Sound Off! Sniper or Marksman?

Would you rather have...

... one deadly sniper team that misses an occasional shot each year?
or
... a group of marksmen who are less deadly but more numerous?

Take aim with your comments below!

By: Brant

UK In Action: Sniper

A sniper serving in Afghanistan on Operation Herrick 10 with the Sniper Platoon, D (Fire Support) Company, 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, with his .338mm L115 A3 sniper rifle.

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

Guns 'n Gear: 21st Century Sniper Rifle

Check out the Lockheed-Martin One Shot prototype sniper rifle on Military Time's Gear Scout. This puts a high-tech aiming system on a .308 sniper rifle. The aiming system combines a traditional rifle scope with a laser range-finder and a LIDAR-based sensor to measure down-range wind conditions. The wind sensor technology is important for long-range shots at 600 yards and beyond where reading and compensating for the wind becomes critical. You can read more about MS2, similar products, and the underlying technology on the Accurate Shooter site.

And, if you just have to have something like this to put on your own personal precision rifle, check out the Burris Eliminator or one of its competitors. They don't have the wind sensor and aren't quite up to tactical standards of durability and reliability (as a prototype, One Shot might not be either), but they seem well-suited to waging the annual war on Bambi or her bigger, Western cousins.

By: Guardian

UK in Action: One Shot, Two Kills

This excellent story from The Guardian about a Royal Army sniper team in Afghanistan's Helmand province is well worth reading, especially since it features a "one shot, two kills" engagement. I won't spoil the surprise about how they did it.

By: Guardian

85-year-old Sniper's Still Got It

A US Army WWII veteran was given a chance to check out the new US Army sniper rifle, and plinked a target at 1000m. Oof.

More photos/videos at the link.

He may be 85 years old, but when Army sniper veteran Ted Gundy was given the chance to show off the skills he used in World War Two, he proved he could still keep up with the very best.
That’s because he was invited to try out the Army’s latest technology in a challenge to hit a target a whopping 1,000 yards away.
But the former member of the Missouri honour guard, stepped up to the challenge with an extremely level head.

It was then that the officers taught him how the Army’s custom made Remington 700 works and explained how a 1,000 yard shot can be achieved.
It involves a second sniper, called a spotter, judging the wind direction and any other conditions that could affect the bullet’s trajectory.
Mr Gundy, who lives in Memphis, Missouri, said before the shot: ‘I couldn’t even dream in a thousand years how you would even see the target, yet alone hit it.

By: Brant

UK In Action: Sniper Overwatch

A sniper from the Mobility Recce Force of 1 Royal Welsh, aims his L115A3 rifle on a Reassurance Patrol north of Patrol Base Wahid, Nad-E' Ali, Helmand. The patrol had successfully partnered with a platoon of Afghan National Army soldiers for the patrol. British snipers fulfil a vital and enduring role on the battlefield, in terms of intelligence-gathering, target identification and eliminating high-value targets. The L115A3 rifle, part of the Sniper System Improvement Programme (SSIP), is a large-calibre weapon which provides state-of-the-art telescopic day and night all-weather sights, increasing a sniper's effective range considerably. The first batch of SSIPs were deployed to Afghanistan in May 2008.

Image: UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

US Army Upgrades Sniper Weapon System

US Army snipers can look forward to a new weapon system for Christmas, courtesy of Remington Arms Company.

A recently awarded weapons contract means Army snipers can expect to see an improved rifle, with an extended range, in the field by Christmas.

The Army's Program Executive Office Soldier recently awarded Remington Arms Company a contract for the M24 Reconfigured Sniper Weapon System.

The award will result in the near-term fielding of 250 XM2010 weapon systems, which will be chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum cartridges. The new chambering significantly extends the weapon's maximum effective range. It's expected the Army will field the upgraded weapons to deployed Army snipers by the end of December.

