[FastJack]

Hmm... .35 caliber hyper-velocity rounds. Maybe upgraded to have a "splitter-coating" that would shatter AP glass so the bullet can travel through it. Add a rocket propellant to the bullet, getting some extra 'oompf' and distance from the shot...

[John Schmidt]

The .50 BMG is an incredible round but there is some other great rounds out there as well. Cheytac's .408 is a relatively new arrival on the scene and has impressive ballistic performance. The company claims to have developed an AP that can penetrate a half inch of AR500 steel at 775 yards!

The .338 Lapua Magnum is a proven anti-personnel round, with potent ballistics. It has the added benefit of being fired from rifles that don't weigh 30.9 lbs compared to the Remington MSR (that chambers the .338 Lapua) only weighs 13 lbs! Given the choice of which I would rather have to carry out in the bush...no question which one I would choose.  

[Frankie the Fomori]

I spent some time around/training with different Spec op teams in my time in the Army A friend of mine swore by his weighted M16, simple and easy.....allows him to pull the same ammo draw off the rest of his crew, unless he has a mission that demands his specific talents as a shooter (which is very very rare) he did all his over watch work with what was good for him and his team over longer periods of time being in the field. Did he have the availability of different weapons, hell yes...and other teams went out with higher end weapons, but he loved his 16!

[Casazil]

But...but...but .50 is such a nice round number!   

So is a 1.0 a nicer round number?

[Tarot]

Once you get into the .50 BMG range, technically those are anti-material rifles (and about as much fun to shoot as being hit by Mike Tyson).

I have to disagree with the above statement. The AR-50 is an absolute joy to shoot. You gotta remember that with the higher caliber sniper rifles you have a pretty hefty muzzle break and you have to shoot it from the prone position (usually mounted on a bi-pod). I don't think I wanna meet the dude that can stand and shoot one of theese things  

[FastJack]

Once you get into the .50 BMG range, technically those are anti-material rifles (and about as much fun to shoot as being hit by Mike Tyson).

I have to disagree with the above statement. The AR-50 is an absolute joy to shoot. You gotta remember that with the higher caliber sniper rifles you have a pretty hefty muzzle break and you have to shoot it from the prone position (usually mounted on a bi-pod). I don't think I wanna meet the dude that can stand and shoot one of theese things 

Ahh... so now we come to the point where we introduce the Troll Gunner.

[John Schmidt]

The AR-50 weighs in at 33 lbs. so that no doubt helps with the felt recoil.

But you are right, I should have prefaced my statement that I don't find the .50 BMG a fun cartridge to shoot. Maybe if I was younger with a lot less wear and tear on me I would.  

In SR though, yeah a 900 lbs. troll would be able to handle a .50 BMG rifle all day long!!!

[FastJack]

Has it ever been published what caliber a Panther fires? The SR4 just says the ammo is common to the primary weapon in many small tanks...

[The_Gun_Nut]

IMS, it is a 30mm HE cannon round.

[John Schmidt]

Oooowww!

Forest Gump, "And that is all that I have to say about that." 

[FastJack]

Well then. That explains that.

[The_Gun_Nut]

They do sting a bit...

But oddly enough, some sniper rifles match them, even with a smaller caliber.  Just one of those things, I guess.

[John Schmidt]

It does at that!  

How about this?

"Don't look conspicuous; it draws fire. For this reason, it is not at all uncommon for aircraft carriers to be known as bomb magnets."

[Kontact]

I've seen nothing in any of the descriptions of SR HMGs which would lead me to believe that they fire .50 BMG rounds.

All the descriptions include things like hip-pad braces and under-mounted tripods. 
All the pictures include standard stocks and such.

They're not M2s, that's for sure.


As to sniper rifle damage being higher, I agree with JS to an extent.  Damage is abstracted, and the level of precision in a sniper-purposed weapon allows for such a higher amount of in-built control as to justify increased damage from better placement.  Still, regardless of whether you're using a sniper rifle, or an ill-designated HMG, whatever you're shooting at is in very bad shape.

[Scruffy]

I just looked it up.  The Brit got the shot off in May of this year.  The previous record of 2430 meters (~7972 feet) was made by a Canadian in 2002, though I can't find what weapon the team used.  Both are still impressive, as they beat the 35 year record of Carlos Hathcock, one of the greatest snipers the world has ever seen.

Check these wiki links;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sniper

look at sections; 3.3.1, 11.2 & 11.3

They mention all the details such as name, nationality, weapon & range. Hathcock may have not had the longest shot, but not using a sniper rifle has got to be hard.

As far as the game (4th ed), I usually choose either a Remington 950 with AV rounds [8P -5AV ¥1775] or sometimes an Ares Desert Strike with AV rounds [8P -7AV ¥5350]. Both with Gas Vent 3, Sound Suppressor, ext Smartgun.
 The Remington has its advantages because its legal, cheap and its decreased range over the Ares is usually irrelevant due to the urban nature of most runs. Whereas the Barrett 121 with the same is only [9P -8AV ¥10100] and is both more difficult to obtain, illegal and expensive should you need to ditch it.