A rare collector’s item, Rifles of the White Death is a comprehensive reference on the most accurate military rifles in service during the earlier 1900s. It was during the Winter War when the Russians nicknamed the Finns the ‘White Death’ because of their highly effective snow camouflage and sharp shooting. The Finnish rifles were developed … Read more
On 14 April 2001, 19-year old Senior Airman Jennifer Donaldson, from the Illinois Air National Guard, made history. The eight-year-old National Guard Sniper School is the only U.S. military sniper school open to women and Jennifer was the first female graduate to complete the first counter-sniper course for the Air Guard security personnel. Camp Robinson … Read more
In World War II, bolt-action rifles were widely used by all sides, but it was the M-1 Garand semi-automatic that really stood out. Besides firing a hard-hitting caliber .30-06 round at distant targets, the M-1 was favored by troops as it was a solid and reliable weapon that was easy to clean. While the M-1 … Read more
During March 2002, Canadian snipers were evading mortars and dodging ammunition fire in eastern Afghanistan. Worse yet, they were almost obliterated by a USA Apache helicopter, which thankfully stopped firing just in time. Canada’s sniper unit modestly deny claims they hold the highest number of confirmed kills than any other military unit in combat. Operation … Read more
Every once in a while we see an item and say ‘Why didn’t I think of that’? The Pod-Loc from KMW is one of those items. The Pod-Loc is a simple lever-locking device that replaces the “knurled nut” on a Harris S type bipod, FIRMLY locking the swivel action in place yet easily releasing it … Read more
In recent years a movement has been afoot within the police sniper community to shorten their sniper rifle to better fit the environment in which they serve. Clearly there is little need for a full length field rifle nor must an officer put up with the extra weight and cumbersome handling of the typical 26” … Read more
By now most of you have heard of the .338 Lapua, but few have heard of the .338 Ultra. The .338 Lapua has earned a great reputation as a 1500 meter sniping round. It is head and shoulders above the .300WM and offers most of what a .50BMG, in anti personnel roles, does, without the … Read more
by David Reed Introduction I’m not sure how much I will include on resistance and escape. Maybe I will save these subjects until someone else offers to contribute the material. I will definitely cover the following subjects: Arctic Jungle Desert Topics will include dealing with attitude, exposure, dehydration, rescue, food gathering. Celestial Navigation – Stars/Sun … Read more
Rifle selection – choosing between AR-10 or M1A, and more details on them: Anyway, I’m down to choosing between one of two rifles, the Springfield M1A Super Match or the ArmaLite AR-10(T). Any and all input, public or private, would be greatly appreciated! Jim Ft. Meade, MD USA – Wednesday, November 04, 1998 at 17:52:10 … Read more
Vapor trail and Bullet trace: Vapor Trail: Now there is something that I have heard only mentioned breifly but have never seen. I was told that if the conditions are correct and you are a spotter you can actually see the vapor trail of the bullet as it goes down range. One unusual thing I … Read more
The ELCAN (Ernst Leitz Canada) C79 telescopic sight was adopted by Canada in 1989 and is currently in-service on the C7A1 rifle (Canada’s version of the M16A2) and C9A1 light machine-gun (Canada’s version of the FN Minimi). While this scope is not exactly a sniping scope in the sense that we are accustomed to seeing … Read more
David Tubb is a well known name in the shooting community, so when I found his product, David Tubb’s Final Finish, at www.zediker.com I was very interested. The product was advertised as “a better barrel in a box.” It promised to reduce fouling, ease cleaning, give better velocities, and improve accuracy. So I figured I’d … Read more
Calibres/cartridges – 300 Whisper: I’ve been very interested in the .300 Whisper concept of a .30 caliber sub-sonic round capable of MOA accuracy out to around the 300yds. range using a bolt gun as a weapon of choice. I won’t be surpressing the rifle as silencers are illegal for civilian ownership here in Canada.My goal … Read more
Moly destroys your barrel by attracting and trapping water in the barrel causing severe pitting. Even if you live in a dry climate, temperature changes experienced during the hunting season (gun inside warm house – gun outside in the cold) causes the metal to sweat. My barrel was destroyed by pitting after only 154 rounds … Read more
As a service to its readers and for instructional purposes only, Sniper Country provides on-line adjuncts to sniper/countersniper training. This information is based upon the U.S. Army’s sniper training programs at Ft. Benning’s Sniper School and Ft. Bragg’s Special Operations Target Interdiction Course. The primary authors are a current duty-slotted sniper with his own web … Read more