"Within the space of a year, we were able to partner with industry to deliver a new capability for our snipers in combat," said Lt. Col. Chris Lehner, the product manager for individual weapons, part of PEO Soldier. "The upgraded weapon system provides extended range for our snipers and incorporates the latest in weapons technology."

The upgraded weapon features a five-round box magazine to make the system easier to load and reload, with the additional option to change out ammunition quickly. The system is also equipped with a rail-endowed chassis and free floating barrel that allows for easier mounting of weapon accessories and greater accuracy.

Locked on to that new rail, the XM2010 sports a Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20x50mm extended range/tactical riflescope with advanced scalable ranging and targeting reticle. The system is also fielded with the AN/PVS-29 clip-on sniper night sight. And the system's included quick-attach suppressor reduces audible and visible signature with an available thermal sleeve that reduces the mirage effect on heated suppressors.

After a full and open competition, the Army awarded the firm fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the upgrade of up to 3,600 M24 systems.

By: Shelldrake

Canada in Action: 3R22eR Snipers Compete in Belgium

A team of snipers from Valcartier represented the Canadian Forces in the first Belgian sniper concentration at Camp Elsenborn in Belgium.

The Belgian organization invited two teams from Canada, but only the four member- team from 3R22eR could come to Belgium and compete.

Before advancing, one of the teams observes the field through binoculars to ensure the coast is clear.

Article by Sgt Sébastien Fréchette, Army News, CFB Valcartier.

By: Shelldrake

Did the Taliban Hire a Sniper in Sangin?

There seems to be a sniper running around Sangin, but is he local or a hired gun?

There have been claims that at least three snipers trained in Iran or Pakistan are thought to be at work across Afghanistan.

Earlier this year it emerged that the SAS had been sent out to track a Taliban sniper operating around Sangin.

A senior officer disclosed that a single gunman was thought to be responsible for the deaths of up to seven soldiers from 3rd Battalion, the Rifles, stationed in Sangin.

Sapper Foster, 20, from Whitehaven, Cumbria, was on duty in a lookout post at Patrol Base Sangin Fulod on August 13.

The post is protected by thickened glass with only small gaps through which those on guard can point their weapons.

US forces, working alongside British troops at the base, disclosed that it is thought the gunman timed a single shot for the moment he walked past the opening.

"He hit a moving target in a space this big," Captain Jim Nolan, a company commander serving with the US Seventh Marine Regiment told the Wall Street Journal, holding his hands about nine inches apart.

View Larger Map

By: Brant

Tools of War: The M82A1 (aka M107) Sniper Rifle

Game-changers. In every genre of firearms, there is one. The blunderbuss. The Colt revolver. The M1 Garand. The Gatling gun. You get the idea...

The Barrett .50cal sniper rifle is another. Sure, there are other extremely accurate sniper rifles out there, don't get me wrong. And the vast majority of them fire the tried-and-true NATO .308cal rounds. That round has very good ballistics and makes for a very effective sniper rifle. And those rifles are still perfectly good weapons on the modern battlefield. By no means are they obsolete. But.....

The M21 and M24 .308cal sniper rifles had maximum effective ranges of about 700m and 800m, respectively. The M82 is good out to TWICE that range, with far, far, FAAAR superior terminal ballistics. Just look at the SIZE of this round! Compare the .50 BMG round to the NATO .308 Win round two to its right. It's just HUUUGE!



So, not only can your snipers hit targets much further out than they were previously able to, they can now do so at ranges where counter-sniper fire is a non-issue. And there is no denying the shock-value of the enemy having their leader's chest explode in front of their eyes, and having NO IDEA WHERE THE ROUND CAME FROM. Crapping their shorts? Hell yeah!!!

There is one drawback to this weapon system that will keep other sniper rifles in business for years to come - weight. For all the ballistic beauty that she possesses, the Barrett is one heavy bitch. 31 pounds heavy. Not that big of a deal when you have a machinegun, but incredibly heavy for something that you have to try to get all stealthy and low-crawl with in a Ghillie suit. But once you get to that firing position, it's all worth it.

