Airsoft sniping (the ACE version)

[ACE]

"Oh my god not another one" For some reason I feel I must make a post about this. As I see even more people posting that they want to snipe. Being the sniper/DMR that I am, i feel it's is my duty to help them in their pursuit or guide them in a different direction. It won't be perfect but you will get the idea. I may be mean about this so if that's an issue, don't read it. So here goes.

Sniping in airsoft isn't even close to real world sniping or even hunting to all you would be snipers that consider it so. It isn't filled with glorious combat and killing everyone. It isn't call of duty, medal of honor, halo, battlefield, or any other video game you play at home while you munch on hot pockets. Yes I play these games myself, probably more then anyone else that comes to this forum. So just because you hear or read some great airsoft sniping stories, know that they are rare. Most are even tall tales or added onto.

Now on to the informing part.

YOUR JOB:
Do to contrary belief, your primary job as a sniper isn't just taking shots at people. That's all fun and makes you feel good, but even in real world they are more observers, guys calling in strikes on targets, or sending information back on troop movements from their hide. You don't see this much if at all from airsoft snipers. It is something that would make you a better teammate and a better sniper. Not to mention if you are hidden behind the enemy, and your team starts an assault fromt he front or wherever, you are in a perfect place to provide the needed long range support they need, instead of this: "Hey this is jimmy, I found the other team, they have 6 guys, I'm going to take them out" after a blaze of bb's from the enemy jimmy walks back to re-spawn. "what happened jimmy?" "i missed and got hit".

Information against an enemy is the best weapon your team could have. Numbers, are they all assault, any snipers in the group, any heavy weapons? That information can help you prepare your team to go in and take the objective. For example, at saturday,s game when two people were trying to be sneaky, I saw them, took two shots, then ran back to inform my team (because none of us had radios). That info put the team into a line ready to intercept them, granted we lost, but it prolonged them.

Finally the part everyone wants to do in this role, shooting people. Shortest part. Practice, shoot a lot, be accurate, don't miss. Missing gets you killed. Head shots are frowned upon in most places, but I use them when people don't call body hits. Hard to hide being shot in the face.

STEALTH:
Stealth can save you a walk back to re-spawn. Learning how to walk, crawl, and basically just move can help you in more ways then you can imagine. Finding good hiding spots, the right camo, both are important. The right hiding spot is something that is harder, you need to have cover, be unseen while still able to see everything around you or at least in front of you. Stay in the shadows, try not to show a profile against the sun. You don't want the sun behind you or in front of you. Behind you isn't to bad for one reason, it blinds people. Find a place where you can see at least in a 90 degree angle out in front of you, have a way out behind you (don't get cornered).

Staying hidden is a little harder then most think. Being able to see something that doesn't belong in an area, like you, is something you can learn while hunting. If someone thinks they saw you move, they will watch that spot, least I will. Hide in places you wouldn't expect to see a person. Use sniper veils, tree limbs, ghillie suits, anything to break up the form of your body. Learn how to walk run and crawl while making a little noise as possible. Thinking this is easy is the wrong idea.

LISTEN:
I tend to use my hearing more then my eyes. AS close as we fight and as loud as alot of people are in airsoft, its a good tactic. Train your ears to recognize the difference in a stick or leaf falling and the sound of foot steps. If you can hear your enemy coming then they have lost their stealth and all it takes is you finding them, but move slow, fast moves are seen and heard to easy.

WATCH:
look for anything and everything that looks like it does not belong in the area. A color, something moving, a persons head, you get the idea. Fast movements don't belong in the areas we play in, unless it's a squirrel or bird. Which all of these usually hide when we start playing.

DON'T PANIC:
Silly yes but it is important. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how surrounded you are, no matter how low on ammo you get, DON'T PANIC!!! I cannot stress this enough. This can go for any role sniper assault, heavy weapons, I don't care. The sniper role is the one that needs it more. Staying calm in a situation when your down to your last mag, side arm out of ammo and you have no help as the enemy tries to get you can save you alot of pain and embarrassment. EXAMPLE: New Hope I went with a civilian squad to attack the town during the day. Outnumbered we attacked, beat them back to the rear of the town. Myself and 2 others took cover behind the old truck there. After a long hard fight, I was the only one left until my team could re-spawn. I stayed at the truck holding them back with a bolt sniper for almost 10 minutes while my team came back to get me out. Did I panic? no. I stayed calm and remembered that in order to shoot at me they had to get closer.

COST:
A GOOD AIRSOFT SNIPER IS EXPENSIVE. I'm not talking about $100-$200. I'm talking about 300-400 or more in gun and parts. Cheap ones are a good stepping stone to learn from but they fall short of what you would really want if you want to be a sniper. That said, there are exceptions, but you will still end up spending more money in the end making that gun better. The A&K SVD is a great gun for this, easy to upgrade the spring and inner barrel, poof you have a great sniper. Not to mention it looks good. Scopes for the gun if you go cheap you can spend around $120. The PSO-1 scope is $150 and made for the gun, but the iron sights on it work perfect. Without the scope, you have a great gun for around $180. Most of your cheaper "snipers" under $100 are usually poor quality and may not even shoot as far as an AEG. The right AEG can become a good sniper platform and still be taken back into an assault role, but cost goes up with these.




