WWII sniper rifles

[ATeaM]

Before "Enemy at the Gate" comes out and raises the prices on these firearms, what were the sniper rifles used by axis and ally soldiers in WWII ?

Springfield '03
Mosin 39
Enfield
Mauser 98's

What else ?

[Dangus]

Tokarev SVT1940 (SVT does not stand for SoVeiT, it is a Russian abbreviation for self-loading rifle). This gun was the basis for the German Gewehr 43 sniper rifle, though better in my opinion. Supposedly there's something goofy about the gas system that affects first shot accuracy as well.

There's also the M1C Garand, and very late in the war I think the M1D saw limited action.

[4V50 Gary]

The Germans attempted to scope their semi-auto and press them into a sniper role. However, they learned that the semis were not as accurate as the bolt guns and soon gave up the efforts. This includes the full sized Walther G43, the Stgw 44 (and its variations), the paratrooper FG42. Of course, the faithful standby was the Mauser 98 with numerous scope mounting systems and scopes (see Senich).

The Soviets used the M91/30 with the PU or PE scope. In more limited quantities, the Tokarev M1938 (SVT) was fielded as well as the Tokarev M1940.

Our army used the M1903A4 Springfield, of which there are serveral scope configurations (Weaver 330 or M73B1, Lyman Alaskan and its military versions (M81 & M82). We also had a very limited number of M1Cs near the end of the war. The USMC used a Unertl equipped M1903 rifle (remember the later scenes in Saving Private Ryan? The Rifle started as a standard M1903A4 with M81, then became a USMC sniper rifle in the end).

[Will Kwan]

British and Canadian: No. 4T (Modified Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk1 and mounted with a scope originally for the Bren gun)

A sniper version of the Enfield (WWI vintage) was standard up till WWII.

Austrailian: a modified No. 1 rifle.

Another country to add to your list is Japan (please forgive my spelling I think they used Arisaki rifles).

Will

[ATeaM]

Any good wholesale dealers with deals on these weapons ?

[quantico]

I am vey interested in getting a 1903 springfield in sniper trim. Would I be better off getting any clean 03 and fitting it out? Or would I find one in orig trim still together ????
Where would I go to get facts and photos or orig parts used to modify the 03 into sniper trim?

[4V50 Gary]

Since Saving Pvt. Ryan came out, genuine 1903A4s have been snapped up by collectors. Even those miserable Weaver 330 scopes are getting expensive (last show was $300). You can build your own, but the cost is destroying a pristine M1903A3.

BTW, the best buy on sniper rifles right now are the Russian Mosin Nagant 91/30s. Expect them to go up once War of the Rats gets released.

On the side, I believe the best sniper rifle of WW II is the British No 4 (T). It was very rugged, accurate and its optics, while heavy, was very durable and well sealed. The Springfield had a cheap Weaver scope which fogged up, leaked and had to have its lens removed to drain the tube. The M1C was a good gun, but came out too late and being semiautomatic, was not as accurate as the No 4(T). The Germans (per Law) could never get the right ammunition (irregular performance) for their Mauser 98 rifle and many of their Sharpshooter rifles had that LER 1.5 X scope. They had better scope, which they used, but by far the second best gun would be the Mosin Nagant Sniper (especially if the Finns rebarrelled it). Like the No 4(T), it was also very durable and accurate. Less we forget, that NVA sniper also zapped Gunny Hathcock with one.

[panzerfuehrer]

Don't forget the Japanese Arisakas. Damn crude, but the Type 99 in 7.7 mm is a highly accurate rifle. I'm sure they existed, but I never saw a scoped one. However, the rear peep BDC works very well.

[Unkel Gilbey]

4V50,

What exactly did you mean when you said that the NVA sniper zapped Hathcock with a Moisin? It was the other way around, as Carlos died just a couple of years ago, and it wasn't from a .311 bullet out of a NVA Nagant! Pity that the rifle which Carlos shot through the tube was lost somewhere between here and there. That would have been one hell of a conversation piece!

Unkel Gilbey

[4V50 Gary]

Opps! I meant "almost" zapped. I've got a splint on one of my fingers and it's really slowed down my typing. Thanks Uncle Gilbey!

[Mike Irwin]

Britain used the No. 4 Mk I (T). These rifles were sent to Britain's firearms houses for conversion to sniper rifles.

A friend of mine has one with the barrel stamped "Holland & Holland." I've also seen ones stamped Purdy.

The British also used sniperized versions of the No. 1 and No. 3 rifles.

The Japanese standard sniping rifle up to 1942 was a Type 38 Arisaka in 6.5mm topped with a 3/4 side-mount scope. The straight bolt handle was bent to allow clearance. In this guise, it was known as the Type 97.

In 1942 a scoped version of the Type 99 was adopted for sniping use, but I'm not certain if it had a different designation or not.

The Germans used scoped K98k rifles, as well as variations of their Gew41 and Kar 43 rifles. The Kar43 was actually a decent sniping rifle.

They also had a very funky looking infra-red scope that was mounted on top of the StG44 rifle for use as a night sniping setup. How successful, or widely used, it was I don't know.

As others have mentioned, the Soviets used a variety of Moisin-Nagant bolt rifles mounted with scopes, as well as the SVT 40 rifle. Another friend of mine has an SVT40 with proper scope. Very interesting rifle, and plenty accurate.