Post by Seal Team 2 on Mar 13, 2013 19:51:32 GMT -5
How to deal with Snipers 101
Please note, I am not trying to attack anyones choice on being a sniper. If that's what you want to do, go for it, but if you're going to do it, might as well do it right.
These are suggestions based upon my observations and experiences over the last several years playing airsoft. These tactics are relatively sound but left intentionally vague to take into consideration the uncountable variations inherent to each individuals leadership abilities, experience level, available force strength, terrain, climate, equipment, and knowledge. In other words, if you blew it following these suggestions, you blew it.
Here’s the scenario…
You’re team leader in a game. You rally your troops at the head of a trail leading to your objective. You give the signal to advance. Your point man steps into the trail, followed at loose intervals by you and the rest of the squad. A shot comes out of nowhere. “HIT!”
You’ve just encountered a sniper. The question is, what kind of sniper did you find? An experienced, knowledgeable, effective sniper? Or?
If the shot hit your point man, odds are it was not a hard core sniper. If the shot hit you, the team leader, you’re in the deep end now.
In my experience, there are two distinct types of airsoft snipers.
The first are the hard core, down and dirty, one shot one kill, never two shots from the same location kind of snipers. These are the guys who spend 90% of the game on their bellies laying in or crawling through brush, streams, mud, bushes, ant hills, nettles, briars, blackberry bushes, leaves, rocks, and every other natural phenomenon that most everyone else avoids just to get intel on the enemy troop movements and strengths or to set up for that one perfect shot to take out a key player at a key moment in the game to turn the advantage to his team. They leave the staging area with 20 BBs and six hours later, at the end of the game have 17 BBs left and 5 confirmed kills, two by touch.
A lot of them have more money sunk into their main gun than some people spend on their first car. Out of the 150+ players I regularly play with, there are exactly 2 guys that meet that description and they are a true asset to have on any team.
The second type is what I’ll call (for want of a better term) the rookie. They have a bolt action gun with a scope, like to find that one perfect location with the best view of the field or a heavily used trail, and try to pick off any enemy they see. Once they find that spot, they’ll stay there until forced to move. Odds are, however, they will eventually return to that same spot.
Out of the same 150+ players, about 40 fall into that category.
So how do you deal with the threats posed by snipers?
Knowledge is king. Familiarize yourself with the AO. Study the terrain. Look for places you would expect a sniper to set up, and avoid those areas. Bring or make a map of the area. Plan your progress. Establish a COC and have at least one other person to assume the lead if you get hit. Make sure they know and agree with the plan too.
Don’t do the expected. If there’s a trail leading to an objective, don’t use it. Find or make another route.
Split your forces. Never take your whole team into an area from the same direction.
Keep your eyes and ears open, and watch your 12 and 6. While you’re at it, watch your 3 and 9 and every number between too. A good sniper does not always attack your front.
So you got hit, now what?
OK, you’ve taken the proverbial “one for the team” and got sniped. How do you tell your team where the shot came from?
Typically in our games, when you are hit, you raise your arm, yell “HIT!”, put on your dead rag, then walk to base/respawn.
Every single skirmish I’ve ever been in has one shared rule. “Dead men don’t talk”.
Bodies, however, do. In the real world, the team would extrapolate the direction of the sniper by looking at entry/exit wounds and victim’s location. When you stand to don your dead rag, simply face the direction the shot came from. You don’t have to say a word, but your team will at least know the general area to look. If you spot the shooter, log the location for your return after respawn, but don’t expect the hard core sniper to still be there.
Now that the shot’s out of the bag…?
Once they fire the first shot, it gets interesting. After I’ve established where the shot came from, I disengage a small force off my larger team to circle and flank the location. If I have a DM available, I’ll send him off for some counter-sniping. If the sniper is bugging out, I try to anticipate his escape route, which is usually pretty easy since the shot came from maybe 100 yards away at best. If I can, I run a pincer around that area, but if not, I try to get troops around and behind them to squeeze them into a desirable location to take him out with my main force. Naturally, once shots start flying, every plan in the book gets tossed, and you also still have to account for the enemy regulars too.
