Essay on British army new sniper rifle ....

[Ngib]

I am writing an essay related to the British army new sniper rifle. I was asked to comment on the new weapon and would like to get some response from regular shooters prior to finalising the draft.

Please provide any feedback in this thread …

Thank you in advance …

British army snipers were recently issued with the Accuracy International 338 sniper rifle. This is a larger calibre weapon which provides a x3-x12 x 50 sight and spotting scope increasing a sniper's effective visual range considerably. The sight increases the accurate shooting range of the weapon giving the shooter a better sight picture and target identification. The weapon is designed to achieve a first-round hit at 600 metres and harassing fire out to 1,100 metres The L115A3 long range rifle fires an 8.59mm bullet designed to drive a 250 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of around 3000 fps. They are larger and have more powder capacity and are less likely to be deflected over extremely long ranges.

Sniping has inherent weaknesses which differ from the target shooter. Any advancement with the precision construction of bolt action sniper rifles may not be as revolutionary as they initially seem. Historically the sniper rifle with the telescopic sight did enable the shooter to identify the target and get a better sight picture than weapons with the normal iron sight.

Contrary to popular belief snipers where not designed for excessive long ranges. The sniping concept was precision shooting at exceptionally small targets at compatible ranges. The sniper could stalk to within an acceptable range and take out key targets. In some cases the target was hidden from behind cover presenting only a small kill area. A secondary role of the sniper was intelligence and gathering information, or disrupting enemy activities and morale by creating confusion and personal fear.

When shooting at targets at reasonable ranges of two to three hundred yards the shooter- sniper or civilian should be capable of accurately judging and compensating for wind and elevation and hitting a small target. As the degree of wind deflection is dependent on the distance the bullet travels, at short ranges minor miscalculations would still put the bullet in a four inch kill area. This made the sniper an exceptional cost effective asset for infantry trench warfare or urban warfare such as the battle for Stalingrad. However sniping works on surprise and with the bolt action rifle it was almost impossible to engage multiple targets after he had released the first shot.

Since the concept's inception, the design of British Sniper rifles has not greatly changed. The 1944 Enfield No.4 Mk1 (T) Sniper Rifle Converted by Holland & Holland was capable of a head shot at 200 yards and hitting a standing man up to 600. The 7.62 L42 sniper rifles had similar characteristics using a lighter 144gr bullet. Both had similar capabilities as the Accuracy International 338 sniper rifle and all the rounds fired by these weapons were all capable of killing a man at a distance of over a mile away if the shooter could hit the target.

During the war years, and since, British army sniper rifles, like civilian target rifles, share a commonality of design. There is a limited capacity, spring fed, internal magazine. The bolt lever sits on the right hand side of the weapon. To load, the lever is rotated upwards through 90 degrees then pulled back. This action cocks the firing mechanism with the rearward movement, and also exposes the internal magazine. To fire, the trigger was squeezed, releasing the mechanism which had been cocked upon loading. The chambered round was then fired. To reload, the bolt was rotated as before and pulled back. This action not only cocked the firing mechanism, it also stripped and ejected the spent cartridge case from the chamber. The next round in the magazine was now pushed into line by the spring, and the bolt pushed forward and down to load and lock the mechanism. The rifle was then ready for its next discharge.

When upgrading the sniping concept the first issue which the British should have comprehended is the difference between target shooting and military or police sniping. Target shooting is a sport without many of the additional problems encountered by the military sniper. To shoot at a target on a firing range with consistent accuracy over set ranges of distances and weather conditions requires knowledge and understanding of the effect of distance on group size, the effect of distance on bullet path and the effect of wind on bullet path. To compensate for wind in target shooting the shooter is allowed sighting shots at longer ranges before precision application of shots. More so, target shooting is conducted on flat and even firing ranges at predetermined firing points where in most cases, wind speed and direction are fairly constant. The target shooter, like the sniper, has to predict the effect on the bullet, and add the deviation to the sights to compensate for the effects of wind on the bullet. On the target range there are range flags and on the battlefield possible smoke or similar indicators. While most modern bolt action rifles can shoot to within a minute of angle there is no method or tool that allows scientific visualisation of the winds at extreme ranges.

