How Military Snipers Work

Sniper School

Sniper Fact The Marine Scout Sniper School was established in 1967.

Every branch of the military uses snipers in some capacity. The SEALs, CCT, and Army Rangers all have sniper elements in their units. And although they all have their respective sniper schools, there is one school that stands out -- the United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper School.

The USMC Scout Sniper School is widely regarded in the military as the finest sniper training program. The Marines offer a tremendous program that trains eligible sniper candidates in all branches of the armed services. The few candidates who are chosen to attend the school typically represent the some of the finest that branch of the service has to offer. Fewer still emerge "Scout Sniper Qualified."

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
The spotter uses a range card to help him estimate the range to the target.

When selecting a candidate, commanders aren't looking for "good shots" or "natural born killers." There are a lot of soldiers that are skilled with a rifle and have the training and ability to take an enemy's life if necessary. Being a sniper comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility. What command is looking for is a soldier that possesses good decision making and a level head.

"You don't want a real hot head to be a sniper," Army Ranger Sniper reports. "Snipers need to be able to work on their own. You have to be independent, you know, so when you're not with your unit you need to be able to make sound decisions on your own without having to call up, 'What should I do here?' or 'Should I shoot this guy or what?'"

Sniper Fact There is a plaque on the wall of the Marine Sniper school at Camp Pendleton that has a translation of a Chinese proverb that reads, "Kill one man, terrorize a thousand."

The Marine Scout Sniper program is a two-month course. Students have physical training and firing-range practice every day. In addition, there are "games" that teach the skills snipers need in the field. Classroom time is spent learning the principles of range estimating, windage, barometric pressure, and deployment and tactics. Over the two-month course, students drill on the three basic components of sniper training:

• Marksmanship
• Observation
• Stalking

According to Army Ranger Sniper, "It's not like you can read a book and go do it. You have to do it over and over, and if you quit doing it for a while you can lose your skills. It's a perishable skill." 

Rounds Down Range

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
Snipers practice marksmanship on a range at the U.S. Army Sniper School at the Sembach Army Annex in Germany.

The skill snipers are most known for is their marksmanship. The ability to hit targets as far as a 1,000 yards away (10 football fields!) is not something that comes naturally. Snipers train to become expert marksman with a deeply ingrained understanding of the principles of ballistics.

MOA (minute of angle) is the unit of measurement that snipers use in school to measure accuracy. The greater the distance the sniper is shooting from, the lower the accuracy, as natural forces like wind resistance work on the bullet while it travels through the air. MOA measures the accuracy of the shot taking the distance it was fired from into consideration. The basic formula is 1.047 inches at 100 yards, or, for practical purposes, 1 inch at 100 yards. For every 100 yards the bullet travels, you add 1 inch of inaccuracy.

The two biggest variables that affect a bullet's flight are wind and gravity. When estimating the range of a target, snipers must consider how the wind will affect flight over that distance. Sniper teams can use indicators like smoke or blowing leaves to help them read the wind.

Despite the high power of a rifle shot, it is still affected by gravity. If you were to fire a sniper rifle level to the ground at the same moment that you drop a bullet from the barrel height, the fired bullet and the dropped bullet would hit the ground at the same time. As a round travels through the air, gravity is dragging it down. When sighting a shot, snipers must often compensate for this by "overshooting" the target.

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
German and American snipers work together to sight a shot in desert training exercises.

Air temperature affects a bullet, as well. Cold air is denser than hot air and therefore creates more drag on a bullet. On the other hand, bullets can tear through hot air. But Army Ranger Sniper explains that because humidity often accompanies hot air, which will also affect the bullet, this is yet another variable to be considered. "And with winds and heat and humidity -- if you look at all the factors it's amazing you can hit anything."

Even in ideal shooting situations, targets may be at odd angles or moving. Snipers are taught at the range how to deal with these problems.

