Shooting rules from svd. Sniper training. Laying, breathing and aiming. Sniper tactics in special operations

SNIPER RIFLE RULES

General provisions

122. To successfully complete tasks in combat, a sniper must:

Continuously, patiently and persistently observe the battlefield and, by subtle signs, look for targets without revealing yourself;

Timely and correctly choose the target to defeat;

Quickly and accurately prepare data for firing and, choosing a convenient moment, hit the target in the shortest possible time, if possible with the first shot;

Skillfully fire at various targets in various combat conditions, both day and night;

Observe the results of your fire and skillfully correct it;

Monitor the consumption of ammunition in battle and take measures to replenish them in a timely manner

Battlefield surveillance and target designation

123. Continuous observation of the battlefield is the responsibility of the sniper. Observation is carried out in order to timely detect the location and actions of the enemy. In addition, in battle it is necessary to observe the signals (signs) of commanders, the actions of neighbors and the results of their fire. If there are no special instructions from the commander, the sniper conducts observation in the sector of fire indicated to him to a depth of 1500 m.

If necessary, the sniper draws up a fire card, on which he puts landmarks, the place and sector of observation, and indicates the distance to the landmarks.

124. Observation is carried out with the naked eye. During observation, special attention should be paid to hidden approaches and places convenient for the location of enemy fire weapons and observation posts. View the terrain from right to left, from near objects to distant ones. Inspection should be carried out carefully, since minor unmasking signs contribute to the detection of the enemy. Such signs can be shine, noise, swaying of branches and bushes, the appearance of new local objects, changes in the position and shape of local objects, etc.

For a more thorough study of individual objects or areas of the terrain, use an optical sight; at the same time, take measures to ensure that the shine of the glasses of the sight does not reveal its location.

At night, enemy locations and actions can be determined from sounds, light sources, and infrared emissions from his searchlights. If the area in the right direction is illuminated by a lighting cartridge (rocket) or other source of illumination, quickly inspect the illuminated area.

125. The sniper must immediately report the targets seen on the battlefield to the commander or, at his direction, record the results of the observation in the observation log, indicating in it the place and time of observation, what and where was noticed.

During an oral report, the sniper, using local objects (landmarks) near which targets are found, indicates the location of the target and its nature. The report should be short, clear and precise, for example: "Straight - yellow bush, on the right - a machine gun"; "Landmark three, ten to the right, closer than a hundred - an anti-tank rifle."

Target selection

126. For a sniper rifle, the most characteristic are living targets - officers, observers, machine gunners, snipers, messengers, gun crews, tank crews, operators of anti-tank guided missiles, radar stations and other targets that most threaten their unit. In addition, a sniper rifle fires at the embrasures of long-term enemy structures, as well as at air targets. Targets on the battlefield can be stationary, appear for a short time and move.

127. The target is selected and indicated to the sniper, usually by the commander. The sniper must quickly find the target indicated by the commander and report: "I see." If the target is not found by the sniper, he reports: "I do not see"- and continues to observe.

If the sniper does not have a target to defeat in battle, then he chooses it himself. First of all, it is necessary to hit the most dangerous and important targets. Of two targets of equal importance, choose the closest and most vulnerable for destruction. When a new, more important target appears during firing, immediately transfer fire to it.

Selecting sight settings, aiming points and determining lateral corrections

128. To select the settings of the sight, the aiming point and determine the lateral corrections, it is necessary to measure the distance to the target and take into account external conditions that may affect the range and direction of the bullet. When shooting at a moving target, in addition, it is necessary to take into account the direction and speed of its movement.

The sight, lateral correction and aiming point are selected in such a way that when firing, the average trajectory passes in the middle of the target.

Accurate determination of distances to targets and the correct consideration of corrections for external firing conditions are the most important conditions for hitting a target from the first shot.

129. For tabular shooting conditions are accepted: air temperature + 15 ° C; lack of wind; no elevation of the terrain above sea level; target elevation angle not exceeding 15°. A significant deviation of the external firing conditions from the tabular (normal) changes the range of the bullet or deflects it away from the firing plane.

130. Distance to targets can be determined eye, according to the rangefinder scale of the optical sight and according to the formula "thousandth".

Knowing the distances to local objects (landmarks) makes it easier to determine the distances to targets. Therefore, if the situation allows, the distance to landmarks and local objects should be determined by measuring the terrain in steps or in another, more accurate way.

At night, the distance to illuminated targets is determined in the same way as during the day.

Determination of distances with an eye it is made along segments of the terrain that are well imprinted in visual memory, which are mentally postponed from oneself to the goal (object); according to the degree of visibility and apparent size of targets (objects) in comparison with their sizes imprinted in memory; by a combination of both methods.

To determine distances on a rangefinder scale it is necessary to point the scale at the target so that the target is located between the solid horizontal and inclined dotted lines (Fig. 68). The dash of the scale, located above the target, indicates the distance to the target, which has a height of 1.7 m. If the target has a height less (greater) than 1.7 m, then the distance determined on the scale must be multiplied by the ratio of the target height to 1.7 m.

Rice. 68. Determination of distances on a rangefinder scale (distance to the target 500 m)

Example. Determine the distance to the machine gun, having a height of 0.55 m, if the machine gun with its upper part touches the dotted line of the rangefinder scale with a stroke indicated by the number B.

Solution. The ratio of target height to 1.7 m is, rounded 1/3 (0.55:1.7); the scale indicates a distance of 800 m; the distance to the target is rounded 270 m (800? 1/3).

The distance on the rangefinder scale can only be determined when the target height is fully visible. If the target is not fully visible in height, then the determination of distances on this scale can lead to gross errors (ranges will, as a rule, be overestimated).

To determine distances according to the formula "thousandth" it is necessary to know the linear dimensions of the targets (local objects). The measurement of the angular magnitude of targets (local objects) is carried out by the scale of lateral corrections of the sight reticle.

Example. Determine the distance to the enemy observer (target width 0.5 m), if the angular value of the target, measured by the sight reticle, is one thousandth.

Solution. D=B?1000/Y=0.5?1000/1=500 m, where D is the distance, B is the height (width) of the target, Y is the angular value of the target in thousandths.

To measure distances by measuring the terrain in steps the sniper needs to know the average of one pair of his steps; count pairs of steps under the right or left foot.

131. The sight, as a rule, is selected according to a certain distance to the target (for example, for shooting at a target at a distance of 500 m - sight 5). The aiming point in this case is chosen in the middle of the target.

The aiming point can be the middle of the lower edge of the target. In this case, it is necessary to choose a sight, when shooting with which the excess of the average trajectory at a distance to the target is equal to (approximately) half the height of the target.

Example. For firing at a machine gun at a distance of 450 m - sight 5. The height of the target is 0.55 m. The excess of the average trajectory with a sight 5 by 450 m is 0.28 m, which ensures the passage of the average trajectory through the middle of the target.

In tense moments of the battle, when the conditions of the situation do not allow changing the settings of the sight depending on the distance to the targets, fire can be fired at distances up to 400 m with a sight 4 (when using an open sight - with a sight 4 or P), aiming at the lower edge of the target or in the middle of the target if the target is high (running, waist figure, etc.).

The influence of air temperature on the range of a bullet when firing at targets at distances up to 500 m can be ignored, since at these distances its influence is insignificant.

When firing at distances of 500 m or more, the effect of air temperature on the range of a bullet must be taken into account by increasing the scope in cold weather and decreasing it in hot weather, guided by the following table:

Shooting distance in meters	+45°C	+35°C	+25°C	+15°C	+5 °C	-5°C	- 15°C	- 25°C	- 35°C	- 45°C
	aim		reduce		aim		increase
500	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0,5*	0,5	1
600	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0,5	1	1
700	0,5	?	?	?	?	?	0,5	1	1	1
800	0,5	0,5	?	?	?	0,5	0,5	1	1	1
900	1	0,5	?	?	?	0,5	1	1	1	2
1000	1	0,5	?	?	?	0,5	1	1	2	2
1100	1	0,5	?	?	?	0,5	1	1	2	2
1200	1	1	0,5	?	0,5	1	1	1	2	2
1300	1	1	0,5	?	0,5	1	1	2	2	2

* Amendments in the divisions of the sight.

132. Lateral correction when shooting at stationary and emerging targets depends on the speed and direction of the crosswind and the distance to the target. The stronger the side wind, the closer to 90° the angle at which it blows, and the farther away the target, the more the bullet will deviate away from the direction of fire. In this regard, it is necessary to make a correction in advance to the installation of the side handwheel by rotating it in the direction indicated on the end nut by the inscriptions and arrows. In this case, the correction is taken in the direction from which the wind blows. So, with a wind from the left, move the middle point of impact to the left, with a wind from the right - to the right.

If in combat the situation does not allow making adjustments to the installation of the side handwheel, then when shooting, the correction for side wind can be taken into account by moving the aiming point in human figures (meters) or by the scale of side corrections of the sight reticle aiming not with a square, but by dividing the scale corresponding to the value of the side correction. When the wind is on the right, grid divisions are taken to the left of the square, and when the wind is to the left, grid divisions are taken to the right of it (Fig. 69).

Rice. 69. Taking into account the correction for side wind by the reticle scale of the sight (the correction for strong wind on the left is 5 thousandths)

When determining the correction for crosswind, be guided by the following table:

Lateral moderate wind (4 m/s) at an angle of 90°. Corrections are rounded.

Firing range in meters	in meters	in human figures	in scale divisions of the side handwheel (sight reticle)
200	0,1	?	0,5
300	0,26	0,5	1
400	0,48	1	1
500	0,72	1,5	1,5
600	1,1	2	2
700	1,6	3	2,5
800	2,2	4,5	3
900	2,9	6	3
1000	3,7	7,5	4
1100	4,6	9	4
1200	5,5	11	4,5
1300	6,6	13	5

Table corrections for strong wind (speed 8 m/s) blowing at right angles to the direction of the arrow, it is necessary double up, and in light wind (speed 2 m/s) double down; in light, moderate and strong winds, but blowing at an acute angle to the direction of fire, the corrections determined for wind blowing at an angle of 90 °, reduce twice.

