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Sniper scope
- Thread starter Desert Author
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Last I heard standard issue was a Leupold 10x for daylight, though I'm sure optics would vary somewhat by mission.
Yep, it's the Leupold Ultra 10x42 telescopic sight with millimeter dot reticle, dubbed the M3A. This is a U.S. Army file photo.
The Starlight used to be popular for night fighting. It's a good fit for the M14 / M16. For longer range, I think the M82 is the standard for the USMC.
-cb
-cb
The U.S. Army’s XM107 (X for experimental) .50 sniper rifle project is still a work in progress as far as I know, and this data is three years old. It’s also limited to army snipers, as Desert Author requested.
The .50 BMG (Browning machine gun) cartridge with a slightly heavier bullet than the original has a maximum effective range for personnel of 1500 meters. The maximum effective range for material targets is 2000 meters. That’s two kilometers, not two miles, but fiction has a way of extending distances.
The army project manager reported in 2005, "The most pervasive negative comment was that snipers felt the Leopold Sight was inadequate for the weapon – that it was not ballistically matched. The sight was zeroed for 500, 1000 and 1500 meters, soldiers did not feel confident in their ability to engage targets at the "between" distances (e.g. 1300 m). Snipers felt there were better sights available for this weapon such as the Swarovski."
Most alternate telescopes in use were still fixed 10-powers, but with differing internal adjustments. However, two telescopes receiving favorable field and combat reports are Swarovski's 4-12X50mm and Leupold's 4-12X50mm, both variable from four to twelve power with 50mm objective lenses.
Hope this data helps your writing project.
The .50 BMG (Browning machine gun) cartridge with a slightly heavier bullet than the original has a maximum effective range for personnel of 1500 meters. The maximum effective range for material targets is 2000 meters. That’s two kilometers, not two miles, but fiction has a way of extending distances.
The army project manager reported in 2005, "The most pervasive negative comment was that snipers felt the Leopold Sight was inadequate for the weapon – that it was not ballistically matched. The sight was zeroed for 500, 1000 and 1500 meters, soldiers did not feel confident in their ability to engage targets at the "between" distances (e.g. 1300 m). Snipers felt there were better sights available for this weapon such as the Swarovski."
Most alternate telescopes in use were still fixed 10-powers, but with differing internal adjustments. However, two telescopes receiving favorable field and combat reports are Swarovski's 4-12X50mm and Leupold's 4-12X50mm, both variable from four to twelve power with 50mm objective lenses.
Hope this data helps your writing project.
Article here on the British Army's new sniper rifle
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...tish-Army-operations-against-the-Taliban.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...tish-Army-operations-against-the-Taliban.html
Since we've strayed some, albeit with interesting sidebars, here's another non-army, non-scope tidbit.
From the February 12, 2009, page of The Word Origin Calendar:
sniper The snipe, a Eurasian bird common in wetlands and marshes, isn't the easiest thing to catch. A hunter generally sneaked up on it, disguised to blend in with the scenery, begrimed in mud and damp, and took a shot from as close as possible without alarming the bird. The term transferred to the hunting of humans in war or crime in the early nineteenth century, and the connection to the bird as been all but forgotten.
From the February 12, 2009, page of The Word Origin Calendar:
sniper The snipe, a Eurasian bird common in wetlands and marshes, isn't the easiest thing to catch. A hunter generally sneaked up on it, disguised to blend in with the scenery, begrimed in mud and damp, and took a shot from as close as possible without alarming the bird. The term transferred to the hunting of humans in war or crime in the early nineteenth century, and the connection to the bird as been all but forgotten.