Ultimately, the farther a sniper can be from his target and still remain accurate the more effective he is and the less likely he is to be discovered. Using a 7.62mm round, snipers can shoot nearly silently as long as they're shooting from over 600 meters. A bullet leaves the rifle barrel faster than the speed of sound. The cracking sound a bullet makes is a tiny sonic boom. Even if a target doesn't hear the rifle shot, he will hear the bullet fly by. But the drag created by wind resistance on a 7.62mm round as it travels through the air slows the bullet down to sub-sonic speeds at around 600 meters. So at ranges over 600 meters, the bullet no longer makes that distinct cracking sound. Army Ranger Sniper tells us, "If you're shooting at a target 800 or 1,000 meters out, you could be shooting at that person all day long and they don't even know they are being shot at."

Snipers spend plenty of time in school cracking the books and in the classroom learning the principles of ballistics, windage, air density, and many other variables that affect the flight of a bullet. But at the end of the day, it comes down to what snipers call "rounds down range." A sniper's most valuable classroom is the firing range. Snipers don't have time in the field to think about theory. Hours at the range help snipers to apply these principles by "feel." 

Observation Training

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
Snipers in Iraq.

Since most of a sniper's time is spent on reconnaissance missions observing the enemy, his observational skills have to be flawless. USMC Scout Sniper School has developed some unique "games" to hone student snipers' ability to look at things critically. This section details the games used to teach advanced observational skills.

Army Ranger Sniper details one training exercise called the KIMS game:

...they would put different objects on the table: a bullet, a paper clip, a bottle top, a pen, a piece of paper with something written on it -- 10 to 20 items. You'd gather around and they'd give you, say, a minute to look at everything. Then you'd have to go back to your table and describe what you saw. You weren't allowed to say "paper clip" or "bullet," you'd have to say, like, "silver, metal wire, bent in two oval shapes." They want the Intel guys making the decision [about] what you actually saw.

Kim The name "KIMS game" comes from Rudyard Kipling's book "Kim," the story of an Irish orphan who grew up in India. As a young man, he was trained for government intelligence work. The training involved showing Kim a tray of stones and gems for one minute. After covering the tray, they would ask Kim how many stones he saw and what kind of stones they were.

The KIMS game that Army Ranger Sniper describes is played repeatedly throughout the two-month course. As time goes by, students are given more objects to look at and less time to look at them. To add to the challenge, the time between seeing the objects and reporting what they saw gets longer as the course goes on. By the end, they may see 25 objects in the morning, train all day, and then at night be asked to write down descriptions of all the things they saw.

Another observation game happens in the field with a sniper scope. According to Army Ranger Sniper:

What they would usually do was hide things in a field, and you would just line up and have a certain amount of time to find them. There might be the tip of a pen hanging up out of the grass. You'd just have to look at every area in that field, you know, put your scope on it and just stare at it for a couple minutes, and move it over, stare at the next spot for a couple minutes. Basically, after a while, you do get really good where you can just pick these things out easy. You'd just look for things in the field that didn't add up.

 

Snipers' observational skills tie into their main mission: reconnaissance. Such intense observational practice rewires a person's brain. Army Ranger Sniper explains, "Even just driving down the road now I see weird little things on the side of the road that a lot of people wouldn't really notice."

Stalks

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
A sniper team stalks in an open field in Iraq.

Stalk training is the component of sniper school that hones a sniper's stealthy approach. Snipers have to learn to move slowly, patiently and methodically. If necessary, snipers will lie for days in the same position to observe an objective or avoid detection. Army Ranger Sniper describes the intricate process:

When you're stalking, you would be amazed when you're on the ground the things you walk over and don't look at. When you're trying to sneak up on somebody, even an anthill looks like a mountain. You have pick out your positions -- the next place you're going to crawl to. You ask yourself, "Is that going to cover me when I get there, and how am I going to get there?

To develop this ability, snipers have to pass perhaps one of the most challenging training games -- the stalk.

Stalk training takes place in open grassy ranges. Students start at one end of the range. One thousand meters down range, two instructors sit on top of a truck or tower with spotter scopes. Sniper students must stalk toward the instructors without being seen. To add to the challenge, the instructors have two soldiers in the field called walkers. The instructors use radios to communicate with the walkers and try to find the sniper.