Removal of the aiming point is made from the middle of the target. When making adjustments to the sidewheel setting, aim at the middle of the target.

To facilitate the memorization of corrections for a moderate side wind blowing at an angle of 90 °, in divisions of the scale of the side handwheel (sight grid), you need to divide the sight number corresponding to the distance to the target, divide: when shooting at distances up to 500 m - by a constant number 4, and when shooting at long distances - by 3.

Example. Determine the correction for a strong side wind blowing at an acute angle to the direction of fire, in divisions of the side handwheel scale, if the distance to the target is 600 m (sight 6).

Solution. 6 (sight): 3 (constant number) = 2.

133. Whenever the situation permits, the data for firing should be prepared in advance and, if necessary, recorded on the fire card. Before opening fire, the prepared data are corrected for side wind and air temperature.

Timing to open fire

134. The moment of opening fire is determined by the command of the commander "Fire", and with independent firing - depending on the situation and the position of the target.

The most favorable moments for opening fire: when the target can be hit suddenly at close range; when the target is clearly visible; when the target crowds, flanks or rises to its full height; when the target approached a local object (landmark), the distance to which was predetermined or for which the sight settings were refined by shooting.

Firing, monitoring its results and correcting

135. When firing, the sniper must carefully observe the results of his fire and correct it, making the necessary changes in the settings of the sight and side-wheel or in the position of the aiming point.

Observation of the results of their fire is carried out by ricochets, bullet routes and the behavior of the enemy. To correct the fire along the tracks, it is necessary that the firing be carried out with cartridges with ordinary and tracer bullets in the ratio of one cartridge with a tracer bullet and one cartridge with an ordinary bullet.

Signs indicating the validity of one's own fire may be the loss of the enemy, the transition from running to crawling, the weakening or cessation of fire, the withdrawal of the enemy or going into cover.

136. If a fire mission is performed by a pair of snipers, then the sniper-observer must report on the results of observing ricochets or tracks:

When hitting the target - "Target";

In case of short flights (flights) - “Under flight (flight)” or “Under flight (flight) so much(meters) » ;

With lateral deviations of bullets - “Right (left)” or “Right (left) so-and-so(thousandths or figures) » .

137. Correction of fire in combat is carried out, as a rule, by changing the position of the aiming point in height and lateral direction. In this case, the aiming point is taken out by the amount of deviation of ricochets or traces in the direction opposite to their deviation from the target (Fig. 70).

Rice. 70. Correction of fire with the determination and taking into account deviations on the scale of the reticle of the sight

If the deviation of the bullets from the target is relatively large and the situation allows you to change the setting of the sight and side handwheel, then the fire is corrected by introducing corrections into the sight and side handwheel.

The sight increases (decreases) by the amount of undershoot (overshoot), measured in meters or thousandths. To measure the deviation of bullets in height in thousandths, you should use the height of the square (large stroke on the lateral correction scale) of the sight reticle, which is equal to two thousandths. When receiving a deviation of bullets in height of one thousandth at firing ranges up to 600 m and two thousandths at long ranges, change the sight setting by one division.

The adjustment of the side handwheel setting is made by the amount of deflection of the bullets in the lateral direction in thousandths, measured using the scale of the lateral corrections of the sight reticle.

Shooting at stationary and emerging targets

138. Fire at a single clearly visible immovable (appearing) target with the sight and side handwheel settings determined in accordance with Art. 131 and 132. Fire until the target is destroyed or hidden, but the sniper must aim to destroy the target with the first shot.

139. To defeat an emerging target, it is necessary, having noticed the place of its appearance, to quickly prepare for firing, set the handwheels to the appropriate divisions and, when it appears, open fire. The speed of opening fire is critical to hitting a target. If during the preparation for shooting the target disappeared, when it reappears, check for vodka and open fire. When a target repeatedly appears in the same place, it is necessary to aim the rifle at this place in advance and, at the next appearance of the target, quickly clarifying the aiming, open fire. A repeatedly appearing target may appear in a new place, so its defeat will depend on the attentiveness of observation and the speed of opening fire.

140. Fire at a group target, consisting of separate clearly visible figures, sequentially transferring fire from one figure to another, starting with the most important ones (machine guns, guns, etc.).

Shooting at moving targets

141. With the frontal movement of the target (towards the shooter or away from him), fire with the installation of the sight corresponding to the distance at which the target may be at the moment of opening fire, and taking into account the correction for air temperature and side wind. At a distance not exceeding the range of a direct shot, fire can be fired with the installation of a sight corresponding to the range of a direct shot.

142. In case of flank and oblique (oblique) movement of the target, fire with the installation of the sight, as indicated in Art. 141, and with the side handwheel set to a value corresponding to the lead and crosswind correction. The distance that the target moves during the time the bullet travels to it is called proactively.

The lead is taken in the direction of the target's movement. So, when the target moves from left to right, move the middle point of impact to the right, and when the target moves from right to left, move it to the left. If the shooting conditions do not allow taking lead using the side handwheel (set the side handwheel to the desired division), then lead is taken using the scale of lateral corrections of the sight grid or by moving the aiming point in the target figures. When using the scale of lateral corrections of the sight grid, aiming should be done by division, located on the side from which the target is moving (Fig. 71)

Rice. 71. Accounting of the institution for the movement of the target by the scale of lateral corrections (the lead is equal to 4 thousandths)

To determine the lead when firing at targets with flank movement (at right angles to the direction of fire), be guided by the following table:

A target running at a speed of 3 m/s (approximately 10 km/h). Preemption (rounded).

Firing range in meters	in meters	in human figures
100	0,4	1	4
200	0,8	1,5	4
300	1,3	2,5	4,5
400	1,8	3,5	4,5
500	2,3	4,5	4,5
600	3,0	6	5
700	3,7	7,5	5,5
800	4,5	9	5,5
900	5,4	11	6
1000	6,3	12,5	6,5
1100	7,3	14,5	6,5
1200	8,4	17	7
1300	9,5	19	7,5

A motorized target moving at a speed of 20 km/h (approximately 6 m/s). Preemption (rounded).

Firing range in meters	in meters	in scale divisions of the side handwheel (sight reticle)
100	0,7	7
200	1,4	7
300	2,3	8
400	3,2	8
500	4,3	8,5
600	5,5	9
700	6,8	10
800	8,3	10
900	10,0	11
1000	11,5	12
1100	13,5	12
1200	15,5	13
1300	17,5	13

When the target moves at a speed different from that indicated in the table, the lead increase (decrease) in proportion to the change in the speed of the target.

With an oblique (oblique) movement of the target, the lead determined for the flank movement of the target reduce twice.

Take out the aiming point from the middle of the target. When making adjustments to the sidewheel setting, aim at the middle of the target. To make it easier to memorize the lead in the scale divisions of the side handwheel (grid of the sight) for the flank movement of the target at a speed of 3 m / s (10 km / h), the values ​​\u200b\u200bof the lead can be rounded up and assume that when firing at distances up to 600 m, the lead is 4.5 thousandths (scale divisions), and at large distances - 6 thousandths (scale divisions).

143. Fire at a target that has flank and line movement is conducted by the method of tracking the target or by the method of waiting for the target (fire attack).

When firing way of accompaniment the target, the sniper continuously moves the rifle in the direction of the target's movement and, at the moment of the most correct aiming, fires a shot.

When firing way to wait for the target(Fire attack) the sniper aims at a point (local object) selected in front of the target, and as the target approaches this point, fires a shot (taking into account the lead by setting the side handwheel). If the target is not hit, then the sniper selects a new point on the path of the target, aims at it, and when the target approaches it, fires the next shot. Shooting in this way continues until the target is hit.

If the lead is taken by moving the aiming point, the shot must be fired at the moment when the target approaches the intended point by the amount of the calculated lead.

144. The use of cartridges with tracer bullets when firing at moving targets provides better observation of the results of firing and the possibility of refining the lead value.

Shooting at enemy manpower on armored personnel carriers, cars and motorcycles should be carried out with cartridges with ordinary and armor-piercing incendiary bullets (at a ratio of 1: 1 or at a different ratio, depending on the availability of cartridges with the indicated bullets).

Shooting at air targets

145. Fire from a sniper rifle at low-flying aircraft and helicopters is carried out as part of a squad or platoon and only at the command of the commander, and at paratroopers - at the command or independently.

When firing at aircraft (helicopters), use cartridges with armor-piercing incendiary and tracer bullets, and in their absence - with ordinary bullets, at paratroopers - with ordinary and tracer bullets. When correcting fire along the paths, it should be borne in mind that the paths aimed at the aircraft (helicopter) seem to the sniper to go above the aircraft (helicopter) and somewhat ahead of it.

146. At the aircraft diving towards the sniper, fire with a 4 or P sight, aiming at the head of the target. Open fire from a distance to the aircraft 700? 900 m.

147. An aircraft (helicopter) flying slowly to the side or above its unit is fired in an accompanying way: in this case, aiming at a helicopter at distances up to 300 m is carried out using an optical sight, and at an aircraft and a helicopter at distances of more than 300 m - using an open sight. Open fire when an aircraft (helicopter) approaches at a distance of 700–900 m.

When firing accompanying way the sniper in the team is indicated in the hulls of the aircraft (helicopter) or in meters lead. The sniper aims a rifle with a 4 or P scope in the direction of the aircraft (helicopter) flight, sets the aiming point to the required lead value, accompanies the aircraft and, at the moment of correct aiming, fires a shot.