In any form of target shooting, or sniping, the main problem lies in obtaining an accurate assessment of the wind. Whilst wind speed may be measured at a given point in time, the effect of wind on the flight path of a bullet is considerably more difficult to predict in battlefield conditions. The extent or degree to which wind will push a bullet off course will depend on wind strength and wind direction relative to the bullet path. A relatively small degree of wind deflection to the bullet early in the flight path will be amplified the greater the distance the bullet travels. On a flat firing range the effect is fairly constant and to some degree can be predicted. If not, the effects can be lessened with sighting shots. In military sniping the emphasis is on surprise, and the chances of sighting shots are unlikely unless the sniper is used for long range harassing fire.

To complicate problems further, on the battlefield in mountainous regions with valleys and hills, the effect of wind can be inconsistent. Over distance winds can be blocked or channeled by woods, buildings, or natural contours. In hot climates, heat hazes can blur the sight picture. Other problems relate to the angle between shooter and target. With target shooting the target is usually on a flat plane. On the battlefield this is not always possible; shooting over distances may include steep angles which change the point of impact. The predictable trajectory, the bullet's flight path, depends on the horizontal (level) range to the plane of the target. The trajectory is gravity working on the bullet during its flight time, thus causing it to drop. The problems with long range shooting don’t stop there. There is also the problem of target movement. In theory, at 1000 yards, from the time the trigger is released until the bullet hits could take a second. During which time the target could have moved a fraction from the kill zone.

After the War years the British Sniping concept became by far the most advanced, and British snipers the most experienced. Counter terrorist operations and sniping were developed by the British, who unlike most other countries, still maintained a sniper training school. After World War 2, and during the withdrawal from the empire, the British army anticipated fighting low intensity engagements. In limited warfare, or anti-terrorist police actions, the need for precision shooting to avoid collateral damage without breaking the common law, or rules of engagement, was a controlling factor. This called for equipment and skills more advanced than the wartime military sniper. In operations in Aden and Northern Ireland the military sniper proved his worth. With the creation of Special Forces counter terrorist teams, specialists focused on the growing challenges of irregular warfare, and counter terrorism. The lessons learned on the early operations made it clear that there was a need to redefine the role of the military sniper and update his precision engagement capability.

With police action, if a terrorist was holding a hostage, nothing was left to chance. Ways to get around hitting a target without the use of sighting shots were developed. The problem associated with wind was still, and always would be a controlling factor. This could be greatly reduced by using multiple shooters firing together on a single command. Each shooter would be at a slightly different angle to the wind. The sniper group would spread out in a semi arc or angled with control being a command initiation using a radio controlled sniper initiation system.

The sniper was proving his worth in small wars and police actions. As weapons systems got better, shooting skills improved. Groups on the target got tighter and precision range finders took out most of the range guesswork. The one factor which was overlooked was the fast repeat shot capability. With an automatic weapon at 1000 yard range, three shots could be fired at a target. The last leaving the barrel before the sound of the first had reached the target. This was considered by a number of countries who eliminated the problem with a new breed of super accurate sniper rifles. The first country who took the full quantum jump from the slow and steady single shots of the bolt-action rifle to semi-automatic was the USSR, when after World War 2 and the introduction of the Kalashnikov AK47, Russia needed a new sniper rifle. The choice was the Kalashnikov based design of Evgeniy Dragunov. The new rifle was called SVD, which at stood for Snayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova’, Russian for ‘Dragunov sniper rifle.’ When using standard grade cartridges the accuracy of the SVD is reduced to 2.21 MOA extreme vertical spread.