Students must stalk from 1,000 meters out to within 150 meters of the instructors, all the while avoiding detection by the instructors and the walkers. Once in position, they take a shot (they are firing blanks). They must take this shot carefully because if their muzzle flashes or kicks up dirt, then they can be easily spotted. After the first shot, the snipers must stalk to a second firing position and take a second shot. To verify that the snipers were actually sighting the instructors, the snipers must read the card or count the number of fingers the instructors are holding up. Stalk training is a pass or fail game. If the sniper is spotted at any point, he fails the game. Too many fails, and the student washes out of the program.

Of course, training exercises are different from deployment. Army Ranger Sniper explains it this way:

In the real world, it's a lot easier to get up to an objective than you would think. When we did stalks, [the instructors] would have us get up to within 150 meters of the objective. In the real world, you would never get that close to an objective. The real world is actually a lot easier."

Anywhere, any time, snipers are prepared to use their specialized skills to sneak into dangerous situations and disable an enemy force through a combination of close reconnaissance and deadly long-range fire. When we asked Army Ranger Sniper if there was one thing he really wanted to get across to our readers about snipers, his response was, "Let people know that snipers aren't assassins, you know, kids always think that. Snipers aren't just assassins who sneak in, kill a general and sneak out ... that's what all the movies always show. That may happen, but it's very rare."

What Does a Sniper Really Do?

Army Ranger Sniper In the interest of privacy, the Army Ranger sniper we interviewed for this article asked not to be named; he will be referred to as Army Ranger Sniper for the duration of this interview.

A sniper is a highly trained soldier who specializes in shooting targets with modified rifles from incredibly long distances. They're also adept in stealth, camouflage, infiltration, and observation techniques.
Military snipers are used in a variety of missions on the battlefield, and the sniper's primary mission has nothing to do with pulling a trigger. The main battlefield role of the sniper is reconnaissance. Because snipers are masters of stealth, they are perfectly suited to sneak behind enemy lines to provide command with information about the enemy's size, strength and location.
When the mission calls for it, snipers can also dismantle and dishearten the enemy with a few well-placed rifle shots. Instead of engaging the entire enemy force like traditional infantry, snipers concentrate their efforts on hunting key people -- officers, pilots, armor drivers, technicians, and communications operators. With deadly shots that kill without warning, military snipers break both the enemy's will and ability to fight.

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
A U.S. Marine Sniper sights a target through a scope on a 12.7 mm .50-caliber light Fifty Model 82A1 Sniper Rifle.

When there is no specific objective, a sniper will look for targets of opportunity. By tracking enemy movements, snipers wait patiently for the unsuspecting soldiers to present the opportunity for a perfect shot. An officer taking a break to smoke a cigarette, a pilot flight-checking his helicopter, an armed guard on patrol -- these are all targets of opportunity.
"You want to take out what's going to help your buddies the most." This is what Army Ranger Sniper had to say on selecting targets of opportunity. He continues:

... When you're in the military, you have experience knowing how a commander acts. You know a private -- a private Joe Nobody is generally going to be sitting behind a mound or sitting in a hole with his weapon. You can tell who's who by looking -- 'Okay, this guy's in charge and that guy's a nobody' -- just because of the way they act. That's one of the reasons in the field you're not supposed to salute officers. Say, in the field, you're sitting there looking and some guy walks by and salutes somebody and then, 'BAM' -- you know he's an officer. That's one of those things you pick up on.

Snipers are also utilized in support roles. These support roles can be an over-watch position or a blocking action. When a sniper is in an over-watch position, he sets himself up in a concealed place that gives him a clear view of the battlefield. There he can support the assault force by taking out enemy forces that are endangering the advancing platoon. In a blocking action, snipers set up to help secure a position that is controlled by their platoon. They may set up on a roof and help ground forces defend their position.

­Snipers don't just shoot people. They are often ord­ered to destroy material targets. A sniper may shoot generators, radios, transmitters, or fuel and water supplies. Putting a .50 caliber round in the engine block of a helicopter or transport is just as effective as putting one in the man who drives them.
Snipers are what military strategists refer to as force multipliers. Simply put, a force multiplier is an individual or small team that, through the use of special tactics, can do the damage of a much larger force. What's amazing about snipers is that they are capable of force multiplication without ever directly engaging the enemy.
Because of the nature of their missions, snipers travel with very little gear, patiently moving under the cover of brush or night. But they never travel alone. Snipers teams often have to stay completely still for hours or days at a time to avoid detection, waiting for the right moment to take the shot. In the next section, we'll learn how sniper teams work together to achieve "the perfect shot."

