A good sniper can damage enemy’s morale by taking out key personnel. They can stop a unit in its tracks. But for a good sniper a gun with an eagle sight, deadly impact and a monstrous fire power is essential. Today we have rounded up Top 10 Sniper Rifles of all times.
No 10. M24 (American)
| Calibre: | 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 win) |
| Operation: | Bolt Action |
| Feed: | 5-Round internal magazine |
| Weight: | 12.1 lb (5.49 kg) empty without telescope |
| Length: | 43in (1092mm) |
| Sights: | 10×42 Leupold Ultra M3A telescope sight (Mil-Dots), plus detachable emergency iron sights. (Redfield Palma International) |
| Barrel: | 416R Stainless Steel, 24″ length, 1:11.2″ twist, 5 radial land grooves |
| Stock: | HS Precision – adjustable length. |
| Max Effective Range : | 800 meters (875 yards) |
| Expected Accuracy: | 1 MOA with M118 .5 MOA with M118LR |
The M24 Sniper’s Weapon System (SWS) represents a return to bolt action sniper rifles by the US Army. As in the USMC M40A1, the M24 uses the Remington 700 action, although the reciever is a long action made for adaptation to take the .300 Winchester Magnum round. The stock (HS Precision) is made of a composite of Kevlar, graphite and fibreglass bound together with epoxy resins, and features an aluminium bedding block and adjustable butt plate. A detachable bipod (Harris) can be attached to the stocks fore-end. The metal finish is powder coated for extreme durability
The rifle had a very quick development cycle as the US Army had decided it wanted to get snipers back into the US Army and was in the process of developing the B4 identifier and the school to award it. There was a major short fall of M21′s which was the standard sniper rifle at that point of time and the Army figured it would need 10,000 sniper rifles of which they didn’t have nearly that many M21′s. So a new sniper rifle was developed at the same time and it was done in a record 22 months. The Weapon System Matrix Manager for the M24 was Major John Mende and he explains that the long action actually had nothing to do with the ability to convert to a .300 Win Mag but was a product of that quick development time. The rifle was intended to be chambered in the .30-06 as the -06 was a type classified munition for the Army unlike the .300 WM at the time. They wanted to have a high power load for the .30-06 eventually developed. As development of the system was moving forward they discovered that there was not enough .30-06 ammo in a single lot in the Army’s inventory to test and develop the system so they quickly changed to the 7.62x51mm NATO (308 Win) and left the action the same as there was not enough time for the manufacturers of the stock and floorplate to make the change to short action. They also fully believed they would later do a product improvement update and convert all the M24′s to .30-06. The fact that they could convert them to .300 Win Mag was an unexpected benefit to the SF groups and was never actually designed into the system.
No 9. SR25 (American)
Knights SR-25 rifle, civilian version with 20″ barrel
Knights SR-25 carbine, civilian version with 16″ barrel and telescopic buttstock
| Type | Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1990 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Afghanistan War, Iraq War, 2006 East Timorese crisis, 2nd Intifada |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Eugene Stoner |
| Manufacturer | Knight’s Armament Company |
| Variants | SR-25 Enhanced Match rifle, with 20 in (510 mm) barrelSR-25 Enhanced Match Carbine, with 16 in (410 mm) barrel and M110 flash suppressor |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | Match Rifle 10.75 lb (4.88 kg), LwMatch 9.5 lb (4.3 kg), Carbine 7.5 lb (3.4 kg), Sporter 8.75 lb (3.97 kg) |
| Length | 1,118 mm (44.0 in) |
| Barrel length | Match Rifle 24 in (610 mm)(also LwMatch & Sporter 20 in/510 mm, Carbine 16 in/410 mm) |