After Russia, the Germans produced a new bread of super rifles. The AMP Technical Services DSR-1 could shoot 0.69 x 1.03 inch groups at 1,000 m distance and is considered to be one of the most accurate sniper rifles in the world. Before that, the H&K PSG1 was capable of putting 50 rounds of match-grade ammunition inside an 80 mm (3inch) circle at 300 meters. The Walther WA-2000 sniper rifle developed by Carl Walther during late 1970s and early 1980s was a highly specialized police sniper rifle with the Schmidt & Bender 2.5-10X variable power telescope and is still considered the best of the best.

The problem is not in making semi automatic sniper rifles; nor is the problem in making an accurate or reliable weapon. What are preventing the development of a real British super rifle are myths. The most common is that, with some designs, after firing, the casing is ejected with substantial force, reportedly enough to throw it approximately 10 meters to the side. While this is generally not an issue for counter terrorist operations, it greatly compromises the military use of the rifle, because it could easily give away the sniper's position. In realitity this is a simple design problem which has already been eliminated in light machine guns. The real reason is cost and that these rifles would not be markatable as hunting weapon nor would they fit in with the target fraternity.

What the British have failed to understand is that, semi automatic rifles exceed the accuracy of the bolt action by far and also give the option of second and third shots while still maintaining surprise. Unfortunately, like many other British weapon systems, such as the politically ill-fated EM2, or the problem ridden, SA80, they again produced a weapon which was not compatible to the modern day battle field. Instead of taking a systemic approach to the overall concept of sniping, they took an old weapon design and built it to tighter tolerances making it shoot more effectively, it is in effect a sports target rifle. What the military experts still fail to understand is that by using a slow bolt action rifle for long range shooting in battlefield conditions there can never be a perfect result. There are too many unknowns and there will always be a deviation from perfect accuracy. In reality the light machine gun is better suited for long range targets than their new rifle. The very disturbance caused by working the bolt action necessitates the rifle to be re-aimed after every shot making it practically impossible to get two on the same target in an expectable time frame of under a second. The drawbacks of such rifles are obvious, with the seconds of vulnerability while the rifle is being reloaded and re-aimed between shots. These problems are particularly noticeable when the enemy can disappear after the first shot is fired. In reality, the idea of long range military sniping with a bolt action rifles is not a modern day option its history.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Brian Dick]

I had the rare opportunity to handle a brand spanking new L115 last Summer. It was equipped with a 5-25x56 Schmidt and Bender telescope, not the 3-12x50 that is found on most of the 7.62 variants of the AW.

[Alan de Enfield]

I'm no expert but it looks good to me.
Maybe the only addition to add into the 'mix' is in 1000 yds + ranges not only has the target time to move fractionally but the coriolis effect and 'spin drift' comes into play.

To complicate problems further, on the battlefield in mountainous regions with valleys and hills, the effect of wind can be inconsistent. Over distance winds can be blocked or channeled by woods, buildings, or natural contours. In hot climates, heat hazes can blur the sight picture. Other problems relate to the angle between shooter and target. With target shooting the target is usually on a flat plane. On the battlefield this is not always possible; shooting over distances may include steep angles which change the point of impact. The predictable trajectory, the bullet's flight path, depends on the horizontal (level) range to the plane of the target. The trajectory is gravity working on the bullet during its flight time, thus causing it to drop. The problems with long range shooting don’t stop there. There is also the problem of target movement. In theory, at 1000 yards, from the time the trigger is released until the bullet hits could take a second. During which time the target could have moved a fraction from the kill zone.


Coriolis Effect :
The formula is:

Fc = -2mω X Vr

Fc = Coriolis force
m = bullet's mass
ω = Eart's angular velocity (of spin)
X = vectorial product
Vr = bullet's velocity

The Coriolis Effect (CE) will typically move a 1000yd shot around .5 moa (Minute of angle) (depends on the distance from the equator). The coriolis effect actually affects all bullets, but is ignored at closer ranges. In the Northern Hemisphere, the effect moves bullets to the right and in the Southern Hemisphere, it moves them to the left. The amount of movement is related to the time of flight, amount of drop and the distance from the equator (further=more). Newton and his cronies were trying to put their finger on this effect hundreds of years ago and actually got pretty close to figuring it out. Newton supposed that anything falling toward the ground, actually should spiral toward the center of the earth (this is actually what the coriolis effect is!). Unfortunately, they couldn't measure it back then.