To determine the lead when firing at air targets in an accompanying way, be guided by the following table:

Type of air target and its speed	100*		300*		500*		700*
	in meters**	in cases**	in meters**	in cases**	in meters**	in cases*	in meters**	in cases**
Glider, 25 m/s	3	?	11	1	20	2	31	4
Helicopter, 50 m/s	6	1	21	3	39	5	63	8
Transport aircraft, 100 m/s	13	1	43	3	79	5	126	8

* Firing range in meters.

** Anticipation.

Note. The length of the body of the aircraft is assumed to be 15 m, the length of the helicopter and glider is 8 m.

Fire is fired at air targets with a flight speed of more than 150 m / s defensive way. In the direction indicated in the command, the sniper sets the sniper rifle to 45° elevation and fires frequent single shots until the target moves out of the fire zone.

148. Fire on paratroopers with the installation of a 4 or P sight, aiming with the help of an optical sight.

When firing, take the lead along the way to reduce the paratrooper in the apparent size of the target, guided by the following table:

Note. The rate of descent of the parachutist is assumed to be 6 m/s.

The lead is counted from the middle of the skydiver's figure (Fig. 72).

Shooting in the mountains

149. In the mountains, when shooting at ranges over 700 m, if the height of the terrain above sea level exceeds 2000 m, the sight corresponding to the range to the target, due to the reduced air density, should be reduced by one division; if the height of the terrain above sea level is less than 2000 m, do not reduce the sight, and choose the aiming point at the lower edge of the target.

Rice. 72. Removal of the aiming point when shooting at a paratrooper

150. If, when firing, the target is above or below the sniper, and the elevation angle of the target is:

15–30 °, then the aiming point at ranges above 700 m should be chosen at the lower edge of the target;

30–45 °, then the sight corresponding to the range to the target must be reduced by one division at ranges over 700 m and by half a division at ranges from 400 to 700 m;

45–60°, then the sight corresponding to the range to the target must be reduced by two divisions at ranges over 700 m and by one division at ranges from 400 to 700 m.

151. For firing in the mountains, a sniper requires special skill and resourcefulness in taking a position, especially when firing at high elevation (declination) angles. When taking a prone shooting position, it is necessary to bend the left leg at the knee slightly in order to keep it from slipping with the toe of the boot or the heel.

Shooting in low visibility conditions

152. Shooting at night on illuminated targets done in the same way as during the day. During illumination of the area, the sniper, having found the target, quickly sets the sight, aims and fires.

When the target is briefly illuminated (for example, the area is illuminated by illuminating cartridges), fire must be fired with a 4 or P sight, aiming at the target. If the range to the target is more than 400 m, then the aiming point should be chosen at the top of the target

In case of low illumination of the target, turn on the illumination of the sight reticle.

To avoid temporary blindness, do not look at the light source.

153. Shooting at night on a target that reveals itself with flashes of shots, is carried out with the installation of sight 4 and with the illumination of the sight reticle. Fire opens at the moment when flashes of shots are visible above the square of the sight reticle (Fig. 73).

Rice. 73. Aiming for flash shots

154. Shooting at night on a target that detects itself by infrared radiation, is carried out with the installation of sight 4 and with the included luminescent screen. When observing enemy infrared searchlights through the scope, a glow appears on the screen, giving a visible image of the source in the form of a round greenish spot. In addition to the spot in the sight, you can see the searchlight beam in the form of a light strip on the ground and local objects that fall into this strip. Fire opens at the moment when the spot is located above the square of the sight reticle (Fig. 74).

Rice. 74. Aiming when shooting at enemy infrared searchlights

155. At night, to correct the fire, it is necessary to use cartridges with tracer bullets.

The best results are achieved when shooting with night sights. They not only allow you to clearly see the target, but also increase the accuracy of aiming.

Fire with night sights on various targets is carried out according to the same rules as under normal conditions.

When shooting with night sights, it is necessary to change the place for shooting more often and turn on the infrared searchlight less often, firing without it (at targets that reveal themselves with flashes of shots, infrared radiation, when the area is illuminated by an infrared searchlight of an enemy or neighbor).

Shooting in conditions of radioactive, chemical and bacteriological (biological) contamination

156. Shooting under conditions of radioactive, chemical and bacteriological (biological) contamination is carried out in personal protective equipment.

When firing on terrain contaminated with radioactive, chemical substances or bacterial (biological) agents, those parts of the rifle that come into contact during firing should be protected from them in the first place.

After leaving the contaminated area, the rifle must be decontaminated (degassed or disinfected) as soon as possible.

The rules for shooting at various targets are the same as for shooting under normal conditions.

Ammunition supply and consumption in battle

157. Snipers carry a supply of ammunition in magazines packed in bags.

The supply of sniper rifle cartridges in battle is carried out by cartridge carriers assigned by the unit commander.

When half of the wearable supply is used up, the sniper reports this to the squad or platoon leader.

One magazine loaded with cartridges should always be carried by the sniper as an emergency supply of cartridges, which is consumed only with the permission of the commander.

From the author's book

Chapter IV FIRE RULES General provisions 58. The objective of firing from the Strela-2 man-portable anti-aircraft missile system is to destroy, under favorable background conditions, jet and propeller-driven aircraft, helicopters and other air targets emitting

From the author's book

Chapter II DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY OF A SNIPER RIFLE 5. Dismantling of a sniper rifle may be incomplete or complete: incomplete - for cleaning, lubricating and inspecting the rifle; full - for cleaning when the rifle is heavily soiled, after being in the rain or in the snow, when moving

From the author's book

Chapter IV OPERATION OF PARTS AND MECHANISMS OF A SNIPER RIFLE Position of parts and mechanisms before loading31. The shutter frame with the shutter under the action of the return mechanism is in the extreme forward position; the bore is closed by a bolt. The shutter is rotated around the longitudinal

From the author's book

Chapter V STORAGE AND SAVING OF SNIPER RIFLE General Provisions35. The sniper rifle must be kept in perfect working order and ready for action. This is achieved by timely and skillful cleaning and lubrication and proper storage of the rifle.36. rifle cleaning,

From the author's book

Chapter VI INSPECTION OF A SNIPER RIFLE AND PREPARING IT FOR SHOOTING General provisions60. To check the serviceability of the rifle, its cleanliness in preparation for firing, inspections of the sniper rifle are carried out. Simultaneously with the inspection of the rifle, an inspection of the optical

From the author's book

Chapter VII CHECKING THE BATTLE OF A SNIPER RIFLE AND BRINGING IT TO A NORMAL BATTLE General provisions76. The sniper rifle in the unit must be brought to normal combat as well. The need to bring the rifle into normal combat is established by checking

From the author's book

Chapter VIII SNIPER RIFLE SHOOT TECHNIQUES General89. Depending on terrain conditions and enemy fire, sniper rifles can be fired from a prone, sitting, kneeling, or standing position.90. In combat conditions, a sniper takes a place for shooting and

From the author's book

Chapter X RULES OF SHOOTING General provisions126. To successfully complete tasks in battle, it is necessary to continuously monitor the battlefield; - correctly select and skillfully mask a place for firing; - quickly and correctly prepare data for firing; - skillfully fire at

From the author's book

Chapter I RIFLE SHOOTING TECHNIQUES GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS116. The production of shooting from a rifle consists of performing the following techniques: getting ready for shooting (assuming a position for shooting, loading and setting the sight), firing a shot, ceasefire and

From the author's book

Chapter IX. RULES FOR FIRING FROM A CARBINE General Provisions 88. For the successful completion of tasks during operational activities, it is necessary: ​​to carry out the commander’s commands in a timely manner; to skillfully fire in various conditions, both day and night;

From the author's book

From the author's book

PART TWO RIFLE SHOOTING TECHNIQUES AND RULES SELF-LOADING RIFLE SHOOTING TECHNIQUES General instructions137. When shooting from a self-loading rifle, follow the general instructions set out in Art. Art. 121? 130 NSD-38 "Rifle arr. 1891/30" and the following. Equipment

From the author's book

b) Sniper Rifle Techniques Long gun shooting is in principle more static than pistol shooting, if only because it takes place over long distances. Usually when firing a rifle, there is time to take a stable posture, use a support

1. General Provisions.

a. To become a sniper, one must know and be able to put into practice the basic principles of marksmanship, which include aiming, shooting position, trigger pull, scope adjustment, weather considerations, and bringing the weapon into normal combat. The purpose of learning these principles is to develop stable and correct shooting skills and consolidate them at the level of instinctive actions. Shooting training of a sniper is a continuation of the basic training of a shooter. She teaches the sniper how to hit a target with the first shot at various, mostly long, ranges.
b. The fundamentals of marksmanship taught to the sniper range from those taught to the average soldier to those required for sniping tasks. To train at the expert level, a sniper must be equipped with the best weapons and the best ammunition. He is also armed with additional knowledge and skills in the field of survival on the battlefield, which allow him to engage in a duel with the enemy and emerge victorious from him.
in. Each sniper must periodically retake a course in the basics of marksmanship, regardless of shooting experience. Even an experienced sniper experiences a deficit in the correct application of the basics of marksmanship from time to time, which is a consequence of the development of other skills and abilities. The fundamentals of marksmanship as a sniper must be practiced in the sequence given in the following sections.

2. Aiming.

The first skill a sniper develops is proper aiming. The importance of proper aiming cannot be overstated. Not only because it is one of the main skills, but also because it provides ways in which the sniper can check the correct position for firing and pulling the trigger. The aiming process includes the following phases: the relationship between the eye and the aiming devices, the "smooth front sight", the aiming point, the process of breathing and aiming, and exercises to develop the correct aiming.

a. Relationship between eye and sights.

