How to Be a Sniper
Familiarize yourself with your weapon., Get comfortable adjusting windage, elevation and parallax., Practice good trigger control., Utilize proper breath control., Take wind movement around your target into account., Practice as often and as much...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Familiarize yourself with your weapon.
Everything becomes difficult under stress, which is exactly why a sniper must become intimately familiar with their weapon.
Cleaning and maintaining your rifle of choice is only a portion of becoming familiar with it.
You will also need to practice with it enough to learn what types of failures you may be able to expect and how to address them in a field situation.
This can only be done by firing the weapon regularly and learning how it handles different situations.Many military snipers sleep with their weapons in field environments.
The rifle has to feel like an extension of yourself in order to maximizing your effectiveness with the weapon.
Handling your weapon often will make leveling the rifle and capturing good sight picture a matter of muscle memory, allowing you to focus on your environment instead of your actions.
There are many types of rifles a sniper may use that include different firing mechanisms and ammunition, based on the situation and the sniper’s preference. -
Step 2: Get comfortable adjusting windage
When using a rifle scope there are three adjustments you can make to help ensure your rounds impact the target.
The windage adjusts your target’s impact point on the horizontal axis while the elevation will adjust it on vertical one.
The parallax adjusts the reticle in your scope’s depth in relation to the target and is not a common adjustment in other forms of sport or competitive shooting.When firing, practice making adjustments to the parallax, windage and the elevation to gain a better understanding of how each adjustment affects the impact point of your round.
There are many different variations of rifle scopes that allow you to make adjustments in different ways and in different increments.
Use one scope as your primary optic until you are as comfortable with it as you are with your weapon. , At a distance, pulling a trigger can throw your round off course and result in missing your target.
Instead, squeeze the trigger with slow steady pressure until it releases a round.
Once the weapon fires, do not immediately release the trigger.
Instead, hold it for a one count before letting go.Try counting down from five slowly as you squeeze the trigger to ensure you do not pull the trigger and shift the weapon.
Shifting a fraction of an inch at the point of the weapon can result in missing by inches or even feet at the target. , Your breathing can also have a dramatic effect on the accuracy of your rounds at a distance.
In order to fire accurately at long distances, you will need to learn to fire the weapon during the natural pause between exhaling a breath and inhaling a new one.
This practice is referred to as “breath control.”Breath out slowly and squeeze the trigger in between breaths.
Firing during inhaling or exhaling could shift the weapon slightly, sending it off course. , The windage setting on your rifle scope allows you to compensate for cross winds traveling from left to right or vice versa.
However, snipers are often firing at distances that can make wind a bigger issue for concern.
If the wind is blowing slightly where you are, but far stronger at the point of the target, it may throw off the round.
Use binoculars to look for signs of strong wind around your target, and adjust your windage left or right to compensate.If the wind is blowing around you and the target in the same direction, you may need to adjust the windage further than usual to compensate for the wind the round will pass through on the way to the target.
Wind traveling in an opposing direction may require reducing your adjustment, as the wind traveling left to right at the target may negate some of the effect of wind traveling right to left around you. , Snipers are trained to utilize cover to conceal their location from the enemy once in position, but getting to and from that position can be extremely dangerous.
The nature of sniper rifles makes them less effective at close and medium range combat, due to long barrels, different firing mechanisms, and large optics in the way of your line of sight.
Snipers carry sidearms, or pistols, to use in close quarters situations when their rifles would be less effective.You should become as familiar and effective with your sidearm as you are with your primary weapon, as it will be your first line of defense in close quarters combat.
Proper marksmanship fundamentals affect pistol accuracy as well as the rifle, but it may take more practice to get accustomed to firing a pistol under stress due to a lack of stability and shorter barrel. , Cover and concealment are two different methods of protecting yourself from the enemy that are best when used together.
Cover places actual objects between you and the enemy to stop enemy gunfire from reaching you.
Concealment hides your presence from the enemy.
When moving, stay conscious of things around you that may provide cover in the event of an enemy engagement.
Wear dark or camouflaged clothing to aid in your concealment from the enemy.Common forms of concealment utilized by snipers include face paint, camouflage and even incorporating the fauna and plant life in the area by placing it on or attaching it to their clothing.
Proper concealment should stop incoming gunfire.
Large rocks, buildings and thick trees could all serve as cover.
However, car doors, drywall or plywood will not stop rounds and should not be utilized as cover. -
Step 3: elevation and parallax.
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Step 4: Practice good trigger control.
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Step 5: Utilize proper breath control.
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Step 6: Take wind movement around your target into account.
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Step 7: Practice as often and as much with your sidearm as your primary weapon system.
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Step 8: Learn to properly utilize cover and concealment.
Detailed Guide
Everything becomes difficult under stress, which is exactly why a sniper must become intimately familiar with their weapon.
Cleaning and maintaining your rifle of choice is only a portion of becoming familiar with it.
You will also need to practice with it enough to learn what types of failures you may be able to expect and how to address them in a field situation.
This can only be done by firing the weapon regularly and learning how it handles different situations.Many military snipers sleep with their weapons in field environments.
The rifle has to feel like an extension of yourself in order to maximizing your effectiveness with the weapon.
Handling your weapon often will make leveling the rifle and capturing good sight picture a matter of muscle memory, allowing you to focus on your environment instead of your actions.
There are many types of rifles a sniper may use that include different firing mechanisms and ammunition, based on the situation and the sniper’s preference.
When using a rifle scope there are three adjustments you can make to help ensure your rounds impact the target.
The windage adjusts your target’s impact point on the horizontal axis while the elevation will adjust it on vertical one.
The parallax adjusts the reticle in your scope’s depth in relation to the target and is not a common adjustment in other forms of sport or competitive shooting.When firing, practice making adjustments to the parallax, windage and the elevation to gain a better understanding of how each adjustment affects the impact point of your round.
There are many different variations of rifle scopes that allow you to make adjustments in different ways and in different increments.
Use one scope as your primary optic until you are as comfortable with it as you are with your weapon. , At a distance, pulling a trigger can throw your round off course and result in missing your target.
Instead, squeeze the trigger with slow steady pressure until it releases a round.
Once the weapon fires, do not immediately release the trigger.
Instead, hold it for a one count before letting go.Try counting down from five slowly as you squeeze the trigger to ensure you do not pull the trigger and shift the weapon.
Shifting a fraction of an inch at the point of the weapon can result in missing by inches or even feet at the target. , Your breathing can also have a dramatic effect on the accuracy of your rounds at a distance.
In order to fire accurately at long distances, you will need to learn to fire the weapon during the natural pause between exhaling a breath and inhaling a new one.
This practice is referred to as “breath control.”Breath out slowly and squeeze the trigger in between breaths.
Firing during inhaling or exhaling could shift the weapon slightly, sending it off course. , The windage setting on your rifle scope allows you to compensate for cross winds traveling from left to right or vice versa.
However, snipers are often firing at distances that can make wind a bigger issue for concern.
If the wind is blowing slightly where you are, but far stronger at the point of the target, it may throw off the round.
Use binoculars to look for signs of strong wind around your target, and adjust your windage left or right to compensate.If the wind is blowing around you and the target in the same direction, you may need to adjust the windage further than usual to compensate for the wind the round will pass through on the way to the target.
Wind traveling in an opposing direction may require reducing your adjustment, as the wind traveling left to right at the target may negate some of the effect of wind traveling right to left around you. , Snipers are trained to utilize cover to conceal their location from the enemy once in position, but getting to and from that position can be extremely dangerous.
The nature of sniper rifles makes them less effective at close and medium range combat, due to long barrels, different firing mechanisms, and large optics in the way of your line of sight.
Snipers carry sidearms, or pistols, to use in close quarters situations when their rifles would be less effective.You should become as familiar and effective with your sidearm as you are with your primary weapon, as it will be your first line of defense in close quarters combat.
Proper marksmanship fundamentals affect pistol accuracy as well as the rifle, but it may take more practice to get accustomed to firing a pistol under stress due to a lack of stability and shorter barrel. , Cover and concealment are two different methods of protecting yourself from the enemy that are best when used together.
Cover places actual objects between you and the enemy to stop enemy gunfire from reaching you.
Concealment hides your presence from the enemy.
When moving, stay conscious of things around you that may provide cover in the event of an enemy engagement.
Wear dark or camouflaged clothing to aid in your concealment from the enemy.Common forms of concealment utilized by snipers include face paint, camouflage and even incorporating the fauna and plant life in the area by placing it on or attaching it to their clothing.
Proper concealment should stop incoming gunfire.
Large rocks, buildings and thick trees could all serve as cover.
However, car doors, drywall or plywood will not stop rounds and should not be utilized as cover.
About the Author
Katherine Flores
Katherine Flores specializes in education and learning and has been creating helpful content for over 3 years. Katherine is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
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