| Cartridge | 7.62x51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Feed system | 10 and 20-round detachable box magazine |
No 8. L42 Enfield (British)
| Type | Bolt-action rifle |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1895-1926 (MLE) 1907–present (SMLE) |
| Used by | |
| Wars | Second Boer War First World War Second World War Various Colonial conflicts Irish War of Independence Malayan Emergency Korean War Nepalese Civil War Afganistan conflict and numerous other conflicts. |
| Production history | |
| Designer | James Paris Lee, RSAF Enfield |
| Produced | 1895-1907 (MLE) 1907– (SMLE) |
| Number built | over 17,000,000 (All Variants) [1] |
| Variants | Short, Magazine Lee Enfield Mk. I, Mk. I*, Mk.III, Mk. III*, Rifle No. 4 Mk. 1, Mk. 1* (produced by Savage and Long Branch), Mk. 1(T) Sniper Rifle, Mk. 2, Rifle No 5 Mk. 1 (Jungle Carbine) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | ~4 kg (8.8 lb) depending on wood density |
| Length | 1,130 mm (44.5 in) |
| Barrel length | 635 mm (25 in) |
| Cartridge | .303 Mk VII SAA Ball |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Muzzle velocity | 744 m/s (2,441 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 550 yards (503 m) [2] |
| Maximum range | 2,000 yd (1,829 m) |
| Feed system | 10-round magazine, loaded with 5-round charger clips |
| Sights | Sliding ramp rear sights, Fixed-post front sights, “Dial” long-range volley sights; Telescopic sights on Sniper models. |
No 7. M21 (American)
| Type | Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1969–1988 |
| Used by | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Army Weapons Command, Combat Development Command, Limited Warfare Agency |
| Designed | 1969 |
| Manufacturer | Rock Island Arsenal, Springfield Armory |
| Variants | M25 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 5.27 kg (11.6 lb) |
| Length | 1118 mm (44 in) |
| Barrel length | 560 mm (22 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62x51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Muzzle velocity | 853 m/s (2,800 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 690 m (750 yd) |
| Feed system | 5, 10 or 20-round detachable boxmagazine |
| Sights | Front: National Match front blade .062 Rear: Match-grade hooded aperture with one-half minute adjustments for both windage and elevation. 26 3/4 in sight radius. |
No 6. PSG1 (German)
| Type | Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | West Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1972-present |
| Used by | Germans |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Heckler & Koch GmbH |
| Designed | 1970s |
| Manufacturer | Heckler & Koch GmbH SEDENA (licensed) |
| Produced | 1972–present |
| Variants | PSG1A1, MSG90, MSG90A1 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 7.2 kg (15.87 lb) |
| Length | 1,230 mm (48.4 in) |
| Barrel length | 650 mm (25.6 in) |
| Width | 59 mm (2.3 in) |
| Height | 258 mm (10.2 in) with telescopic sight |
| Cartridge | 7.62x51mm NATO |
| Action | Roller-delayed blowback |
| Muzzle velocity | 868 m/s (2,848 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 800 m |
| Feed system | 5- or 20-round detachable box magazineor 50-round drum |
| Sights | Hendsoldt ZF6x42PSG1 telescopic sightwith illuminated reticle |
No 5. Dragunov SVD (Soviet Union)
| Type | Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1963–present |
| Used by | Russians |
| Wars | Vietnam War, [1] Soviet war in Afghanistan, Iraq War, Yugoslav Wars,First and Second Chechen Wars, 2008 South Ossetia War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Evgeny Dragunov |
| Designed | 1958–1963 |
| Manufacturer | Izhmash, Norinco, Zastava Arms |
| Produced | 1963–present [2] |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4.30 kg (9.48 lb) (with scope and unloaded magazine) [2] 4.68 kg (10.3 lb) (SVDS) 4.40 kg (9.7 lb) (SVU) 5.02 kg (11.1 lb) (SWD-M) |
