With the increase in civil disorders, the term sniper has come into common usage (particularly in the press) which is in general, erroneously used in that the term is commonly applied to any person who fires at a specific area or person with any type of firearm. Webster defines a SNIPER as "a sharpshooter concealed to harass the enemy by picking off individual members, usually at long range, and with a telescope-flight equipped rifle.”
Regardless of what we may call him, the individual who is shooting at police, firemen, soldiers or citizens is certainly dangerous. In order to counteract, we must employ a trained individual whose knowledge and skill fall within the dictionary description of a sniper, whom we shall refer to throughout the manual as a COUNTERSNIPER.
This manual provides general basic information, which we hope will be of assistance to those concerned in the selection of equipment, training, and employment of the counter sniper.
The contents of this manual pertaining to the selection of equipment are presented in the sequence that it is felt should he followed in determining the end item best suited to the needs of the user.
1. We believe that, in most instances, the counter sniper will not be required to engage targets beyond 300 yards* In fact, it is our belief that the majority of the targets will probably £all within a span of 100 to 200 yards, particularly in built up areas. Infrequently, however, perhaps in the country-side, a target may be engaged at distances up to perhaps 500 to 600 yards.
2. Of the several factors that must be considered in the selection of countersniper equipment (i. e., ammunition, weapons, and scopes), accuracy is perhaps the most critical, because on many occasions, the target presented will be small, and in addition possibly partially obscured or blending into the background. Further, innocent people may be located in the immediate vicinity of the target and the counter sniper must avoid injuring bystanders.
3. The ammunition to be used is the first item to be considered in terms of your objective or mission. Once you determine the ammunition that best suits your requirement, you may then consider the weapon and scope that will enable the countersniper to place the round in the target. The type of bullet is a prime factor to be considered. Soft nose hollow point or other types of commercial hunting bullets would certainly be the most effective, though not necessarily the most accurate. However, public officials are continually confronted with public opinion and n 'Humanitarians" who may class this type of bullet as barbaric; and therefore, in some instances, the public officials concerned may be forced to restrict the employing agency to the use of military-type bullets of full jacketed configuration.