Just be careful that the sniper isn’t bait for a bigger trap. Been there…
If you find you’re up against a rookie, flush him out of his hole. You can use any of the above techniques or you can just rush the spot. Rookies are creatures of habit and will usually want to return to that same site, especially if they got an easy kill there earlier. It’s also likely they will return by the same route. I’ve covered one such site and got the same kid in the same spot 4 times over about a 40 minute span. At the end of the game, he kept complaining that someone was camping his spot and he couldn’t get to his position, lol.
I have many more stories of how teams I’ve been on have beaten snipers just as I have many stories on how good snipers have wreaked havoc on our teams battle plans, but I won’t go into details here. Suffice it to say, as long as there are video games and movies about or featuring snipers, there will be rookies. Hopefully some of them will grow into the true hard core sniper that truly benefits the team he’s on, but most will likely drop back to being a ground pounder eventually.
So, what tactics do you use to counter snipers in your games?
“If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it is a duck”,
Unless it’s an counter-duck!
What better weapon to use against a sniper? A Counter-Sniper.
So what is a “Counter-Sniper”?
A counter-sniper is more than just a designated marksman or a guy with a long range scoped rifle. Typically, a counter-sniper is someone who is very familiar with sniper tactics and techniques. They have either been a sniper or just have that uncanny ability to get into a snipers mind and know how they think. They know where to look, they know what to look for, and they know how to shoot accurately and effectively at long ranges. They are typically patient, waiting for the enemy sniper to make a mistake before capitalizing on it. They value cover more than concealment, but are effective with both. They may not be as stealthy as the sniper, but they can be when called to do so.
The counter-sniper also has another benefit at his disposal, the rest of his squad/patrol.
To be effective, a sniper must remain hidden from view. A counter-sniper does not have this burden as they can easily blend with the rest of his team, leaving the sniper multiple targets to be concerned with, whereas the counter-sniper has only one (or two if there’s a spotter).
What type of gun does the counter-sniper use?
Ideally, the best gun to use against a long range scoped bolt action gun would be another long range scoped bolt action gun. The problem with that is they tend to stick out like a sore thumb. Any sniper with any sense would immediately take out the opposing player with a scoped bolt gun first, since that would be his biggest perceived threat.
Traditionally (at least in airsoft where I play), the counter-sniper uses an upgraded long barreled AEG. These are the “Perfect Storm” or DMR of airsoft rifles featuring maximum allowed FPS, excellent range, excellent ROF, and superb accuracy. Typically, the base gun is something like an M16 in all it’s forms, M14, G3, AUG, or even an AK-47. Pretty much any quality AEG with a barrel length longer than 450mm would be a good start. Sometimes they keep a scope mounted, but that has the same problems as a scoped bolt rifle. It immediately makes the counter-sniper a primary target.
The most successful counter-snipers I play with use tip-off or flip-down scopes or magnifiers on their guns. Once the sniper makes his move and takes his shot, the counter-sniper mounts his scope (or magnifier) to his rifle and begins searching the area the shot came from.
Using red dot sights with a magnifier helps the counter-sniper scout the likely sniper areas, but still allows rapid engagement with regular ground forces as the situation merits.
How do they do what they do?
Counter-snipers usually do not go on sniper hunting missions in airsoft. They have a better success rate staying with their team or squad, using their teams feedback and observations to locate the sniper. A well concealed sniper can take up to 30 minutes or more to find, assuming you’re looking in the right area.
The best counter-snipers I know look for things that just don’t look right. Ghille suits are a very effective method of concealing a sniper, but there are ways to spot even a good suit.
Nature has a very definite affinity for balance. A good counter-sniper looks for breaks in that balance.
Look at the colors and patterns in the foliage and look for areas that don’t seem to match the right texture, shade, or colors.
Look at the topography of the land. A smooth rolling hill with a bump in the middle might be a buried boulder, but it may be a concealed sniper too. Or that spot in the field where the grass looks to be about six inches shorter than everywhere else. Could be suspicious.
