Ladies & gentlemen, I ask you what's the difference between a Remington 700 sniper rifle and a Remington 700 deer rifle? Ans: Nothing whatsoever. We've been predicting for years that "deadly, precision long range scoped sniper rifles" would be next...Can I ask a stupid question? On what basis can Diaz make the statement that the sniper rifle is "designed and manufactured for the purpose of killing human beings at more than five times the range at which hunters shoot deer"? My ignorant guess is that "most" deer rifles don't have the sophisticated optics of a sniper rifle. Is that anywhere close, do you think?
US military snipers train to engage targets at ranges exceeding 1000 yards. They do so with what amounts to a jazzed up Remington Model 700 bolt action rifle. You can go to your local Wal*Mart and buy a .308 caliber Remington 700. Mount a decent scope on it, and you have a weapon which an expert rifleman can use to reliably hit man-sized (or deer sized) targets at ranges 'way beyond 500 yards. Most deer ar probably shot at nearer 100 yards because a) most hunters aren't that great of marksmen and b) in the woods, they don't need to be. But the bottom line, IMO, is that there is no meaningful difference between a military sniper's rifle and Joe Sixpack's deer rifle. The sniper's weapon is simply more refined. (And the sniper is a much better shot.)
AB