Another effect that impacts bullet flight is called Spin Drift (SD). SD will move a bullet to the right for barrels with right hand twist rifling and will move it left for barrels with left hand twist rifling (right hand twist is by far the most common). The amount that SD impacts a bullet is related to the amount of drop and the rate of spin (higher spin rates are used on heavier/long range bullets to keep them stable). A typical SD will be .2moa at 1000yds. SD is actually a torque that acts perpendicular to gravity (check out the 'right hand rule' in physics).

SD and CE add together for right hand twist barrels in the northern hemisphere (or left/southern). Their total affect is usually less than 1moa at 1000yds (10.4").

Not a lot over 1000yds but 10" takes you outside the kill zone.

[gunner]

Alan added an good effect. But it is in my opinion not easy to say the automatic is better only for the higher shooting rate wich is not the most important thing for an sniper. He can have fire support from his team mate if it is neccessary in the worst case. In my opinion there are more points like less malfunctions in a bolt rifle, the re-aiming is not only a bolt action theme and so on. The ejected cases are not so problematic, there are more problems with the muzzle blast in dry or some urban places. So it could not be reduced to the higher fire rate. But that is only my opinion.

Regards

Gunner

[arado]

I have the good fortune to experience and own the Zastava M76 sniper. It is current issue to Serbia. Semi auto, ten round 8mm Mauser using the 198gr. cartridge. Fitted with Zrak optics calibrated to 1200 meters. A very efficient and formidable rifle built on the AK platform. I fitted mine with a modified M2 bipod. My rifle has an ORF receiver and is 922 compliant. Gary

[hockeybuff]

Ngib:
Thankfully I have Christmas to myself and so read your essay. I mean these comments as constructive and helpful, not to start an argument.
I'm curious to know who this essay is for. I would argue the point in an entirely different way to say Army personnel vs. say the Police.

If I understand your argument (basically that adopting a bolt-action rifle was a poor choice for long range sniping and instead a light machine gun would be better), I think you could likewise also bring up other points in support of your argument. I personally don't agree with you but recognize the point you're trying to make. This discussion mirrors the "ammunition effectiveness" argument too. We have two current conflicts- Iraq (relatively close urban fighting) and Afghanistan (open longer engagements). Those can be opposites when it comes to what you want in a rifle/ammo.

I would, if I were you, argue that say, using a FN MAG (I forget what you guys call them), is better as it: is already in the system, can be used as a MG {dual use}, uses a much more common calibre and variety of bullets, won't be as obvious to counter sniper fire as to it's use, can mount or be adapted to use optics/ Night vision, and allows for the burst fire you would like to see. Another issue is training: It does take alot of training to get a "good sniper." I don't know how the FN MAG compares to the rifle in weight (I mean somebody has to carry the #$%^ thing).

I disagree with you though. So maybe think about my points and address them in your essay. The idea of accuracy is another way of looking at a cone of fire from the weapon. A rifle that is capable of shooting MOA can produce a group of 10" at 1000yds. A LMG firing a burst can do what? 3 MOA ( you talk about several shots in one second) resulting in a 30" group. You bring up, correctly, the idea of correctly ranging the target,corelios effect, the target moving and wind. Those factors will be present regardless whatever bullet or bullets you shoot. ie. If I shoot a burst but misjudge the wind, it'll still miss. What matters is the Ballistic Coefficient of the bullet and while I don't know the BC of the 338, I'm sure it's better than any LMG being currently used. That is what, for lack of a better way of summarizing it, minimizes the effects of these potential misreadings or effects and keeps the bullet going where I want it to.

I would also argue that rapid follow up shots are more important at SHORTER ranges not longer. A semi auto like the DMR or SASS is also better at the shorter distances because of the lesser recoil which means a quicker return to the target area. ie. Think of Iraq-- 300yds?? away a section of evil men are running across a road. As I react, what will allow me to engage them is a semi that allows me to engage them one after another and not pushed off target by recoil or working the bolt.

