Quote:
Originally Posted by
bheiser 
| i have an enfield, i just want something that looks mean and is accurate |
Looking mean (in a rifle, that is) is not important. Hitting the target is.
Consider this question: would you rather have an average trained person, shooting at you with a .308 AI with all the goodies, including a US Optics 5.5-22 T-PAL at 500 yards.....
or Carlos Hathcock taking a crack at you at the same distance with a Winchester Model 70 and a 3-9 Weaver?
Didn't think so.
It's not the gear, it's the shooter. Period. Having the best equipment helps--but knowing how to use it makes all the difference.
Mil-Dot scopes are all the rage--but probably 99% of the people who buy them do NOT know how to use those pesky little dots. They spend umpteen dollars to get the latest auto-ranging scope--not knowing that the proper use of a mil-dot scope can put you within 20 yards, plus or minus, of your target.
And even then, if you don't know how to put in your dope--come-ups, minutes of deflection for wind, calculating the proper cosine for shooting up or downhill--you still might not hit your target.
Bottom line--for the amount of money you suggested, get a good used Remington, Winchester or a Savage rifle, put some decent optics on it, and concentrate on the basics at 100 yards. When you can shoot sub MOA, worry about the longer ranges.
Now, if you really--REALLY--want to know what the magical, secret world of a sniper is like, here ya go. This is my first actual deployment with my Department. (Note--this is LE precision rifle, definitely NOT military.)
____________________________________
I wanted to relay my experience with (drum roll, please...) my first ever CALL OUT! (Insert bells, whistles, and cheers!)
It seemed that at our High School (note: I think that this could only happen in Indian Country), which is a Tribal school, we had a bunch of really savory characters who were coming to graduation to see "their kids" graduate, to wit:
Local Crips and Crips-affiliated gangs, 3 ea.
Local Bloods and Bloods related gangs, 2 ea.
Local wannabees, with attitude, 1 ea.
1% motorcycle club, 1 ea.
(No, I'm NOT joking.)
Since these groups usually don't play well with others (even among themselves) the decision was made to make a proactive stand to avert violence. A metal detector was installed at the door, and SRT was called out.
The rest of the team members got to sit in an auxiliary building, in gear, with air conditioning.
Yours truly went to the roof.
I was pumped up! Here I was, ready to go on my first call-out! I was ready.
My optimism waned somewhat, starting with the roof access. Up many flights of stairs, culminating in a 30-foot ladder climb. I slung my rifle by its nice leather sling across my back, and started to climb.
First observation: A 12 pound rifle, with optics, dragging itself around to hang from your neck by a broad leather strap, thus severely reducing the capacity of your airway, is NOT fun. (First note to self: Get a 3 point sling!!)
Of course, the two extra boxes of GM Match, binoculars, notepad and two water bottles in my cargo pockets did not help too much, either, at they tried their level best to make me lose my balance each time I advanced a rung. Rounding out the picture was the complete set of duty gear with all the accoutrements.
Another officer had gone up before me, and was standing at the access hatch offering words of engagement. These words of engagement usually consisted of snickers and every now and then, a "Dude, are you OK?" My reply was usually sharp, acerbic and witty. Unfortunately, it always came out sounding suspiciously like "urk" and "gaack".
I finally made it to the roof. Awright! Here we go!
I quickly settled into the prone, setting the rifle beside me on its bipod, and started ranging known points of engagement.
On a black rubber roof.
In a black jumpsuit.
In full gear.
On a 75 degree day.
The novelty wore off within 15 minutes, as I laid there simmering in my portable sauna. I felt like a dying cockroach--all I could do to alleviate the misery was to wiggle a bit now and then.
A passing bird chose to mock me unmercifully by landing near my head and chirping merrily. I cast a baleful glaze at it, knowing that it could fly away into the wonderful breeze which taunted me occasionally. To vent my increasingly foul mood, I imagined it on a spit, slow roasting.
After 4.5 hours of cooking, I was finally told to stand down and to come off the roof. I thought for a while about just rolling off the edge, laying down in the grass and sprinkling myself in spices, because there was surely cooked pork that day. I did not do so because the fall would surely have hurt my rifle.
Lessons learned:
1. Get a mat. And a drag bag. Preferably both. Blackhawk makes a combination that holds rifle, ammo, data book, binos, and even a CamelBak, which can be had for about $110, give or take a few bucks. It easily converts to a shooting mat.
2. The most important job of the sniper/precision rifle is gathering information BEFORE you have to take the shot--if it ever comes to that. While there on the roof, I did not chamber a round, and the covers stayed on the scope. But I established commo with my team leader, advising him and the others of every potential threat that came onto the grounds. I was also able to take some real neat group and individual photos for our gang intel books.
So, there you have it--the glamourous world of the police sniper.
Yours,
Powderman (about 15 lb. lighter)