| Length | 1,225 mm (48.2 in) (SVD) [2] 1,135 mm (44.7 in) stock extended / 815 mm (32.1 in) stock folded (SVDS) 900 mm (35.4 in) (SVU) 1,125 mm (44.3 in) (SWD-M) |
| Barrel length | 610 mm (24.0 in) (SVD, SWD-M) [2] 565 mm (22.2 in) (SVDS) 600 mm (23.6 in) (SVU) |
| Cartridge | 7.62x54mmR [2] |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Muzzle velocity | 830 m/s (2,723 ft/s) (SVD, SVDS, SWD-M) 800 m/s (2,624.7 ft/s) (SVU) |
| Effective range | Up to 800 m sight adjustments for point targets |
| Maximum range | 1,300 m with scope 1,200 m with iron sights |
| Feed system | 10-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | PSO-1 telescopic sight and iron sights with an adjustable rear notch sight |
No 4. AS50 (Bristish)
| Type | Anti-materiel rifle, Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 2005 or 2006 |
| Produced | 2006 |
| Number built | Unknown |
| Variants | 1 AS50 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 27 lb (12.2 kg) (no scope/sight, empty mag) |
| Length | 53.9″ (1369 mm) |
| Barrel length | 692 mm |
| Cartridge | 12.7 x 99 mm NATO |
| Caliber | 12.7 mm .50 BMG |
| Action | Direct impingement [ citation needed ] |
| Rate of fire | semi-automatic, estimated at 5 rounds/1.3 seconds |
| Effective range | 1,500 m |
| Feed system | 5 or 10 round detachable box magazine |
No 3. Barrett .50 Cal (American)
| Type | Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Barrett Firearms Company |
| Unit cost | $3800-$4000 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 25 lb (11.36 kg) |
| Length | 50.4 in (1280 mm) |
| Barrel length | 32 inches (813 mm) |
| Cartridge | .50 BMG (12.7 × 99 mm), .416 Barrett |
| Action | Single Shot, Bolt Action |
| Maximum range | 2600 Meters |
No 2. Cheytac .408 cal (American)
| Type | Rifle | |
| Place of origin | United States | |
| Production history | ||
| Designer | John Taylor and William O. Wordman | |
| Designed | 2001 | |
| Manufacturer | Chey Tac | |
| Produced | 2001–present | |
| Variants | .375 Chey Tac | |
| Specifications | ||
| Parent case | .505 Gibbs | |
| Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |
| Bullet diameter | .408 in (10.4 mm) | |
| Neck diameter | .438 in (11.1 mm) | |
| Shoulder diameter | .601 in (15.3 mm) | |
| Base diameter | .637 in (16.2 mm) | |
| Rim diameter | .640 in (16.3 mm) | |
| Rim thickness | .065 in (1.7 mm) | |
| Case length | 3.04 in (77 mm) | |
| Overall length | 4.307 in (109.4 mm) | |
| Case capacity | 159 gr H 2 O (10.335 cm³) | |
| Rifling twist | 1 in 13 in (330.2 mm) | |
| Primer type | Large Rifle | |
| Maximum pressure | 63,800 psi (440 MPa) | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 305 gr (19.8 g) Solid | 3,500 ft/s (1,100 m/s) | 8,298 ft·lbf(11,251 J) |
| 419 gr (27.2 g) Solid | 3,000 ft/s (910 m/s) | 8,376 ft·lbf(11,356 J) |
| Source: Cartridges of the World [ |
No 1. L115A3 AWM (British)
| Type | Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1997 – present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Afghanistan War, Iraq War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Accuracy International |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) (.300 Winchester Magnum) 6.9 kg (15.1 lb) (.338 Lapua Magnum) with stock, bipod and empty magazine |
| Length | 1200 mm (47.2 in) (.300 Win. Mag.) 1230 mm (48.4 in) (.338 Lapua Magnum) |
| Barrel length | 660 mm (26 in) (.300 Win. Mag.) 686 mm (27 in) (.338 Lapua Magnum) |
| Cartridge | .300 Winchester Magnum .338 Lapua Magnum |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Effective range | 1,100 metres (1,203 yd) .300 Winchester Magnum [1] 1,400 metres (1,531 yd) .338 Lapua Magnum [1] |
| Feed system | 5-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | detachable aperture type iron sights day or night optics |
Source
