Tips for better sniping

schlehofer

schlehofer

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I am an amateur shooter but not a complete noob. So when it comes to precision shooting I am looking for tips that you pros have gathered over the years to help us newerish shooters do better. Now the tips im looking for are not about what kind of rifle or scope or ammo I have. Im looking for all the other information, things like when it comes to pulling the trigger to not PULL it but to Squeeze it very slowly, it should almost come as a surprise when it fires (that was given to me by a marine). little things like that is what im interested in. what kinds of food should i eat to help keep steady nerves or keep my vision good. what is the best weather to shoot in, should i hold my breath when shooting or not ? things like that. thank you.
 
Two breaths. On the second stop halfway through your exhale and squeeze the trigger.

Practice as much as you can. Trigger break should not be a suprise if you know your gun.
 
The best weather to shoot in is every type you can. Hot days, cold days, windy days, days with lots of mirage and days with lots of wind and mirage will help you understand how the different elements will affect your bullet travel.

Keep hydrated.

Shoot as much as you possibly can. More trigger time = better shooting.

Only load development should be done on calm days with little or no mirage.

If you plan on shooting competitively at any point and time in your life, you will rarely (if ever) have a calm, no conditions day so learning to shoot in conditions can only make you better.
 
Google the 'fundamentals of marksmanship' and learn and practice them until you can't do it wrong.

I agree with shooting in all conditions. Thats what separates people who are good shots from people who are great.



Oh... don't call it sniping....
 
Tips for the Antigunner-bait

FFS :rolleyes:

Unless you are:
a) Actually employed as a sniper or marksman by a military, law enforcement or other government entity; and
b) Deployed as a sniper or marksman by a military, law enforcement or other government entity;
Then YOU ARE NOT A SNIPER.
So, if you aren't a sniper, call what you do shooting or marksmanship.

That said, your overall physical fitness is a very important factor that is frequently overlooked by most.
Everybody spends money on gear, but very few spend the time and effort on fitness.
 
Craftsman 441 said:
FFS :rolleyes:

Unless you are:
a) Actually employed as a sniper or marksman by a military, law enforcement or other government entity; and
b) Deployed as a sniper or marksman by a military, law enforcement or other government entity;
Then YOU ARE NOT A SNIPER.
So, if you aren't a sniper, call what you do shooting or marksmanship.

That said, your overall physical fitness is a very important factor that is frequently overlooked by most.
Everybody spends money on gear, but very few spend the time and effort on fitness.
Click to expand...

You forgot to add:

c) A professional last second winning bidder on ebay

:D
 
When the trigger breaks it must always be a surprise. Place the first pad of the finger on the trigger so that no other part of the finger touches the rifle stock. A good trigger should break with no little perceptible movement, and should be light enough that it fires effortlessly without inducing wobble into the rifle.

Shooting positions should be practiced so that they can be quickly acquired and your position must be supported by bone and not muscle. The flat or the arm behind the elbow should provide the support when shooting from sitting or kneeling and the forearm ahead of the elbow should provide the support when shooting prone. When prone the support arm must be directly under the forearm of the rifle. Develop your natural point of aim. This is perhaps the most important aspect of good marksmanship. When you are in a solid position, close your eyes and allow you muscles to go slack. Open your eyes, and if your sights have swung or dropped off target, your position needs adjustment. Make any adjustments to you position in small increments. Over time you will be able to fall into position and be very close to you natural point of aim.

Rifle fit is important to the extent that you should be able to reach the bolt without disturbing your position. You should be able to see a full scope picture without any shadow without any undue movement of the body or head. The adjustment of the stock and the scope should allow for repeatability to allow for getting into position in the shortest possible time.

Acquire a good shooting sling and learn to shoot with it. Shooting slung up will increase the chances of a first round hit by about a third from supported positions. If you shoot with a bi-pod, put a soft surface under the legs. If you are shooting from a hard surface put soft material under the legs as you would under the forend when shooting off a hard surface such as a rock or a log.

Train yourself not to be distracted. Focus on the mechanics of the shot to the exclusion of anything else. Train yourself to load the rifle without taking your eyes off the target, use dummy ammo when off range. These are all things that can be practiced off range.

When you have the opportunity to be on range, shoot in the wind to learn about wind drift. Shoot in the rain. Shoot in the cold. Shoot in the heat. Shoot in high humidity and low. Shoot on cloudy days and clear. Shoot in the snow. Shoot in thick mirage. Shoot at steep elevations if you can safely arrange it. Don't be concerned with group size, be concerned with first round hits, and fire 2 shot groups and breath between shots. If possible have someone else put out your targets so that you have to work out the range problem for each target you engage.

