EQUIPMENT
All bullets should always be of match grade quality and from the same box and batch number , never knock them about so the seating becomes loose this will mean lowered muzzle velocity and uncentered chamber seating ,enough to miss big time at 600 meters, so treat them as if they were made of glass.
if you load your own then the possibilities of obtaining benchrest precision are greatly increased especially when it comes to runout factors. sierra match kings and lapua scenars are excellent bullets, its no good having a sub MOA rifle and feeding it hamburgers you must maintain quality+quality.
military ammo for snipers is excellent but if you are civilian you can tune your rifle much more, simply because you have more choice when it comes to ammo remember not all barrels shoot the same ,
There are two books in life which have equal status the bible and the logbook without this your as good as blind, every small detail must be entered in your logbook everytime you squeeze the trigger, put the spent cartridge in your pocket and your logbook out, what info is needed.
weapon / ammo / optics / temp /wind / location / position / humidity / range/ target / cold barrel shot / warm barrel shot / altitude / angle / point of impact / zero / sun position / mirage / date / time / rounds fired / elevation / windage.
when all this info is entered over a long period you have a first class finger print with just your weapon in all types of situations, so you can quickly determine the best course of action. and also keep track on rounds fired so your not wondering why the rifle is spreading due to barrel wear.
When making your BDC be sure to fire at every range you,ve included, you cannot go by what the ballistic table says on the bullet box ,this data is compiled from a factory rifle in a vice, you must find out your muzzle velocity with a chronograph and then start the ballistic mathematics to give you a starting point its also important to know the ballistic coeficeincy of the bullet your using ,use this link to a superb online program with this you can even work out your winddrift data and best of all in moa or milrads . this info should always be with you so you can adjust your elevation and windage ,be sure to imboss with plastic and it will last longer than you.
Wind meters:
These are a must have item, knowing precise wind conditions is critical for shot placement, the silva windwatch gives temp as well which is also important, and it fits in the palm of your hand, remember critical wind readings should be taken approx 10 metres from the muzzle to give correct comeups, take a couple of readings a find the average factor and then its double check on the wind drift data card.
Bipods:
The two main ones in this category are harris and Parker hale both giving the sniper excellent control over his position the Harris system can be screwed to your system were as the Parker hale must have the attachment
This subject is proberly the hardest to write about with the sea of companies making tactical scopes every week. firstly should it be variable or set 10x . both are good : if its a hot day and you,ve got a target out at 600m and the mirage is floating the target then its good to have 3-12 because you can screw down to 8x and take away most of the mirage or if you are policesnipers were targets are never more than 100m then the variable is good so its basically what your operational field is going to be, which should be the deciding factor
moa clicks most scopes are 1/4 clicks which means 4 clicks per moa= 1inch . mildots, these fantastic little dots can give you quick known size range capabilities but remember there is a difference between milrad and moa use this link for an excellent explanation Mil-dots
mounts are very important, without good ones its like steering a car with a loose steering wheel, leupold have the mark 4 which are good and do not forget to lap the rings before tightening down your scope, also do not forget to use lens caps
Range finders:
These have become state of the art over the past few years, with busnell having three models to choose from at ok prices but can be difficult to pin point targets at maximum range, top end gear like the incredible vectors from leica are bang on ive tested these and there pinpoint out at a 1000m but these are big bucks maybe one day they will come down in price, another range finder which is equal in quality and precision but is built in to your scope is the swarovski LRS 3-12X50 but its also big bucks, remember you have a super range finder in your scope the mildots learn them well and you will not need expensive gizmo's.
Night Vision::
New geniration equipment to help you see at night and other low light conditions I use ITT for and example, I used there products in the service so I see no reason to quit now.
Binoculars:
Bins are important for scouting large areas ,good quality costs zeiss. leica. swarovski .steiner make good bins, the M22s are excellent with the rangefinder etched in the glass but they are large and heavy if you want something a little more compact try the leica 8 x 20 superb clarity and handling and about the size of a pkt of smokes, but of course your losing big time on twilight factor as always you can,t have it all.
Spotting scopes:
These are very important for target acusition and recognition the best being kowa and now leupold with mildots,good magnification is about 30x although there are some good lightweight zoom models giving up to 60x ,great for reading wind speed in a mirage, a small collapsible tripod is all that's needed and a muff to protect under transport.
Ghillisuits:
First class ghillisuits take time to make, but if done properly will deceive fox,s, you will disappear into your surroundings which is exactly what you want, when constructing your ghillisuit think of the type of terrain you will be active in, so you can diffuse into the ground effectively.also use some form of net so you can tie extra,s on which grow in your vicinity.
Also breasts and legs should have patches without burlap sewn in, to facilitate crawling, and also it prevents leaving a trail of burlap behind you. pluses for the traditional ghilli are you do disappear but god help you when its 30 degrees, or when you took it out of your bergen and it weighed only 4kg, but its now raining its grown to 10kg because you forgot to impregnate with scotchguard.
After using the D2 stalker from sabcos I'm never going back, weighs only 1kg and when wet the same, with the belt system you do not have to use your bergen, in fact ive stuffed mine in a sidepocket, and you do not melt when its 30+, and the camo is good, and you never leave that burlap trail, i think more snipers will start to use these spaceage units after all its soon the millenium.
Drag bags:
Dragbags are a must to transport all of your kit and even into a mission, although its debatable if its practical in the bush, the eagle bag is superb with good compartments and thought out design, blackhawk have one which is almost the same, you can see my eaglebag under the M85 photo.
Muzzlebrake:
This topic has many divided in views, muzzle brakes will cut down felt recoil by approx. 30-40% and will greatly assist follow through on your target and many people actually shoot better with a muzzle brake maybe its the .22 syndrome, it does make the shot feel tighter and more controlled when using one, accuracy is not affected if made and fitted correctly but never zero without and shoot with you must zero with muzzle brake fitted
The trade off is about 40% more report when firing we have done some testing in this area by firing beside a tree which will deflect the bang, having men downrange tying to pinpoint the snipers position from report and as of yet nobody's been 100% sure to exact position of the shot this being in .308 rounds.
Sandsocks:
These are great for locking your stock firmly when aiming giving extra stability to your shot, also giving you good control on small upward and downward positions by squeezing your sock whilst under the stock . I use rice for mine its much lighter than sand and it doubles up for lunch if your desperate !!!