Finally, the .50cal round is big enough to go beyond the traditional anti-personnel mission of the sniper. Now, a sniper can target and destroy trucks, lightly armored APC's, and even enemy weapon systems like mortars and machineguns. A large variety of .50 BMG rounds assist this new role.

I know you missed him last week, so here he is....your annoying, whispering ex-SEAL.



By: Steve

Holy Balls! Sniper Gets Kill From Over 8000ft Away!

No shit, kiddies! A British sniper has set a new sniper record with a double kill on a Taliban MG crew.

An army sniper has earned a place in military history by killing two Taliban machine gunners from more than a mile and a half away.

Craig Harrison's record breaking shots felled the insurgents with consecutive bullets - even though they were 3,200ft beyond the official range of his rifle.

The Household Cavalry veteran's kills from a distance of 8,120ft beat the previous record by 150ft.

He was using the British-built L115A3 Long Range Rifle, the Army's most powerful sniper weapon.

He was so far away that the 8.59mm-calibre bullets took almost three seconds to reach their target. Scores of Taliban gunmen h-ve fallen to the gun which has been nicknamed The Silent Assassin.

It is only designed to be effective at up to 4,921ft - just less than a mile - and capable of only ' harassing fire' beyond that range.

But Corporal Harrison took his record-breaking shots after his commander and Afghan soldiers were attacked during a patrol in Helmand in November last year.

His vehicle was further back on a ridge, with his sights trained on a Taliban compound. He said: 'We saw two insurgents running through its courtyard. They came forward carrying a machine gun and opened fire on the commander's wagon.

'Conditions were perfect, no wind, mild weather, clear visibility.

'The first round hit a machine gunner in the stomach. He went straight down and didn't move. The second insurgent grabbed the weapon and my second shot hit him in the side.'

The previous sniper record, 7,972ft, was held by a Canadian soldier.

Corporal Harrison, a married father-of-one from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, killed 12 more rebels and wounded seven others. During an extraordinary six-month tour of duty he also survived a bullet that went though his helmet and a roadside bomb.

The blast broke both his arms but he was eventually able to return to duty, his accuracy unaffected.

both graphics from The Daily Mail

Yes, he BROKE BOTH ARMS IN AN IED BLAST and returned to kill Talibanistanis at OVER 8000 FT. Fuckin'-A, this dude is the man

By: Brant

Guns and Gear: The M14 and Other Battle Rifles

Hello again, readers. First, please accept my apologies for missing last week's regularly-scheduled post. My "day job" has been rather hectic lately.

This month's edition of SWAT Magazine includes a very interesting article entitled "The Myth of the M14 Rifle."

Being a fan of all things high-tech, the variants of the M14 that have most captured my attention are the Mk14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR) and the M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle (EMR). I first saw an EBR in Fallujah and thought, "I have got to get me one of those." The EBR was, to me, the coolest piece of kit I had ever seen in-country, certainly cooler than the "pimp my carbine" M4s.

Every since that first sighting, a civilianized version of the EBR, like that made by Fulton Armory, has lingered on my wish list. As I said in my first column, the key question about any gear purchase is "Why do I want this?" Beyond "it's wicked cool" (in the case of the EBR), the benefits of an M14-like rifle compared to a standard M4/M16/AR-15 are obvious:

• The M14's 7.62x51mm NATO round delivers superior stopping power at all ranges compared to the M4/M16/AR-15's 5.56x45mm NATO round.
• The effective range of the 7.62 NATO round is on the order of 800 yards, compared to 500 yards at the outside for 5.56 NATO.
• While the standard M14 chassis would be a major handicap in a CQB/FISH environment, the EBR's modernized chassis would be at least passable (if not ideal) indoors.
• Unlike "exotic" rounds like 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel, 7.62 NATO ammunition is relatively plentiful.

