50 cal sniper rifle
 

At lunch today the subject of sniper rifles came up. I am no expert on firearms but my dad was an avid hobbiest and shooter so I learned some basics.

The 50 caliber sniper rifle came up. I said it was an automatic (using my dad's terminology for any gun you don't have to lever or cock a new shell into between shots) a lunch buddy next to me said they were bolt action. I said if you had a bolt action 50 caliber it would probably break your shoulder.

Comments from our more knowledgable gun hobbiests?

I did google the 50 sniper and it is semi automatic....a Barrett I believe. It said we mostly used it on machinery like trucks.

Bolt action, and semi-auto. Bolt action would supposedly be more accurate, since there aren't any parts moving around when the gun fires.

https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/todays-top-12-50-bmg-rifles/

The ones I have seen on the media where bolt action single shot. Some recoil abatement is probably designed in. Wicked size shell.

Yeah, I found some bolt action too. No apparent mechanical abatement of the recoil except the thick shoulder pad. It pushed the guy back about 8" or more each time he fired.

so then T .... just what are you planning?

Just planning on shooting some squirrels.

I didn't know there was a semi-auto variant. As others have mentioned, bolt action is the way to go.
I see it as a purely novelty item. Something for a pure gun nut with lots of money. It weighs too much, and each round costs about $3.50 or more.

It is more about bragging rights than a threat.

These exist in bolt action and semi auto, in .50BMG, .416 Rigby and .458 SOCOM, to name a few. Plus the Roosians have modded their 14.5mm Degtyarov too.


It's like a W126, you can do a lot with it!

So you can fire a 50 bolt rifle without breaking any bones?;)

Most seem to have a bipod on the front. If you can dig a couple of small holes for it may help with the recoil issues. Look far too heavy to use otherwise as well.

The Russians used snipers a lot in the second world war. They interviewed an old Russian sniper that had killed about 150-250 Germans. I do not remember his claim accurately.

When asked about his feelings. He simply stated the Germans just should not have been in Russia. They were not guests. So he has no regrets. Russia treated the POWs as war criminals because of the way they acted in that war. Towards non combatants in Russia.

German combatants that generally observed the Geneva convention where not treated decently on the western front after the war. Other than by Patton. To justify the behavior towards them they reclassified them as other than surrendering soldiers. What was achieved by this is beyond my comprehension.

I used to take a German sailing with me. He served on the eastern front starting at age 17. I regret today not getting more details of that time he had from him. He was really a decent guy that had emigrated to Canada. We also worked together.

Stalin in retrospect may have been the greatest war leader of modern times. A very strange person in many ways. Yet he broke the back of the German war machine. Generally considered to be an impossibility of the times. I think everyone is dead now that was involved. I suspect Germany might have surrendered in very early 1942 if it had been allowed to. Under reasonable terms. Japan earlier on as well.

In the next township over?

There is an excellent movie about snipers ww2 ...enemy at the gates?

It is reasonable to me that snipers hunted snipers from time to time. Drones hunting drones will probably come to pass. Electronics show no limits yet that are noteworthy. To further development.

The American actress who was credited with designing frequency hopping in the 1940s. I found an interesting read. Used today extensively. At the same time it is a major liability. To drones.

She was eye candy but also had substantial scientific ability. She was originally European.

About the siege of Stalingrad. I think he used a Mosin-Nagant. Wasn't 50mm, that's for sure.

Stalin did not become a war leader until he stepped back and let his capable generals run the fighting. Purging his generals was a huge mistake.

Churchill was a leader who supported his military professionals, as did FDR.