Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Maritime Sniper Manual

http://hotextract.com/6197/book-review-the-maritime-sniper-manual/

The Maritime Sniper Manual

When I served as a sniper in the US Army I was never given the Tom Berenger
award or any such nonsense, but having conducted dozens of combat operations
as a sniper and having graduated from the Army sniper school, I would not
have thought that this book would be packed full of new content that I had
never heard of before.

The "Maritime Sniper Manual

has something to teach junior and veteran snipers alike. The manual is
broken down in a logical manner and presents the information in easy to
digest bits and pieces as you read the book. Here is some of the information
I learned that I have never read from any other source:

* How to make wind calls based on sea conditions (ie: size of the
waves)
* How to time your shots between waves and synchronize your breath
rate with them
* An in depth discussion on environmental factors such as how water
temperature effects air temperature, which as we know effects external
ballistics.
* A detailed look at shooting through the different types of glass
that can be found on large ships
* Where is the best position on a ship for a sniper to place himself
and how to construct a steady firing position once he gets there.

<http://sofrep.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Maritime-Sniper-Manual.jpg>
Maritime Sniper Manual

These are just a few of the "take aways" to be found in this manual. Other
topics include tactics, equipment checklists, verbage to be used between the
spotter and sniper, and much more. I've found that in this line of work that
myth often over takes reality but in this case the author has both feet well
grounded, making realistic assessments of what the sniper can and cannot
realistically accomplish.

Some of the topics seemed rather academic, such as the discussion about the
Magnum effect, Poisson effect, and the Coriolis drift, but like GI Joe says,
Knowing is Half the Battle. The chapter about casualty first responder
(medical) treatment also seems somewhat misplaced in this manual, however
the information it contains is so critical to soldiers operating in any
environment that I can understand why it is included. That said, the author
breaks down CFR into concise data points in a manner that makes this chapter
an ideal reference or quick refresher.

The Maritime Sniper Manual
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581607407/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ref
lfire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1581607407> is
packed with new information that previously could only be obtained through
hard experience in the field. The appendixes are also useful, such as John
Plaster's piece on aerial platform shooting. Having buzzed around
Afghanistan in a helicopter doing just that, I wholeheartedly agree with his
assertion that peering through a ten power scope in this situation is
ridicules.

Making an excellent companion to Plaster's Ultimate Sniper
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581604947/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ref
lfire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1581604947> ,
this book will be referenced by snipers and other marksmen for years to
come. As it becomes more apparent that piracy on the high seas is
escalating and expanding (while the Western world fails about like a bunch
of school girls for the most part) I think that this manual will only
increase in relevancy in the coming years.

(This post originally appeared on SOFREP.com)

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