Stop looking around ! Here's the mother of all sniper sites here : [url=http://www.sniperworld.com/[/url]

When I still played war game in Hong Kong (with BB replica guns), I used to be a sniper, first used a PSG-1, then switch to an M40, I am telling you there is nothing more god-like with a sniper rifle (even it only shoots BB) and a throat mike, and you are well camoed....

I had to run to Hobby Lobby for some lights, and while I was there, I picked up the weapon set... :-) "But Mom, it's not a model ... it's an accessory kit."
I'll probably use the kit scope as a base for scratchbuilding one. I'm trying to stay as far below the $30 mark as possible!

To everyone, thanks for all the links and info! That's why I love ArmoramA, ask a simple question, and you get lots of info in return. (:-)

YodaMan

"I had to run to Hobby Lobby for some lights, and while I was there, I picked up the weapon set"

That set has some pretty cool stuff, like the disassemble .50 cal and the .30 cal. with shoulder stock.

This statement was just to give a general insight about sniper rifles, the bit about the Dragunov was an example to show there are always exceptions, sorry if I gave the impression this was the only one. Most of the sniper rifles that do have semiautomatic fire options are usually a deriative of a parent weapon i.e. Dragunov/Ak family, M21/M14, SSG550 Sniper/SSG550. Although I do agree there are purpose built sniper rifles that are semi-automatic (PSG1,VAL Silent Sniper), these are more an exception to the rule.

Also I agree that not having an semi/auto weapon does not make a sniper useless in a firefight, but in a firefight I believe in the saying "long life through superior firepower" , given the choice between a sniper rifle(even a semi one) or a GPMG which will fire about 1000rds a minute(about 17rds a second) I know which one I would prefer(as long as I didn't have to carry the ammo!).
Cheers
Robbo

ps SS-74 and Yellobelli thanks for your comments :-)

IMHO, the ultimate sniping weapon. Here is the link to the Pic.

This whole tread is starting to creap me out. Historically, the Germans and the French had some outstanding snipers in the First World War. The Russians and the Germans had some in the Second. I don't want to think about who had (or has) the best one's in the Third...

Just a thought...

Not trying to be a nitpicker but the Dragunov isn't a development of the AK family, its a wholly seperate design. It actually has more in common with an SKS than an AK. Other than a curory ezterna; appearance it is purpose designed as an area supression weapon and performs a role as a marksman's rifle fairly well. The Romanians have their own rifle for this role that does look similar to a Dragunov, it is the PSL, and is indeed a development of the AK, but is a totally different rifle than the Drag.

Currently, the US Army and USMC implemented Designated Marksmen (DM) and Squad Assigned Marksmen (SAMs, not to be confused with surface to air). DMs and SAMs are men that have above average shooting skills, but aren't "Sniper" by MOS. They serve as part of the squad as they are part of the squad. USMC SAMs are usually armed with anything from M40s or M24s (I think) to M16A4 (standard M16 with detachable carrying handle). An article recently published in the Marine Corps magazine Leatherneck described SAMs armed with M16A4s mounting ACOG optical sights (Advanced Combat Optical Sights - a 4x scope, a personal favorite of mine in respect to optics). DMs usually are armed with M16A2 with various types of scopes mounted on top of the carrying handle or M4/M4A1 with scopes mounted. I've even seen a few with M21s. (for those wondering, M21s are modified M14s, M24 are...I can't remember, and M40 and M40A1s are modified Remington Model 700 bolt action rifles)
As far as sniper training goes, the USMC had until recently (recently being a few years ago through various books and articles I've read, but I'm not sure if many are still valid today) the Army didn't have a full time sniper school, especially during earlier wars. World War II came up, we needed marksmen: make a school, and pick people in the field. War ended, school closed. Korean War: same thing. Vietnam: same thing. This is for regular forces, not special ops. The Marine Corps has maintained a professional sniper school for some time.

hi

a ww2 american sniper would have carried a M1903A4 Springfield rifle or a M1D Garand rifle. Both of these guns can be found in the Dragon 1:35 scale Quartermaster Series ww2 Allied Infantry Weapons set. about the side arm, the american sniper would have used a colt M1911 pistol. snipers usually had the same unit markings but i think some of them had different uniforms. somethings that u could add to make your figure look like a sniper are grass on the helmet and parts of the uniform, a little more ammo, less equipment like backpacks,grenades,and shovel.

hope this helps

I was just thinking about those Bob Lee Swagger novels! I Loved point of impact! I didn't know there were others!