At longer distances, I can really use the better BC to my advantage. I'm lucky that I have a 1000yd range nearby. When I go shooting by myself, I set up a gallon milk jug on the berm and bang away. I use a 308 PSS with scope on it. The time of flight is slow enough that after recoil and I return to target, that I can usually (depending on ammo) see the last of the trace and the impact. Then I reload. And use the first round to correct, if I need to. You're stuck doing the same thing- adjusting for the same effects that I face, but have fired a burst. But with my better BC and inherently more accurate rifle than your LMG (disagreeing with you one that point too) are more likely to hit that jug with the first round.

As far as what distances the sniper engages targets, I would also disagree. While the average engagement of a Police sniper in the US is 77 yards, "current opportunities" have meant several new records being made for distance shots for the Military. A Canadian team made, what, a 1.5 mile kill? Numerous 1000yd kills have been made? That's why I asked who your audience was. The Police have an entirely different approach to this than the Army and their uses in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hope this helps.........

[hockeybuff]

PS

If I misunderstood you to think they should've adopted a semi-auto precision RIFLE instead of a bolt action, then I think it comes down to the rifle and ammunition that you are comparing. There are some semi's that are comparable to bolt action rifles in accuracy. But firing a burst defeats the accuracy they possess. Also look at the ammo- It's BC and size (recoil, muzzle blast and carrying the @#$% stuff) and the trade off as far as the size of the rifle needed to effectively shoot it. ie. the 50 BMG guns........

[hockeybuff]

PSS:
You got me curious and so I looked up the tables for the 338Lapua, 308 ball and M118LR in the book: The Military and Police Sniper, Mike R. Lau Precision Shooting INC.

They show:
338 Lapua (250gr FMJ lock base)
BC: .662 effective range 1500meters
1000mtrs: time of flight 1.5 secs bullet drop frm 100m zero:-324.0

308 Ball (148gr FMJ)
BC: .404 effective range 1000mtrs
1000mtrs: TOF: 2.0secs bullet drop from 100m zero: -515.6

M118LR (175gr HPBT)
BC: .502 effective range 1000mtrs
1000mtrs: TOF: 1.9 secs bullet drop from 100m zero: -487.9

As you can see the Bullet is critical in making long range accurate shots. The 338 takes a shorter amount of time to arrive on target (remember the moving target?) and drops less compared to the 308 ball fired from a FN MAG. That drop difference is 191.6 inches which is almost 16feet! The M118LR is better but still no comparison. With those BC's the 338 is still far ahead of the 308, even in the M118LR load, in the wind.

All this means that you can have more of a "fudge factor"- misreading the range or wind etc with the 338 and still be on target, whereas even with a burst (which will do more to open the group up then help) in 308.

If you want to argue against the 338, use the close-in rapid-shot concept. In other words, the reality is now of closer more rapid shots (ie. Iraq) where a semi-auto in a lighter caliber (Less recoil and easier to carry) can get off multiple shots in a reasonable time, with acceptable accuracy.

Hope this helps.........

[villiers]

You claim that a semi-auto is more accurate than a bolt action rifle. Please explain!

PS: I take it that your intention is for publication, so please do not take this amiss:

"After Russia, the Germans produced a new bread of super rifles."


... should read "breed"

[jmoore]

Not real cohesive. If wind or range estimation is off even an "accurate" full auto won't hit at distance. If you can do the job w/ one round the type of action doesn't matter. Rather more important in the "big" calibers than flying brass (which can be concealed by a bit of burlap over the weapon) is the effect of muzzle blast on the dust/ grass/ straw/etc. at the firing point.

Don't go on about wind (or other subjets) for such a time and then just drop the issue. Mind you, as noted above, range estimation is really a bigger factor. I think it would be best to concentrate on just ONE difficulty presented to the sniper, and run w/ it. I don't reckon you have the opporunity to get actual range/field work in, even on training targets?