Look for things that don’t move the way they should. See that branch in the bushes? If it’s not moving in the breeze with the other branches, chances are, it ain’t a branch. See that bush on the hill moving slightly, but there’s no breeze? Something made it move.
Look for things that are out of place. Things like tell tale glints of light reflecting from the shadows, every downed tree limb leaning right except one that’s leaning left.
Listen for anything out of place. Hear the birds in front, to the right, and behind, but not to the left?
And remember to think “outside the box”. Not all snipers will be laying on the ground under some bush or log. Trees do more than just provide shade, if you know what I mean.
When searching for a sniper, concealment is not as important as cover. Remember, the sniper has the advantage at the moment. They know where the team is, what direction they were going, and how many troops are left. The counter-sniper can try to sneak away to find concealment, but it’s likely the whole area is under observation.
The only advantage the team has at the moment is numbers.
When taking peaks from around cover, never, ever do it from the same spot.
The counter-sniper should make a mental grid of the area they are searching and check it thoroughly one section at a time. They should limit their looks to 2 seconds or less. If they can’t see everything in their grid in those 2 seconds, they need to make the grid smaller.
In WWII, it was considered unlucky to light a third cigarette from a single match. The reason was the striking of the match would get the snipers attention, the first smoker would give away the direction, the second smoker would give away the range, and the third smoker wouldn’t have to worry about cancer.
The counter-sniper can use suppressive cover fire from their team to take longer looks if possible, but should always change the spot they are looking from.
Also, the counter-sniper must be aware of their own teams movements. If the team leader has sent a group along the right side of the suspected area, the counter-sniper should keep their eye on the left. If the flanking group spots the sniper and engages, great, the counter-sniper can give them cover fire. If they don’t, they are in the wrong spot and the counter-sniper is already covering the correct area. Let them force the sniper to move. Once he does, the counter-sniper can take his shot.
Again, all of this is based on my personal observances, experience, and research on effective airsoft tactics.
With these tactics, suggestions, and ideas, used properly, the psychological and physical effects of dealing with an enemy sniper can be lessened a great deal
Please note, I am not trying to attack anyones choice on being a sniper. If that's what you want to do, go for it, but if you're going to do it, might as well do it right.
These are suggestions based upon my observations and experiences over the last several years playing airsoft. These tactics are relatively sound but left intentionally vague to take into consideration the uncountable variations inherent to each individuals leadership abilities, experience level, available force strength, terrain, climate, equipment, and knowledge. In other words, if you blew it following these suggestions, you blew it.
Here’s the scenario…
You’re team leader in a game. You rally your troops at the head of a trail leading to your objective. You give the signal to advance. Your point man steps into the trail, followed at loose intervals by you and the rest of the squad. A shot comes out of nowhere. “HIT!”
You’ve just encountered a sniper. The question is, what kind of sniper did you find? An experienced, knowledgeable, effective sniper? Or?
If the shot hit your point man, odds are it was not a hard core sniper. If the shot hit you, the team leader, you’re in the deep end now.
In my experience, there are two distinct types of airsoft snipers.
The first are the hard core, down and dirty, one shot one kill, never two shots from the same location kind of snipers. These are the guys who spend 90% of the game on their bellies laying in or crawling through brush, streams, mud, bushes, ant hills, nettles, briars, blackberry bushes, leaves, rocks, and every other natural phenomenon that most everyone else avoids just to get intel on the enemy troop movements and strengths or to set up for that one perfect shot to take out a key player at a key moment in the game to turn the advantage to his team. They leave the staging area with 20 BBs and six hours later, at the end of the game have 17 BBs left and 5 confirmed kills, two by touch.
A lot of them have more money sunk into their main gun than some people spend on their first car. Out of the 150+ players I regularly play with, there are exactly 2 guys that meet that description and they are a true asset to have on any team.
The second type is what I’ll call (for want of a better term) the rookie. They have a bolt action gun with a scope, like to find that one perfect location with the best view of the field or a heavily used trail, and try to pick off any enemy they see. Once they find that spot, they’ll stay there until forced to move. Odds are, however, they will eventually return to that same spot.
