Why I Sneer When Writers Bloviate About “Sniper Rifles”

Simo Häyhä. Yeh, he used a everyday garden variety M28/30 Mosin-Nagant with iron sights. “Terminally serviced” 500+ Germans during Finland’s defense against the Nazis in WWII.

My Granddaddy’s Model 1895 30-30 was more of a “sniper rifle” than what Simo Häyhä used. ANY rifle is a “sniper rifle” if that’s what it is used for.


Oh, he also carried a Suomi KP/-31 9×19 Parabellum (handgun cartridge) submachine gun for close defense, juuuust in case. Again: not what contemporary writers describe when writing about “sniper rifles.”

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