Defining a sniper rifle

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by mapcinq

Ive fired off my cannon...

Let me guess, you were cleaning it once and it accidentally went off?

Just for the sake of stirring up shit, here's my opinion on sniper rifles in airsoft and their usage.

1/ Sniper rifle should never be used as a primary weapon unless you are crawling around and avoiding all contact. Consider my mentality, if you run into an ambush along your way, what are you gonna use to defend yourself, be it on purpose or accidentally? Me, I mostly have either one of my MP5s or a pistol (MK23) as my primary, my sniper rifles are ALWAYS for "Special Purpose Usage"; when it's safe (from being spotted or my target is at least 100ft away), when I can get away with it, etc. 90% of the time it's slung on my back.

2/ An AEG should only be up to (or above) 450fps when it's NOT a primary weapon. If it IS to be used as a primary weapon, the user should have the full confidence and trust of those he plays with and against.

3/ An AEG as a primary weapon should abide by the 400fps limit, unless, as pointed out above, the user should have the full confidence and trust of those he plays against and with, and will never have more than one BB in the air at a time.

4/ I've seen too many AEGs set up as sniper rifles used within 40ft (heck, one instance I've heard about was a 40-50ft headshot with a 585fps bolt action.) I never shoot within 80ft with a 450fps rifle, hence my saying a sniper AEG should never be used as a primary if over 400fps.

5/ AEG sniper rifles above 400fps should never be used for fast follow up shots. Fire one shot, watch the BB's flight path, compensate and fire again. Treat it like a bolt action. I've seen too many 400fps+ M14s this year firing "Zip...zip...zip...zip...zip...zip...zip" even from 60ft away. Want to run a sniper type rifle, learn marksmanship and how to use a hot gun respectfully. Two to three rounds in the air at the same time isn't skill, it's compensating for the lack of skill.

I've come under fire recently because I used a 470fps M24 bolt action this year as a "once in a while" gun, and largely the complaints have come from games I wasn't at, and were directed at others. I'm an easy scapegoat because people trust me, and no one has EVER complained about my rifle usage, even when I've used my 550fps M700 at games. Nor have I ever had a sniper rifle turned away at a game by the owner or even players. Hence my rant above, as well as what I expect people to abide by. My rules aren't way out there, they are totally reasonable and safe. Which is why I decided to cause shit with this post, I'm venting for being blamed for something when I wasn't even within 50km of the game.

[Lawdog]

Originally Posted by CDN_Stalker

I'm venting for being blamed for something I wasn't even within 50km of the game.

What weight of BB did you use to make that shot?

LD

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by Lawdog

What weight of BB did you use to make that shot?

LD

Whatever weight 341mL comes to.

[Styrak]

Originally Posted by Greylocks

The AK 47 is not an SMG (submachine gun). If this is a joke, I cant tell..

Yes it was a joke. Pertaining to your previous post.

[Lawdog]

While it is an interesting discussion, in the airsoft context I would suggest that a sniper rifle is what the host tells you it is.

If you plan is to build an AS sniper rifle you should contact the folks running the games where you plan to go most of the time and build something that will match their parameters.

Ld

[Skruface]

Originally Posted by Ronan

M14, SR-25, SR-15, SPR's those are the way to go.

Originally Posted by Bauholzwolf

All excellent examples. SPR's are teh sex.

Riiiiight. Because it doesn't matter how effective it is, being a l33t sn1p@r is all about the looks.

The V2 mechbox is about one of the worst to base a sniper platform off of, especially the Armalite variants. Flawed hopup design that leaks air like a seive and unwinds on its own, flawed mechbox design incapable of handling springs over M130 for very long. But hey, it looks teh uber sex when you're sitting in the safe zone, right?

Gvanzeggelaar, if you *really* want to be a sniper, get the right tool for the job. Pick an inexpensive bolt-action like a VSR-10 (or a VSR clone) and add a few basic upgrades like a tightbore, spring and zero-trigger and you're set. However, as pointed out already, the right gun is only a small part of the puzzle.