1. To understand what is required in the aiming process, the shooter must know how to use his eye. The diversity in the position of the eye in relation to the aiming bar translates into a variety of images perceived by the eye. The appropriate position of the eye is called "pupil removal". Correct pupillary distance, allowing for minor changes, is approximately 7.5 cm. The best way to maintain correct pupillary distance is to use a butt pad (so-called "cheek") or the thumb of the shooting hand.
2. For a clearer understanding of the use of the eye in the process of aiming, it is necessary to remember that the eye is able to instantly focus when moving from one range to another. It cannot focus on two objects at different distances at the same time.
3. To achieve an undistorted image when aiming, the shooter's head must take a position in which he looks straight, and not sideways and not frowningly. If the head is in a position that causes the shooter to aim through the nose or under the eyebrow, the eye muscles tense up and cause involuntary eye movements that reduce image fidelity. This not only affects the visual characteristics, but at the same time has a negative psychological impact on the shooter. The eye functions better when it is in its natural position, i.e., when the gaze is directed straight ahead.
4. Do not focus on the aiming point for more than a few seconds. When the eyes are focused on a single image for a certain amount of time, it is imprinted in the perceptual zone. This effect can be illustrated by the following example. Stare at a black dot drawn on a piece of paper for 20 to 30 seconds and then move your gaze to a white wall or ceiling. You will see a barely noticeable image of a dot on the wall, while the sharpness of the image in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe image will be lost. This effect is very important for the shooter. The imprinted image dulls the sharpness of the image in the area of ​​perception and may be mistaken for a true image of the target.
5. Many shooters with bushy brows have difficulty aiming, resulting in a distorted image of the target. In such cases, eyebrows are recommended to be trimmed or sealed with tape.

b. "Smooth fly".

1. "Smooth front sight" is the relationship of the front sight and rear sight in relation to the eye. This is the most important element of aiming, since errors in its implementation lead to a change in the position of the axis of the bore of the weapon.
2. When using an open sight, "flat front sight" means the position of the front sight in the slot of the rib, in which it is located in the center of the slot in direction and in line with the mane of the rib in height.

in. Aim point.

1. After the shooter is trained in taking the "smooth front sight", it is necessary to start studying the choice of the aiming point. This element differs from the "flat front sight" only in that a dot is added to it on the target to which the front sight is brought.
2. The point of aim used by the sniper is the center of the target. All novice shooters should know this, as it is the most commonly used and more understandable than others.

d. The process of breathing and aiming.

1. Breath control is very important for the aiming process. If the shooter breathes while aiming, the up and down movements of his chest cause the weapon to move in a vertical plane. The "smooth front sight" is taken while breathing, but the shooter must hold his breath to complete the aiming process. To properly hold your breath, you need to inhale, then exhale and hold your breath during a natural respiratory pause. If at the same time the "smooth front sight" is not on the target, it is necessary to change the position of the body.
2. The respiratory cycle lasts 4 - 5 seconds. Inhalation and exhalation take about 2 seconds. Thus, between cycles there is a pause of 2 - 3 seconds. It can be extended up to 12 - 15 seconds without much effort or discomfort. It is during this extended pause that the sniper must fire his shot. Reasons for this: during the respiratory pause, the respiratory muscles are relaxed; thus, the shooter avoids diaphragm stress.
3. The shooter must assume a shooting position and breathe normally until the level sight begins to approach the desired aiming point on the target. Many shooters then take a deeper breath, exhale, pause, and fire during the pause. If at the same time the sights did not take the desired position on the target, the shooter resumes breathing and repeats the process.
4. The respiratory pause should not cause discomfort. If the pause is prolonged, the body begins to experience a lack of oxygen and sends a signal to the brain to resume breathing. These signals cause slight involuntary contractions of the diaphragm and affect the shooter's ability to concentrate. In general, the maximum safe period for a respiratory pause is 8 to 10 seconds.
5. As mentioned above, the eye plays a very important role in the aiming process. While exhaling and moving the front sight up towards the target, the focus must alternately move from the front sight to the target until the shooter determines that the sights are in the correct position on the target. Once the correct aiming pattern has been achieved, the focus must be on the front sight to accurately determine the position of the sights relative to the aiming point at the time of the shot and to determine options for non-uniform aiming.
6. Some inexperienced shooters fail to understand that the final focus must be on the front sight; in poor lighting conditions, when the target is not clearly visible, the inexperienced shooter tends to focus the eye on the target. Shooting at a "blank" target (a target that does not have any shape or a regular target with the white side turned towards the shooter) can prove to the shooter the need to concentrate on the front sight.

e. Exercises to develop correct aiming.

e. Using a scope

The device of the optical sight allows aiming without the help of an open sight. The line of sight is the optical axis passing through the centers of the lens and the cross hairs of the sight. The crosshair of the sight plays the role of a front sight. The crosshair and target image are in the focal plane of the lens (the plane that passes through the focus of the lens and is perpendicular to the optical axis). The sniper's eye perceives the crosshairs and the image of the target with the same clarity. To aim with an optical sight, the sniper's head must be positioned at the point of the exit pupil of the eyepiece so that the line of sight of the eye coincides with the optical axis of the sight. The sniper then moves the crosshair to the aiming point on the target.

1) Removal of the eye. When aiming, the eye should be at a distance of 7.5 - 9.5 cm from the exit pupil of the eyepiece. This distance - the distance of the eye - is quite large, but it must be maintained to ensure safety during recoil and to obtain a full field of view.

(a) Shadow effect. While aiming, the sniper must make sure that there is no shadow in the field of view of the scope; it must be completely clean. If the sniper's eye is not far enough from the scope, a concentric shadow appears in the field of view, which reduces the size of the field of view, worsens the conditions for observing through the scope and makes it difficult to aim. If the eye is not positioned correctly in relation to the optical axis of the sight, crescent-shaped shadows appear at the edges of the field of view; they can form from any side, depending on the position of the axis of vision relative to the optical axis of the sight. In the presence of such a shadow, the bullets are deflected in the direction opposite to the side of its appearance.
(b) Head position adjustment. If the sniper observes shadows at the edges of the field of view while aiming, he must find a head position in which his eye will see the entire field of view. Therefore, for accurate aiming, the sniper must fully concentrate on keeping the eye on the optical axis of the sight and on the exact location of the crosshair at the aiming point.

2) Advantages of an optical sight.

The optical sight provides:

(a) Improved aiming accuracy, which allows the sniper to fire at distant, subtle and camouflaged targets that are invisible to the naked eye.
(b) Quickness in aiming due to the fact that the sniper sees the crosshairs and the image of the target with the same clarity, in the same focal plane.
(c) Accuracy of fire in conditions of limited visibility (at sunset, at dusk, in fog, by moonlight, etc.)
(d) Better observation conditions, more accurate range determination and fire correction.

3) Lateral inclination of the weapon. Represents the deviation of the position of the weapon to one side relative to the vertical axis. On fig. 3A shows the correct aiming pattern, in which the optical sight and the rifle barrel are located exactly in the vertical plane. Rice. 3B shows the relationship between the aiming line and the throwing line. At the moment the bullet leaves the bore, it is directed to point A, but under the influence of gravity, the trajectory of its flight decreases and the bullet hits point A1, i.e., the desired point of impact. Rice. 3B illustrates the lateral tilt of the weapon; sights are slightly tilted to the right. In this case, the line of sight also ends at point A1 on the target, but the line of throw now passes through point B instead of point A. The bullet drops in the same way as on the first shot, its drop comes from point B and the point of impact is point B1. A greater tilt will cause the bullet to deflect more to the right - down, as shown in the inset of Fig. 3.

3. Shooting position

a. The sniper must choose a position that provides him with greater stability along with the ability to observe the target and cover from enemy observation. The sniper must be able to fire from any of the standard and rest positions discussed in this section. To hit the target with the first shot, he must have a stable position for shooting. Shooting position can be improved by using a sling. While the use of a sling while shooting in combat is not recommended, the choice should be left to the sniper, depending on the situation. It is recommended to give the same attention to training in shooting with a sling as in shooting with a support.

b. The shooting positions below should be considered as a guide to action, and not as the only possible for each person. Each of the above positions is an excellent "platform" for weapons and should be used taking into account the structural features of the body of each person.

C. The three elements of a correct shooting position are bone stiffness, muscle relaxation, and a natural point of aim.

1. Rigidity of the bone apparatus. Shooting positions are designed to be used as a "mount" for a rifle. The rigidity of such a "machine" is very important. If a house is built on a weak foundation, it will not stand upright. The same is true for a sniper using a weak "mount" (position) for a rifle. It will not be able to withstand the repeated recoil of the weapon at a fast rate of fire. Consequently, the shooter will not be able to apply skills in firing properly.
2. Muscle relaxation. The sniper must be able to relax his muscles as much as possible while using different shooting positions. Excessive muscle tension causes tremor, which is transmitted to the weapon. However, in any position, a certain, controlled muscle tension is necessary. For example, at a fast rate of firing, it is necessary to apply pressure with the thumb of the shooting hand on the neck of the butt. Only through practice and the use of a natural point of aim will the sniper learn to relax the muscles.
3. Natural point of aim. Since the rifle becomes an extension of the body, it is necessary to adopt a position in which the rifle is naturally aimed at the target. When the sniper assumes a shooting position, he must close his eyes, relax, and then open his eyes. After aligning the front sight in the rib slot, it will take the position of the natural aiming point. By moving the feet or body, and by using breath control, the sniper can move the natural point of aim to the desired point on the target.

d. The fit of the belt serves two purposes. It allows you to maximize the stabilization of the position of the weapon when used correctly and helps to reduce some recoil factors.

E. Proper contact between the cheek and thumb of the shooting hand, or the cheek and butt of the weapon, is essential to the aiming process.

