# What is a Sniper Rifle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-sniper-rifle/612536 "2012-02-11T18:26:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-sniper-rifle/612536/101 "2012-02-14T00:58:35Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Did you read any of the links I have already posted in this thread? I don’t think you have. One of them is a very lengthy discussion by precision shooters on this very topic. They hash over their first-hand results at the shooting range. I presume you mean these: > [@Scumpup](#): > > [Do bullets go to sleep?](http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2902684) > [Some people say they do.](http://www.snipercentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13183&sid=b6ffb7e1b068beed856fe10a070803c2) > [@Scumpup](#): > > [Here](http://www.the-long-family.com/bullet_dispersions.htm) is a pretty readable article that explains some of what is going on downrange. The first one has as more suggestions that the physical layout of the ranges and the bench rests are perhaps better explanations for the situation. The second page won’t load for me, so I don’t know what it says. The third is interesting, and includes explanations I hadn’t considered. However, it also says this: > [@](#): > > …The group size never decreases, but the dispersion in terms of MOA does. A subtle but important difference… Which means, if I’m interpreting this correctly (and I’m sure you’ll correct me if I’m not), that in absolute terms the bullets don’t get any closer to the target at longer ranges, but in terms of, er… error distance in proportion to distance from gun to target, they are more accurate. So the measurement of the “minute of accuracy” does improve over distance, even though the bullets don’t end up hitting any closer to the target than those fired at shorter ranges. Am I getting this right? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-sniper-rifle/612536/102 "2012-02-14T01:20:51Z")
> [@](#): > > So the measurement of the “minute of accuracy” does improve over distance, even though the bullets don’t end up hitting any closer to the target than those fired at shorter ranges. > > Am I getting this right? Yes. That is it exactly. That is what fully stabilized/“going to sleep” means at the shooting range. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-sniper-rifle/612536/103 "2012-02-14T01:28:15Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Yes. That is it exactly. That is what fully stabilized/“going to sleep” means at the shooting range. I can live with that, though my initial point was made in the belief that “more accurate” meant “closer to the target”, and by that standard I was correct. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-sniper-rifle/612536/104 "2012-02-14T01:33:09Z")
In terms of groups on paper, bullets going to sleep roughly translates to the groups at long range being smaller than the groups at close range initially indicate they “should” be. Can you live with that? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-sniper-rifle/612536/105 "2012-02-14T03:09:38Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > So the measurement of the “minute of accuracy” does improve over distance… Note that there isn’t really a measurement called “minute of accuracy”. Three different units are in common use by shooters to describe small angles: - SMOA = shooter’s minutes of angle = 1" at 100yds - TMOA = true minutes of angle = 1/60 of a degree = 1.047" at 100yds - MIL (aka USMC MIL) = milliradians = 1/1000 of a radian = 3.438 TMOA = 3.6" at 100yds ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-sniper-rifle/612536/106 "2012-02-15T18:13:06Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Also, AFAIK, gun manufacturers specifically make and market weapons called “sniper rifles”. Here’s Accuracy international: > [http://accuracyinternational.com/](http://accuracyinternational.com/) > > The first thing they say is “welcome to the home of the worlds finest sniper rifle systems” > > Seems pretty silly to have gun nuts claiming there is no such thing as a sniper rifle when the manufacturers themselves call it that. Gun makers also sell things they call tactical rifles. Rather than my posting a zillion links most people won’t bother to click, just google image search the term tactical rifle. You’ll see a bunch of different things being marketed as tactical rifles, including some things that you would call a sniper rifle. There are also a few in there that are tactical sniper rifles. Gun makers give their products names that they hope will increase sales, not necessarily be any kind of useful description. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-sniper-rifle/612536.md?page=5)