Click mouse, then pull trigger
Posted: 2002-10-10 12:55am
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/story/2 ... 4192c.html
Click mouse, then pull trigger
Wednesday, October 9th, 2002
'One Shot - One Kill!"
Those words welcome all who visit www.snipercountry.com, one of a half-dozen Web sites devoted to sniper enthusiasts. This is a subculture the firearms industry has helped foster in recent years to bolster dwindling gun sales.
"If you run ... you'll only die tired!"
The mow-'em-all-down daydreams that accompanied the now-banned assault rifles are as dated as Columbine. The new fantasy in the marketplace is of a single deadly shot fired from afar with a sniper rifle. The gun companies' motivation becomes clear in the Sniper Country site's chat area.
"My budget of $1,000-$1,500 includes the rifle, optics and any coatings," a visitor named Brian says. "But spotting scopes, cleaning gear, drag bags and the like don't have to fit in that budget window - my wife isn't as diligent about checking the workshop for unfamiliar extras."
A visitor named Bain says, "I love my Springfield Super Match M21, but you can't get one for $1,500."
A visitor named Scott reports, "Even a custom-built Service Rifle will only run you around $1,110 if you shop around."
The question is what to do with a sniper rifle once you buy one. A visitor to the site named Condor asks:
"How do you practice sniping? Certainly, you can't go around picking off people that are several hundred yards away. ... I mean, it's just not socially acceptable. People will complain. The police will get involved. You'll need a lawyer. It's just not worth it, using your fellow humans as live targets just to gain some quality, meaningful sniper practice."
Somebody outside Washington has decided otherwise. That has not stopped Sniper Country and other such sites from offering helpful sniping tips, excusing themselves with disclaimers that the info is intended only for law-abiding citizens.
"What about in an urban environment?" a Sniper Country visitor wonders. "How do you estimate distance to a target? Well, if you did a thorough reconnaissance of area of operation, you ought to know the distance between telephone poles, how long city blocks are ... all sorts of pieces of information that can give you accurate data in setting up a shot."
Yet another visitor, this one named Ed, suggests that while "movers are a pain," humans are generally easier than other moving targets.
"People are a lot simpler as you can make a good estimation by the way they move," he notes.
Ed recommends a simple technique to compute the target's speed involving two reference points and a "handy-dandy $3 Wal-Mart sniper calculator." He provides a simple formula for converting from feet-per-second to mile-per-hour.
"It is more dramatic to say 'I shot a 7 mph runner' than 'I shot a 12 fps mover,'" Ed notes.
Ed then furnishes an equation involving target speed, bullet velocity and distance to intended impact.
"At 100 [meters], a 3 mph walker requires about a 7-inch lead ... a slow walker is half that, a jogger double and a track star triple," Ed notes. "I hope this made sense. Any questions, just shout."
A visitor named Pat writes: "Thanks for the info on the lead of moving targets!! I guess it all comes down to practice but as someone stated, how do you practice it when you don't have a mover available?"
Lessening gunshot spark
The site also offers advice on concealment, including ways to minimize giveaway muzzle flash.
"I believe that most military ammo has a flash/flame retardant," a visitor writes. "Does any factory ammo seem to show less than another? Enquiring minds want to know!"
There are links to more than 100 companies that profit by selling guns or sniper-related gear, including a firm called AWC Systems Technology that makes nifty silencers and Mildot Enterprises, which peddles a calculator that quickly computes the "correction necessary to compensate for bullet drop and/or wind drift."
One handy section called "Selecting a caliber/bullet for Urban Sniping" includes a discussion of the .223-caliber bullet favored by the sniper outside Washington.
"At ranges urban sniping is done that .223 hits hard," writes a visitor named Rogers, who recommends a particular brand that "will 'pardon my French' Jelly the brains of anything within 200 meters."
The bullet is also a topic of discussion on a sister site, www.snipersparadise.com. A visitor named Switca offers, "Personally, a .223 bullet would not be my first choice."
