sniper rifle

It’s an early morning in Eastern Ukraine, we stand outside, My friend and I, smoking cigarettes in a gazebo next to the parade grounds of an unknown Regiment; our field packs, battle rattle, and rifles in tow. I felt a little awkward showing up for a sniper course carrying an AK74 but also figured we’d […]

9th Col Moschin Parachute Assault Regiment’s operators  in an armored vehicle during a “marksman” training mission. Tuscany 2015.   Photo: Viviana Cariola

Bolt-action vs. Semi-auto There is an ongoing debate as to whether someone should purchase a semi-automatic rifle or a bolt-action rifle for long-range precision shooting. There are a few key variances in both which make them very different, and probably contribute to the wide divergence in opinion. Typically, the bolt-action precision rifle is considered more accurate than a semi automatic. However, this depends […]

For those who are either precision shooters or want to get into precision shooting the Caracal CS308 is something you may want to take a look at.  I know that in today’s precision competition community, the .308 isn’t a favored round, especially when going up against the 338 and 6.5 calibers.  The .308 isn’t a […]

With a flooded AR-15 market it’s easy to ignore models that have been out there for a while, and even easier to ignore them if they haven’t been recently seen on a magazine cover cradled by some full-sleeve-tattooed gym rat with a perfectly-groomed operator beard.  Add to that the increasingly affordable options for home builds […]

The CZ (Ceska zbrojovka “Czech Armory”) 550 is a solid rifle I’ll give it that for sure.  It is what I’d describe as a middle of the road “utility” gun.  In the SEAL Teams a “utility” weapon was one that you could use for multiple purposes (close quarter battle or sniper ops).  Mine came chambered […]

Precision high-angle shooting is an art form in its own right. High-angle shooting is described as when the rifle is sighted-in (zeroed) on a level or nearly level range, and then it is fired either in an up-hill or down-hill direction, such as from a mountain top or tall building onto a target below. This […]

The Army just bought a new sniper rifle. The Army wanted to acquire a shorter, lighter, more accurate, more ergonomic and more reliable gun for marksmen, according to Program Executive Office Soldier’s product portfolio. The new Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System should be easier to carry and use in close quarters than the M110 without sacrificing performance […]

I’ve shot a lot of rounds in my life.  I was a pretty heavy volume shooter in my teens, chewing through case after case of .223, 7.63×39 and 12ga as well as various handgun calibers.  After I joined the military my volume went up drastically easily pushing tens of thousands of rounds downrange annually.  I was well […]

Growing up competing in various forms of motorsports, I appreciate the fine details and skill needed to build a fast, lightweight and capable machine. Exotic materials like carbon fiber and titanium alloy as well as engineers willing to push the limits of lightweight designs in order to deliver a winning edge for their driver on […]

So you think you have what it takes to be a sniper, eh? Even before my time in 2nd Ranger Battalion, I’ve been fascinated by the notion of shooting targets at great distances. The word Sniper alone had enough mystique and sex appeal to attract a horde of Rangerettes. The Ranger sniper section was a […]

A negative lead is typically used when engaging a stagnant target while the shooter is moving. A negative lead can also be used on a moving target. Negative leads are typically seen in high-wind velocities, when the target speed is relatively slow. Let’s use the following as an example: A 175-grain .308 HPBT bullet Bullet velocity of 2650 FPS A wind […]