Attn: Sniper

[JWTAYLOR]

Asumming that your name is a hint at your specialty, and that your are a Marine, where did you train? Do Marines get thier initial scout/sniper training at Quantico or Camp Pendleton, or is it somewhere else?

Thank you,
JWT

If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV

[sniper]

Well, no, I am not a sniper, although I did get selected to go through the course...pretty rough stuff, and I didn't even finish the school. Everyone noticed that I couldn't see in the dark, so I got dropped. The name "Sniper" just seemed like it would be a good...name. Then again, maybe it is some kind of sick mental problem manifested by the frustrations of a dream fallen short....but probably not. Thanks for asking.
Oh, by the way, yeah, the training was in Quantico.

-sniper

The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.

[JWTAYLOR]

Thank you very much. I recently signed up for the Army Reserves. My chosen MOS will be Army Paramedic and I'll be out of San Antonio, TX. But I won't go to training until November 2002. I'm really looking forward to getting back into military service.

I've done allot backcountry mountain climbing, and I'm long time hunter, so my field craft is ok, and I've been really working on my long range shooting. I have an unmodified Remington 30.06 with a Leoplod 10X scope right now, which is not suitable for real long range shooting. Even with that, at around 400 yards I've never missed a White Tail Deer, Ferrell Hog, or Javelina. I'm having a Remington 700BDL 7mm accurized right now, and when it's done and I've done a little more practice I'll enter some shooting comps next year. I'm hoping that if I get good I could qualify for Sniper training and get some futher training at Fort Benning in their Preliminary Army Sniper School, but I don't really know how to go about that once I finish my initial MOS training, or if it is at all possible.

I know you're a Marine and I'm Army, but any information you can give me on Sniper qualification would be helpfull.

Just to brag, and since you mentioned night vision, I just like to say that last Wednesday night I hit a white tail deer dead in the heart at trot 80yards away from a kneeling position. The cool part is that the shot was made at 6:30pm (really dark), with a stock open sighted (no scope) 30 30 Winchester model 94. It was probabbly the best shot of my life. I wasn't planning on shooting a white tail at all, (I had seen some rouge Axis deer on our place and wanted to shoot one of them) and after not seeing an Axis and giving up at dark I noticed the buck on my walk back home, knealt, and took my shot. It didn't get another 3 feet before in fell. I went over to my folk's house last night and we all ate the back strap. Mnn, dead animal flesh, mnnn.

JWT

If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV

[Jaguar Wong]

JWT,
You're always talking about the "backstrap". What part is that exactly, and what do you do with the rest of the meat?

Also, is an Army sniper different from a Marine sniper? I don't mean the training I mean the deployment. I was always under the impression that an Army sniper was like a SWAT sniper, part of a larger team/squad, rather than a lone pair (sniper/spotter) sent out on "hunts".

To keep this Kung Fu related, do snipers have learn how to hit a moving target at 10 yards from a prone, kneeling and standing position with a rope dart? :p

Jaguar Wong
The 6th Deadly Venom!

Jaguar's Wife (To "Judo" Gene Lebell): "Excuse me, my friend (Tigerstyle) wants to know if we can take a picture of you choking him."
Gene LeBell (in a gravely voice): "If he don't mind, I don't mind."
- actual event from DragonFest 1999

[JWTAYLOR]

The backstrap is basically like the trapezious of the deer. It extends from the base of the deer's neck most of the way down it's back and down to the deer's side's a few inches. It's the most tender, tastiest part of the deer and it's shape lends it to easy butchering and cooking. When I was young and hunting with my dad he would skin the deer and cut out the back strap in the field and have me run it up for cooking while he worked on the rest of the deer. Instant gratification.

As for the rest of the deer (I do all of my own butchering BTW) you can make a nice rump rost from the rear haunches (cuts out quite nicely) and the front shoulders can be cut into some small steaks as well. Most people use the front shoulder's, some of the meat in the neck, and some of the flank for chilli or stew, as it is a little tougher and "gamier". Me, I cut the backstrap out and a couple of flank steaks and make the rest of the deer into sausage. (This year I got an automatic sausage grinder/stuffer. Sure beats doing it all by hand!) I'm trying to make some jerky this year as well. I have to admit, I don't cut out the ribs, as there is very little meat on the ribs of a Hill Country White Tail deer and it's allot of work to get them all out. With a little skill, and ALLOT of patiece, you should be easily able to get 40+lbs of edible meat out of a Hill Country White Tail deer. It's sad, but it took me a little over 6 hours from my first cut to field dress to putting the meat into bags in my freezer for this last deer.

