Sniper calibers

the marines have a short action 700 308. google m40 and m24. the army uses a long action.army could change to a 30-06 real easy. not going to . orginally they thought of one shot and evade. not now. the contract has already been made for a semi-auto tricked out ar-10. it has the ability to engage multiple targets quickly. the 30-06 is balistically superior to the 308. my opinion is that F-class competiton is a fair way of comparing the relitve merits of a certain caliber. 6.5-284 win a lot. the .308 does not only in its class. the 308 is in a different "class" than the 30-06.
 
Not to knock the 308 or discredit what anyone else has said. I will put my vote into the hat for 300 wsm. I just bought a 300 wsm savage 14 with dbm. My original intention was to rebarrel to 7mm rsaum with a pretty wood stock more of a varmint/tac type of deal. I now started working/reloading with the 300 wsm and am becoming impressed with its ability 300 win mag velocities and continuing to maintain a 308 length of action. I think a 20" barrel with an hs precision stock and a dbm extension. Anywhooo.......thats just a chefs opinion.
 
I wouldn't rechamber anything to the RSAUM family. Remington themselves does not even chamber them anymore. They do however, still chamber for the 270WSM and 300WSM. Too bad, cuz the 7mm WSM is the best of the bunch.

The only downfall of the shortmags is their smaller mag. capacity........
 
.308 is extremely accurate, factory match ammo is readily available everywhere, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, it doesn't kick your fillings out especially in a heavy-barrel rifle, and is easy on barrels. Even though it doesn't have the performance at longer range of faster rounds, it's hard to argue with the foregoing.
 
Originally Posted By: 2muchgunI wouldn't rechamber anything to the RSAUM family. Remington themselves does not even chamber them anymore. They do however, still chamber for the 270WSM and 300WSM. Too bad, cuz the 7mm WSM is the best of the bunch.

The only downfall of the shortmags is their smaller mag. capacity........


Why do you beleive the 7 wsm is the best of the bunch? There are many opinions out there that beleive the 7 wsm is worst of the bunch, but do like the 7mm-300 wsm. Thats all they are is opinions. I just want to know why you think that. Thanks for the input
 
If I did not get such a good deal on the barrel for my 308 GAP rifle, it would probably have been a 7-08 chambered specifically for the 162gr A-max. Wonderful long range bullet, with a BC of .625. Kills deer well too.

In comparison, a 308 168gr A-max has a BC of .475 and 178gr 308 A-max a BC of .495.....
 
I can't speak for LE marksman but the reason most military sniper weapons systems are chambered in 7.62 (308) is because it is a nato round. Fired from the M24 or M40 using M1118 rounds a sniper can engage targets to 1000 yards. Due to the recent uraban environments the US Army has developed the XM110 giving the shooter semiautomatic firepower. As previously stated the M24 utilizes a long action. This is because it has and is commonly converted by units to 300WM when it is needed. There is a MK13 300WM and a 338 LM used by some in SOCOM, and of course the XM107 .50 BMG. While I'll agree there are many "better" cartridges than the 308, but I run one as my personal rifle as well. The round works and is well established. In order to change out a type of ammunition, or weapons system creates a logistical nightmare.
 
It wasn't a NATO in the beginning though. The 308 Winchester was around 2-3 years before it was adopted as a NATO round.

I was wondering if anyone was gonna bring up the M24s and their long actions or not. They say they left them long in order to still be able to chamber them in 30-06, 300WM, and 338 Lapua.

I've no proof of this, but I think another reason they switched from 30-06 to 308, and not a different caliber, may have been because of all the surplus .30 bullets left over from WWII.........
 
For LEO purposes, try mostly 100 - 150 yds max (when possibly). Warpig602 probably gets the award for getting the closest in the reasons. The one thing most are forgetting, is the oft time need to shoot through a median (i.e. glass of varying thickness depending on the location, car doors, etc)in order to "neutralize" your target. You can best believe a well equipped Sniper Team has more than just the .308 available to meet the challenges for any given situation. But the fall back caliber is definitely the .308. And there is one golden rule above all else, you'd best be able to account for any round you use and know how it will perform before you use it. There are some hostage situtations during the 80's that went south because the incorrect caliber was used to try to do the job. It's sorta like going Bear hunting with a .22....you'll just piss the Bear off.
 
Damnit 2 much just when I get my mind set on the 300 you go and get me thinking again. I still prefer the rsaum because of the longer neck. I am going out on a limb and guessing remington does not chamber in the rsaum anymore because the wsm line is more popular. I beleive the rcm line will also figure this out. Hey thats just my thought.
 
Sorry. I actually do not own a 7 WSM, I own a 270 WSM. But I'd rather a 7WSM if I did it gain. Hard to argue with the virtues of the 7mm over the .308s and the .277s.

If I were to build another rifle it would most likely be 6.5x47 Lapua, or possibly a 7-08 built around the 162gr A-max.

Here is a cool article on the 7WSM:


http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek064.html
 
7.62X51 (not NATO, yet) was developed in the 1940's. The .308 win commercially came out in 1952.

The .308 Win is a great all-around cartridge. It will fill the niche from varmint to elk fairly easily. It has great ballistics in a wide range of bullet weights. It works great in high power rifle matches, and tactical situations. I don't see the round going anywhere for quite some time. If this cartridge goes anywhere, I think the 30 cal bullet will still be loaded in one variance for these type of situations.
 
The ballistic performance of the 308 was just an afterthought justification for the decision to go with the cheapest round available. The rifle they use is a different story, as the semi auto becomes more and more accurate every sniper will choose this weapon. For urban combat with the 308 or long range security with the 50.

Sgt. USMC
 
turtle i watched same program. and after talking to my stepfather before he passed you are right in vietnam sniper teams were sent well beyond enemy lines for intel and missions. he spent 30 yrs in the corp. as sniper in vietnam and as instructor afterwards.
 
2 Much, and anyone else. I like the ballistics of the 6.5x47 Lapua, but are these custom made rifles. What gun maker makes a gun in this caliber?? And ammo, is it handloads only, what company makes factory ammo in this caliber


Mark2
 
Originally Posted By: Super White HunterThe ballistic performance of the 308 was just an afterthought justification for the decision to go with the cheapest round available. The rifle they use is a different story, as the semi auto becomes more and more accurate every sniper will choose this weapon. For urban combat with the 308 or long range security with the 50.

Sgt. USMC



Have you seen the FNAR in 308. I think that was designed to be 308 on a semi auto action. It is SWEET.
 
Originally Posted By: Mark22 Much, and anyone else. I like the ballistics of the 6.5x47 Lapua, but are these custom made rifles. What gun maker makes a gun in this caliber?? And ammo, is it handloads only, what company makes factory ammo in this caliber


Mark2

DTECH
 
AFAIK, Lapua is the only one that rolls factory 6.45x47 ammo.

I don't recall any factory rifles being chambered for them off the top of my head. The only ones I've seen are either AI or custom........
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top