Sniper Teams

Crew-served weapons are weapons that take more than one person to operate. Weapons like heavy machine guns or artillery pieces are examples of crew-served weapons. A sniper rifle is also considered a crew-served weapon. Though it only takes one person to fire a sniper rifle, it really takes two soldiers to get the most out of the sniper-rifle weapon system. That's why snipers always work in pairs. ­
A sniper team consists of a sniper and a spotter. The two-man team offers many advantages over the deployment of a lone sniper in the field. The spotter carries his own special scope that is much more powerful than the scope on a sniper rifle. The spotter uses his scope to help the sniper observe objectives and set up the shot. The two soldiers work together to get to the objective safely and discreetly and then set up a position. Here's the general process:

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
A U.S. Marine Corps sniper team at work in the Korean War.

• The sniper team uses maps or photographs to determine the best route to the objective.
• They walk or "stalk" (more on this later) from the drop-off point to the objective.
• They set up a position.
• They verify that the position is well camouflaged.
• They establish an escape route and a second, well-camouflaged fallback position in the event they are separated.
• They locate the target (or know it's on its way).
• They get into position:
  
  • The sniper takes a spot on the ground that offers him the best field of fire.
  • The spotter lies on the ground next to and slightly behind the sniper. He places his spotter scope so that it is as close to looking down the rifle barrel as possible.
• They work together to range the target, read the wind, and angle and adjust for other variables that may affect the shot.
• They wait for the target.

And in the words of Army Ranger Sniper, "Then you just take your shot and get the hell out of there."

Sniper Rifles

"One shot, one kill" is the sniper motto. Accomplishing this would not be possible without the specially modified rifles used by snipers in the field. A sniper rifle such as the M-21 or PSG-1 in the hands of a highly trained sniper can be a deadly weapon from more than a mile away. Army Ranger Sniper used an M-21: "It was a military M-14 with match-grade upgrades -- hollowing out the wood, fiberglass-seated receiver, different trigger mechanisms and optics."
­

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
As part of a training exercise, the members of a sniper team man a 7.62mm Springfield Armory M21 Sniping rifle (left) and sights through the scope of a 7.62mm M24 Sniper rifle (right).

Match grade means the rifle has been fine-tuned by a professional gunsmith to ensure the highest possible accuracy and reliability. Match-grade rifles are also used for competitive shooting. A match-grade rifle coupled with handmade, match-grade ammunition ensures the consistency that is so important for a marksman.
In addition, sniper rifles sport a free-floating barrel to ensure that the barrel touches the least amount of the weapon possible. This reduces vibration from the recoil. Also, sniper rifles are usually designed or modified to incorporate fiberglass or composite stocks to avoid the effect of humidity on the receiver. Any swelling of the wood can affect the accuracy of the shot.

Rifle Info For one of the most comprehensive sources on sniper rifles, check out Sniper Rifles of the World.

Sniper rifles are generally bolt-action rifles. That means the sniper must load and chamber each round he fires. Once he has fired, he has to clear the shell casing and load another round. Though they are more difficult to operate and have a much slower rate of fire, bolt-action rifles are preferred because they have fewer moving parts than automatics. There are semi-automatic sniper rifles, though, such as the M-21. Army Ranger Sniper had this to say about how the nature of the different rifles can affect a sniper in the field: "If you fire something on a bolt action, you have to reload one, and that movement could give you away. But also, the round flying out of the rifle could give you away on the semi-automatic." In the end, it comes down to the personal preference of each sniper.
There are many different types of sniper rifles manufactured by countries all over the world. On average, they cost between $8,000 and $15,000.

Sniper Scopes

Sniper scopes are essentially specialized telescopes. Here you see a basic telescope design.

