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The .308 is by far the most popular sniping round, and for good reason. The .308 is not punishing to shoot, has excellent terminal ballistics, behaves predictably in the wind, and is consistent. While there are quite a few rounds that outperform the .308 in ballistics, there are few, if any, that perform as consistently as the .308. And consistency is accuracy. The .30 cal bullet has long been a great performer, and is very popular which leads to more research with the .30 then with other calibers. While the .308 may over penetrate in some cases (especially with M118) the .308 is still used in the majority of the Law Enforcement agencies out there. It is accepted that if you do your job and put the bullet where it counts, you can count on the .308 to do its job and incapacitate the target. The US Army preaches an 800 meter maximum effective range for the .308, the USMC preaches a 1000 meter max effective range. While I have made hits at 1000 meters and beyond with the .308, I would have to agree with the Army and say that 800 meters is the limit for RELIABLE hits. After that the .308 is dropping like a rock and is inconsistent. As an all around sniping round that works great for both Law Enforcement and military sniping, the .308 is tough to beat! Recommendation: The .308 is acceptable for both military and Law Enforcement use, and is very capable of 800 meter hits on a human size target. If there is a need to reach beyond 800 meters, I recommend something with more oomph then the .308. If you are a Law Enforcement sharpshooter, keep in mind the penetrating power of the .308, especially with full metal jacket rounds (Like the M118).
Military Applications Note: I have listed the M118 (The current military sniping round) and also the Federal 175gr Match Ammo, they are both suitable for military sniping. The US Armed forces is currently in a transition to M118LR, which fires a 175gr Sierra Match King bullet, exactly like the Federal Match ammo, but currently I am not sure of the Muzzle velocity. (If it's 2600fps, then the Federal Match 175gr will be identical!) If anyone knows more on the new M118LR (I'm still being issued M118) please email me! The Federal Match 168gr is also included as the standard.
Bullet Drop (Inches)
Energy (Muzzle - M118 - 2605Ft-Lbs., Fed. Match 175gr - 2625, Fed. Match 168gr - 2520)
Wind Drift (Inches) 10 mph Crosswind
Law Enforcement Applications Note: I have included the Federal Match 168gr in the Law Enforcement section also. The 168gr is very popular with Law Enforcement as well, and with good reason, it has exceptional accuracy. But even though it tends to fragment on impact, the lead core tends to penetrate fairly deep. You need to keep this in mind when taking 'The Shot', insure there is a suitable backstop behind the target. I have also included a couple of good choices for Law Enforcement applications. The ballistic tip rounds are designed to expand rapidly, and lend themselves well to hostage situations. The Federal SPBT load is a good all around load, with some extra penetration and rigidity for those through glass and car shots.
Bullet Drop (Inches)
Energy (Muzzle: F-168gr = 2520 Ft-Lbs., F-Btip = 2650, F-SP = 2670, Win = 2659)
Wind Drift (Inches) 10mph Crosswind
Return to Top The 7.62x54mmR is chambered primarily in the Russian SVD and the Mosin-Nagant Model 1891-30, which is a very popular sniper rifle in smaller countries. I am fairly impressed with the 7.62R, it is roughly the equivalent to the .30-06, offering plenty of energy and good ballistics. I had the opportunity to spend a day on the 1000y range with an original SVD, while the rifle itself suffered in accuracy, the cartridge performed fairly good. There was no problem making 600m hits, even without any quality ammo. Recommendations: This round is included because of its significance in Russian sniper rifles, there really isn't any Law Enforcement applications for the 7.62R, but as a military round it performs well, but there is no match grade ammo in this caliber. Military Applications Note: I listed the standard ballistics for the SVD/7.62x54mmR combination. Sorry the tables are not complete, this is all the concrete information I have. Russia 7.62x54mmR 185gr BT at 2700fps Bullet Drop (Inches)
Energy (Muzzle - 2994Ft.-Lbs.)
Wind Drift (Inches) 10mph Crosswind
Law Enforcement Applications Note: There is no real Law Enforcement application for the 7.62x54mmR
Return to Top 7.62x63mm (.30-06 Springfield) The -06 served as the United States primary sniper round from WWI up until sniper rifles were standardized during the later part of the Vietnam conflict. The -06 offers good ballistics and served as an outstanding sniper round. While its purpose might be limited in the Law Enforcement arena, due to possible over penetration, but with the selection of the right ammo, the -06 would serve as a stellar round in a Law Enforcement situation. There is a shortage of sniper grade weapons in the .30-06, which I have never understood why. The -06 falls in-between the .308 and the .300. and there has always been match grade ammo produced by Federal. I personally think this is the ideal military sniping caliber, it offers better ballistics then the .308, but doesn't punish the shooter like the .300. Recommendations: I recommend the .30-06 highly for military applications, but I am a little reluctant to recommend it for Law Enforcement use, unless you take the time to research and find a good, rapidly expanding round. Military Applications Note: I have chosen the Federal Gold Medal Match .30-06 for military use. It is more then adequate, but I really wish that they would load the 175gr at 2700fps, this would really be a good round, and it would be any easy change, its all done with the .308. Federal Gold Medal Match - .30-06 168gr Sierra Match King at 2700fps Bullet Drop (Inches)
Energy (Muzzle - 2720 Ft.-Lbs.)