Click mouse, then pull trigger
Wednesday, October 9th, 2002
'One Shot - One Kill!"
Those words welcome all who visit www.snipercountry.com, one of a half-dozen Web sites devoted to sniper enthusiasts. This is a subculture the firearms industry has helped foster in recent years to bolster dwindling gun sales.
"If you run ... you'll only die tired!"
The mow-'em-all-down daydreams that accompanied the now-banned assault rifles are as dated as Columbine. The new fantasy in the marketplace is of a single deadly shot fired from afar with a sniper rifle. The gun companies' motivation becomes clear in the Sniper Country site's chat area.
"My budget of $1,000-$1,500 includes the rifle, optics and any coatings," a visitor named Brian says. "But spotting scopes, cleaning gear, drag bags and the like don't have to fit in that budget window - my wife isn't as diligent about checking the workshop for unfamiliar extras."
A visitor named Bain says, "I love my Springfield Super Match M21, but you can't get one for $1,500."
A visitor named Scott reports, "Even a custom-built Service Rifle will only run you around $1,110 if you shop around."
The question is what to do with a sniper rifle once you buy one. A visitor to the site named Condor asks:
"How do you practice sniping? Certainly, you can't go around picking off people that are several hundred yards away. ... I mean, it's just not socially acceptable. People will complain. The police will get involved. You'll need a lawyer. It's just not worth it, using your fellow humans as live targets just to gain some quality, meaningful sniper practice."
Somebody outside Washington has decided otherwise. That has not stopped Sniper Country and other such sites from offering helpful sniping tips, excusing themselves with disclaimers that the info is intended only for law-abiding citizens.
"What about in an urban environment?" a Sniper Country visitor wonders. "How do you estimate distance to a target? Well, if you did a thorough reconnaissance of area of operation, you ought to know the distance between telephone poles, how long city blocks are ... all sorts of pieces of information that can give you accurate data in setting up a shot."
Yet another visitor, this one named Ed, suggests that while "movers are a pain," humans are generally easier than other moving targets.
"People are a lot simpler as you can make a good estimation by the way they move," he notes.
Ed recommends a simple technique to compute the target's speed involving two reference points and a "handy-dandy $3 Wal-Mart sniper calculator." He provides a simple formula for converting from feet-per-second to mile-per-hour.
"It is more dramatic to say 'I shot a 7 mph runner' than 'I shot a 12 fps mover,'" Ed notes.
Ed then furnishes an equation involving target speed, bullet velocity and distance to intended impact.
"At 100 [meters], a 3 mph walker requires about a 7-inch lead ... a slow walker is half that, a jogger double and a track star triple," Ed notes. "I hope this made sense. Any questions, just shout."
A visitor named Pat writes: "Thanks for the info on the lead of moving targets!! I guess it all comes down to practice but as someone stated, how do you practice it when you don't have a mover available?"
Lessening gunshot spark
The site also offers advice on concealment, including ways to minimize giveaway muzzle flash.
"I believe that most military ammo has a flash/flame retardant," a visitor writes. "Does any factory ammo seem to show less than another? Enquiring minds want to know!"
There are links to more than 100 companies that profit by selling guns or sniper-related gear, including a firm called AWC Systems Technology that makes nifty silencers and Mildot Enterprises, which peddles a calculator that quickly computes the "correction necessary to compensate for bullet drop and/or wind drift."
One handy section called "Selecting a caliber/bullet for Urban Sniping" includes a discussion of the .223-caliber bullet favored by the sniper outside Washington.
"At ranges urban sniping is done that .223 hits hard," writes a visitor named Rogers, who recommends a particular brand that "will 'pardon my French' Jelly the brains of anything within 200 meters."
The bullet is also a topic of discussion on a sister site, www.snipersparadise.com. A visitor named Switca offers, "Personally, a .223 bullet would not be my first choice."