To summarize, there is something elegant about a rifle that, with the right optic, is workable in close quarters but can also reach out to 800 yards.

The article in SWAT Magazine pointed out some key advantages. Among the most relevant to me, as a civilian defensive shooter centered on the AR-15 platform, are:

• The manual of arms for an M14-type rifle is completely different than that for the AR-15 platform. Under the pressure of a SHTF situation (or even a competitive three-gun match), the muscle memory from thousands of repetitions of shouldering the weapon, changing magazines, activating/deactivating the safety, and so forth on one platform will not transfer to the other.
• There is little or no interchangability of parts between the M14 platform and the AR-15 platform. The maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair procedures are also different. By adding another platform into the mix, your logistics requirements have just gotten more complicated (especially if you have to self-sustain for a while, as in a SHTF situation).
• According to the author of the article, the M14 platform is more maintenance-intensive and the barrel life is shorter compared to the AR-15 platform.

After considering these and other points that the author made, I started to think about "why do I really want this" and "what are the other options"? I'll admit that, for a civilian living an urban/suburban area, the basic justification for any battle rifle is mostly "because it's cool." In a SHTF situation, I'd be hard-pressed to find a sightline beyond the effective range of an AR-15 anywhere near my home or bug-out site and in a home defense scenario, the penetration of the 7.62 NATO round is probably more of a disadvantage than an advantage. Those of you living in more rural and less wooded areas (like the American Midwest and West) are in different circumstances.

Accepting that this is (at least for me) fundamentally a "because it's cool" item on the wish list, what are some more practical options that satisfy the itch for a manly battle rifle that fires a manly 7.62 NATO cartridge?

• FN SCAR-H: The SCAR-H is not yet available on the civilian market and has many of the same training and logistics issues as an M14 platform: different manual of arms (although closer to the AR-15 than the M14), little overlap in spare parts, and little overlap in maintenance/troubleshooting/repair procedures.
• FAL: My friend and fellow Grog News writer Steve recently covered the FAL in one of his posts. The modernized versions of this "Right Arm of the Free World," such as those offered by DS Arms, are especially appealing if you want some flexibility in your configuration. However, most of the issues with the M14 still apply.
• "AR-308": With the recent adoption of the Knight's SR-25 platform by the US military for the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System, as well as the UK's recent adoption of the LMT .308 Modular Weapon System as the LM7 designated marksman rifle, the picture surrounding 7.62 NATO variants of the AR-15 platform (which I'll generically call the "AR-308") is starting to become clearer. In my mind, a key milestone for this platform was Magpul's recent introduction of the PMAG 20LR magazine for M110, SR-25, Fulton Armory Titan, and DPMS LR308 rifles (but not the Armalite AR-10 series). Compatibility of magazines across a broad range of manufacturers indicates to me that the "AR-308" platform is starting to stabilize.

Now we're talking! The "AR-308" platform has the same manual of arms as the AR-15 platform. Accessories such as grips and stocks are (generally) compatible between the AR-15 and the "AR-308," along with some (but not all) spare parts and most armorer's procedures. The cost is also a significant consideration. A nicely-configured EBR-style rifle from Fulton Armory runs about $4,100. A similarly-configured Fulton Armory Titan Universal Precision Carbine (UPC) with an 18.5-inch medium-weight National Match barrel, two-stage match trigger, Magpul UBR stock and MIAD grip, and free-float rail system can be had for about $2,800.00. Put one of the new 1-8x optics (which I'm really looking forward to writing about soon) on it and you have a very versatile battle rifle based on the familiar AR-15 platform.

Putting one of these together is going to go on my project list. But first, a bare-bones tactical shotgun so I can get back into three-gun competition and one of those fancy new optics I just mentioned...

Until next time, keep your powder dry!

