Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/642978
Rifles designed for snipers and ex- pert marksmen constitute a peculiar test site, just like racecrs in the au- tomotive industry, and their prices may exceed $10,000 (in the case of models, such as e.g. Accuracy International, Sako M10, or Unique Alpine TPG-1). Of course, the price does not include sights and addi- tional equipment (for comparison – a basic AR15 costs about $1000). If a weapon manufacturer wants to be respected weapon manufacturer, the sniper rifle in their offer is must have. Fortunately, the times when production meant adapting hunting or sport rifles for military purpose are long gone. Very often, such rifles just could not be an efficient military weapon. Let us try to answer this question: „What should a rifle be like for a snip- er/expert marksman in the army or police?". It should be accurate! As the minimum boundary condition, it is said that it should be the accuracy of 3-5 shots (depending on the man- ufacturer) per 1 MOA. At a distance of 100 yds, this equals, approximate- ly, 1 in, at 300 yds – 3 in, at 800 yds – 8 in, etc. The best (and, unfortu- nately, the most expensive), careful- ly selected models have accuracy of 1/4 MOA! The chassis should provide proper firmness of the construction and be resistant to weather conditions (those made of wood are not suitable – wood is hygroscopic, so the mean point of impact will change accord- ing to air humidity) that gives perfect adjustment to the anatomical condi- tions of the shooter and the applied optical sight, or mounting height. The chassis stock should have an adjustable cheek pad/cheekpiece and stand (in terms of length and tilt angle). The best chassis stocks are made from composites (e.g. carbon fiber, kevlar), and more and more of- ten from aluminum alloys. FIREARMS