I have just had the opportunity to get back into learning about some gear that many of us peripheral sharpshooters either take for granted, or at greater value during UKD shooting activities. When attending the Carlos N. Hathcock II Memorial Sniper Match this past October, I learned a valuable lesson about packing the pre-requisite gear … Read more
There are few things simpler than checking your equipment for performance and function. Unfortunately, most of us put it off for the proverbial “rainy day”. While everyone likes to punch paper to verify the status of their rifle and telescope, few will take the time to really put their rifle, scope and ammunition through their … Read more
The 40-X series of rifles have been with us for about 40 years. The 40-X was the brainchild of Mike Walker, one of “Big guns” of Remington in the 1960’s and an avid benchrest shooter. He wanted Remington to have a “factory” target rifle that would beat anything in the field, including the famed Winchester … Read more
Rifle The term “cover and concealment” is frequently used in the military. Although the two words go hand in hand, there is actually a distinct difference. “Cover” protects the soldier from direct (i.e. small arms) and indirect (i.e. artillery and mortar) fire. Concealment prevents the soldier from being detected. Although applying proper camouflage such as … Read more
This is kind an unusual topic for a tactical rifle oriented website such as Sniper Country, but has been a real Hot Potato on The Duty Roster a number of times in the recent past. A Single Well Placed Shot is the credo of this particularly unique shooting website, so the I.T.A.P.P.D.S. (Individually Targeted Anti … Read more
Flinching, and how shooting positions affect it: I am developing an awfull flinch or anticipation when shooting the .308 after about twenty or thirty rounds to the point where I am almost shutting my eyes before the shot. I guess I am becomming more recoil sensitive the older I get but can anyone help me? … Read more
Gentlemen, I never hear anyone mention the Ruger 77. I handled a heavy varmint version in 308. The bolt cycled smooth and the rifle felt good to me. How far off from a Remington 700 is it? Thanks, Chris Northern, Ohio USA – Friday, December 18, 1998 at 02:09:18 (EST) Chris, if you took a … Read more
Tapered or Flat? I am often asked if one should buy a tapered or flat base. The person asking the question often seems to be under the impression that the tapered base will be stronger and more versatile. This is not necessarily the case and often you may be making a better choice going with … Read more
Well folks, after several months of extensive testing and evaluation we finally completed our spotting scope review on Thanksgiving Day! Before I say another word I have several people that I need to thank; without their assistance this review would not have been possible. First is Chris Farris from S.W.F.A., Inc. This comparison would not … Read more
The Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) provides an enhanced capability for the 21st century infantryman, with the potential to selectively replace the M16 rifle, M203 grenade launcher, and M4 carbine. Program guidelines were derived from the Small Arms Master Plan (SAMP) and Joint Service Small Arms Master Plan (JSSAMP). OICW-ATD is … Read more
Smart bullets that follow the twists and turns of their victims after they have left the barrel of a gun are being developed in a US Air Force project. According to recently declassified research by the Department of Defense, the new bullets will allow snipers to hit targets several kilometres away. “This technology could change … Read more
Barrel twist rate: Hi can someone comment on the relation between twist rate and bullet weight for the .308? I understand that in the .223 faster rate is recommended for the heavier, longer bullets where 62-80 gr can use 1-8 or faster rate. Is there a similar relation for the .308? What’s a good weight … Read more
First, the disclaimer: In the U.S.A., we live in a litigious society, and for those of you who live in Rio Linda, this means that fools will do really stupid things, and then sue someone else, because “It’s their fault, they told me I could do it!”. For those of you that don’t know what … Read more
As a shooter, retailer, collector and sometimes gun writer, I am always fascinated by historically interesting rifles. The SVD Dragunov from the former Soviet Union is one example, as is the NDM-86 from China. Both are lithe, slender and quite beautiful to me with their utilitarian mix of work-about simplicity and elegance of line. They … Read more
Portions of this article appear in another article by yours truly. Please forgive the redundancy but the topic seemed worth elaborating upon. If some of the following article appears familiar it is because portions appears in my article on scope mount selections. When you purchase a telescopic sight, it comes with a specification based on … Read more