By: Guardian

Where All The Marines Are Above Average

I get that you want to make it sound like every US servicemember is a hero beyond compare, but at some point the coverage of the Marjah offensive needs to tone down the rhetoric.

Elite Marine recon teams were dropped behind Taliban lines by helicopter Friday as the U.S.-led force stepped up operations to break resistance in the besieged insurgent stronghold of Marjah.
About two dozen Marines were inserted before dawn into an area where skilled Taliban marksmen are known to operate, an officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.
Other squads of Marines and Afghans, marching south in a bid to link up with Marine outposts there and expand their territory, came under sniper fire and rocket attacks by midday. The rattle of machine-gun fire and the thud of mortars echoed nearby.
The Marjah offensive, now in its seventh day, is the biggest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and a test of President Barack Obama's strategy for reversing the rise of the Taliban while protecting civilians.

my emphasis

Look, you volunteer for the scout sniper platoon just like any other job in the Marines. It's your speciality and that's what you do. It's not "Elite" to be good at what you do. And it's not "Elite" because you paint your face and crawl in the mud.
Hell, let's make sure we deploy "Elite" cooks to the war and support them with "Elite" fuel handlers and "Elite" personnel clerks while we're at it! Don't we deserve the best for our boys at war?

By: Brant

Guns and Gear: Weapons and Tactics in Games

Brant asked me to take a break from my usual gear porn and serious musings on self-defense to share some thoughts on how weapons and tactics are represented in games. After all, this is primarily a gaming-oriented blog :).

Unlike most of my colleagues here at GrogNews, I am, first and foremost, a console gamer, not a PC gamer or a tabletop gamer. The relative merits of electronic vs. tabletop gaming and of the various electronic gaming platforms can be debated for hours (or megabytes, as the case may be), but suffice to say that there are some great strategic and tactical games on consoles. At the strategic level, Sid Meier's Civilization: Revolution comes to mind, while Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six series and Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising are among the best tactical games on console platforms. In terms of popularity, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) is at the top of the heap right now, with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Medal of Honor following in its footsteps with hopes of topping its gameplay and technical accomplishments and at least approaching its commercial success.

In today's posting, I'll touch on some features that I would like to see in a tactical-action game on the PC or next-gen console platforms. Some games do some, but not all of these things, right, while some of the other ideas have not yet (to the best of my knowledge) hit the market.

Distinct Models for Weapons and Ammunition

Terminal effects (e.g., damage inflicted) are fundamentally a property of the cartridge, not the weapon from which it was fired. An M855/SS109 NATO 5.56x45mm, 62-grain penetrator cartridge fired from an M4 is fundamentally the same as one fired from an M16, an ACR, an Tavor TAR-21, an F2000, a FAMAS, or any other weapon chambered for 5.56 NATO. There can be differences in terminal effects based on different muzzle velocities from different barrel lengths, but these effects only come into play at medium ranges (beyond 100 meters).

Yes, MW2, I'm looking at you. Why is someone shot by an M16A4 or a TAR-21 dramatically more wounded than someone shot by an M4?

Magazine Compatibility

While we're on the topic of ammunition, a small improvement that a lot of games (yes, MW2, I'm looking at you again) could make is to recognize compatibility of magazines between various weapons. If my squad-mate is armed with an M16A4 and I'm armed with an M4A1, we can use each other's magazines. In fact, the M4, M16, ACR, TAR-21, F2000, FAMAS, AUG, G36, L85, M249 SAW, L86 LSW, and many other weapons can use the STANAG magazine most commonly associated with the M4/M16/AR-15.

Penetration

This has really improved over the past few years, but some games still don't get it right. The other night, I was playing M.A.G. while my wife worked on her laptop on the sofa next to me. I was playing a sniper role, popping 1-2 enemies at a time and then displacing left or right along a long fence line. I was really racking up the kills when my wife, who is not anywhere near as into weapons and tactics as I am, looks up at the screen, hears the enemy's return fire hitting the fence, and innocently asks, "What's the fence made out of?" "Wood," I responded and then realized what she was pointing out: the game had lulled me into treating a wooden fence as hard cover.