1. As mentioned above, the distance between the eye and sights must be constant. This constancy is achieved through cheek contact. Proper contact means that the shooter's cheek is in contact with the butt of the weapon in the same place each time the shot is fired, which contributes to the uniformity of aiming and the correct position of the eye at the appropriate distance from the sight.
2. To ensure better contact when aiming at an open sight, it is necessary to press the fleshy part of the cheek to the top of the thumb of the right hand, covering the neck of the butt.
3. When aiming at an optical sight, it is necessary to press the cheek against the butt in such a way as to ensure the correct removal of the eye from the sight. The use of the thumb is not possible. A very important point is a strong pressure on the cheek so that the head and weapon work as a whole during recoil, which achieves a quick recovery of aiming after a shot.
4. Once the correct cheek position has been determined, it must be adopted with every shot. In the initial period, the cheek may hurt. To prevent this, it is necessary to firmly press the cheek to the butt.

Prone Shooting Positions:

1. Standard prone shooting position. This position is very stable and easy to adopt. It provides a low silhouette and meets the requirements of cover from fire and observation of the enemy. To assume a prone position, the sniper first adjusts the belt, stands facing the target. The left hand is on the forearm near the swivel, the right hand is on the stock, in the area of ​​​​the heel of the butt. Then he spreads his legs to a comfortable width for him, transfers the weight of the body slightly back and kneels. The toe of the stock drops to the ground in front, on the line between the shooter's right knee and the target, the shooter drops to the left side, placing the left elbow in front, in the same line (the weapon is lowered carefully so as not to knock off the sight). With the right hand, the shooter rests the recoil pad on the right shoulder. Then the right hand grasps the neck of the butt and the right elbow is lowered to the ground so that the shoulders are approximately at the same level. The sniper then ensures proper cheek-to-stock contact and releases the belt tension. To move the natural point of aim to the target, the sniper uses the left elbow as a pivot point. A position is well balanced if the reticle moves vertically without tilting when the sniper breathes.
2. Prone shooting position. To assume this position, the sniper first selects a firing position that provides the best view, arc of fire, and cover from observation. Then he takes a comfortable position for prone shooting and prepares the platform (emphasis) for the rifle. The emphasis should be as low as possible. The rifle must rest firmly on the rest with the stock between the front swivel and the magazine. Care must be taken to ensure that the moving parts and the barrel do not touch the stop, as this can lead to a miss. The sniper then forms a bipod from his elbows. At the same time, he covers the neck of the butt with his right hand, the thumb is on top of the neck, the index finger is on the trigger; then rests the butt plate on the right shoulder. The left hand is also placed on the neck; the thumb covers the neck from below, and the remaining fingers - from above. The fingers of the left hand are involved in ensuring proper contact of the cheek with the butt and the necessary removal of the eye. The sniper then relaxes and uses his left hand (if necessary) to change the scope settings. To adjust the position for shooting vertically, he simply moves his elbows, and horizontally he shifts his body to the right or left. The store changes with either hand; single reloading is done with the right hand, while the left supports the neck of the butt. When firing from this position, it is very important that the firing area is clear. If the bullet hits a branch, leaf or grass, the shot may fail.
3. Checking the correctness of the standard shooting position includes the following elements:
   a) No side slope.
   b) The left hand is in the area of ​​​​the front swivel.
   c) The handguard lies in a fork formed by the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, supported by the palm (but not the fingers).
   d) The left elbow is directly under the receiver (as far as the features of the shooter's body structure allow).
   e) The belt is located high on the left arm.
   f) The butt plate is in the "pocket" of the shoulder, close to the neck.
   g) The shoulders are approximately at the same level (to prevent lateral tilt).
   h) The body is in line with the rifle (to absorb recoil energy).
   

Sitting positions:

1. Standard position. There are three variations of the standard seated shooting position: splayed, cross-legged, and cross-ankle. These positions are equally good, depending on the features of the shooter's body. He must choose one of them, the most stable and comfortable.
   a) Cross-legged shooting position. For this position, the sling, adjusted for prone shooting, is reduced by 5 - 7 cm. Then the sniper turns half a turn to the right, crosses his left leg with his right and sits down. Leaning forward, the sniper brings his left hand behind his left knee and slides it down over his left shin. With his right hand, the sniper rests the stock on his shoulder, wraps around the neck of the stock and places the elbow of his right hand on the inside of his right knee.
   b) Shooting position with legs apart. To assume this position, the sniper proceeds in the same way as for assuming the cross-legged position, except that after crouching, he leaves his legs in place without crossing them and places his elbows on the inside of his knees. He stretches his legs to a comfortable position and spreads his feet about 90 cm apart. By turning the soles of his feet slightly inward, the sniper does not allow his knees to move apart and maintains pressure on his hands. The adoption of the position is completed by transferring the weight of the body forward, relaxing and correctly pressing the cheek to the butt. Many snipers use this position as it is adopted very quickly.
   c) Shooting position with crossed ankles. To assume this position, the sniper crosses his ankles, sits down and moves his feet slightly forward. Leaning forward, he places his hands between his knees. As in other positions, it is imperative to regulate the natural point of aim with body movement, but not with muscle tension. In the seated position, this is achieved by moving the foot, both feet, or buttocks until the sights are aligned with the target.
2. Sitting Position: This position assumes that the sniper is in an area or position where he can or must assume a modified sitting position to provide an area of ​​observation and firing. To take the position, it is necessary to prepare a platform for the rifle or use natural cover as a stop. When doing this, make sure that the barrel or moving parts do not touch the stop. Then the shooter takes a comfortable sitting position, covers the neck of the butt with his right hand and rests the butt plate on the shoulder. The left hand is also on the neck to ensure proper contact between the cheek and butt and the necessary removal of the eye. The shooter then places the elbows on the insides of the knees as in the standard cross-legged position. Position adjustment is made by changing the position of the elbows or the body. Since this position is tedious, it is necessary to rotate the duties of a sniper between team members.
3. Checking the correctness of the standard sitting position includes the following elements:
   a) There is no side slope of the weapon.
   
   
   d) The left elbow is approximately under the receiver.
   e) The right shoulder is fixed in front of the right knee.
   f) The belt is located high on the left arm.
   g) The shoulders are approximately at the same level to prevent lateral tilt.
   h) The butt plate is located in the shoulder pocket, close to the neck.
   i) The cheek is pressed firmly against the butt at a point which ensures correct removal of the eye.
   j) There is a space between the index finger and the stock.
   k) The distance between the knees is less than the distance between the heels (in the position with legs apart).
   l) The index finger of the right hand presses the trigger straight back.

Kneeling positions.

Like the sitting position, the kneeling position has three options: low, medium, and high. The sniper uses what suits him best.

1) Standard kneeling position.

a) Any kneeling position requires level ground. To assume the standard position, the sniper drops to the right knee so that the right shin is parallel to the target. The right foot can take one of the three positions described below. For a low position, the foot is tucked in and the sniper sits on the inside of the ankle. For the middle position, the ankle remains straight and the foot touches the ground with the lift of the leg. The sniper sits on the heel. In a high position, the ankle is also straight, but the foot rests on the ground with the toe of the boot. The right buttock is on the right heel. When using these positions, the balance can be disturbed if the body is too far back.
b) The left leg is in a vertical position, the foot is on the ground. For greater stability, the toes of the foot should be directed approximately towards the target. To prevent lateral movement, the toes of the left foot should be turned slightly inward by rotating the foot around the heel. After assuming a position, the left leg can be extended forward or pulled back to lower or raise the barrel of the weapon.
c) The shin of the right leg must be in such a position that would provide stability when pointing the weapon at the target. When viewed from the front, the lower leg should be approximately vertical. In this position, the left leg plays the role of an emphasis to support the weight of the body.
d) The right elbow is usually at shoulder level to form a "pocket" against which the butt plate rests. The elbow may be lower if the butt plate does not slip off the shoulder. The left hand supports the rifle, so it is very important to know the placement of its various parts in relation to other parts of the body. On the shoulder there is a flat part located on the back surface, above the elbow bend. With this part, the hand is placed on the same flat part of the knee of the left leg. In this case, the elbow of the left hand is in front of the knee and the weight of the body is transferred forward to the left leg. The left foot should be under the rifle for maximum stability. There should be a gap between the elbow and the belt, which indicates that the forearm is supported by the shoulder with the belt. The belt supports the bones and, in turn, the bones support the rifle. Approximately 60% of the body weight is transferred to the left leg, reducing the load on the right foot and leg, which promotes a relaxed position.

2) Position for shooting from the knee with an emphasis.

a) This position is used in cases where it is necessary to quickly assume a shooting position, and there is not enough time to assume a prone position. It is often used on level ground or when there is a parapet in front of a position where other positions cannot be used.
b) The position is taken in the same manner as the standard position, except that the rifle is supported by a tree or other immovable object that is used for support, cover from fire or observation. Support is provided by the contact of the shin and knee of the left leg, forearm, shoulder or rifle, lying on the palm, with an emphasis. As in other cases, it is necessary to ensure that the moving parts and the barrel do not come into contact with the stop. Otherwise, it may result in a failed shot.

3) Checking the correctness of the adoption of the standard kneeling position includes the following elements:

a) No side slope.
b) The left hand is on the forearm in the area of ​​​​the front swivel.
c) The forearm lies in a fork formed by the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, supported by the palm; the fingers are relaxed.
d) The left leg, viewed from the front, is approximately vertical.
e) The elbow of the right hand is approximately at shoulder height.
f) The weight of the body is transferred to the left leg.
g) The cheek is firmly pressed against the butt at a point that ensures the correct removal of the eye.
h) There is a gap between the index finger of the right hand and the forearm.
i) The index finger presses the trigger straight back.
j) The belt is high on the left arm.
l) There is a gap between the belt and the elbow of the left hand.