I may add more to this so check in some if you want. Also if anyone has anything they would like to add to this, feel free. Just be prepared for harsh comments if it is a silly idea or comment.

[WIDOW]

Your post is very thought out and pretty much on point.A good read.

[DYNOMUT]

I think you hit the target Ace. I don't think most new snipers realize how close quarters we play so they don't get those really long kills they dream of. At a large game in a large field of play a sniper team can be a valuable asset  but to be this you must be willing to miss most of the "action" the sniper team has a different definition of action. Therefore MOST people are not suited to snipe myself included I do not have the patience but I surely like it when I have a good sniper on my side willing to do their part they are irreplaceable.

Pleasedontberateme

[CaptKirby]

I agree with ya. However I think most airsoft snipers limit themselves more than they should. All your points are very vaild, but where I think a lot of snipers fall short is not having a automatic side arm. I am obviously not talkin about hauling a large automatic with your sniper. But I have been sniping for almost 5 years now and having a P90, MP5k or other small compact lightweight sidearm that can actually put out some rounds accurately is a very valuable tool. There have been so many times that I move around as normal, quiet, patient, listening and watching. Then, when it came down to being a big difference maker or being just a scout that gives enemy positions and that gets a kill or two can come from that sidearm. So many times I have shot one guy with the sniper to have his squad turn around a charge me cause I am a sniper with a bolt action. Leaving themselves very open and to find themselves all dead to my P90. Followed by a call over radio to my team to quickly push forward due to their defenses being lowered.

Also, sometimes you do such a good job flanking and moving slowly that you are able to sneak behind enemy lines and come up on large groups that you would not be able to kill with a bolt action. I have gotten 5-7 kills at a time as a sniper simply cause I came up behind a group that was facing away from me and was able to gun them all down with the auto-sidearm.

Other than that the only other thing I would add to your very well written article is just how important stealth and having a quiet gun is. If you are smart, and you have a very quiet gun you can take out whole squads. Often times I will flank to a squads side, and simply shoot a very quiet gun during moments of gunfire as to mask the little sound that does come out. I find that often times if you do it right you can get 3 or 4 kills before people really have a good idea where you are.
Once you have that squad distracted your team can then make aggresive moves to come help you.

Overall as you have said sniping takes a lot of patience, stealth, and ability to relay enemy positions and movements to your team, all while knowing the best time to engage the enemy to most benefit your team.

[ACE]

Yes I didn't go into side arms at all in this. I myself usually only carry a M9 as my sidearm if I am sniping. I can agree with you on carrying a small gun capable of full auto. Very good point to keep in mind. It is good to keep some form of sidearm with you in any role I think. This thread will be added onto as i see other things that need to be in it or that I forgot to add in. Thanks for the input.

One thing I have started to test is sniping or going DMR with my new M4. It is surprisingly quiet and I am working on getting more range out of it. It is a good idea in a way because i can still go from semi to full auto as needed. Light and easy to move with, something that I look for in my guns and something to keep in mind for others.

[CaptKirby]

Yeah, it one reason I like the VSR platform for sniping, you can get them very quiet, very accurate, with a large range, AND they are very lightweight making it easy to carry a larger than pistol sized sidearm.

I also came across a KSC HK33 about a year ago that I have played around with. It has a proprietary design of having both bolt action mode(with the charging handle) and full/semi auto with the typical gearbox motor design. In bolt action it is suprisingly quiet(and super loud in auto). I used it in a game out with you guys at HamburgerHill and actually killed about 6 or 7 CMG(if I remember right) guys cause after I killed two of them in "springer mode" they thought it was a bolt action and charged me, and I simply flipped the switch to auto and took em out.

[CREEPER™]

Everything y'all have brought up are the reasons that out if 27 CREEPERS, not ONE is a sniper!

[cloakndagger]

Amen to that lol, lotta times what most guys wanting to "snipe" are realy wanting is a DRM role, thats where us good shots go when we discover we arent sniper material. It kinda irks me when i see a sniper team in the middle of a patrol, theyre not sniping, theyre just carrying a really cumbersome long gun that doesnt have the correct firepower for use within a squad. If i know we have snipers but i cant see them im a happy camper. On the other hand, if i cant see creeper or giggles it scares me because its only a matter of time till you take friendly fire

[VADER]

VADER will be sniping for INFRACTUS CONTEGO due to the back injury.  Ace and Kirby we need to get a game plan together for maximum effectiveness.

[nyghtbringer]

In airsoft, the line between a DMR and a Sniper is very faint. IF a game has a DMR role, the sniper is usually allowed a higher FPS. But DMRs are usually limited to Semi Auto. (ie. they must ONLY be able to shoot semi). So, IMO, in Airsoft, the DMR and Sniper roles are pretty much the same.

