Common Sense & "Sniper" Rifles

[sholling]

"Looking for a good "sniper" rifle"

Gawd I hate having to be PC :barf: but can we use a bit of common sense and use the term target rifle or varmint rifle or even tactical rifle? I'd just hate to one day turn on the news and hear a headline like...

Freeway sniper turned to The Firing Line members for advice in sniper rifle selection. Our research shows that sniping was clearly his stated intent and not hunting or target practice or even competition and yet members eagerly helped him select the rifle that killed 12 people.

I'm sure the poster is a great guy but unless our goal is to shoot ourselves in the foot can we use a bit of common sense in choosing thread titles instead of arming the Brady Bunch with things to use against us? I won't even reply to a thread with a title like that.

 

[Rifleman 173]

For people who really shoot, the term "sniper rifle" translates into "an accurate rifle." It does NOT refer to a mean, evil rifle used to kill innocent unarmed people with malice aforethought. Most of us understand that. Same thing for the term "varmint rifle," "tackdriver" or "sweet shooter." Just a matter of slang used by people outside of the Peoples' Republik of Kalifornia.

 

[AKGunner]

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[Rant Casey]

.................

 

[sholling]

For people who really shoot, the term "sniper rifle" translates into "an accurate rifle." It does NOT refer to a mean, evil rifle used to kill innocent unarmed people with malice aforethought. Most of us understand that. Same thing for the term "varmint rifle," "tackdriver" or "sweet shooter." Just a matter of slang used by people outside of the Peoples' Republik of Kalifornia.

Gee I've only been shooting since about 1960, well before we became a people's republic and it's not a term I hear bandied about. It must be something like the slang referring to all handguns as a "9" and all women as "Bs & Ws". The reasoning eludes me. Anyway you're missing my point. When there is a shooting the media looks to sites like this for ammunition to use against us. Why give it to them? Common sense.

Edit: So far the consensus is "I have a right to shoot myself in the foot so by god I'm going to publicly shoot my self in the foot every chance I get until they take away that right!" This is supposed to be a family friendly site promoting the shooting sport. That's why the mods enforce a bit of decorum.

 

[jrfoxx]

I see your point, but whenever there is a shooting, and the shooter uses a black bolt action rifle, the media, and likely the LEO spokesman, are going to call it a "sniper" rifle anyways, not matter what anyone else calls it, or what it really is. Remember how one day the AR-15 was an "assault weapon", but then when the "DC sniper's" were caught, they kept referring to it as a "sniper rife" (which, for them would actually have been the correct term I supposes, but you see what I'm saying)? Then, when the hype from them died out, all AR-15's were "assault rifles" again in the media.

Same thing with the connection to this website. If a member here went on a shooting spree, it wont matter if he had posted a "best sniper rifle" thread, or a "best, accurate, long distance" rifle thread, or a "best caliber for SHTF", etc. They will still point to what he did, and how he belonged to this sight, and us, and the Internet "helped" him in his evil deed.

They will spin it to get the most fear and hype no matter what. Remember the 30-30 cop killer, armor piercing bullet talk in Congress? The media and the anti's will use whatever terms, info, connections, etc that can come up with to spin onto whatever suits their needs, or need of the moment.I agree, we shouldn't help them, but really, ANY thread here that was made by someone who committed murder was involved in, can, and will be spun to look plenty bad, if they find out about it. The anti's have NO problem putting out ridiculously twisted facts, and even outright lies, so they will use whatever they can to further their goals, and will twist the facts to fit, and those that know little to nothing about guns will believe and eat up ANYTHING they are told, as they don't know better, and assume they are being told the truth.

Our only real defense here is for our members to not murder anyone.Beyond that, if they find out he was a member here, it will be made to look really bad, no matter what the real truth is.

just my opinion on it. Not saying I'm right, or you're wrong, as we really wouldn't ever know for sure until it happens, and I REALLY hope it never does.

 

[sholling]

The difference is the connotation. Sniping refers to stalking people, vs hunting referring to animals and target referring to paper. Help picking out a sniping rifle is about like asking or giving advice for burying a wife's body. It infers that you that you intend to do wrong rather than take that same target rifle and make holes in paper.

Now if I were an anti gun reporter I might post a thread asking help picking out a sniper rifle, and specify I want a caliber so powerful that I know 'he' isn't getting back up (see the link). I'm aware this is is most likely a mall-ninja but I don't like fools making us all looking like murder incorporated.

 

[fisherman66]

For people who really shoot, the term "sniper rifle" translates into "an accurate rifle."

Not from my experience. People who really shoot call it a target, benchrest or varmint rifle. I believe it's those who don't really shoot that call it a "sniper rifle".

 

[Jim Watson]

The current code word is "precision rifle."

Of course to an anti, Jack O'Connor's scope sighted .270 sheep rifle is a sniper rifle, but it doesn't hurt to use the most innocuous terms where we may be overheard.

 

[Dearhunter61]

Sholling I agree with you. I do not care about what the anti's think but I do care about how they present their message and I do not think we need to give them ammo to use against us. The message they present especially if they use something we write on this site against us could sway those that have no opinion on the 2nd ammendment. So I agree we should think about how we present our message so it does not come back to bite us. I also agree with you that when someone speaks about a SNIPER rifle they think about a rifle that is designed to kill humans not a rifle that is designed to shoot accurately over a long distance. So if you want to make this change I am all for it!