Set up stages where you have to make a shot under time constraint after a hard run. Set up stages that require shooting in positions other than prone. Set up stages where you shoot without the scope and must rely on irons. When possible shoot at live targets; coyotes and crows are available in most regions of the country.

Read as much as you can on the subject. Don't get side tracked by other genres. Concentrate on being the best rifle shot you can be.
 
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Two items

Use the same amount of pressure on your thumb as you do your trigger finger this should reduce or eliminate pulling the trigger finger to one side.

Further to CyN1de comment on keeping hydrated. For extended shooting at matches I use a bottle of eye drop. I put drops in at night before bed and again in the morning this flushes out any debris and keeps my eyes hydrated which reduces those floates that sometimes appear. I also speculate that if i use eye drops my hyrdation can drop a little bit more then if I didn't use them.
 
These are some great tips. I just learned that i should use my dominant eye to shoot which turns out to be my left. all this time i have been using my right and have found it to be a great difference. My left eye focuses a little bit faster and is not as sensitive to light. As i was told the best way to find my dominant eye is to simply go out on a bright day and which ever eye you squint is the weaker eye


and Im sorry for calling it sniping but I am inspired by snipers who can make one hole groups at 300 yards and I want to be like that.
 
One hole groups at 300? Too easy. EMT me $3500 and you'll be there in 3 business days. You'll be grouping at triple that.

.. Aside from that. Get a ####load of ammo and just shoot and repeat.
 
c. Firing Phase.To fire the rifle, the sniper should remember the key
word, “BRASS.” Each letter is explained as follows:
(1) Breathe. The sniper inhales and exhales to the natural respiratory
pause. He checks for consistent head placement and stock weld.
He ensures eye relief is correct (full field of view through the scope; no
shadows present). At the same time, he begins aligning the cross hairs or
front blade with the target at the desired point of aim.
(2) Relax. As the sniper exhales, he relaxes as many muscles as
possible, while maintaining control of the weapon and position.
(3) Aim. If the sniper has a good, natural point of aim, the rifle points
at the desired target during the respiratory pause. If the aim is off, the
sniper should make a slight adjustment to acquire the desired point
of aim. He avoids “muscling” the weapon toward the aiming point.
(4) Squeeze. As long as the sight picture is satisfactory, the sniper
squeezes the trigger. The pressure applied to the trigger must be straight to
the rear without disturbing the lay of the rifle or the desired point of aim.
*3-24
FM 23-10.
Shoot every weekend and dry fire at home. Be consitant. Attend training, watch and talk to others at the range. And at the end of the day have fun.
 
Buy a BB gun and take off the sights and shoot it a lot. Watch how the BB goes and how your eye guides the shot.
 
schlehofer said:
These are some great tips. I just learned that i should use my dominant eye to shoot which turns out to be my left. all this time i have been using my right and have found it to be a great difference. My left eye focuses a little bit faster and is not as sensitive to light. As i was told the best way to find my dominant eye is to simply go out on a bright day and which ever eye you squint is the weaker eye


and Im sorry for calling it sniping but I am inspired by snipers who can make one hole groups at 300 yards and I want to be like that.
Click to expand...


To easily determine your dominant eye: Find something a little far to look at - keeping both eyes open point your finger at arms length and cover the far target. Now - close one eye at a time while maintaining your 'pointing cover' with your finger. Which eye are you actually covering the target from? - That eye is your dominant eye.
 
Avoid alcohol, caffeine, or tobacco. All adversely effect your vision, or physiology in ways that make precision shooting more difficult.

However, if like me, you are addicted to caffeine, then have just a bit less than your usual amount. You don't want to throw your body into withdrawl just as you are trying to shoot accurately. I asked a doctor this once before a big match.

I asked the doc if I should avoid coffee before the match, and he asked "Are you addicted?" I had never thought of it before, and after consideration, I answered, "Yes." So that was when he said have just a bit less than my normal intake. That way, I won't be in withdrawl, and my body won't have quite as much of the stimulant on board. It worked...

There are foods that will help out your vision, but they are mostly the same foods that most people associate with a simple healthy diet. Avoid greasy, high fat, high sugar foods, do eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
 
In addition to the advice given earlier in the thread I would add one tip: use the smallest aimpoint you can - I used to have 1" bullseyes but went to Staples and bought some little self-adhesive red dots that measure 1/4" and stuck those in the centre of the bull thereby making my aim point smaller and, for me, this worked in reducing group size. Zero so you hit a little high so as not to ruin the aimpoint.
 
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