As the sport of Airsoft continues its surge in worldwide popularity, the number of Airsoft teams and clubs continue to climb as well. These dedicated groups gather as weekend warriors at outdoor venues to participate in sophisticated war games. Dressed in military like fatigues, and armed with replica Airsoft guns, these teams engage in simulated military battles commonly referred to as the Mil-Sim (military simulation).
Of all the role players one can choose to be in these weekend battles, perhaps the most popular of all is the "Sniper". The Airsoft Sniper is often referred to as the Lone Wolf or Rouge of Airsoft.
This is the gamer that wants to place himself in the perfect hidden location in order to eliminate the opposing players in a deadly ambush. Although a popular identity among Airsoft warriors, few players have mastered the skill of becoming a feared and effective "Super Sniper".
The first step in becoming a successful Super Sniper begins with having the right equipment! This begins by choosing the Sniper's most important accessory-the sniper rifle. The goal of the Sniper is to be able to shoot the enemy from long distances, therefore his rifle does not need to be fully automatic or even semi automatic. A well built spring action rifle is usually the choice.
The spring sniper rifle must be one of the more powerful models in order to shoot from long distances with great accuracy. It is also important to keep in mind that the most powerful weapon the Sniper has is his stealth or the ability to stay hidden. The spring action sniper rifles are much quieter than the electric automatic rifles.
One of the most recommended spring sniper rifles is the Super 9 Bolt Action Airsoft sniper rifle. This great Airsoft gun is made by UHC, which is widely recognized as one of the premier manufacturers of spring guns.
Perhaps the next most important piece of equipment for the secretive Super Sniper is his riflescope. The ability to see long distances with accuracy is critical to his success. Often the original equipment scope does not fulfill this requirement and an upgrade is needed. A minimum 4x32 power scope is the desired measure.
The successful Sniper has also mastered the art of military camouflage. Without proper clothing the Sniper is doomed to failure. It is essential for him to be undetected by the opposing teams. Investing in a "ghillie" or camouflage suit is critical to maximum concealment from enemy patrols and other snipers.
This suit is made from a central binding layer and loose strips of material designed to break up the shape of the human body. Super Snipers typically customize their suits by adding plant-matter or rolling in the dirt or mud in order to deaden color contrasts. With the potential for wearing this suit a long time during battles, comfort is a premium.
One of the great mistakes of the amateur sniper is running out of ammunition. As simple as this may seem, this is a common mishap due to the underestimated length of many Airsoft skirmishes. Many a sniper meets his demise as he emerges prematurely from his secret hideout at the most inopportune time in order to retrieve more pellets. You will always find the wise Super Sniper well stocked with plenty of ammo!
Understanding the role and choosing the right equipment will help the Airsoft warrior to be well on his way to becoming a Super Sniper.
Unlike those who join the military, there is no barrier to entry and no basic marksmanship training required before getting involved in airsoft. Getting started is pretty much as easy as buying a gun and showing up at an event. Load gun, point, shoot, done.
Unfortunately, this translates into an entire group of players that lack a basic understanding of the fundamentals of marksmanship and how to employ them. Now this may not seem like such a big issue in a squad-type setting with close up engagements being the norm where simply sending enough shots toward your target fast enough may be the major determining factor, but this is not the case once a player buys an airsoft sniper rifle and starts to take up long-range firing positions.
If a player finds himself on terrain that requires constant movement between concealment points, then the exertion of getting from place to place along with getting into a sometimes unfamiliar position can often make aiming a very difficult proposition when the crosshairs are bobbling all over like sugar-high kid in a moon-walk.
Other than working hard to maintain a high level of fitness, the only thing that can help overcome these obstacles so that a player can properly fill the role of an airsoft sniper is mastering the Fundamentals of Airsoft Marksmanship. These four principles will enable any sniper who is struggling to accurately place shots with his or her new airsoft sniper rifle to be able to quickly improve accuracy and become the most feared operator on your team.
In this four-part series, we'll outline what these four principles of marksmanship for the airsoft sniper are, and how you can employ them yourself. Here's the first one:
Aiming - the first thing that needs to be taken seriously when using an airsoft sniper rifle is to understand basic aiming techniques. Point, shoot, fire is the oversimplified version that many shooters take when in fact aiming is composed of two major elements. Sight alignment and sight picture.
Sight alignment is making sure that your rear sight is properly aligned with your front sight to ensure that your rifle is pointing in the direction that you THINK it is. Sight picture boils down to properly placing your sights on your target.
When shooting with a rifle that doesn't have a scope, paying close attention to both sight alignment and sight picture are essentially important.
Sighting in with a scoped sniper rifle however, is a different experience from aiming with a non-scoped gun. Sight alignment is not as much of an issue as the scope itself compensates for the proper & straight alignment of the rifle. It is important to know exactly how your scope works, and follow the instructions to properly zero it in well before showing up at the safe zone of any competition.
If your airsoft sniper rifle did not come with a scope, then it's HIGHLY advisable that you do your best to get one ASAP. With few exceptions all of these guns do not come equipped to properly aim without a scope. Trying to operate as a airsoft sniper without a scope is a lot like building the fastest NASCAR ever but then failing to budget for some good racing fuel...the thing is just not going to work right.
Your scope will come with instructions on how to properly zero it in so that your shots actually end up where you aim. If no instructions are provided, you can find various guides simply by searching the internet.
Once your airsoft sniper rifle and scope are zeroed and ready to go, aiming is as simple as setting your sights on your target and squeezing the trigger. Both sight alignment and sight picture should naturally fall into place.
Both Pj Ace & Brian Kurtz are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Pj Ace has sinced written about articles on various topics from Guns, Recreation and Sports and Guns. PJ Ace is a writer and administrator for , a site that specializes in Airsoft and Paintball.. Pj Ace's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.
Brian Kurtz has sinced written about articles on various topics from Recreation and Sports, Foreclosure Help and Property Guide. Brian Kurtz was an active duty member of the United States Marine Corps from 2000-2004. Rated as an expert marksman and achieving high-shooter status on more than one occasion he now runs the. Brian Kurtz's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.