Post by crosshairs93 on Jan 7, 2009 22:04:52 GMT -5
My Guide to the Art and Science of Airsoft Sniping
When most people think of sniping, they think of Call of Duty 4 or the movie Shooter. But these things portray sniping as an exciting, action filled position that would end you up with the most kills on the field. In reality, however, sniping is just the opposite. It is very dull for the most part, and when there is action, it is usually very short-lived. Instead of having the most kills on the field, you will probably end up with the least. So to actually enjoy sniping you really have to enjoy fieldcraft too.
Skills and Techniques
In sniping, there are several things that you have to keep in mind as you play. These are commonly known as the “Five S’s”; Shape, Shine, Shadow, Silhouette, and Sound. As these are very good things to remember, but I would like to add a few more. Movement, Position, and of course, Shooting are also vital things to keep in mind as you play. So, we will start with Shape.
Shape and Silhouette
The outline of a human body is one of the most recognizable shapes to the human eye. Ironically, it would actually be an asset for a spotter to be colorblind as the focus should be more on shapes than colors. Therefore we must deny the enemy any such shape. The best way, in my opinion, of doing this is with a ghillie suit. The ghillie suit gives the wearer a large advantage over his opponent by disrupting the shape of the user and misleading the enemy. In addition to wearing a ghillie suit, a sniper can also put a few simple tips into practice.
1. When you walk, stay hunched over and take small steps.
2. If you are prone, keep your head as low to the ground as possible.
3. Carry your rifle in a drag-bag so you don’t have to worry about its shape exposing you.
Shine
One thing that many people overlook is shine. No matter how well you are hidden, if something glares, you’re as good as dead. The most common thing that glares in a sniper’s load out is probably his rifle, especially the scope’s objective lens. The best way to prevent this would be using a sunshade or killflash. A sunshade is an extension of the scope that casts a shadow over the objective lens of the scope. A killflash is a cover consisting of multiple tubes that each cast a separate shadow and over the objective lens. These can work wonders for a sniper.
Another thing that can also glare is your skin. A good way to prevent this is wearing gloves and face paint, or covering your hands in face paint. But gloves would be better because knuckle hits hurt like crazy.
Shadow
Shadows have a good side and a bad side. They can give you good concealment, or they can give your position away. First of all, you should always stick to the shadows whenever you can. It’s a lot easier to make out a sniper in broad daylight than in the shadows. You if you are out of the shadows, make sure you are not casting any conspicuous shadows. These things should help you when choosing a position.
Sound
Sound is one of the most important things to consider when sniping, especially in airsoft. Sound is VERY easy to track and is one of the most common reasons that snipers are spotted. Here are a few guidelines to help lower noise:
1. If you can quiet something, do so.
2. Walk by putting your heel down first and then using your toes to sweep away anything that might make noise.
3. Strap everything down to your body so that nothing clanks around as you move.
4. Only take what you need. The more you take the more noise you will make.
Other than a certain illegal piece of equipment that is placed on the end of the barrel, there are several ways to quiet an airsoft sniper rifle. The goal here is not to completely silence the rifle, but to disperse the sound so that the enemy cannot tell where it is coming from. Here are a few ways to help quiet your rifle.
The Foam Stock Mod
This mod is feraly easy to do and will make a good difference in the noise of your gun.
The first step is to open the butt plate on your rifle. (If you are using a vsr/vsr clone, then you need to tape off the back part of the trigger box so the foam does not stick to it)
The second step is to spray the expanding foam sealer in the hollow stock cavity. There are several brands of this foam but "Great Stuff" can be found pretty much anywhere.
The third step is to level off the bottom of the gun so the butt plate can fit back on correctly. A razor blade works great for this.
The last step is to simply replace the butt plate.
The Sorbothane Pad Mod
Cutting a sorbothane pad to go on the piston head or the back of the cylinder head would absorb most of that sound. Sorbothane is a vibration reducing, impact absorbing rubber used a lot in audio applications for isolating microphones and other equipment that needs to need feel vibrations coming through stands, tables, etc.
All you have to do for this mod is find a sheet of sorbothane at a hardware store and cut it to the size of the tip of your piston. (Some people glue them into place)
Other Mods
You can also stuff foam, or any other sound absorbing material, into the empty spaces of the stock to get rid of more echo. One more thing that can get rid of noise would be to wrap the inner barrel in foam. this would work sort of like a silencer but not as effectively.
I hope this guide has helped you and answered a few questions.
P.S. PM me if you want to know how to make a certain illegal piece of equipment that is placed on the end of the barrel. ;D
Movement
Everything draws attention when it moves, including a walking bush. When you move, everything needs to be done extremely slowly. Carlos Hathcock said “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” That is a very good lesson for snipers to learn. Here are a few more tips:
1. Only walk or move quickly if you know there are no enemies around.
2. If you are not sure about the presence of enemies, then crawl slowly on your hands and knees.
3. If you know there are enemies in the area, then stay still or crawl on you belly.
Position
Your position needs to be the most unlikely place that you would hide. But it still must give you cover. Choose a field of high grass instead of a thick bush. You should also think ahead and make sure you have good retreat route. What good is it to be camouflaged beyond belief and have no way out? Add vegetation from the area around your position. Don’t stop until you think you have over done yourself.