If you want, you can take the head to a taxidermist and have them mount it, which costs several hundred dollars. Which I have never done. I either saw the horns off or, if I like the rack allot or it was an especially cool deer, I'll go through the pain in the a$$ and skin and dress the skull and mount it a board for display.

And the kung fu of long range accurate shooting is in the field craft, the body positioning, the breathing, and the mind set neccessary for making such a shot. A good sniper has allot of kung fu. I have adequate kung fu for what I do, but not for what I want to be able to do.

I have no idea what the difference is between Army and Marine sniper deployment. I'll leave that to our new resident Leather Neck. (How they got that name is an interesting story, especially if you're into Escrima.)

JWT

If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV

[Longquan]

Doesn't happen.

I was a 91B.

Snipers are 11 series (infantry).

The opportunity for training is based on the recommendation and funding of the unit.

A reservist 91B has no chance.

Caveat: Go active 18D (Special Forces Medic).

[Longquan]

The backstrap in grocery store terms is a tenderloin.

Filet Mignon as well as tornedos are cut from the tenderloin.

[Longquan]

Pork chops and Rib eyes are also cut from the tenderloin. :-)

[joedoe]

Can you cut a tenderloin from a marine sniper/medic? :D

Also, does a sniper/medic shoot the guy then rush over to try and save them? :D

cxxx[]:::::::::::>
You're fu(king up my chi

[Tigerstyle]

ABandit,
Didn't you ever watch G.I. Joe? Army Medics are supposed to hate guns (remember Lifeline). Besides, you really don't need to hit anyone to win a battle. You just shoot really close to them until they give up, and then you march 'em away in their underwear. Let them keep their helmets on, though.

"No Pain - Good."
- neptunesfall

[joedoe]

No, never watched GI Joe. Does this mean that my understanding of military matters has been stunted? :D

cxxx[]:::::::::::>
You're fu(king up my chi

[Tigerstyle]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>No, never watched GI Joe. Does this mean that my understanding of military matters has been stunted?[/quote]
Yes. More importantly though, your understanding of martial arts may have been stunted as well by not watching it.

In pretty much every episode, they consistently showed that no matter how good you are, you cannot defeat multiple (a dozen or so) opponents in hand-to-hand combat. You may last a while, but eventually one of them is going to connect with a chop or a rifle butt to the back of your neck. Then its lights out (100% efficiency).

If you watch it long enough, you will know. And knowing is half the battle.

"No Pain - Good."
- neptunesfall

[joedoe]

****, and here I was thinking that my training might look after me. I'd better get cable so I can catch up on all the GI Joe I have missed.

cxxx[]:::::::::::>
You're fu(king up my chi

[Jaguar Wong]

No need for cable my friend. Most video stores will have more than enough episodes for you to get a glimpse of "the real military world".

Jaguar Wong
The 6th Deadly Venom!

Jaguar's Wife (To "Judo" Gene Lebell): "Excuse me, my friend (Tigerstyle) wants to know if we can take a picture of you choking him."
Gene LeBell (in a gravely voice): "If he don't mind, I don't mind."
- actual event from DragonFest 1999

[JWTAYLOR]

Longquan, why you gatta maka me cry?

Oh well.

Last night I went to a range. With that same 30 30 listed above at 100 yards I got 3 rounds withing 1 inch of the bullseye from a seated position. From a standing position I got 7 more within 4 inches of the bullseye. Which is very very good.

With my 30.06 at 350yards (maximum length of the range field I was at) I got 2 rounds within 2 inches of the bulleye from a seated position and 3 more within 5 inches standing. I need to work on my standing fire a little more.

But paramedic training is much more valuable to me and to the Army. So that's what I'll do.

JWT

If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV