Becoming a Sniper (merged)

[Jungle]

What you have said is a common misconception people have about snipers, they (more so Ive found officers) think "Oh no, we cant deploy snipers their just going to go out and kill someone", although this train of thought seems to be fading.

When I took the course, I was taught to kill people, which is the "raison d'être" of the Sniper. This is also what I taught to Sniper trainees a few years back.
Obviously, we don't kill people everyday, so they have us do int gathering tasks, which is fine. But don't lose sight of the main focus.
Ultimately, we are there to put one round through someone's head. Then report it...  

 

[Infanteer]

Unfortunately ill have to respectfully disagree with you on that one jungle, on my course it was taught that the main role of the sniper is intelligence gathering. What you have said is in part the definition of a sniper, to read:
A sniper is a highly trained infantryman, who can work himself into position, stay there for extended periods of time, under difficult conditions and kill selected enemy at long ranges.

What you have said is a common misconception people have about snipers, they (more so Ive found officers) think "Oh no, we cant deploy snipers their just going to go out and kill someone", although this train of thought seems to be fading.

Perhaps it is useful to view snipers in the USMC terms as "Scout/Snipers".  The exceptional degree of discipline and skill obviously makes Snipers effective "Sense" platforms.

However, in the end, the Sniper is an "Act" platform, and is equipped to kill the enemy.  Same as a rifleman, who can be plunked in an OP to collect Int, but ultimately makes his pay for killing the bad guy.

How many snipers do we really need? Nowadays it almost all rural and urban fighting,

Well, I can safely say that ALL fighting throughout history has been Urban and Rural.

im sure a good rifle man could hit somthing 500m-800m away,

500-800 isn't easy, especially under stress of combat with moving targets.

Wait until you handle a service rifle in a section attack before making predictions.

cause there isnt a lot of open grounds in a city or town. So one good experience marksman would be plenty,no? Please fell free to correct me on that one.

There is plenty of open ground in a city or a town.  Sounds to me that you need to turn your radio off of send and do some research and reading.  Start with Sarajevo and go all the way to Baghdad and Fallujah and you should see the utility of a sniper.  Searching these forums is a good start.

oh just a liltle off topic, you dont need any of tests to become a Grenardier?

We don't have Grenards in the CF.

 

[AZA-02]

dont we have a dude with a Canadian version of the m203 or something?

 

[Infanteer]

Ohh, you meant GRENADES?  I thought you meant Grenards, which are banned by the Geneva convention.

If your section commander wants you to be a Grenadier, he'll give you the thing.

 

[Jungle]

dont we have a dude with a Canadian version of the m203 or something?

Yes, they are called "dudadiers". :
The M-203 is an individual weapon, same as a C7 or C9. Everybody trains on it.

 

[Jungle]

I thought you meant Grenards, which are banned by the Geneva convention.

Then again, maybe he meant retards... now we have a few of these too !!

 

[Infanteer]

Yes, they are called "dudadiers". :

Good one dude.  

Then again, maybe he meant retards... now we have a few of these too !!

Okay, now you are on a roll....

 

[Blakey]

I had quite a lengthy reply made out in respose to Infanteer's post but I think my batteries are running out on my wireless keyboard, and when i hit one of the keys it was like i had hit the back button  :'(. So ill repost it later when i change the batteries in my keyboard.

Edit Batteries don't fail me now) In retrospect, i guess it wasn't that long, although ill still repost when i get them changed. (Says the ultimate procrastinator  )

 

[1feral1]

How many snipers do we really need? Nowadays it almost all rural and urban fighting, im sure a good rifle man could hit somthing 500m-800m away, cause there isnt a lot of open grounds in a city or town. So one good experience marksman would be plenty,no? Please fell free to correct me on that one. oh just a liltle off topic, you dont need any of tests to become a Grenardier?



BMQ in 50 LONG DAYS.

Excuse me but,

Maybe you should keep your SME comments to yourself about MOUT and sniping until you get some TI, and some serious svc knowledge behind you. There is more to being a sniper than to be a good shot, and is a far cry from being a 'rifle man' as you call 'em.