Shooting
There are three parts to this section; Techniques, Rifles, and Ammo. So… let’s get started.
Techniques
What good is an amazing rifle if you don’t know how to use it? Here are some tips to make sure you DO know how to use it.
1. Use proper breathing technique. Take a full breath, let out half, hold, and fire.
2. Squeeze the trigger, don’t slap it. And don't release the trigger untill the BB has left the barrel.
3. Use the tip of your finger on the trigger, not the joint.
4. Keep your trigger very light, but not so light that it wobbles.
5. Make sure you have a good sight picture.
6. Don’t fire if you can’t make the shot.
7. Make sure the shot does not startle you.
Rifles
There are many choices for your rifle. The main Choice is which power system. Well you have three choices; Gas, Spring, and Electric.
Gas
Gas is going to give you the highest FPS out of the box. They will also be more realistic than spring and electric. But they can be terribly inacurate and inconsistent which is not good for snipers. It really depends on where you live. The gas in a gas gun is sensitive to temperature, meaning; you could be shooting 550fps in 75 degree weather and then in 25 degrees, the gun may shoot 250fps.
Spring
This is the most consistent choice. It is great for hot or cold weather and is my personal choice. (Therefore it is automatically the right choice ;D) Spring guns are also less expensive than gas. But these guns usually do not have near the same power as the gas guns. They require a lot of upgrading and tinkering to get to the same level as a gas gun. But they can exceed the level of a gas gun in the end because they are so upgradeable.
Electric
This route is definitely going to end up being the most expensive because it takes a TON of upgrading to get an AEG to the same level as a bolt action. But a quick follow up shot can save your “life” sometimes.
All in all, I can’t tell you which is better. Only you can determine that. All I can do is give you the specs on each one.
Ammo
This section is much like the rifles section. I can’t tell you which ammo you should use. There have many cases where two of the same rifles work best with different ammo. I can, however, give a rough estimate of what weight bb’s would work well with what fps.
FPS BB
250 .25-.28
350 .25-.30
450 .28-.33
500 .30-.36
550+ .33+
Now I can’t promise you these will always be correct. For someone to ask me what ammo they should use would be like me asking them “What’s my favorite color?”
I just can’t help there.
Well I hope this guide helped you on your journey to becoming an airsoft sniper. After all, we always have something to learn.
Thanx,
-Cross
When most people think of sniping, they think of Call of Duty 4 or the movie Shooter. But these things portray sniping as an exciting, action filled position that would end you up with the most kills on the field. In reality, however, sniping is just the opposite. It is very dull for the most part, and when there is action, it is usually very short-lived. Instead of having the most kills on the field, you will probably end up with the least. So to actually enjoy sniping you really have to enjoy fieldcraft too.
Skills and Techniques
In sniping, there are several things that you have to keep in mind as you play. These are commonly known as the “Five S’s”; Shape, Shine, Shadow, Silhouette, and Sound. As these are very good things to remember, but I would like to add a few more. Movement, Position, and of course, Shooting are also vital things to keep in mind as you play. So, we will start with Shape.
Shape and Silhouette
The outline of a human body is one of the most recognizable shapes to the human eye. Ironically, it would actually be an asset for a spotter to be colorblind as the focus should be more on shapes than colors. Therefore we must deny the enemy any such shape. The best way, in my opinion, of doing this is with a ghillie suit. The ghillie suit gives the wearer a large advantage over his opponent by disrupting the shape of the user and misleading the enemy. In addition to wearing a ghillie suit, a sniper can also put a few simple tips into practice.
1. When you walk, stay hunched over and take small steps.
2. If you are prone, keep your head as low to the ground as possible.
3. Carry your rifle in a drag-bag so you don’t have to worry about its shape exposing you.
Shine
One thing that many people overlook is shine. No matter how well you are hidden, if something glares, you’re as good as dead. The most common thing that glares in a sniper’s load out is probably his rifle, especially the scope’s objective lens. The best way to prevent this would be using a sunshade or killflash. A sunshade is an extension of the scope that casts a shadow over the objective lens of the scope. A killflash is a cover consisting of multiple tubes that each cast a separate shadow and over the objective lens. These can work wonders for a sniper.
Another thing that can also glare is your skin. A good way to prevent this is wearing gloves and face paint, or covering your hands in face paint. But gloves would be better because knuckle hits hurt like crazy.
Shadow
Shadows have a good side and a bad side. They can give you good concealment, or they can give your position away. First of all, you should always stick to the shadows whenever you can. It’s a lot easier to make out a sniper in broad daylight than in the shadows. You if you are out of the shadows, make sure you are not casting any conspicuous shadows. These things should help you when choosing a position.