ACE pretty much summed up what is needed to fill either Role.

One thing he didnt bring up is the HUGE MED Snipers/DMR are alloted. IF your going to fill either of these roles, you need to know how far that MED is.

[CaptKirby]

I would agree the roles of a DMR and sniper are very similar, but to me the biggest difference is typically range/accuracy and actual gun stealth. Typically bolt actions are much quieter than DMRs and have a tad bit more range.

Another reason why I suggest an auto for a sidearm is for the MEDs you mentioned. Often times you might want to engage someone or multiple people at 50-80feet but can't do to your MED.

[Blaze]

I been sniping since i been playing 9 years ago. Yes i have 6 other guns but my main gun is the echo1 ASR. I use it all the time unless i want to run in then ill pick up my systema. I believe if your going to be a sniper? carry a pistol, a bolt action, & extra mags. Me? I carry just a sniper rifle. why? cause i dont move much & when i do? nobody is around. Im not a big fan of the sniper/spotter situation due to talking & to much noise. If your going to have a spotter with you? make sure your both wearing the same camo. If your sniper has a sniper suite on? you sure better have one to & not a desert tan camo with a silver M4 that shots350 fps that you like to call a DMR. If your a sniper & you want a partner? Choose with smarts & use every detail of the field to your advantage. B4 i play a game? ill ref a few matches....Why? so i can learn the field & The advantages of it i can use for mine. Marines & navy seals never send there snipers into ction untill they know there enviroment. Back them? yeah they did & it cost them alot. Now days we have radar & UAV's to scan they areas & brief of whats your going to walk into. once your on the ground your on your own. So if your a sniper? Make sure yo know what your doing. a sniper dosent run head 1st into a fight with a full auto sniper rifle.

[ACE]

I been sniping since i been playing 9 years ago. Yes i have 6 other guns but my main gun is the echo1 ASR. I use it all the time unless i want to run in then ill pick up my systema. I believe if your going to be a sniper? carry a pistol, a bolt action, & extra mags. Me? I carry just a sniper rifle. why? cause i dont move much & when i do? nobody is around. Im not a big fan of the sniper/spotter situation due to talking & to much noise. If your going to have a spotter with you? make sure your both wearing the same camo. If your sniper has a sniper suite on? you sure better have one to & not a desert tan camo with a silver M4 that shots350 fps that you like to call a DMR. If your a sniper & you want a partner? Choose with smarts & use every detail of the field to your advantage. B4 i play a game? ill ref a few matches....Why? so i can learn the field & The advantages of it i can use for mine. Marines & navy seals never send there snipers into ction untill they know there enviroment. Back them? yeah they did & it cost them alot. Now days we have radar & UAV's to scan they areas & brief of whats your going to walk into. once your on the ground your on your own. So if your a sniper? Make sure yo know what your doing. a sniper dosent run head 1st into a fight with a full auto sniper rifle.

As for the camo...I have to disagree with you. Yes in real world you would want to hide as well as you can, use the correct gun and all that jazz. But this topic is of airsoft sniping. When it comes to knowledge of the subject, I don't go by how long you do it. Lets face it, you can do something wrong for 10 years and still be wrong no matter how much you say your right. Airsoft sniping CAN be done with almost any gun, IF you spend the time and money on it, NOT JUST BOLT ACTION. Granted those are the more realistic ones for the role. It is also not about how high you can get your FPS on a gun, that doesn't = distance or accuracy. Only means your gun shoots at 400+ fps. Now we are talking airsoft sniping. Camo in airsoft is just something to make you feel better and like you are hidden, but I have hidden in plain sight with a pair of jeans and a green shirt. I've also seen people in guillie suits that couldn't hide to save themselves. It's more like being still and knowing how to move and such. The human eye is easy to fool. I'm not going to or trying to compare real world sniping to airsoft sniping, that's just silly.

[nyghtbringer]

i agree with ACE. just cuz you have been "playing the sniper role" for x amount of time, does not mean you are any good. 

I use a G&G M14 (semi/full auto) as my DMR. ACE uses a bolt action for his sniper rifle. I remember a Bumrush game that we held off the opposition for a while. we had approximately the same range and setup on opposite sides of the road. however, they focused most of thier fire on ACE, b/c they couldn't see me.

Now why do I mention this? We each had a different type of gun. bolt action vs non bolt action. But we both did our job, because we both had the range and accuracy needed to fill the "sniper" role. we also supported each other to the best of our ability.

I think ACE's point is that IF your going to play a sniper/DMR, you WILL need to put some cash into your gun. You WILL need to put some effort into learning your craft. Its not for everyone. In fact its not for Most people.

[echo214]

camoflauge only breaks up the outline of the human body. what gives you away most of the time is the impulse to move into cover when someone looks in your direction. people only see what they expect to see, and if they dont expect to see a guy in ACU standing 50ft from them, then as long as the guy in ACU doesnt move, the other guy will probably not see him by just taking a glance over there.