[Buds and Suds]

Originally Posted by Skruface

Flawed hopup design that leaks air like a seive and unwinds on its own

How does one fix this, mine has started doing this recently and its driving me absoultly freeking retarded.

[Skruface]

Do you have 1-peice or 2-peice (TM-style) hopup? Some air leakage can be moderated by judicious use of teflon tape, some people have success vs. the unwinding using a tiny o-ring behind one of the hopup gears (the one closest to the mechbox) like the new Prometheus units. Some people resort to buying a new hopup unit.

For what it's worth, the CA TM-style 2 peice replacement unit is the absolute worst POS for air leakage in my experience. It's hard, inflexible plastic that has casting marks. The metal and plastic G&P 1-peice unit I had for a while was OK, but the c-clip that keeps the barrel/hopup rubber straight broke (very brittle blue plastic).

I don't have first-hand experience with the Prometheus 1-peice units, but they intrigue me. They have 2 extra o-rings to help prevent air leakage (one where the hopup mates to the mag, the other where it mates to the barrel) in higher FPS setups. Element copied the Prometheus design for their plastic 1-peice unit.

[gvanzeggelaar]

thanks a lot for all the replies people. I think i am going to go with a tm vsr 10 seeing that a lot of people have suggested this as a sniper rifle.
Thanks again,

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by gvanzeggelaar

thanks a lot for all the replies people. I think i am going to go with a tm vsr 10 seeing that a lot of people have suggested this as a sniper rifle.
Thanks again,

Keep in mind with the TM VSR you'll have to buy a Zero Trigger + Zero piston set ($200+) if you want to upgrade it over 400fps. Even aftermarket sears will snap shortly after insallation. The TM VSR isn't the best bolt action rifle out there for upgrading since there is a lot of upgrades required for it. I'd suggest a Maruzen APS2-SV as your first sniper rifle. If you were an experienced sniper and had the means to reinforce/understand/work on, flat out the CA M24, but because it's a workhorse that needs reinforcing, it's not a beginner's gun.

[ThunderCactus]

Originally Posted by gvanzeggelaar

thanks a lot for all the replies people. I think i am going to go with a tm vsr 10 seeing that a lot of people have suggested this as a sniper rifle.
Thanks again,

Good job, I salute you, too many people have been buying semi-auto sniper rifles lately.

[FOX_111]

I hope you got some AEG experience first. As many find out, sniping with a bolt action is not for everyone. I saw many people wanting to be uber leet snipa, getting fully kitted, played 2 or 3 games and selling everything because an AEG is so much better at getting killsorz!

That being said, I'm a fervant supporter of people getting a year or two playing assault with an AEG, then playing as a sniper rifle. That really help understanding tactic, games dynamics and ballistics.

Too many people think they sniper with they SR25, but they are just firing in rapid succession with a hot gun wearing "elite" camo!

[gvanzeggelaar]

dd

[SHaKaL]

Originally Posted by Skruface

Riiiiight. Because it doesn't matter how effective it is, being a l33t sn1p@r is all about the looks.

The V2 mechbox is about one of the worst to base a sniper platform off of, especially the Armalite variants. Flawed hopup design that leaks air like a seive and unwinds on its own, flawed mechbox design incapable of handling springs over M130 for very long. But hey, it looks teh uber sex when you're sitting in the safe zone, right?

That why i changed the front end for a shorter one on my sr25, change the bearing bushing (which is no non for a gun firing 400fps) and change the spring for an m120. Still like the look of the sr25 (thoses 7.62 mag are so nice) but plan to use the gun for normal use.

When i want to play sniper; i will buy a bolt action...

[Ronan]

Still waiting for someone to correct dictionary.com

Also i never stated that their definition was true, just that it was THEIR definition.