Wind Drift (Inches) 10mph Crosswind
Law Enforcement Applications Note: I chose the 150gr ballistic tip round over the 165gr do to the reduced penetration. The ballistic tip round has rapid expansion and lends itself well to Law Enforcement, but some tests should be executed to test for exact penetration and to see if excess fragmentation occurs. Federal Premium .30-06 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip at 2910fps Bullet Drop (Inches)
Energy (Muzzle - 2820 Ft.-Lbs.)
Wind Drift (Inches) 10mph Crosswind
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The 300 is an outstanding sniping round for military applications! But as you might imagine, it offers a lot of power and penetration, which limits its role in Law Enforcement. I am aware that the Secret Service uses the .300, but they're situation is rare, they don't have to be too concerned with hostages. They just need to insure that the possible assassin is stopped, and the .300 is a good caliber to do that. The .300 is also a great round for going through media in order to hit the target. The .300 is very capable of extending out past 1000 meters reliably, reaching 1200meters on a nice calm day without much effort. One big criticism of the .300 is the amount of recoil that the round produces. To be honest, it really does punish the shooter, making long sessions at the range a very grueling situation. If you are not careful, you can easily develop a flinch in your shooting cycle, this could be very bad. But with proper training, and a gradual migration into the .300, you can overcome this problem. Recommendation: The .300 gets my highest recommendation for military use, but not my recommendation for Law Enforcement use. If you could find a suitable round that limits over-penetration, the .300 could be a very flexible caliber, offering good armor penetration with the change of ammo. Military Applications Note: The Federal Match .300 was chosen for my military round, it’s a great round and serves admirably, the 190gr Sierra Match King has a really nice Ballistic Coefficient. Federal Gold Medal Match .300 Winchester Magnum 190gr Sierra Match King at 2900fps Bullet Drop (Inches)
Energy (Muzzle - 3550Ft.-Lbs)
Wind Drift (Inches) 10mph Crosswind
Law Enforcement Applications Note: I have chosen two rounds that could be possible candidates for Law Enforcement, I am skeptical about the penetration potential of both rounds. Please insure proper tests are executed to investigate the penetration of these rounds, and of course, always be sure you have a good backstop behind the target if the shot must be made. (Good marksmanship can make up for a lot of ammo deficiencies.)
Bullet Drop (Inches)
Energy (Muzzle : PMC - 3517 Ft.-Lbs., Win - 3478)
Wind Drift information is not available for these rounds.
Return to Top 8.60x70mm (.338 Lapua) The .338 is fairly new to the sniper community, but it does bear the distinction as being the first and only caliber designed specifically for sniping. While this round was actually developed back in 1983, it wasn't until the last few years that it has gained in popularity. The caliber was designed to arrive at 1000 meters with enough energy to penetrate 5 layers of military body armor and still make the kill. The effective range of this caliber is about 1 mile (1600meters) and in the right shooting conditions, it could come very close to the 2000 meter mark, provided you have the right rifle/ammo/optics/shooter/spotter combination. Realistically, 1200 meters is well within the average sniper. This caliber is designed primarily as a military extreme range anti-personnel round, there really is no Law Enforcement applications, unless you need a super penetrating round for either armored vehicles, or for barricaded suspects. There is not a lot of rifles chambered for the .338, but the list is growing with the likes of Sako, AI, and even Remington (With the SR8) producing .338 sniping rifles. Ammo is another problem, until a readily available match load is developed, the use of the .338 will be limited. We all know the legal liability of using and loads, so that is out of the question. Another concern is the recoil of this caliber, even with a good muzzle brake, its brisk. So don't try a rifle without one. Be sure to practice the fundamentals of shooting to try and prevent a flinch from developing. Recommendations: For military extreme long-range anti-personnel purposes, the .338 Lapua is king. Even the .50BMG falls short (Do to accuracy problems with current ammo). This caliber is not recommended for Law Enforcement. Military Applications Note: I do not have a lot of data on this round, all the info I have is provided below, if anyone has more information about this caliber, and or factory loads for it, please email me! .338 Lapua 250gr FMJ-BT at 2980fps Bullet Drop (Inches)
Energy & Velocity (Muzzle : 4880 Ft.-Lbs., 2980fps)
Wind Drift (Inches) 10mph Crosswind
The following three images were taken from the Dakota Arms homepage, and I hope they are not copyrighted! If so, someone let me know, or grant me permission to use them! 300gr bullet travelling at 2800fps.
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Common
Sniping Calibers
