A sniper is a highly trained marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles.

In addition to marksmanship, military snipers are also trained in camouflage, field craft, infiltration, reconnaissance and observation. ^[1] Snipers are especially effective when deployed within the urban terrain of urban warfare, or jungle terrain of jungle warfare.

#7 .408 CheyTac

The purpose of this 3000-plus yard (transonic between 3300 and 3400 yards) cartridge is to deliver accurate (sub MOA), to a target from a sniper platform, called "Intervention". In a different configuration, it is intended to replace the 7.62mm NATO cartridge, which is currently being used for the military's General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG). The mission for the sniper round is to selectively hit enemy targets located at great distances while at the same time, the sniper using the .408 CheyTac is immune to counter snipers using conventional sniper cartridges. It also has a limited anti-material role. The cartridge's advantage for a machine gun -- intermediate between the M240 (7.62mm NATO) and the M2 HB (.50 Browning) is that it provides greater kinetic energy and hitting distance over the 7.62mm NATO and the .50 Browning cartridges, but does not have the weight disadvantage of the .50 Browning cartridge. The cartridge out performs the external ballistic characteristics of the .50 Browning cartridge at 1000 yards and beyond, but fired from a platform less in weight that the M2 HB. Contrasting weight by weight, the .408 Cheyenne Tactical cartridge is a third lighter, which translates into a third more cartridges per unit weight.

In the illustration, the military prototype sniper platform called Intervention is shown with day/ night optics OPSINC Suppressor and Advanced Ballistic Computer

o The parental cartridge case for the .408 Cheyenne Tactical is the .505 Gibbs, necked to .408" and with a redesign of the web area. Solid nickel copper alloy projectiles for both sniping and GPMG are being designed by Lost River High Energy Technologies (Arco, ID) using PRODAS 2000 software.

CheyTac Intervention M200 Sniper Rifle – .408 Caliber

If you haven’t seen the movie Shooter yet, then you probably aren’t really familiar with the longest range sniper rifle in the world. That’s right, this rifle, the CheyTac M200 Intervention has beaten out the Barrett M107 and Accuracy International AS50 (whose longest ranges were negligably similar at approximately 1 mile) as the longest consitent accuracy rifle to date. Of course it takes more than just the .408 caliber rifle and a trained sniper to achieve hits at its max range, 2500 yards or 1.42 miles. You must also have all the compenents of the so-called CheyTac “Long Range Rifle System”, LRRS. This package includes the CheyTac ballistic computer (a PDA with ballistic software installed on it), a Vector IV laser rangefinder, and a Kestrel 4000 (a device that monitors wind, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure), all linked to the PDA and the OPS Inc muzzle brake and suppressor.

Quite a mouthful, right? Of course it is, but its all worth it when you can reach out and touch someone at ranges that would impress upon the victim as having just suffered an act of god.

This opening scene of Shooter is way better than the Future Weapons video I was about to post. Ok, in the opening scene of the movie, Marky Mark wipes out a ton of Africans with the .308 M40A3 of the US Marine Corp. He also takes out a Kiowa Warrior helicopter with a Barrett M107, what badass scene! Later in the film, he demonstrates the extreme range capabilities of the M200 Cheytac Intervention, with a direct hit on a tin can from over a mile in distance.

Note, the rifle that he is firing is actually not the CheyTac, but a good scene sniper scene none-the-less.