Originally Posted by Cadet Seaman

You could put a scope on a water pistol and call it a SWS.

What really dfineds what a SWS is? Its a weapon that can be sniped with. Lenardo Davinci almost invented a sniping rifle to "snipe at the enemy from the walls of Veince". Snipers where used in the Civil War, they used Springfield rifles with long copper tubes called "scopes: to snipe an enemy, they wore green coats to match the landscape.

So what is a SWS? You can snipe with any weapon, the KAR 89k was used as a sniper rifle. It was just a rifle with a scope. Same with the M16.

Sgt. Carlos Hathcock used a M2 Browning as a SWS, and had gotten the world furthest shot until recently.

M16 is not now, nor has it ever been a sniper rifle. A water pistol is not now, nor has it ever been a sniper rifle.

Hathcock did in fact use a modified M2 to make his longest shot.

Even though the capability is there for mounting a scope & it is incredibly stable on a tripod, it is not a sniper rifle. You can mount a scope on an M240, M16, M4, M249, etc. that in and of itself does not make a sniper weapon. Is it capable of accurate long-range shots? Certainly. Is it capable of sub MOA shooting? I don't think so. Even the M82A1 SASR (Special Application Scoped Rifle) is not a true "sniper rifle."

I don't know why people want to turn things into something they aren't.

There are differences between a sniper rifle, DMR, and a lucky shot.

There are fellas that can take down targets all day long with an M16 and an ACOG. Doesn't make him a sniper, and it doesn't make an M16 a sniper rifle.

So to answer your question, no .. not just anything can be an SWS/sniper rifle.

Originally Posted by RnderSafe

M16 is not now, nor has it ever been a sniper rifle. A water pistol is not now, nor has it ever been a sniper rifle.

Hathcock did in fact use a modified M2 to make his longest shot.

Even though the capability is there for mounting a scope & it is incredibly stable on a tripod, it is not a sniper rifle. You can mount a scope on an M240, M16, M4, M249, etc. that in and of itself does not make a sniper weapon. Is it capable of accurate long-range shots? Certainly. Is it capable of sub MOA shooting? I don't think so. Even the M82A1 SASR (Special Application Scoped Rifle) is not a true "sniper rifle."

I don't know why people want to turn things into something they aren't.

There are differences between a sniper rifle, DMR, and a lucky shot.

There are fellas that can take down targets all day long with an M16 and an ACOG. Doesn't make him a sniper, and it doesn't make an M16 a sniper rifle.

So to answer your question, no .. not just anything can be an SWS/sniper rifle.

I agree that in order to have a ture sniper rifle you must have a fine tuned, bolt-action weapon, but sniping just doesn't pertain to bolt actions.
Also the M2 Hathcock had was a M2 with a scope mount, nothing more.

Originally Posted by Cadet Seaman

I agree that in order to have a ture sniper rifle you must have a fine tuned, bolt-action weapon, but sniping just doesn't pertain to bolt actions.
Also the M2 Hathcock had was a M2 with a scope mount, nothing more.

I have used both bolt and semi-auto SWS - I prefer bolt. Yes, there are some semi-auto riles out there that can stand up with many bolt rifles in accuracy, but given the choice on a real world op, I would choose bolt every time. Reliability is also an issue.

As for the M2, there was a little more to it than that. That said, he was a hell of a shot, and one great Marine. It was a true pleasure to have met him.

Originally Posted by RnderSafe

I have used both bolt and semi-auto SWS - I prefer bolt. Yes, there are some semi-auto riles out there that can stand up with many bolt rifles in accuracy, but given the choice on a real world op, I would choose bolt every time. Reliability is also an issue.

As for the M2, there was a little more to it than that. That said, he was a h**l of a shot, and one great Marine. It was a true pleasure to have met him.

Well I'd go bolt for long range but, semi for medium and short. M24 or M40A1 for bolt and M21/M14 for semi.

Originally Posted by Cadet Seaman

Well I'd go bolt for long range but, semi for medium and short. M24 or M40A1 for bolt and M21/M14 for semi.

Yes, and this is because the M21/14 are DMRs, better suited for medium/ short range.

Originally Posted by RnderSafe

Yes, and this is because the M21/14 are DMRs, better suited for medium/ short range.

Yes, and they are in a snipers arsenal.

Originally Posted by Cadet Seaman

Yes, and they are in a snipers arsenal.

So are M16s and M4s and a variety of other things need to help an S/S team accomplish the mission.

I've wondered, how often does U.S armed force use these drum magazines in M16/M4 cos I've seen these dual drums and they're something like 120 rounds ? just a thought.

Armyjaeger......Have you ran around a Battlefield with a drum of 120 rounds in it and then tried to hold up that weapon and shoot accurately. All you can do with this is hose down an area and even then it is hard work and not very accurate.

lol back on the subject i would have to go with the bolt action for any weapon that is shooting for a one shot one kill. You dont need a semi-auto say if your going after ONE high ranked officer or something of the sort. semi-autos like the .50 beretta are used little for anti-personal sniping unless it is at a GREAT distance or the target is behind a wall . In that case though the round really isnt doing the damage but the debris hitting the target.