a diopter sight. Imperfect design (small viewing angle of the sight) and questionable ballistic performance (due to the use of blunt bullets) did not allow the rifle to gain wide popularity. The first copy will forever remain on the pages of chronicles, since its invention became the starting point for the construction of the most powerful weapons in the world.
Chey Tac M200 Intervention
US large-caliber sniper rifle. Reloading the weapon is done manually. The shooting model is equipped with additional options: a computer with connected sensors (humidity, wind and temperature sensors), thanks to which the target is hit at a distance of 2 thousand m. The rifle weighs up to 12 kg. The production of one rifle unit costs the United States 50 thousand dollars.
The most massive rifle
Large-caliber sniper rifles amaze not only with their capabilities, but also with their impressive dimensions. Among the bulky carbines that look like anti-tank rifles from the beginning of the last century, the Hungarian Gepard M3 sniper rifle especially stood out.
Having the same purpose as the carbines of the Great Patriotic War, a sniper with 20x82 cartridges can easily penetrate the protection of an armored personnel carrier. The minimum weight of the rifle (without ammunition) is about 21 kg with a length of 1.8 m. Judging by the dimensions, ease of use can be considered a very controversial issue. There is simply no need to talk about any maneuverability, even if just holding a weapon in your hands is not an easy task.
Armalite AR-50
It is a single-shot large-caliber US sniper rifle. The shooting model contains a heavy barrel on which a multi-channel compensator is installed. For comfortable use, the forend is equipped with adjustable bipods, which the shooter can, if necessary, set to a comfortable height. A rifle with a pistol grip and a lightweight tactical removable stock, based on the M16 assault rifle. Special soft or hard cases are provided for transporting weapons. The dispersion index from a distance of 914 m is 20 cm. An optical sight is included with the rifle. There are no open sights in the design of this model. Shooting is carried out with 12.7x99 mm caliber cartridges. The total length of the rifle is 151.1 cm, the barrel is 78.8 cm. The weapon weighs no more than 15 kg.
The most accurate
At first it may seem that the best rifle is also the most accurate, but is this really so?
When determining the accuracy of a weapon, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the basic measurement systems. Thus, for Western countries, the usual values are minutes of arc (MOA), and for the countries of the post-Soviet space - linear units, or more precisely, thousandths of a distance.
It’s easier to understand this using the following example: let’s say a sniper rifle is fired from a distance of 300 m. After five shots, a circle of a certain diameter is formed; in the case of 1 MOA, its size will be 8.7 cm. This indicator corresponds to 0.29 thousandths of a distance.
The best sniper rifle in terms of accuracy is the German DSR-1 carbine. The sniper can provide accuracy down to 0.2 MOA, but this figure is only valid for ideal situations. In field conditions, the accuracy is far from being so impressive - the mechanism is sensitive to external influences, and a huge number of settings significantly reduces the speed of the actions performed. In conditions of explosion, according to the direct owners, misfires occur much more often than we would like. Among other things, the design features of the rifle do not leave room for the installation of additional equipment, including night vision devices.
M2010
This US sniper rifle is based on the M24 rifle model, which was widely used by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. After completing a number of combat missions and carefully analyzing them, the United States military command turned to gunsmiths with an order to create a rifle for more powerful ammunition. As a result, they designed a rifle unit for the Winchester Magnum 300. In addition, this model is equipped with a muzzle brake and a silent firing device. Before releasing the sniper rifle into US service, the developers tested its accuracy. As it turned out, the accuracy of the battle is at least 1 MOA. However, the M2010 is not without its shortcomings. According to experts, the downside of the rifle is the formation of too bright a flash during the shot. In addition, due to the use of powerful ammunition, the M2010 has very strong recoil.
The most formidable and combative
In the middle of the last century, the arsenal of the armed forces had to be radically revised. There were enough small arms for short and medium range, but the same could not be said for long range. Leading designers and engineers worked on the development of the new product, but the best project was proposed by Evgeny Dragunov. The sniper rifle, created by a master gunsmith in 1963, could not fail to impress with its characteristics. With a barrel rifling pitch of 33 cm, it provided accuracy of at least 1.04 MOA when using 7N1 type cartridges.
Dragunov's sniper rifle could not boast of its excellent characteristics for long. Soon it was decided to sacrifice its accuracy by adapting the design to work with armor-piercing incendiary cartridges.
M24
To design this sniper rifle, the United States used the Remington 700. The 609-mm barrel is made of stainless steel, which is subject to additional processing during the manufacturing process. Shooting is carried out with NATO 7.62 mm ammunition. For the barrel channel, a developed 5R drill with a rifling pitch of 286 mm is provided. If necessary, the butt plate of the rifle can be adjusted, lengthening it by 7 cm. The weapon is equipped with a Leupold-Stewens M3 Ultra optical sight with a scale that allows you to determine the target range and a compensator, the task of which is to take into account the decrease in the trajectory of the fired projectile. The rifle is adapted to fire M118SB sniper cartridges. If the shooter plans to use other cartridges, then the M24 requires preliminary zeroing.
Dragunov sniper rifle today
Despite everything, the modern secondary weapons market shows high demand for the Dragunov carbine. A sniper rifle, the serial number of which has up to three digits, goes out with a bang.