Shooting a weapon is kind of easy. Shot, hit, or miss... A miss is always an annoyance; in some hunting clubs, your shirt hem will be cut off to show their negative attitude towards your misses. But everything is not so scary, and grief can be helped. Being a good shooter doesn't come naturally, just as there is no one solution that can instantly turn a loser into a shooting champion. The speed and accuracy of shooting depends, first of all, on the correct implementation of a number of basic things. And those, in turn, from constant and effective training. Thus - or read on for our tips on how to improve your shooting skills with rifles(rifle), as well as shotgun(shotgun) and even pistol(handgun), memorize and put into practice, or ... buy a few shirts for future use.

How to improve rifle shooting skills?

Follow the following rules:

1. Learn to shoot offhand and kneel

The man who taught me almost everything I now know about weapons used to say: "Learn to shoot standing like a Man." Experienced "field" shooters never shoot without preparation, if possible. But they can do without it...

During training, I burned about 80% of the cartridges just like that, offhand.

Many experienced shooters prefer the seated position to the kneeling position. But I have found that this method is often difficult when shooting in undergrowth or in a field of tall grass. Switching to a kneeling stance solves the problem.

2. Make sure the rifle is working

Every year, thousands of hunters get frustrated with untested and neglected rifles - and "reel up the fishing rods." The cartridge does not want to feed from the magazine, the magazine cover comes unfastened at the most inopportune moment, the safety clicks incredibly loudly, the trigger is not pressed, the mounting of the sight fidgets, the sight itself hangs in the rings, the stock screws turned out, an uncleaned or broken chamber deadly holds the spent cartridge case. Sadly…

If you are not confident in your skills as a gunsmith, then give the rifle to a specialist and ask him to bring everything to mind. Preferably - not a week before the opening, but early.

3. Participate in shooting competitions

As my friend G. Sitton used to say: "The best shooters I know have reptilian nerves." The best way to simulate the stress of hunting a large and dangerous game is to shoot at competitions. It doesn’t matter what level… You just need to put yourself in a situation where you can experience both the joy of victory and the horror of defeat. I note that the horror of defeat is a much stronger factor than the joy of victory. Try to compete often enough that it becomes a habit, like going to work.

4. Spare no ammo

It is impossible to acquire any "physical" skill without training. Shooting is just such a skill. If you don’t burn even 100 rounds a year in training, then this is self-deception.

Cool shooters burn a couple of thousand rounds a year, or even more. Those who are seriously puzzled by such a problem buy a “little thing” as a training replacement for their rifle. Then you buy a box of cartridges.22 (500 pieces) - and go to training!

5. Learn to aim quickly

Finding a target through a scope is a problem for many hunters, exacerbated by the vogue for scopes more suited to astronomical observation than hunting. To quickly aim at the “object”, set the magnification to 4x or more, do not touch the adjustment. When you make a butt, try to do it more or less horizontally, as if on the same level. Don't try to aim at the sky first and then lower the barrel to the level of the target. Keep both eyes open, and through repeated blank shots, develop the habit of pulling the trigger as soon as the crosshair is on target.

6. Learn to mark

Every archer who deserves the slightest attention can tell you where the shot just fired will fall. This is one of the skills you will need and the way it can be acquired - multiple blank "shots" and focusing on the position of the aiming mark at the time of the "shot".

After you've worked it out well with a blank, switch to normal ammo, and keep marking EVERY shot.

7. Shooting lessons

Nobody is born with a weapon in their hands. So put down your pride and take some shooting lessons from a qualified instructor.

When you choose an instructor, tell him right away that you are not interested in winning the trap skeet competition. Explain that you just want to shoot and successfully hit upland/waterfowl. Prices for instructor services can vary widely. So it makes sense to take into account this item of expenditure when purchasing a shotgun. Remember - not guns shoot well, but people!

8. Homework

Practice your weapon stance at home in front of a mirror. The gun must be unloaded!

Start from a “ready” position - stand directly in front of the mirror, the gun is more or less horizontal, the stock is slightly below the level of the forearm. Concentrate on the reflection of your right (if you are right-handed) eye in the mirror. Trying to keep your head still, smoothly throw the gun to your cheekbone, while transferring your body weight forward to your left leg. Then move your right shoulder forward, all the way to the butt plate.

If everything is done correctly, then you will see the reflection of the right eye exactly above the front sight. At first, do not pay attention to the speed of execution. Try to do everything smoothly. Speed ​​will come by itself, with experience. The main point of this is to keep BOTH eyes open and raise the gun to the shoulder, and not pull the neck to the butt. It makes sense to start with 10-20 reps per set. If time permits, practice the handstand 100-200 times a day.

9. Hit the cymbals

It makes no sense to run to the stand on the eve of the opening of the season and try to “train” the day before. It is much more useful to make it a rule to fulfill the norm of 50-75 plates weekly, regardless of how much time is left until the opening ...

Ask your friend to toss plates at your leisure. For a change, you can try shooting with or without a shoulder stock. The latter is more like the real state of things on the hunt. Do not bother with the account of the downed "dishes"; You're not training for clay shooting competitions, but for yourself. Do not be afraid to ask for advice from more experienced shooters - as a rule, these are very friendly people, and they will help and tell you in any way they can.

10. Check the action of the gun

Are you sure the gun fires exactly where you're aiming?

Draw a triangle with a side of about 75 mm on a sheet of 1x1 m ... Then choose the cartridges you are going to shoot. From a distance of 18 m, aimingly, fire a shot at the base of the triangle. Change the target and repeat the procedure three times. If the center of the scree does not coincide with the triangle, then something is wrong with the gun. It makes sense to show the gun and shot targets to a skilled gunsmith; we'll fix the issue.

Try varying the choke, for example shooting from a half choke instead of a full choke, or even a 0.25 choke. The reason for the misses may also lie in a box that is not suitable for you. Most hunters will fit the standard gun stocks. The stock of the right length ensures comfortable and easy shooting. A qualified gunsmith will be able to help fit any "tree" to your physique.

11. Eye training

Experienced shooters are able to quickly select one bird from a whole flock, and keep their attention on it (the bird). Even more experienced ones isolate the bird, and concentrate on its "beak" (or the area around it)! Such exercises improve vision. Like any other muscle, the eyes can also be trained. When you shoot skeet, don't try to concentrate on the whole skeet, but learn to focus on the leading edge of the skeet. Try to concentrate on the beak of a flying dove! Walking down the street, if possible, make a visual "leash" of a dove, crow, goose, concentrating on the beak area. If no one is looking at you at this moment, you can point your index finger at the “object” and say softly “bbah!”.

Influence of the application of weapons on shooting. Breath. Aiming with open and optical sights.

butt

The butt is a way of resting the butt of a rifle in the aiming shoulder and the corresponding position of the hands and head of the sniper. The butt is essential for the accuracy of shooting.

As you know, when fired, the recoil of the weapon occurs, which affects the stability of the weapon when fired, and therefore, negatively affects the accuracy of shooting.
When fired, the rifle, moving backward, pushes the sniper in the shoulder, which counteracts this push. Thus, two forces acting in opposite directions are obtained. Due to the fact that the stock of the rifle has a bend, these two forces do not act in the same horizontal plane and tend to turn the rifle with the muzzle up. The deviation of the rifle will be the greater, the greater the leverage of the pair of forces. Therefore, resting the butt against the shoulder with the lower angle, we will have a greater shoulder of the pair of forces than with the upper angle of the butt, and a greater deviation of the rifle barrel.

Hence the rule which the sniper must always adhere to: in order to obtain uniform departure angles and maintain accuracy of fire, the rifle butt should rest against the shoulder in the same way, without changing its position in the shoulder.

The lack of uniformity in the butt leads to a spread of bullets in height. If you rest the butt against the shoulder with the lower (sharp) angle of the butt (C), the bullets will go up, and if you rest against the upper (obtuse) angle, they will go down (B).

The spread of bullets in height also occurs if the sniper puts the rifle on the stop in a different place on the barrel pads or changes the position of the left hand supporting the rifle.
To avoid scattering of bullets, you need to rest the butt of the rifle with the middle of the butt plate on the shoulder, the barrel pads should always lie on the palm of the left hand in the same place.
With the fingers of the right hand, freely, without tension, cover the butt handle, pass the index finger into the trigger guard so that it touches the guard with the outer side. Care must be taken to ensure that the fingers do not tightly squeeze the rifle, which is usually neglected by novice shooters.

The more you squeeze the rifle, the more it trembles in your hands, which significantly reduces the accuracy of fire. The main thing, both in manufacturing and in application, is no tension.

Breathing while shooting

Rifle shooters fire a shot while exhaling, using a respiratory pause (an interval of 1-2 seconds) between inhalation and exhalation. Why do riflemen do it this way and not otherwise? To better understand this, take the prone position with an emphasis. Aim the rifle at the target. Breathe in. You will feel that when you inhale, the chest has increased in volume and risen. Together with her, the butt of the weapon also rose, and the front sight lowered accordingly. When exhaling, the chest contracts in volume and the front sight rises. This happens both when shooting from a stop, and when shooting from a sling. A person who shoots a pistol can shoot both on an inhalation and on a half-exhalation, but a prone shooter from a rifle can shoot fully only on an exhalation. At the moment of a respiratory pause, on exhalation, carbon dioxide begins to accumulate in the body, which acts on the muscles in a relaxing way. The pulsation at the time of the respiratory pause is the smallest. With exhaled air and a contracted chest, the body of the shooter is relaxed in the most natural way.
Therefore, the shooter assumes a position on the target in such a way that when exhaling, the front sight or other sighting devices naturally move under the target.

The shooter can and should train himself to hold his breath for the 10-15 seconds it takes to shoot. Before the shot, it is recommended to take a few deep, calm breaths and exhalations to enrich the body with oxygen.
At the time of the shot, the position of the front sight and other sighting devices relative to the target must be stable, that is, uniform. Such a stable position during sniper shooting can only be during a respiratory pause.