 

[Rifleman 173]

The media is a major problem because they will paint things, no matter what they are, to their liking to sell more papers or get more people to tune into to their shows. It doesn't make any sense to pander to the media because they will deliberately, knowingly and irresponsibly create a false emotional furor over an issue just because they can. Political correctness is a wasted effort with the media. That's my point of concern. I've read police reports and then saw the media's version of the same report that didn't even come close to looking anything alike. I've seen reports that were completely slanted by the local media which caused a lot of trouble for a lot of innocent people. I don't deal with media to this day because of their previous slanted news stories. Any guy who wants to talk about a sniper rifle is not really talking about something bad. He's just trying to express himself with the best words that he can find at the time. A little common sense, slack and respect should be give to the honest man trying to improve his legal shooting abilities. As for "political correctness," that's for liberals, socialists and the news media to use as a means of expressing themselves in a verbose fashion that has no merit, no respect forthcoming and is assinine to the ultimate degree.

 

[44 AMP]

Confused....

You mean a sniper rifle isn't used to hunt snipe?

 

[Northern Sod Breaker]

.....I would like to see a source for the above quote in which this thread is based on.....

 

[sholling]

If you're referring to the quote section in my original posting it's strictly an example of what could be if we are stupid with our terminology. The link will take you to an actual posting asking for advice on a sniper rifle.

 

[Sarge]

It makes no difference what you call it, what its functional capabilities are or how it looks. The few times I actually deployed as a LE 'sniper' it was with an old birch stocked Remington Model 78 in 270 Winchester, which had been recovered in an abandoned car 20 or so years previous. The court had graciously honored our request to 'give it a job' as opposed to a date with a cutting torch. Since the rifle was essentially free I was able to use project funds to hang a nice Leupold on it.

The folks some of you are trying to appease, are the same crowd that, with the willing assistance of the media, turned a Marlin Model 60 into an 'assault rifle'.

So screw them. They are bliss-ninnys who look at Whoopie cushions and see Claymore mines.

That's said- IMO if you're not a actually sniper then saying you're looking for a 'sniper rifle' has kind of a poser ring to it. Any of my personally -owned centerfire hunting rifles will splatter an apple at 200 yards.

 

[MisterWilson]

So what should I ask for when I need helping picking a rifle to shoot blue helmets or counter-revolutionaries?

 

[Socrates]

Sholling is suffering from long term Kalifornication. This disease occurs when living for long periods, in an area that removes many of our Constitutional liberties. It's often noted in such celebs as Mas Ayoob, having spent way to much time in New York, and others. They have, with justification, adapted the lack of free speech, 2A rights, etc. in pragmatic ways to continue to exist in such places. They often justify their positions with REALLY bad case law, that does occur in such places.

Sholling for instance, would point to Bernard Geotz, and, correctly: if he would have kept his flipping mouth shut,
he would not have been prosecuted, or, lost a civil case.

One might consider at this point that the existing news media are loosing their power. The two parties in one system has managed to turn most American's against them. The Supreme Court has finally affirmed the right many of us knows exists, after two hundred years, the 2A,
and, once given that right, I wouldn't want to try and take it away.

We have made incredible strides in freedom in the last month, and, I'm with most here that no matter what terms are used, the news media is going to twist it to their agenda. The good news is more and more people are turning away from these worthless sources, and, going to conservative radio, the internet, etc. to get a more balanced, real view of the news, without the slant.

I really think this thread would be more politically correct if it was named
"Kali sense, & Sniper rifles"

 

[Sixer]

I could care less what "others" might think if I incorrectly refer to my AR-15 as an Assault Rifle or whatever.

Im more worried about getting yelled at by one of you old school SOB's for accidentally calling a magazine a "clip"

Honestly though, I saw that post title and just chuckled. I read it as ..."Hey if I was going to sit on top of a bell tower what would be the best rifle to have? Thanks in advance!"

I hate the PC BS but you gotta admit that "Sniping, Sniper, Snipe" seems to be more of a military / LEO term where the target is most likely a human. Im sure thats not what the OP meant, but it probably could have been worded a bit more carefully.

Hey does anyone know where I can get a cheap but reliable armor piercing machine gun, mainly just for hunting or plinking?

 

[Alleykat]

The only reason to call a rifle a "sniper" rifle is if one is a Rambolista wannabe. I don't plan on doing any sniping with any of my rifles; how about you guys?

 

[thallub]

Been shooting high power rifles since the mid 1950s. Until a few years ago they were universally referred to as "rifles." The proliferation of the term "sniper rifle" has come about since the start of the Afghan and Iraq wars. Unless you have been to a military sniper school, you ain't a sniper.

Some of shoot tens of thousands of centerfire rounds a year but that does not make us "snipers."

One of my guns is a Mathieu in .300 Win. Mag. with a 28" barrel. The scope is a big, heavy and expensive Unertl. The gun has a bipod. It is not used for "sniping" and it is not a "sniper rifle."

The antis are calling any centerfire rifle with a scope a "sniper rifle." We do not have to emulate them.