Over the past decades, the sniper gun has undergone many modifications, and the design and materials used are in many ways inferior to more modern models.
The Dragunov sniper rifle has been criticized more than once due to the 7.62x51 cartridges used. There is some debate as to whether such bullets can effectively perform modern tasks. But the fact that the famous American M-14 has been improved to accept cartridges of the same dimensions speaks volumes in itself. By the way, designers from Britain and Germany did not lag behind their colleagues, equipping their L129A1 and G3 rifles with this caliber, respectively.
The best "M-ki"
Sniper rifles in the world constantly compete on numerous indicators. In this ongoing competition, the winner is quite often American sniper rifles whose serial number begins with the letter “M.” They are all developed by different designers, but are somewhat similar to each other.
Among them are the famous M-21, M-110, and, of course, the large-caliber M-82.
The task of developing an effective sniper rifle for the US Navy was set during the Vietnam War. The designers did not reinvent the wheel, deciding to modernize the then contemporary M-14. A new sight for a sniper rifle and redesign of the design for other cartridges, and in some configurations a shot silencer - that’s all that was needed to release the new M-21, which was replaced by the M-24.
The beautiful Barrett M-82 does not need additional advertising. It can rightfully be called one of the most popular and productive rifles. This sniper served as the basis for more powerful modifications, but even in its original configuration it is still considered one of the best and is in service with many countries around the world.
The M-110 rifle can be called the successor to the M-24.
The best rifles. Israel
The arms race between the USA and the USSR is a thing of the past, and other states have long been able to boast of powerful weapons. The Galil gas operated semi-automatic rifle, also known as the GALATZ, is considered one of the finest examples of modern “support weapons”.
Strictly speaking, the sniper rifle is nothing more than a successful modernization of the Galil assault rifle of the same name. Redesign of the barrel and trigger mechanism, optical sight and the ability to install a silencer make the carbine quite convenient, given its low weight (about 8 kg) and length (1,115 m).
M110
Produced by the American arms company Knight's Armament Company. The designers used the Mk11 sniper weapon as a sample. The M110 was created with the goal of completely replacing the outdated M24 rifle in the future. The M110 was equipped with an XM150 optical sight, with variable magnification of 3-10X and a Mil-Dot reticle. The possibility of using AN/PVC-17 night vision sights is not excluded. At the same time, as experts assure, it is not necessary to shoot at night.
It is enough to install a day sight in front of it. The weapon operates using automatic gas release, when powder gases are discharged into the body of the bolt frame. This design is known among professionals as the Stoner system. The sniper weapon is equipped with two sights (night and day), removable adjustable bipod, five clips, pouches for them, a rifle belt, one silencer, tools for caring for the rifle, a carrying case, soft rifle and travel cases and an instruction manual.
The best "Germans"
The fact that Germany really knows how to make weapons is unlikely to raise any questions in anyone's mind. Doubters should take a closer look at the characteristics of the PSG-1, which in the 80s of the last century was put into service with local police and special forces.
If you still have doubts, you can pay attention to the miniature DSR-1 and its modifications, which have become famous throughout the world due to their exceptionally high accuracy of 0.2 MOA.
Barrett M82
It is a sniper system that gained wide popularity among the American military during Operation Desert Storm. The self-loading rifle is fired with a powerful 12.7 x 99 mm NATO cartridge. The same ammunition is intended for the M2 Browning heavy machine gun. A rifle with a short barrel stroke, on which a muzzle brake with an original design is installed. The weight of the weapon is 15 kg. The accuracy of combat varies from 1.5 to 2 MOA. Due to the fact that this rifle effectively destroys enemy lightly armored vehicles, radars, unexploded shells and mines, the military also calls this model “anti-material.”
The best domestic rifles
Even if you do not take into account snipers from the beginning of the last century, Russian manufacturers definitely have something to boast about.
In the 80s of the last century, it was decided to develop a new model of rifle for special forces. The working name “Vintorez”, which appeared in the design documentation, has been preserved to this day. This is what they now call a silent special sniper rifle, which makes it possible from a distance of 400 meters not only to hit the enemy covertly, but also to pierce a steel helmet.
Compactness, mobility, ease of assembly and the ability to equip it with special equipment made the sniper weapon a world leader for many years, until it was replaced in its post by the famous “Exhaust”. The special-purpose sniper rifle, first introduced in 2005, is chambered for 12.7mm ammunition. Two sights - optical and mechanical, the ability to adjust the height of the line of fire, the butt, as well as the position of the butt plate - are not all the advantages of the new product. The effective range is increased to 600 m, the muffler is integrated, but can be removed for cleaning or transportation.
“Exhaust” is a sniper rifle designed for a special “weakened” cartridge. According to official information, it has no analogues among the weapons of other countries. This sniper is virtually silent and impressively deadly.
Best non-combat rifles
This category includes not only children's toys, but also most fictional weapons, among which the blaster takes pride of place. The sniper rifle is presented in many game settings, where the parameters of the weapon are many times higher than their real counterparts. Most popular franchises can show several examples of unprecedented equipment that you just want to get your hands on, even if only in the form of a souvenir.
Judging by the parents' opinions, the blaster is a sniper rifle that is definitely at the top of children's expectations. And this is not surprising, because its appearance and characteristics are amazing.