After the rifle itself, the second major component of the sniper-rifle weapon system is the sniper scope. A sniper scope is basically a specialized telescope containing components that lay a targeting reticule (crosshairs) over the amplified image.
When sighting a target through a scope, snipers are comparing point of aim to point of impact. Simply put, when firing a bullet from over 600 yards, where you are aiming is not going to be where the bullet lands. All sorts of variables work on that bullet during its long flight to the target. Ideally, snipers want point of aim and point of impact to be the same. They line up these points with fine adjustments to the scope once range, heat and windage have been factored into the shot.

Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information Center
A sniper sights in a target on a range.

The Unertl sniper scopes used by the U.S. Marine Corps house the optics in steel tubes that are mounted to a bracket on the top of the rifle. They weigh 2 lbs, 3 ounces (~1 kg) and are 10 inches (~25 cm) long. They are fixed, 10-power scopes with a 32mm objective lens. This means that they are capable of magnifying an image to 10 times its size. The sniper uses the wire reticule with mil dots to range and sight the target. The mil dots surround the target center and allow the sniper to estimate the distance between objects and make adjustments for wind or moving targets.

Mil Dot Simulation Go to ShooterReady: Long Range Shooting for a great simulation of mil dot ranging.

These scopes sport ballistic drop compensators (BDC). The BDC looks like a small, round dial and helps the sniper adjust the scope to compensate for battlefield variables as well as the natural behavior of these rounds in flight. With the BDC, snipers can make fine changes to the scope without touching the range settings. A sniper can adjust for any range up to 1,000 yards, as well as make adjustments up, down, left or right.

extreme street fighting tips

extreme street fighting tips

How you can overcome your opponent quickly and with minimal losses?
Bring the lowest possible number of strikes at the appropriate time in the right place, it is best to strike one just does not change to a region vital and sensitive so as to suffer paralysis or coma discount or – discount really enthusiastic – Death .. The most important thing here is not to lose the ability to focus, so that they remain in control of your temper until the end. It really strikes the appropriate in such circumstances:
- Kick the front foot, knee directly to the area between the thighs (reproductive system).
- Strike with fists to the temple directly (which strike could lead to the killers).
- A powerful punch straight to the nose (which can lead to bleeding at least, to break the nose in most cases, but its impact may extend to the injured opponent a concussion in the brain, depriving consciousness).
- A punch to the neck (the strike there scattered the full rebate and possibly shot down the ground, and if they had a strong kill him).
- A strong blow with a sword broken hand to the neck or throat.
- Chop two fingers to the eyes (if performed tightly injury may lead to blindness).
- A powerful direct blow to the mouth of the diaphragm or the stomach (with a fist or attached).
- A strong kick or a blow to the knee to the facility or ribs.
- Mind blow fingers to any position in the head.
In some cases, the use of certain weapons can be a simple string keys, and key is crammed between two fingers and punches this way .. Try Stbhrk results!
Can also use a belt pants in the strikes really harsh .. The best way to use a belt wrapped around the hand grip and leave the area does not exceed 50 cm from the belt end Bhalith or solid part of it. The one strong blow on the head in this way will be sufficient Lcj his head and probably kill him.
How to face more of a discount at the same time?
The best advice when facing several opponents are: Try not engaged in this confrontation! Overcoming more than discount the work that needs to be a difficult one to reach an advanced stage in martial arts so that they can develop a coherent battle plan, and implement, in the short period of time may not exceed one moment! Is doubly difficult when it comes to three opponents and more .. Try to avoid such a confrontation as much as possible, because your opponents will not be honest in most cases, and often Sihajmk someone from behind or from Ebagtk sudden strike where they least expect, and perhaps Itank a knife in your back and running away. This is of course if you can stand for a period of time, will not break you at the same time to do refer you to (dumpling)!
In general; there is important advice that can be directed to those circumstances led to such a confrontation:
- If you knew certainly surrounded by a group of individuals want to hit you; do not wait for their attack on you, but you attacked them without waiting or delay .. This will be dispersing their attention and Erbg the element of surprise and makes the lead in your hand.
- Do not rush in random beatings, but tried to put the plan initially included combat by your control of the situation through strikes and carefully studied.
- Do not focus your attack on a particular person in the case of the group, but place the number in the account and start fighting on the basis that you are facing such and such liabilities.
- It is better to blow one Chtetep each and every one of them at the beginning and saved your effort to strike at heart.