For novice shooters, a whole system of errors and misses is associated with improper breathing when shooting.
If the shooter does not hold his breath at all when firing, contrary to the instructions of the instructor, from the side you can see how the barrel of his rifle "breathes" up and down. Separations in this case go vertically with a large value.
The breath should be held immediately before the shot, 5-6 seconds before it, after the preparation is verified, the shooter "lay down", first pointed the weapon at the target and peered into it. A mistake often made by beginner shooters is that they hold their breath without "gazing" at the target, and sometimes without even "laying down". At the same time, at the very end of the shot, they run out of air, the beginner begins to choke and quickly presses on the trigger. This leads to inevitable failures. For an instructor, a sign of an early breath-hold by a cadet is that the barrel of a rifle, which during normal work of breathing also "breathes" up and down, and then stops for 5-6 seconds to fire, does not "breathe" from the very beginning, and before the shot there are small convulsive vibrations of the trunk.

Beginners also go to the other extreme: they hold their breath too late, just before the shot, when the weapon has not yet "leveled" and not "settled" for the shot properly. Separations are observed along the vertical, most often upwards. The instructor notices such a student's mistake, paying attention to the absence of a stop of the up and down oscillations of the barrel before the shot, or to a very slight stop.

A widespread vice of novice shooters is holding their breath for a long time when firing. When the shooter holds his breath for a very long time, delaying the shot, then in the end he does not have enough air, oxygen starvation sets in, and the shooter tries to quickly pull the trigger and finish the shot. The result is most often a miss. With all this, the shooter imperceptibly strains, which causes increased fatigue.
For a normal shot, you need no more than 5-6, a maximum of 8 seconds. If the shooter cannot meet this time, then something is stopping him. First of all, the instructor must check the correctness of the preparation: with the correct “resting” and trained, accumulated preparation, when everything that could have been ill, has been ill and does not hurt, does not pull or press on any side, nothing should interfere with the arrow.

In beginners, the most common cause of prolonged breath holding is low shooting stability due to insufficient training. Therefore, a novice shooter is forced to take a ready position for a prone position with a rifle and, observing all the rules of aiming, maintain the front sight at the designated aiming point, without breaking away from the weapon and without tearing the butt from the shoulder for an hour. All this happens without idle clicks. The shooter trains only breath-holding, performing it at the moment of combining the front sight with the desired aiming point. At the same time, the fabrication is refined and corrected at the same time. The shooter gets used to the increased loads and determines what he did right in the ready, and what was wrong and what clearly interfered with him. It is very important for the instructor that the cadet understands the need for all this and does all this consciously. The conscious enthusiasm of the shooter "from the inside" in such cases is more important than the commander's corrections "outside".

Some shooters, especially when shooting while standing, involuntarily tense the muscles of the shoulder girdle, abdomen, abdominals, neck and even face when holding their breath. When shooting while standing, you need to apply a calm force, but you can’t strain. The tension of one muscle group reflexively entails excessive and senseless tension of other muscles. This negates the coordination of movements when aiming and pulling the trigger. Excessive tension causes increased fatigue of the shooter.
When a shooter is tense, he will usually take a quick deep breath before firing and a quick exhale after firing. And even the expression on the face of such a shooter is tense and preoccupied.

To relieve tension, there is a very good practical technique: "sitting, while inhaling, raise your arms through the sides with your palms up, at the same time stretch your legs forward. Holding your breath for 2-3 seconds, stretch strongly. Then, turning your palms forward and relaxing your muscles, as you exhale lower your arms down and pull your legs up to the starting position "(F.I. Zhamkov. Initial training of an athlete shooter).>

Aiming

Aiming with an open sight

Good vision is a prerequisite for proper aiming and marksmanship.
In order to point the rifle at the target, you need to give it such a position when the eye sees the middle of the sight slot (at the level of the mane of the aiming bar), the top of the front sight and the aiming point on the same line. This is what aiming is all about. The task, at first glance, is very simple, but it is not so easy to complete it.

A novice shooter often does not take into account the limited possibilities of our vision and makes gross mistakes in aiming. He wants to see the sight slit, front sight and target equally clearly. Since his task is to hit the target, he focuses his attention on it, sees it clearly, distinctly and imperceptibly takes an uneven fly; the result is an inevitable miss.

First basic rule: aiming with an open sight, you should close your left eye without tension. and with the right to clearly and clearly see the slot of the sight and the front sight, not paying attention to the fact that the target will be seen somewhat foggy. Therefore, the main thing is the slot and the front sight, and the aiming point is secondary.

The front sight should be even, i.e. be in the middle of the sight slot and flush with its edges. If the fly is large, i.e. above the sight slot, the bullets will go up; if the fly is small, i.e. below the sight slot, the bullets will go down. The smallest deviations of the front sight in the slot of the sight lead to a significant deviation of the bullet from the aiming point.

Therefore, if you need to make an amendment, then you should do this by appropriately setting the sight or taking out the aiming point. If the bullets land to the right, you should aim as much to the left, but keeping a straight front sight.

So the second rule is: you can never "play" with the front sight - a smooth front sight is an indisputable law of aiming.

Aiming with an optical sight

When aiming a rifle at a target with an optical sight, all aiming comes down to the fact that the tip of the aiming mark must be pointed at the aiming point. At the same time, when shooting with an optical sight, the attachment becomes somewhat more complicated, since the sniper's eye must be in a strict position relative to the optical sight.

When aiming, you must observe the following rules: Eye compatibility with the sight's exit pupil. At the optical sight of a sniper rifle, the exit pupil is removed from the eyepiece by 68 mm.

Aiming errors:
a - the eye is 68 mm away from the eyepiece - normal
b - the eye is located far from the eyepiece
c - the eye is located close to the eyepiece

No millimeter ruler is needed to determine this distance. If the eye is closer or farther than the exit pupil, then the shooter will see an annular shadow in the eyepiece. Slightly approaching or moving the head away from the sight, you need to find a position where this annular shadow disappears.

Keep the eye on the main optical axis of the sight. If the eye is shifted up, down, or to the side of this axis, then crescent-shaped shadows will appear in the field of view. These shadows are located on the side of the eyepiece where the eye has deviated from the optical axis. In the presence of such a shadow, the bullets will deviate in the direction opposite to the shadow (eye displacement).

Aiming errors:
a - the eye is on the continuation of the optical axis and the sight - normal
b - the eye is below and to the right of the optical axis of the sight
c - the eye is above and to the right of the optical axis of the sight

Therefore, in order to correctly aim with a sniper rifle, you need to point the tip of the aiming mark at the aiming point and at the same time make sure that the field of view of the sight is completely clear, without any blackouts.

The habit of correctly placing the eye relative to the eyepiece is not developed immediately. But through systematic training in attachment and aiming, the necessary skill is acquired and aiming is carried out quickly and accurately.

Finally, the third rule which must be observed when aiming both with an open and with an optical sight. It lies in the fact that you can not dump the rifle. A stall is understood to be such a position of a rifle when the mane of an open sight and the scale of side corrections of an optical sight are not horizontal.

>

When the rifle is stalled to the right, the bullets deviate to the right and down, and this deviation is the greater, the greater the distance and the stall angle.

When aiming, you must constantly ensure that the scale of the lateral corrections of the optical sight is strictly horizontal. You need to aim with one eye, closing the other. Over time, after a little special training, it will be possible to shoot with open eyes. This gives certain advantages: eyes do not get tired, observation improves. However, in this case, you need to aim with only one eye, while the other eye should be directed at the target.

In the process of aiming, the eye inevitably gets tired. Therefore, in order to preserve visual acuity for the most crucial moment, aiming is divided into two periods:
During first period, when the shooter has not yet begun to choose the trigger, the correctness of the preparation is checked and the sniper eliminates various minor inconveniences with minor movements of the arms, elbows, legs and torso. This preparatory period takes up half of the entire aiming time, sometimes more. At this time, the shooter, without straining his eyesight, simply looks into the sights so that the eye gets used to the lighting and roughly focuses on the target.
Second period- this is the beginning of processing the shot as such, when the shooter held his breath, increased the pressure on the trigger and his eye began to clearly control the position of the front sight at the aiming point, that is, he began to "peer" at the target, and, in fact, holding the front sight at the desired aiming point began to the moment of the shot.

The sniper must be aware that long-term observation through an optical instrument is very tiring for the eyesight. But that's not all. When the eye is tired, its functional state and degree of perception change. These changes are so significant that they even cause a shift in the midpoint of impact. Even more, the average point of impact shifts with a sharp transition of the eye from one device to another, which have different magnifications. Look at the artillery compass, which has a tenfold increase, and immediately after that, try to aim from the PSO-1 sight. It is necessary to observe in a compass or periscope - otherwise they can be killed, and quite quickly. But with such observation, the sniper needs to "rest with his eyes" more often, having in his visual memory a "visual picture" of the responsible observed area with the most important landmarks imprinted. By the way, this is useful in the sense that the changes that have occurred on the landscape immediately become visible to the sniper. Therefore, if possible, let your partner observe, and the sniper does not spoil his eyesight once again.

In a combat situation, the sniper shoots with both eyes open, as this retains the advantages of binocular vision. Binocular sharp vision at distances up to 800 meters greatly facilitates the visual determination of the distance to the target. In addition, the second, non-aimed, eye allows you to capture changes on the battlefield.

Some individuals still cannot shoot with their left eye open. They say that after a long and intense visual work, they begin to see double.
It really is. But it is still impossible to squint an unaimed eye. It is better to cover it with a narrow vertical strip of white (and even better light green) paper. In this case, the shooter "disconnects" the non-aiming eye from the aiming process, but retains its binocularity, and the light-receiving balance of both eyes remains the same.

Aim delay (aiming)

If you aim for a long time, the shooter's eye gets tired very quickly. The physiological standard released for a shot from the moment of holding the breath is 8, maximum 10 seconds. After excessively long (more than 10 seconds) "peering" at the target and controlling the front sight at the aiming point, the so-called "progressive eye fatigue" occurs.