Just wait until you are behind your C7A1, attempting to hit targets at 300 metres from the prone in a non-combat environment. It's no computer game in the real world either, especially when one is on a two way rifle range.

Wes

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

I pity his BMQ staff.

 

[CH1]

It's really interesting to see the different ways of utilizing a sniper det.  It would appear that things have changed a fair bit from the 70's, with TV & movies guiding Trg!  Then again ther's not many of us "dinosuars" left.  We were such barbarians, slithering in & stalking the target. ("We" used in the collective military tense).  Guess some of us missed all the glory of being a Sniper, with all of it's perks like not having to follow ROE's, freelancing etc.

Then again it was John Wayne in The Green Berets that convinced me life was better if I didn't live in the RSM's house.  Guess I stand corrected, as a movie guided me to my own little piece of Nervana.

Cheers

 

[c4th]

im sure a good rifle man could hit somthing 500m-800m away,

Or an average shot with a Browning HP.

 

[Jungle]

Or an average shot with a Browning HP.

That would be a pistol man. 

 

[c4th]

That would be a pistol man.  

Yeah, your point?  Your unit doesn't take the HP out to the indirect fire ranges?  Ain't you ever seen Lethal Weapon?

 

[Hunter911]

Sorry to interject here, but i was just wondering...
a) Do you have to have 20/20 vision to be a sniper?
b) If so, is laser eye surgery accepted?

-thanks for any help

 

[Slim]

Sorry to interject here, but i was just wondering...
a) Do you have to have 20/20 vision to be a sniper?
b) If so, is laser eye surgery accepted?

-thanks for any help

Before you get jumped on I am going to ask whether you have done a forum search for information about the requirements for the sniper/observer qualification?

If not I humbly suggest that you start with that, then if you have further enquiries you can come back here and post them.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Slim

 

[Infanteer]

Sorry to interject here, but i was just wondering...
a) Do you have to have 20/20 vision to be a sniper?
b) If so, is laser eye surgery accepted?

I hear that the volatile nature of grenards means you need 20/20 vision - but I only heard this from Russians using them in Chechnya.  As I pointed out above, Canada hasn't used grenards since WWI....

 

[Slim]

How many snipers do we really need? Nowadays it almost all rural and urban fighting, im sure a good rifle man could hit somthing 500m-800m away, cause there isnt a lot of open grounds in a city or town. So one good experience marksman would be plenty,no? Please fell free to correct me on that one.

You do like to live dangerously don't you... :

Before any of the 61A group get hold of you and dance naked around your still smoulering corps might I humbly suggest that you actually join the Cf and get some time in.

being a sniper is just a bit harder than it looks on Ghost Recon, or wherever you developed that undoubtedly digital misconception from.

Oh, and by the way...The record for the longest shot a sniper has ever taken and hit someone in a theatre of war is a Canadian in Astan at 2400 Meters. Do you think that a "guy with a rifle" could hit that shot?! ( I amy be off on the numbers a bit, if so can a REAL sniper please correct me )

I thought not. Now Be quiet and learn a little before you shoot off your mouth again.

Slim
STAFF

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Quote,
before you shoot off your mouth again.

.... that would make him a verbal sniper and then everyones happy.....except the grenards of course.

 

[glock17]

2462m - A Cpl from the PPCLI, one of the five Bronze Star winners in our contingent at Tora Bora

An amazing feat, even with the Mac Tac .50!

I did that job for a while in the early eighties, I was with Recce for four years, from driver to Det commander, hated the thought of being in a rifle company, except in the winter, they had those lovely warm Marquis tents, we had a radar set and long range radios, warmed our rats in our parkas most of the time.  Ran around beggin warm coffees from ADP and Mortars. At least we got to wear whatever kit we wanted in the field.

61A  ( Slim, 61A was my Recce Det C/S, I think 62 were the sniper Dets, could be wrong though)

Oh Ya, the young fella that wants to be a sniper, on the next warm night, strip down to your shorts, cover yourself in raw hamburger juice, and lay in a cedar thicket all night long, you'll get a fairly good idea of what you're in for.....BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Oh man I'm havin a flashback!!