From: "Brian B. Riley" <brianbr@together.net>
Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 06:01:20 +0800
To: "Ryan Lackey" <rdl@mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Guns: H&K, G3, 7.62 v 5.56 [Guns] (fwd)
Message-ID: <199801032150.QAA29689@mx02.together.net>
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On 1/3/98 4:05 PM, Ryan Lackey (rdl@mit.edu)  passed this wisdom:

>I've only seen bolt action .50s fired. They're not *too* heavy, and 
>from the amount of muzzle flash, noise, etc. it gave, I'd be as 
>comfortableusing it at 1000-1500 yards as I would a .308 at 
>600-1000 yards. Given proper concealment and the absence of anyone 
>looking directly at you when you fire, that is. Professional 
>sniping is a 2 man operation anyway --against a target that can 
>shoot back, you really want to have a spotter.  

I finally remebered where I saw it. In Tom Clancy's non-fiction book
"MARINE: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit." On pages 75-77
(there is a good picture too) he details the history and developement
as well as the uses of the "Barrett M82A1A .50-cal special-purpose
sniper rifle." It is for all intents and purposes a Brownig M2 .50-cal
machine gun barrel/receiver set o a newly designed spring recoil
system to be fired from shoulder wit bipod. It is chambered for the
NATO standard .50-cal/12.7mm ammunition. It was developed by Ronnie
Barrett of Murfeesboro, Tennessee and further developement sponsored
by the USG and was first deployed by the CIA with the Mujahadeen in
Afgahnistan where they used it to make some Russian troops quite
miserable from a long way off. The sucess of it in Afghanistan force
the military to consider it. Nothing is said concerning other services
but it has been adopted by the USMC Force Recon for use by a three man
team. The gun is broken down into upper reciever, lower reciver, and
scope and ammo.

  There may be .50-cal bolt actions out there that are one man
carries, but the Barrett gun is a three man load. The gun is 57 inches
long and weighs 32.5 pounds, unloaded with no scope. The primary
mission of the gun is not man sniping, though I am sure it often has
been and will be used in that role, but its main aim is to long range
snipe and disable antennae, dishes, equipment, etc using the AP and
API ammunition.
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Brian B. Riley --> http://members.macconnect.com/~brianbr
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	"You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a 
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