Self Defense Tips For Women

Perhaps the title is controversial: Why focus on women? Is not the theme of self-defense means, men and children also means women? For my part, have chosen to focus on women because they are usually the weaker party in the equation of the attack on self, while (in theory) the duty of men and women to defend for the child because the child regardless of its strength, it remains the weaker party in most cases of assault on the self.
In this case, may be trained to avoid dangerous situations more meaningful, despite the fact that training in martial arts is to build a body and mind and personality.
Many women who do not Iern any attention to their physical and, unfortunately, the proportion of these women are great in our society, and becomes exercise just (Fashion) in most cases, Koleilat are from the sport became a lifestyle, but they, however, the assets of us, and their numbers are increasing.
But both been engaged women some exercise, or not engaged, and both are exposed to losing the battle for self-defense in the event of an aggressive stance aimed at property, but the same, with some preference to those accustomed to the practice of some exercises, and both soon will become the in a weak position for several reasons, mainly to the lack experience in the face of violence for several reasons.
Some of the reasons for this lack of experience due to the lack of a culture of self-defense in general, and this trend takes an even more acute when it comes to women. But the worst thing is the unwillingness of women to learn these things so that no community will consider it as masculine, and thus reduced chances of marriage that the commonly reported as being trained for any type of martial arts, which is believed to patriarchal society that it affects her femininity, this community where it is supposed that the duty to defend women falls on men and men only.
Other reasons less significant, but remain influential: Few number of clubs that have opened special courses for women compounding the suffering of women who want to learn something from the defense techniques for oneself, and most of these clubs are training martial arts Olympic; any of those games- is less efficient  in real situations.

karate  is practiced in most clubs is a combination of movements coordinated review, and some strength training, flexibility, and at best allows for some individual touch during the fighting, but bloody docking is strictly prohibited in this type of karate.

What judo is not allowed to player only constipation discount clothes and rhythm to the ground with the implementation of techniques rhythm so as to reduce the prospects hurt the opponent, and is not permitted at all constipation discount skin or areas of weak, and not allowed to strike, etc., are also imposed Judo docking before the fighting, thus it is very difficult for non-veteran player that put his opponent’s more powerful and more weight than the ground in real fighting only after it has reached a high degree of professionalism.
This is for Oriental Art, but what about the Western art?
Wrestling Kjawdo, boxing a little better than karate, and may have been boxing the most feasible, but the least suitable for women because of extreme suffering that may be caused by the same course of training, as it focuses on the individual combat and long-term fists only, but what about the fighting in the status of docking? Both of the two games are not suitable for women because they are designed for a man not only physically, but psychologically!

This provided a statement aimed at two things:
First: fighting games (or martial arts Olympic that the true name) is not appropriate to the circumstances of battle, they focus on the purpose sports: winning within the rules of the game, rather than on the basic objective of the art of combat, namely: abstraction opponent of strength in any circumstances.
Second: the inappropriateness of most of the Arts of ordinary women, which may have identified the the need to learn martial arts after reaching the age is no longer capable of jumping, punching and kicking, let alone on the implementation of strength training and flexibility required by this (fighting games).
And therefore do not need to acquire ordinary women that have not previously exercised and any sports in the past, or are cut off from the practice long ago and became a mother or have changed the nature of life with age, the skills of effective and practical self-defense.

There are many schools that offer those who wish to appropriate them in the real world that offers a range of defensive techniques that belong to several arts classical or novel, which focuses on what is effective and applicable in the circumstances of inequality (ie, in most situations that occur in the real world), But there are few clubs that adopt the courses in this area, we do not believe that the reason is the lack of cadres, as it is lack of demand at the local level, and hence the lack of economic feasibility of these courses.
Thus, there is no need to be carried by all the NGOs of competence to promote a culture of self-defense, and the adoption of such courses which were aimed at first is to preserve the lives of women of society.
In response, prior to the allegations that the responsibility of Defence is the first responsibility of a man, we remind the owners of incidents where the man was not there to defend either his absence … or for failing to respond to the cries for help.