Movement and Positions

For a game to be in any way realistic, it has to model the real biomechanics of a how trained shooter moves, the positions that they take, and the effects of movement and position on accuracy. Ideally, games should also model fatigue and the effect of pulse and respiration rate on the stability of your body as a shooting platform.

I can't tell you how many times I've been killed in on-line games by some 12-year-old bunny-hopping on the approach and circle-strafing for the kill. I've completed some fairly high-speed training (especially for a civilian), but I must have missed the session where they covered bunny-hopping and circle-stafing as individual movement techniques.

Ricochets

Richochets are a real issue with small-arms fire, especially in urban environments that can be used to one's advantage or can present a risk (either from friendly or enemy fire). For example, a skilled machine gunner can "skip" rounds along a wall to hit otherwise protected targets. FM 3-06 discusses this and other factors that designers of realistic tactical action games would be well-advised to study.

Reaction Times

I haven't done any controlled tests on this topic, but it seems that games vary in how they treat reaction times of friendly NPCs and AI opponents. I know that SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle and SWAT 4, from the now-defunct Sierra Online, did it fairly well, because they actually had a difficulty setting to control the reaction times of AI opponents.

Wikipedia offers a decent overview of the topic and a column in a recent issue of SWAT Magazine also discussed the topic of reaction times with an emphasis on its tactical implications. At a minimum, I think a game should include some delay for the reaction time of the character observing the stimulus, making a decision (do I shoot or not? do I need to re-load? do I need to turn left or right to face a threat? etc.), and then actually executing the action (squeezing the trigger, executing a tactical or speed re-load, turning, moving, etc.).

Go/no-go reactions are also faster than choice reactions. If the AI is already covering a door that it expects the player to come through, it just needs to decide to fire when he sees the player come through the door (like readying an action in D&D). If, on the other hand, the AI is just standing around smoking and joking one moment and in the next moment he's covered in his buddy's blood and brain matter from a suppressed 7.62 round to the head, he has to go through a lot of choices: drop prone? dash for cover? unsling my weapon and return fire (where did the shot come from)? freeze in panic? etc.

There are other areas to consider (like the teamwork between a sniper and an observer that it takes to make a one-shot kill against a fleeting target at 800 yards or a better representation of terminal effects, including the effects of body armor), but perhaps those would push the game too far toward a simulation for realism fanatics like me.

In conclusion, I'd love to hear what you, our readers, think. What makes a good tactical-action game? What games do it really well and, conversely, what are some of the worst representations of combat in games that claim to be realistic?

[Edited to fix a typo.]

By: Guardian

War Heroes: Shughart and Gordon

These two will always be remembered together: Shughart and Gordon

*GORDON, GARY I.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army.
Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Entered service at: -----
Born: Lincoln, Maine.

Citation: Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site.
After his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members.
Master Sergeant Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition.
Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck."
Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.

*SHUGHART, RANDALL D.

Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army.
Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Entered service at: -----
Born: Newville, Pennsylvania.

Citation: Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Sergeant First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site.
After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members.
Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew.
Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.

Gary Gordon at Wikipedia
Randy Shughart at Wikipedia
Battle of Mogadishu (1993) at Wikipedia

By: Brant

UK In Action: Sniper at Land Combat Power Demonstration

A sniper in full camouflage shows off the 7.62mm L115A3 Sniper rifle at the Land Combat Power Demonstration (LCPD).
Image: UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

UK In Action: Sniper Up Close

A soldier is shown taking aim with an L115A3 sniper rifle at the Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) Equipment Demonstration at Salisbury Plain. The demonstration displayed the complete range of equipment that is in use by the Army, on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Involved in the display were actual soldiers who had used the equipment in an operational environment.

Image: UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7