The sniper role: why are they so feared?

If you are at all interested in military facts, you’ve probably (like us) seen sniper movies, heard stories about them like World War II legends, or maybe even personally met a military friend who told you several facts about his fellow snipers.

Beyond the myth of heroic snipers, there are extremely serious, highly trained men, ready to take the lives of others with extreme slackness. If they are so feared, it is because of their mission: to kill isolated targets at long distances, safe from any reprisals.

Today we’re going to dissect the subject and answer several questions about the snipers themselves, and more specifically about the men who are on the other side of the sniper character himself.

How are snipers chosen?

To fulfill the function of sniper, instructors are looking for a specific type of person. They evaluate the candidates notably on their ability to remain calm and relaxed in front of the world around them. An ideal candidate must also be comfortable working alone for long periods of time. This is important because the lack of social interaction over long periods of time can drive many types of people crazy.

One of the most important character traits is to be as cold as stone. So that you are able to kill someone in cold blood, after observing them for a long time. It may sound easy, but you would be surprised how many good soldiers are incapable of it.

Now let’s see how difficult it is to become a sniper.

Is it hard to become a sniper?

Since the technical requirements for snipers change from one country to another, we will not discuss them here. The important thing to remember is that a future sniper is first and foremost someone who is committed to a military career, with excellent mental abilities and a desire to progress.

You don’t become a sniper overnight. No country’s army would be willing to let go alone one of its soldiers who has not proven his commitment and skills on numerous occasions.

Be sure: it is difficult to become a sniper. However, it’s not that complex. Everything is a matter of will, so the result of the tests will also depend on your personality. It’s not a job like any other.

Can a female be a sniper in the military?

No matter what anyone says, no matter how much effort the commands of different armies around the world may make to help women receive such responsibilities, no matter how well trained they are. Nature is such that women are not suited to work in certain positions such as sniper. Beyond unbalanced physical abilities, which can be overcome with constant effort and relentless dedication, the nature of women is such that they will always be less effective and reliable as snipers than men.

To say otherwise would be to deny the fundamental differences between the sexes, and to cross the threshold of progressivism, beyond which there is only madness of a new kind.

Female snipers are, however, present in Soviet propaganda, such as Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who supposedly killed more than 309 enemies in combat. They can also be seen for publicity, which is admittedly pleasant for all of us to see. It is important to test our eyesight on different distances to always aim right.

Now you know all about female snipers, let’s get down to business in the next section and see what snipers have to do with math!

Do Snipers have to be good at math?

In many video games, just aiming is enough to kill. But in order to hit your target outside of movies and video games as a call of duty, you have to be aware that your ball will be subject to the same rules as any other object in the world. Here are the rules:

• Gravity: the trajectory of a bullet is curved, so it is essential to evaluate the distance to the sniper’s target.
• Wind: the trajectory of a bullet can deviate vertically and horizontally because of the wind.
• The temperature: you will find more information about it here
• The atmospheric pressure
• Humidity

It may thus be necessary to take into account the Coriolus effect caused by the Earth’s rotation, but this is extremely rare. To conclude, we can say that a sniper must know the math concerning his specialty. He will not have the use of the Pythagorean theorem, but will, on the contrary, need to master more complex calculations.

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How are snipers trained?

A good video is worth more than a thousand words, so here’s an excerpt from the American sniper training that speaks volumes about their daily life: physical training, shooting and camouflage techniques! Once this video is finished we will move on to group work. A sniper working not alone, one there are several good reasons for that.

What is a sniper team?

Forget the heroic sniper who eliminates Nazis by the dozens. As with other works in the military, the sniper work (or rather the life choice of becoming a sniper) requires more than one person to work under optimal conditions. That is to say, to handle a single sniper rifle, a minimum of 2 men will be required.

But why? You tell me. Only one finger is needed to pull the trigger! Let’s discover that in the next chapiter.

Why sniper needs spotter?

The moment when the sniper shoots comes after the sniper rifle scope has been adjusted, according to the conditions stated in the mathematics chapter. That is why we will always find a sniper working in binomial with his observer, himself equipped with binoculars much more powerful than the sniper rifle scope. It is thanks to this that the sniper will be able to take advantage of the most precise indications to achieve the perfect shot. The teamwork of a sniper pair is as follows:

• With the help of a map of their mission area, they must determine the best route to take to reach the ideal position for a successful shot.
• Establish 2 evacuation routes, the second one being in case the first one is compromised.
• They reach the established firing point, in all discretion. It may be necessary to improve their camouflage once there. If they operate in the forest, this may be with the help of foliage for example.
• Locate the target
• The sniper takes a landmark on the ground that gives him the best range. The observer then lies on the ground next to and slightly behind the sniper. He places his binoculars so that it is as close as possible to the barrel of the rifle.
  They then determine the distance to the target, wind strength, angle of fire and adjust for other variables that may affect the shot.
• Waiting for the target
• Shoot at the right time and follow the route set up before the start of operations.

You now know all about the work of the sniper and his fellow observer. But is this collaboration really effective? We’ll see in the next chapter how good the snipers are.

How good are snipers?

With a good rifle, a good observer, good adjustments… A sniper can wreak havoc on several killometers without being spotted. This is extremely disturbing for the morale of the troops in times of war. Good shooting conditions (in other words, weather favorable to stable shooting) and perfect control of the sniper can lead to deadly shots in just one bullet.

It’s time for action!

You now know everything that makes snipers the most feared elements of the army. You have certainly also understood that the main problem with snipers, however dreaded they may be, is indeed the life choice involved in practicing such a “profession”. It’s just as difficult as making such choices to assume the consequences, and to be able to change professions after a career as a sniper in the army.

Returning after such a job can be extremely difficult because it is anything but a small job that one can do without worrying about the consequences of one’s actions, both on oneself and on the lives of others.

Fortunately, if you are not ready to go through such hardships for one reason or another, you can always take on the role of airsoft sniper. It’s a great way to stay close to your family, get emotional and shoot your enemies with a sniper without risking anyone’s life!