Getting into SNIPER

[captainoffigi]

I've been into air-soft for about a year now and I still love my AEG. I would like to get into the sniping field of play though but I realized I've never really looked into snipers and i'm not sure what i'm looking for. I don't consider myself a "newbie" player so i'm looking at getting into a little more advanced sniper. Could anyone give me any tips to help for things i should be looking for, is spring superior to gas or should I be looking at a Tokyo Marui or Matrix. Any tips will be greatly appreciated thank you.

[UAD Airsoft]

Talk to fuzzy wolly if you have any questions, he is quite skilled

[Talisman]

The most important thing.... Sniping is the art of being a sniper. Thus, "getting into SNIPER" has a different meaning than (the correct) "getting into SNIPING". Also, snipers are people and not rifles - thus, your rifle is a "sniper's rifle" (shortened in modern terminology to "sniper rifle). You are the sniper, your rifle is a sniper rifle, and the art of using it is sniping. If you don't master those first, nobody will take you seriously anyways.

[Tank]

^ Exactly my thoughts.

[Fission]

I wrote this thing on the fly very quickly and it is a lot longer than I originally anticipated. If you want the one-liner summary here it is:

Just make sure the role is something you actually want to do, and you have enough money to support it.

Read below for my quick reasoning and humble thoughts. (note: probably not the most eloquent post I could have written. but hey..I'm at work.)


Precision Rifles and very skilled marksmen are mis-understood and mis-represented all over the place. Terminology, role, gear, positions etc..it's all usually thrown together the wrong way regardless. That's a different post/rant for a different day.

Regardless of what you want to call it and the gear..depending on your playing style you may or may not like the role, which is support. You are there to support your objective and your team. In military operations the most typical implementation of this role was for a psychological effect on enemy forces. To target and eliminate high ranking officers first and work down the line typically was the objective. Assassinations to demoralization of a large force. It is quite disorienting and scary to have a leader or role model drop right in front of you (for no apparent reason) as your having a friendly conversation about loved ones back home or playing a card game. This will confuse the unit and likely have them scrambling for cover and holding their position until they can react properly to the threat. Again this is the most typical application for the role in a military setting, it could also be a support role of covering incursion and extraction of your team and keeping them safe with precision fire to threats they have not encountered yet. Sort of, clearing the area. Of course that sort of thing is typically better left to laser guided bombs, munitions and aircraft..

In the case of LE support, sharpshooters typically cover hostage situations. In the case there is the need for a suspect to be quickly dispatched by precision rifle fire in such a way that they do not harm themselves or anyone else. Video of police sharpshooters shooting a pistol out of a suspects hand who was sitting in a chair holding a neighborhood hostage, and suspects who have hostages are abound the Internet I'm sure. I can't remember any specific events other than that one I just mentioned. This is a different role/application for a skilled marksmen with a precision rifle.

As it pertains to airsoft the most typical way a precision marksmen team is going to be implemented (I am thinking) is in supporting the team with precision fire as they move to/from an objective, as well as assassinations or taking out team leaders. These functions have the same effect in airsoft as they do in the real world albeit not on the same level. But if you are playing a game of "VIP" and you are moving from cover to cover and suddenly the VIP is hit out of nowhere and your team lost the game...it would be surprising at the very least.

Basically what you need to understand about the role for airsoft before you decide to do it is this:

1. Like I've reiterated way too much so far..YOU ARE SUPPORT. You may or may not get to shoot even once during an entire session. Sometimes you will have the opportunity to shoot 3-5 people, others nobody. You have to be okay with taking the extreme backseat and supporting your team by watching their back and you have to be okay with staying in a position for a while and probably never shooting your gun. If you enjoy action and movement and firefights the role will not be for you no matter how you try to fit it.

2. IT IS EXPENSIVE. The most important thing you will need in this role is RANGE. Airsoft guns have limited range based on the ammo we use. Bottom line we are throwing 6mm pieces of plastic that weigh less than a gram no matter how heavy ammo you buy. You obviously aren't going to attempt to use a bolt rifle at an indoor CQB field so you are going to be fighting atmosphere anytime you assume this role. Wind is the biggest factor you will fight. A 5mph wind will push a large caliber rifle round even at 2-300 yards, changing POI down range. Imagine what that same 5mph wind or even less will do to a BB. This limits the engagement range for any role and gun, regardless. It's just the way it is.

If you have AEGs shooting 400+ and they all have x range (say 130') you need to be able to fire from outside that range, preferably about double. This would require a gun shooting 550+ Not only do you need to be able to reach past that you need to be able to do so CONSISTENTLY. Accuracy is derived from consistency, you need to place every round on target the first time (ideally). This doesn't always happen even with real firearms and is even more difficult with airsoft.

This all actually does relate back to my original notion that it is EXPENSIVE. You will need to build a consistent precision rifle. This won't be "Oh I am going to throw a tight bore and a strong spring." Typically you will need to replace the barrel, spring, piston, piston head, nozzle, cylinder, trigger...basically you're rebuilding the entire gun, and none of the parts can be cheap or "well I just found this". A lot of times you're going to be matching parts up and figuring out what group of parts works best for your specific rifle. This sounds overkill and "ideal" but it's really more of a requirement. Again you need to be able to consistently out range any other gun on the field, and with lightweight plastic BB's that's hard to do. Check out the commerce section and talk to some people who own bolt rifles on here and see some prices and parts they have.

If you bothered to read this book don't take it the wrong way it probably sounds like I am trying to talk you out of it and I assure you I am not, just saying it is something you're going to want to be sure of before you commit. It's not really a role you "just try out". There is a reason only a few people assume this role. It is interesting and sounds like a lot of fun, but is definitely NOT for everyone.

As for tactics and things like that..well that's another post altogether as well.

EDIT: For spelling.

[BoredKender]

The majority of airsoft snipers have at least one of two things in common, being laziness and First Person Shooter video game "campers". Some would even argue that both of these go hand in hand. The typical airsoft sniper thinks that they will just go find a place to hide and wait for someone to walk by in front of their scope, and as long as said objective is in their crosshairs they will get the shot.

This is the WRONG ANSWER.

Snipers in airsoft IDEALLY should be very physically fit, able to drop down and get up with warmer-than-normal gear and a heavier-than-normal rifle. They ARE big and bulky. You must also be able to navigate to better vantage points by making as little noticeable movement as possible. Low noise and a low silhouette really come in handy with this. This also comes into play with rushing from one spot to another as you leap frog to support your mission. If you are breathing hard and heavy after sprinting 50 meters with your full gear and rifle, your ability to stay on target is going to suffer.

I would love to add on even more about the role as it has been my primary passion in the sport (and you can see my join date on here), but I am just on a lunch break as well.

[BoredKender]

Yes, that was already covered so I really didn't feel like taking the time to reiterate it.