Wow, this is an old thread, but I thought I would chime in anyway. First off the Army does in fact have an established sniper school. It is located at Ft Benning GA. For the Army, A sniper is not an MOS, but an idetifier/extra skill. I graduated from the school in 1989. Once I graduated I received the identifier of B4 (Sniper). My MOS now became 19D20B4, Cavalry Scout/Sniper. The USMC has an MOS that is SCOUT/SNIPER. Their school is by far the more exstensive of the two. At that time we were equipped with the M21. Basically an M14 that has been tweaked here and there and sported a 10x Leatherwood scope. In 1996 I was issued an M24. A Remington Model 700 with a heavy barrel and again a 10x scope. This rifle is by far my favcorite. I have reorded "kills" at over 1100 meters routinely with this thing. As far as uniforms go, snipers dont want to stand out as it draws attention to us (fire too). We prefer to blend in with the rest of the group. Weapons are carried low to prevent as much observation as possible. Our spotters usually carry an M203 or M16A2. I also carried an M9 as a side arm. Although I havent workd as a sniper in probably 6 years, I have passed on what knowledge on shooting better I gained through the years to my soldier I had while working as a Drill Sergeant. Recently in OIF I carried an SVD for a few months before we were told we couldnt do that any more (who knows why?) Everything I had learned many years ago was dug out of the mental roll-a-dex and served me well. Thankfully I never had to pull the trigger on anybody, but I did come close on more than one occassion. As to the roll of the sniper in WW2, Peter Kokalis (sp?) from Soldier of Fortune magazine could talk volumes on the matter. A great read about a soviet sniper in WW2 is titled "War of the Rats". It is the book that the movie "Enemy at the Gates" was based on. The book is about 1000x better. Vasily Zseitsev (sp?) IMHO is the all time best sniper in history. Read the book and you'll see why I think this. He isnt portrayed very well in the movie. Anyway, enough rambling on my part. "Q"

I'd have to say the most successful sniper of all time was Simo Häyhä of Finland. He killed 542 Russians on the Kollaa peninsula in the 1939 Winter War with a Mosin-Nagant M28 rifle using iron sights rather than a scope. He also has well over two hundred kills with a Suomi submachine gun, a toy which he was very fond of. All Häyhä's kills were accomplished within three months, THREE MONTHS! WHOA!

Simo gave a talk to Mosin Nagant collectors in the late 1990s in Finland, and was still fond of the Mosin Nagant rifle even then. One of the boards I post to often sent guy over for the event, and he was a quiet and softspoken man, but alas, he has passed on.

By comparison, Vassily Saitsev is my second favoriet sniper (thanks for bringing him up Red4). He used a Mosin Nagant rifle as well, but the longer M91/30 model, which was just a later version of the M1891. The Mosin Nagant rifles are incredibly underappreciated, they were the standard sniper rifle in Russia until the SVD (Dragunov) in 1962, and is still used in the sniping role by some nations.

Gunnut, I concur as well with Simo being a top notch shooter. You dont hear much about him or Vasily when it comes to sniping. The Mosin had one other distinct thing about it...well the one I shot did anyway, It kicked like a mule. Great rifle and yes, very under appreciated. "Q"

Yes, Mosin Nagants kick pretty stoutly, especially the carbines. 7.62x54r is oneof the oldest military rounds still in service, being issued since teh early 1890s and up through today. I believe, but could be wrong, that the British .303 is a little older.

The 7.62x54r round used by all of the various Mosin Nagants, the SVT-38 and SVT-40, the SVD Dragunov and several flavors of machine guns is a potent round, in the old world battle rifle class with 30-06, 8mm Mauser and 8x56r of the Austro Hungarians. Fun to shoot and cheap at $40 for a 400 round tin. Talk about a fireball too. Surplus ammo in a Mosin carbine like an M44 tosses a fireball the size of a 5 gallon bucket!

You can get a Mosin Nagant carbine these days for less than $100 and a 91/.30 (the ones the snipers would have used and a much gentler rifle due to length) for $79 delivered. You have to have a Curio & Relic Federal Firearms License for the deliver-to-your-door buying, but that is the best $30 you will ever spend. Otherwise you can have the rifle sent to a dealer who does transfers, they usually charge $20-30 for the trouble.

The most umpleasant rifle to fire, bar none, is the Styer-Mannlicher M95 in carbine lenth. This devil is a shortened version of the WWI standard rifle of the Austro Hungarians. Shooting Nazi headstamped surplus ammo from 1938 in it, I can only get a couple of rounds out before it become much too unpleasant. The stout 8x56r round and the very light weight of the carbine just plain suck. Neat rifles though.

I would like to find a decent 1/35 scale figure set or weapons set with some Mannlichers in it, but I haven't been able to find any. I believe Carcano rifles would be easier to find, and they might be a fair stand-in since Carcanos derived from the Mannlicher.

As for Mosin Nagants, there are numerous figure sets with the shorrt carbines in them, the most convincing are the M38 carbines in the ICM artillery set. The DML/Dragon kit "Chinese Volunteers" has a fairly decent 91/30 in it. I would also like to find a Russian SVT-40 in a kit, since the Germans loved them and issued them to their own troops complete with manuals in German, I would think they would be easy to find.???