MR. Dead wrote:
The 7.62 nato round, with proper loads (handloaded as match-grade ammo, and not the piss-assed machine loaded production rounds), in a tight tolerance M21 (sniper version of the M14) can place consistent groupings (under 2 inches) at 750 meters. One weapon per fire team, or squad, gives longer range effective fire. It has been a debated subject within the US armed forces for years. It cannot make it to becoming Tradoc standard due to the constant shifting of political opinions in the upper levels of the brass (the whole fucking democrat/republican shit-mess-thingy) and the replacement of staff after nearly every election.
The Russians, despite using a less than stellar weapon (the dragunov) have followed this basic practice of longer range weapons in rifle squads and other units for many decades.
If they were improve the dragnov, and it doesn't take a lot to do so, I know as I have done so with mine, they would have a weapon that could compete with the refined M21s.
As for the current US sniper rifle, the only way to improve the bolt slammer (yep it is a bolt action) would be to use the 6.5x55 swedish rounds.
I use the 6.5 as a hunting round in my old mauser (large ring) that grampa Wille got out of Germany (still has a fuckin nazi proofmark under the scope mounts). It is on of the flattest shooting rounds I have used, and is a pin setter out to 600 meters. Longest hit I ever had was close to 700 meters (across a valley to the next ridge with a hidden gorge at the bottom, gads what a hunting trip!) on a 7 point Bull elk. He only took 1 step after he was struck.
Smaller than that is the 6mm Remington, also listed as a .244. It has great knockdown capacity, but is limited in its effective range to around 450 meters (effectively killing, not just hitting). Like the 6.5. it has a very flat trajectory. In my opinion, it would be the ideal cartridge to run in the M16 family. When used with FMJ rounds, it has the same entry and follow thru effects as the 5.56 FMJ rounds. The longer killing range over the 5.56 is the plus.
The 5.56, or .223 is nothing more than a perversion of the .222, a very effective varmit (gophers, pararie dogs, up to coyote) that has been around for a long time out west here. I never liked the idea of shooting at someone with a varmit gun. When I am to fire at a person, I want a cartridge that will basically insure that my 'opponent' is dead. I don't care for the whole wounding and then taking up additional personnel to see to the wounded idea.
One shot, one kill, one less enemy, one less change of yourself becoming dead. There is a measure of Honor in a clean and quick kill. I wouldn't wound an animal, why should I do the same to a person.
Anyway, getting back to the sniper issue, while I was serving, they had an idea to install snipers and waepons to almost every platoon in the service, with grunts getting more per team/squad/section than say, a rear support unit. Even the admin and finance units were planned to get a sniper qualified staffer. The whole idea was to increase the firepower through longer range fire, and better observation. I went to sniper school to fill this role, and helped to improve the M21 over the exsisting weapons.
The only problem we encountered was after a election had occured, a new group was installed in the upper levels, and the program was scrapped while still in its infancy, in favor of doing nothing to please some dumbasses who knew didly-shit-nothing about military service, tactics, or the like. Politics are what runs the doctrine of our fighting forces, and until we get some pentagon staff with Brass Balls 'THIS_________________________________________BIG', implementing the use of 'snipers' into the mainstream of our forces will continue to be a struggle, just as it has been since the Civil War.
Funny you should mention the 6.5x55 Swede. That just happens to be about my favorite all time cartridge.
For military use, I'd have to go with a .260 Remington, which is the .308 necked down to 6.5mm, it has the same ballistics as the Swede, but it works through a short action, also, with a change of barrel, any 7.62 NATO rifle becomes a .260.
One of these days, I'm going to get an accurized G-3 re-barrelled for it.