Out of the same 150+ players, about 40 fall into that category.
So how do you deal with the threats posed by snipers?
Knowledge is king. Familiarize yourself with the AO. Study the terrain. Look for places you would expect a sniper to set up, and avoid those areas. Bring or make a map of the area. Plan your progress. Establish a COC and have at least one other person to assume the lead if you get hit. Make sure they know and agree with the plan too.
Don’t do the expected. If there’s a trail leading to an objective, don’t use it. Find or make another route.
Split your forces. Never take your whole team into an area from the same direction.
Keep your eyes and ears open, and watch your 12 and 6. While you’re at it, watch your 3 and 9 and every number between too. A good sniper does not always attack your front.
So you got hit, now what?
OK, you’ve taken the proverbial “one for the team” and got sniped. How do you tell your team where the shot came from?
Typically in our games, when you are hit, you raise your arm, yell “HIT!”, put on your dead rag, then walk to base/respawn.
Every single skirmish I’ve ever been in has one shared rule. “Dead men don’t talk”.
Bodies, however, do. In the real world, the team would extrapolate the direction of the sniper by looking at entry/exit wounds and victim’s location. When you stand to don your dead rag, simply face the direction the shot came from. You don’t have to say a word, but your team will at least know the general area to look. If you spot the shooter, log the location for your return after respawn, but don’t expect the hard core sniper to still be there.
Now that the shot’s out of the bag…?
Once they fire the first shot, it gets interesting. After I’ve established where the shot came from, I disengage a small force off my larger team to circle and flank the location. If I have a DM available, I’ll send him off for some counter-sniping. If the sniper is bugging out, I try to anticipate his escape route, which is usually pretty easy since the shot came from maybe 100 yards away at best. If I can, I run a pincer around that area, but if not, I try to get troops around and behind them to squeeze them into a desirable location to take him out with my main force. Naturally, once shots start flying, every plan in the book gets tossed, and you also still have to account for the enemy regulars too.
Just be careful that the sniper isn’t bait for a bigger trap. Been there…
If you find you’re up against a rookie, flush him out of his hole. You can use any of the above techniques or you can just rush the spot. Rookies are creatures of habit and will usually want to return to that same site, especially if they got an easy kill there earlier. It’s also likely they will return by the same route. I’ve covered one such site and got the same kid in the same spot 4 times over about a 40 minute span. At the end of the game, he kept complaining that someone was camping his spot and he couldn’t get to his position, lol.
I have many more stories of how teams I’ve been on have beaten snipers just as I have many stories on how good snipers have wreaked havoc on our teams battle plans, but I won’t go into details here. Suffice it to say, as long as there are video games and movies about or featuring snipers, there will be rookies. Hopefully some of them will grow into the true hard core sniper that truly benefits the team he’s on, but most will likely drop back to being a ground pounder eventually.
So, what tactics do you use to counter snipers in your games?
“If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it is a duck”,
Unless it’s an counter-duck!
What better weapon to use against a sniper? A Counter-Sniper.
So what is a “Counter-Sniper”?
A counter-sniper is more than just a designated marksman or a guy with a long range scoped rifle. Typically, a counter-sniper is someone who is very familiar with sniper tactics and techniques. They have either been a sniper or just have that uncanny ability to get into a snipers mind and know how they think. They know where to look, they know what to look for, and they know how to shoot accurately and effectively at long ranges. They are typically patient, waiting for the enemy sniper to make a mistake before capitalizing on it. They value cover more than concealment, but are effective with both. They may not be as stealthy as the sniper, but they can be when called to do so.
The counter-sniper also has another benefit at his disposal, the rest of his squad/patrol.
To be effective, a sniper must remain hidden from view. A counter-sniper does not have this burden as they can easily blend with the rest of his team, leaving the sniper multiple targets to be concerned with, whereas the counter-sniper has only one (or two if there’s a spotter).
What type of gun does the counter-sniper use?