Sound
Sound is one of the most important things to consider when sniping, especially in airsoft. Sound is VERY easy to track and is one of the most common reasons that snipers are spotted. Here are a few guidelines to help lower noise:
1. If you can quiet something, do so.
2. Walk by putting your heel down first and then using your toes to sweep away anything that might make noise.
3. Strap everything down to your body so that nothing clanks around as you move.
4. Only take what you need. The more you take the more noise you will make.
Other than a certain illegal piece of equipment that is placed on the end of the barrel, there are several ways to quiet an airsoft sniper rifle. The goal here is not to completely silence the rifle, but to disperse the sound so that the enemy cannot tell where it is coming from. Here are a few ways to help quiet your rifle.
The Foam Stock Mod
This mod is feraly easy to do and will make a good difference in the noise of your gun.
The first step is to open the butt plate on your rifle. (If you are using a vsr/vsr clone, then you need to tape off the back part of the trigger box so the foam does not stick to it)
The second step is to spray the expanding foam sealer in the hollow stock cavity. There are several brands of this foam but "Great Stuff" can be found pretty much anywhere.
The third step is to level off the bottom of the gun so the butt plate can fit back on correctly. A razor blade works great for this.
The last step is to simply replace the butt plate.
The Sorbothane Pad Mod
Cutting a sorbothane pad to go on the piston head or the back of the cylinder head would absorb most of that sound. Sorbothane is a vibration reducing, impact absorbing rubber used a lot in audio applications for isolating microphones and other equipment that needs to need feel vibrations coming through stands, tables, etc.
All you have to do for this mod is find a sheet of sorbothane at a hardware store and cut it to the size of the tip of your piston. (Some people glue them into place)
Other Mods
You can also stuff foam, or any other sound absorbing material, into the empty spaces of the stock to get rid of more echo. One more thing that can get rid of noise would be to wrap the inner barrel in foam. this would work sort of like a silencer but not as effectively.
I hope this guide has helped you and answered a few questions.
P.S. PM me if you want to know how to make a certain illegal piece of equipment that is placed on the end of the barrel. ;D
Movement
Everything draws attention when it moves, including a walking bush. When you move, everything needs to be done extremely slowly. Carlos Hathcock said “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” That is a very good lesson for snipers to learn. Here are a few more tips:
1. Only walk or move quickly if you know there are no enemies around.
2. If you are not sure about the presence of enemies, then crawl slowly on your hands and knees.
3. If you know there are enemies in the area, then stay still or crawl on you belly.
Position
Your position needs to be the most unlikely place that you would hide. But it still must give you cover. Choose a field of high grass instead of a thick bush. You should also think ahead and make sure you have good retreat route. What good is it to be camouflaged beyond belief and have no way out? Add vegetation from the area around your position. Don’t stop until you think you have over done yourself.
Shooting
There are three parts to this section; Techniques, Rifles, and Ammo. So… let’s get started.
Techniques
What good is an amazing rifle if you don’t know how to use it? Here are some tips to make sure you DO know how to use it.
1. Use proper breathing technique. Take a full breath, let out half, hold, and fire.
2. Squeeze the trigger, don’t slap it. And don't release the trigger untill the BB has left the barrel.
3. Use the tip of your finger on the trigger, not the joint.
4. Keep your trigger very light, but not so light that it wobbles.
5. Make sure you have a good sight picture.
6. Don’t fire if you can’t make the shot.
7. Make sure the shot does not startle you.
Rifles
There are many choices for your rifle. The main Choice is which power system. Well you have three choices; Gas, Spring, and Electric.
Gas
Gas is going to give you the highest FPS out of the box. They will also be more realistic than spring and electric. But they can be terribly inacurate and inconsistent which is not good for snipers. It really depends on where you live. The gas in a gas gun is sensitive to temperature, meaning; you could be shooting 550fps in 75 degree weather and then in 25 degrees, the gun may shoot 250fps.
Spring
This is the most consistent choice. It is great for hot or cold weather and is my personal choice. (Therefore it is automatically the right choice ;D) Spring guns are also less expensive than gas. But these guns usually do not have near the same power as the gas guns. They require a lot of upgrading and tinkering to get to the same level as a gas gun. But they can exceed the level of a gas gun in the end because they are so upgradeable.
Electric
This route is definitely going to end up being the most expensive because it takes a TON of upgrading to get an AEG to the same level as a bolt action. But a quick follow up shot can save your “life” sometimes.
All in all, I can’t tell you which is better. Only you can determine that. All I can do is give you the specs on each one.
Ammo
This section is much like the rifles section. I can’t tell you which ammo you should use. There have many cases where two of the same rifles work best with different ammo. I can, however, give a rough estimate of what weight bb’s would work well with what fps.
FPS BB
250 .25-.28
350 .25-.30
450 .28-.33
500 .30-.36
550+ .33+
Now I can’t promise you these will always be correct. For someone to ask me what ammo they should use would be like me asking them “What’s my favorite color?”
I just can’t help there.
Well I hope this guide helped you on your journey to becoming an airsoft sniper. After all, we always have something to learn.
Thanx,
-Cross
(Also my favorite historical sniping book!)