Remember! For one minute of continuous aiming, visual acuity drops by half. Two or three aimed shots tire the eyesight and reduce its sharpness much more than many hours of shooting with loose shots.
At the end of "targeting" the eye is so tired that it is difficult to distinguish the position of the front sight and other sighting devices. The shooter does not notice this, because his visual memory retains in his mind the "sighting picture" in full brightness for 2-3 seconds.

The reasons for aiming are basically the same as for prolonged breath holding. And the consequences are the same. Targeting and holding your breath for a long time go hand in hand. The methods for eliminating this shortcoming are the same. If the instructor assigned the cadet to "lay down" for one hour without taking the butt off the shoulder, then the cadet's task is to train, along with holding the breath, and to control the vision of the sights according to the following scheme: control of the position and elimination of its minor negative aspects (at this moment, the vision is resting) ; mobilization for a shot, holding the breath (at this time, the vision "peers" at the target and clearly controls the position of the front sight at the aiming point). After 8 seconds - inhale and rest your eyes. And so for an hour without idle clicks. It is good if during this hour someone with a clock will be next to the cadet to count the above 8 seconds. Gradually the time is reduced. The benefits of this teaching technique cannot be overestimated.

Targeting is a very nasty phenomenon, which sometimes manifests itself even among masters with many years of experience. To reduce it, the shooters learn the so-called shooting technique at a pace. What it is? Shooting at pace is when the shooter learns to shoot in a certain period of time - no more and no less. At this particular moment, the mobilization of the body should begin, holding the breath, the aiming eye should "peer" and the finger on the trigger should work. And when all these components of the shot are "accustomed" to fire in the same period of time, and not a particularly long one, they begin to reflexively depend on each other. If any of these functions is delayed or does not work, other components “spur” it on, and the shot occurs at the level of automatism. Practical snipers learn to take a shot in 2 seconds, counting out in their minds "twenty-two - twenty-two" - this will be 2 seconds. During this time, the sniper makes a shot on a subconscious level, without thinking about how he breathes, peers, mobilizes and presses the trigger. With the accumulated rate of the shot, everything happens by itself.

Blinking or fear of being shot

If the shooter blinks in the usual way when aiming, as all normal people do, this does not affect the shooting results. But among beginners, the disease of fear of a shot is common, especially from combat repeating rifles with strong recoil. Instinctively, the cadets close their eyes before firing and, of course, stop aiming. Very often, at the same time, they pull the trigger, finally knocking down the aiming of the weapon. They must be weaned from this by explaining that when the rifle jerked and pushed in the shoulder, the bullet was already in the target. And the roar of a shot in general does not pose any danger to health. And, by the way, it is very interesting to look with both open eyes at the rifle and towards the target at the moment of the shot.
After that, the instructor requires the "morguns" to report where the front sight was looking at the time of the shot (mark the shot). For the most incorrigible of the "morguns", the instructor treacherously and imperceptibly puts training cartridges with sand instead of gunpowder. Why with sand? The gunpowder in the cartridge is poured and rustles by ear, and the sand too. A stubbornly blinking cadet, waiting for a shot, with a failed cartridge, his own shortcoming becomes clear. After that, the instructor forces the cadet to work only with training non-firing cartridges, from time to time placing live cartridges among them. Thus, cadets are taught not to pay attention to the roar of a shot and recoil in general.

Head position when aiming

When shooting with open sights, in which the line of sight is low enough, the shooter's head is positioned so as not to tire the eyes. As already mentioned, with a low workmanship, the eyes get tired faster. Why? Because the head is too tilted forward and the shooter looks at the aiming line from under his brows, "turning" the eye unnaturally from the bottom up, which causes the eye muscles to get tired and all other eye perception systems to reflexively get tired along with them. Therefore, both at low and at all other preparations in all positions - both from the knee and standing - the head should, if possible, be turned with the face perpendicular to the aiming line. When shooting from the knee and standing, it is very undesirable to stretch the head forward. At the same time, the muscles of the face and neck are excessively strained. Position your head so that you can comfortably see a slightly blurred rear sight, a clear, even front sight and a clear target. Place the head with the cheek against the butt and tilt it slightly to the right to help keep the eye on the aiming line, but tilting the head to the right excessively is not recommended. Quite often, beginners, having taken the correct position, change the position of the head on the butt from shot to shot. Uniformity is broken, the spread increases.

When shooting while standing, some shooters tilt their heads too far back. From this, the eyes are forced to squint. Some turn their heads and look sideways, straining their aiming eyes unnaturally.

Incorrect positioning of the head tires the eyes, leads to a delay in the shot and a decrease in shooting accuracy. Some shooters change the position of the head at the moment of aiming, which only worsens the conditions of the shot.
The task of the instructor is to simultaneously monitor the movement of the cadet's finger on the descent and ensure that his head does not come off the butt and does not move during aiming.

F.I. Zhamkov, in his instruction "Initial Training of an Athlete-Shooter", cited a very good, proven method of fixing the head on the butt: "In order to maintain the uniformity of the position of the head without muscle tension when shooting from a rifle, you can do the following: tilt your head away from the butt to the side and back, then, turning the chin to the butt, press on it from above and lower the head to the desired position, while relaxing the muscles of the neck.At the same time, a wrinkle is formed on the cheek that will not allow the head to fall down with relaxed muscles.

Trigger release on pistol grip sniper rifles. Principles of static training.

[ all articles ]

At first glance, it seems that the longer the barrel, the better: you can accelerate the bullet to higher speeds without increasing the charge of gunpowder. But this is not so - the speed increases only up to a certain length of the barrel. In the beginning, it increases by 6-7 m/s for every inch up to 30 inches. Up to 34 inches - within 4-5 m / s per inch, after forty - 3 m / s, and so on to zero. As a result, the practical length is limited to 34 inches. “For ultra-long range shooting, we recommend to our customers barrels in caliber .408 no larger than 34 inches,” says Lobaev. - For practical purposes, 30-32 inches (maximum 74 cm) is enough. A longer barrel makes sense only for demonstration and record purposes.

Measure - half hit

An ultra-long-range rifle, which typically costs around $20,000, is not the most expensive part of the complex. To begin with, it is not easy to accurately measure the distance at 2 km. And you need to do this very accurately - just at the end, the trajectory of the bullet is very steep. The required accuracy is provided only by a laser rangefinder. Hunting ones are not suitable - they are designed as a last resort for distances up to 1500 m. You have to use the military. The most affordable offer (from ¤7000 in Europe) is the Leica Vector IV, which allows you to measure distances up to 4 km. The Leica Vector 21 (up to 12 km) is even better, but it’s hard to even imagine how much it can cost. The store will definitely not offer it to you. If there was enough money and connections for the 21st Vector, you can think about lidar - a laser measuring wind speed at a distance. If not, you need a weather station, for example, Kestrel 4000NV for 14,000 rubles. Current, maximum and average wind speed, air temperature, reduced temperature, relative humidity, dew point, atmospheric pressure, altitude, atmospheric density - it is simply impossible to shoot today without all these data.

Self-loading cartridges 408-caliber with solid-pointed bullets Lost River J-40 Utra VLD

Third Eye

Without a scope, nowhere, and the choice here is small, the main problem is the insufficient consumption of the amendment. In human terms, the trajectory at ultra-long range is so steep that most scopes simply do not have enough adjustment turret travel. You can, of course, put special rings or "spacers" for them, but then it will be impossible to shoot at short distances, for example 300 m - there will not be enough corrections in the other direction. And in order to avoid “hemorrhoids”, then for shooting at 2 km it is optimal to have a sight with a correction rate of 150 arc minutes. This is the Leupold Mark IV M1. It is possible to use Night Force 5.5-22 IXS, but it, having an amendment rate of 100 minutes, needs a special bar. The ideal option is almost any model of US Optics SM, which comes with 200 minutes as a base and can be expanded to 300 minutes. Although it is almost as difficult to take such sights out of the United States as, say, a machine gun, in our vast expanses they are not often, but they are found.

No math anywhere

The most important piece of equipment for a high-precision shooter is a ballistic calculator. This is a program that calculates all the ballistic parameters necessary for shooting, including at ultra-long distances. There are no recommendations here, for shooters choosing a calculator is akin to choosing a religion.

Basically, all calculators are divided into two groups: tabular and mathematical. The former are based on the measurement of specific shot data (most often with the help of a Doppler radar). This technology is used to make the most popular ABC calculator in the USA, which is used, among other things, for shooting with 408 caliber. This approach has a disadvantage: if there is no fired cartridge in the database, it is impossible to accurately calculate ballistics, which is especially critical for self-loaded cartridges.

The spread of hits may seem large. Exactly until you find out that the shooting was carried out from a distance of more than 2 km

The latter use a mathematical ballistic model, and different programs are needed for bullets of different geometries. For example, there are programs for calculating the ballistics of ultra-low drag bullets.

Who's in charge

The shooter also needs a very good spyglass with at least 60x magnification for number two. Why, when you have a scope? Indeed, for 2 km, holes in the target cannot even be seen through a telescope. Here we come to the most interesting: why in Western films snipers go in pairs and why the second number is the main one. But because it is he who calculates the distance to the target, evaluates the wind, meteorological parameters, conducts all ballistic calculations and gives the first number ready-made corrections. Pulling the trigger when you have everything on the scope is not so difficult. Checked.

But most importantly, the second number has a truly mystical ability to see the flight of a bullet, because, as already mentioned, it is impossible to see a hole in the target. The fact is that in the good optics of a telescope, a vortex flow is visible, which the bullet leaves behind. It is difficult to see him, but possible. This requires an extremely accurate location of the observer relative to the shooter: strictly along the axis of the bore and slightly higher. Ideally, if the reticle in the tube and the sight are the same, then the second number after the first shot immediately gives a correction to the reticle.