Ideally, the best gun to use against a long range scoped bolt action gun would be another long range scoped bolt action gun. The problem with that is they tend to stick out like a sore thumb. Any sniper with any sense would immediately take out the opposing player with a scoped bolt gun first, since that would be his biggest perceived threat.
Traditionally (at least in airsoft where I play), the counter-sniper uses an upgraded long barreled AEG. These are the “Perfect Storm” or DMR of airsoft rifles featuring maximum allowed FPS, excellent range, excellent ROF, and superb accuracy. Typically, the base gun is something like an M16 in all it’s forms, M14, G3, AUG, or even an AK-47. Pretty much any quality AEG with a barrel length longer than 450mm would be a good start. Sometimes they keep a scope mounted, but that has the same problems as a scoped bolt rifle. It immediately makes the counter-sniper a primary target.
The most successful counter-snipers I play with use tip-off or flip-down scopes or magnifiers on their guns. Once the sniper makes his move and takes his shot, the counter-sniper mounts his scope (or magnifier) to his rifle and begins searching the area the shot came from.
Using red dot sights with a magnifier helps the counter-sniper scout the likely sniper areas, but still allows rapid engagement with regular ground forces as the situation merits.
How do they do what they do?
Counter-snipers usually do not go on sniper hunting missions in airsoft. They have a better success rate staying with their team or squad, using their teams feedback and observations to locate the sniper. A well concealed sniper can take up to 30 minutes or more to find, assuming you’re looking in the right area.
The best counter-snipers I know look for things that just don’t look right. Ghille suits are a very effective method of concealing a sniper, but there are ways to spot even a good suit.
Nature has a very definite affinity for balance. A good counter-sniper looks for breaks in that balance.
Look at the colors and patterns in the foliage and look for areas that don’t seem to match the right texture, shade, or colors.
Look at the topography of the land. A smooth rolling hill with a bump in the middle might be a buried boulder, but it may be a concealed sniper too. Or that spot in the field where the grass looks to be about six inches shorter than everywhere else. Could be suspicious.
Look for things that don’t move the way they should. See that branch in the bushes? If it’s not moving in the breeze with the other branches, chances are, it ain’t a branch. See that bush on the hill moving slightly, but there’s no breeze? Something made it move.
Look for things that are out of place. Things like tell tale glints of light reflecting from the shadows, every downed tree limb leaning right except one that’s leaning left.
Listen for anything out of place. Hear the birds in front, to the right, and behind, but not to the left?
And remember to think “outside the box”. Not all snipers will be laying on the ground under some bush or log. Trees do more than just provide shade, if you know what I mean.
When searching for a sniper, concealment is not as important as cover. Remember, the sniper has the advantage at the moment. They know where the team is, what direction they were going, and how many troops are left. The counter-sniper can try to sneak away to find concealment, but it’s likely the whole area is under observation.
The only advantage the team has at the moment is numbers.
When taking peaks from around cover, never, ever do it from the same spot.
The counter-sniper should make a mental grid of the area they are searching and check it thoroughly one section at a time. They should limit their looks to 2 seconds or less. If they can’t see everything in their grid in those 2 seconds, they need to make the grid smaller.
In WWII, it was considered unlucky to light a third cigarette from a single match. The reason was the striking of the match would get the snipers attention, the first smoker would give away the direction, the second smoker would give away the range, and the third smoker wouldn’t have to worry about cancer.
The counter-sniper can use suppressive cover fire from their team to take longer looks if possible, but should always change the spot they are looking from.
Also, the counter-sniper must be aware of their own teams movements. If the team leader has sent a group along the right side of the suspected area, the counter-sniper should keep their eye on the left. If the flanking group spots the sniper and engages, great, the counter-sniper can give them cover fire. If they don’t, they are in the wrong spot and the counter-sniper is already covering the correct area. Let them force the sniper to move. Once he does, the counter-sniper can take his shot.
Again, all of this is based on my personal observances, experience, and research on effective airsoft tactics.
With these tactics, suggestions, and ideas, used properly, the psychological and physical effects of dealing with an enemy sniper can be lessened a great deal