Monday, July 1, 2013

The Basics of Paintball Sniping

   It is customary to open with a strong quote from a respected source, and I shall not vary from tradition. It is Captain Herbert McBride who is credited with saying, "First accuracy, then speed." in regards to practical sniping in what is considered static/defensive/trench warfare. In spite of that, some of what I read in "A Rifleman Went to War" does in fact translate to paintball. You need to competently shoot before you can competently shoot, quickly. The whole "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" mentality. There is a marked similarity between the wack-a-mole rifle shooting experienced by McBride and the fast paced nature of paintball. Rarely are there instances of opposing team members in range, staying perfectly still for an elimination. Although rare, it does occur. That was a long winded way of explaining how I feel any kind of real world "sniper" instruction applies to paintball.

   The first thing I want to mention, is that playing a sniper role in a game most assuredly means playing pistol very effectively, or carrying a full secondary. I opt for pistol play. Read on to hear my take on why being light is important. From personal experience, I have deemed it impractical to run a primary full of First Strikes (In part because my choice of first strike marker is a Hammer 7) without a 68 caliber backup for the close/fast/running shots. Not to mention after you have played with your PGP/T8/TPX your muscle memory has begun developing and confidence builds in unison with running it as a primary. I'll go on record to say it is extremely beneficial to the paintball sniper to carry, be proficient with, and thoroughly understand your chosen secondary, which will inevitably become your primary during some intense game moments. Please feel free to take a gander at the pistol article for more.
So, you want to build a rig around being able to play a game effectively with just a pistol, nothing hampering your ability to reload, shoot, or move. Add to that a ten round tube full of First strike rounds and a good easy sling on your chosen sniper marker, and you have a light, playable setup (not lugging six pods also aids in this) that you can add local foliage and even a light bushrag to as well as stay relatively comfortable in for extended periods of time. Knee and elbow pads, chest protectors, extra layers are all your choice, just stay away from the yellows, reds and blacks, any bright colors that create contrast to your surroundings.

   Shooting positions are also worth discussing. You should dial in your sight shooting prone with a stabilized marker, but once you've done so it's important to practice the kneeling and standing shot as well. For kneeling, put your front elbow on your knee, creating about a 50* angle. Make sure your elbow bone is on knee bone. Nothing like muscle fatigue to ruin a shot you've been holding. For standing, it helps to have some sort of vertical grip on your sniper marker, for just this purpose. You never know when the only clearance through the brush is at shoulder level. When using any kind of sight, it's very important to ensure that you have proper eye relief, and that it's is raised off of the marker a sufficient height for you to use it with a mask (you laugh, but this is often overlooked). You absolutely have to adopt the same position with your head, and pick up the same sight picture every time.

   Another important piece is good cardiovascular health. Let me give you an example of a tactic requiring good cardio. You're on a big outdoor field, perfect for a little sniping. The horn blows, you dash ahead of everyone to get to the left 50, which is a mass of cover that offers good firing lanes and plenty of exits. You have to get there, scan, slow your breathing enough to take a shot, and effectively fire before any of the opfor even knows you're there. It also gives one the option to tell the rest of the team exactly what's happening. Being in the heat of an exchange and snapping with a pistol, gets considerably easier with a strong core. Crawling is just one more reason to be in top shape. The list goes on and on.



"My as of yet unnamed rig"

   Choose a sniper marker that very effectively fires your chosen ammunition. Let me just mention briefly that using fresh top quality paint has a major impact on your accuracy. Choose something you can shoot well with, and shave as much weight as you can. By that I mean have nothing on the marker that doesn't enhance your ability to put paint on target. It's also beneficial to be able to sling it quickly, as well as add a riflerag/local foliage without affecting the operation of the markers (semis have a leg up here). You want something that you can hit what you aim at with, and it doesn't hurt if it's quiet enough to allow you to make closer shots without announcing your location. Barrels can help with this, but the operation of the marker has a lot to do with it. Lower end blowbacks and such are simply naturally louder than spoolies. Just the nature of the beast. The flip side is that taking a $1000 electro into the woods to shoot a ball at a time isn't really maximizing it's potential. Essentially, use what you are comfortable with. Use the best you have available. And PRACTICE.

   Personally I was on the fence about the whole idea of paintball sniping until the advent of the first strike round. I can tell you undoubtedly from personal experience that using first strikes in an accurate marker in a sniper role will definitely allow you to utilize which sniping tactics do apply to the paintball world. Whatever your chosen round, you need to be very familiar with it's trajectories, and be damn sure you know it's effective range. If a paintball won't consistantly break at said range, it isn't effective. If you choose a high grade paint, you need to be aware of the trajectory requirements of the field. In other words, being able to consistantly hit a mask at 125 feet won't help you if you’re playing in a canopy of trees, and you can’t lob a ball in. First strikes having a flatter trajectory is definitely a separate bonus to the added range and accuracy. Shooting regular paint, I personally wouldn't use any sight with over 2X magnification. With first strikes, I would bump up to four max.

   You want your scope to have a "quick clamp" if possible, making it much easier to effectively scout without having to hold your marker. Sunshades are another aspect most potential snipers overlook, until your position is given away by the reflection from your objective lens. With your mask on, you're going to need 3-4" of eye relief to get a good sight picture. All things to be mindful of when choosing a sight. Adjustable rails are awesome in an ambush capacity. Get to your ambush point quickly, dial in something close to where you expect contact, and take a shot or two, quickly adjusting your sight to match. They can also help you make the most of your maximum effective range. Remember those choke points! If you're serious about ambushing, you can make a full time job of finding places where opposing players will stop, and cautiously gaggle up, giving you prime opportunities to fire and then disappear. I have found OEG's and red dots most beneficial with "ghosting", which I rarely do with anything except regular paint. Having a two or three man team, ghosting is moving separately, if just in sight of the main element. The benefit comes in giving you a lot of "shots of opportunity", as the main element will be drawing attention. Rarely in this capacity will you have time to dial in shots and aim, making a static red dot and practice the effective answer. The other option is to put your chosen sight on an adjustable rail without adjusting it. When you finally have a chance to dial in a nice shot, you can.

   DOPE stands for data on previous engagements, and the more you have, the more proficient you'll be. You need to know what the round is going to do in current wind, at current FPS, in current conditions. Practice in my opinion is the best way to make you a better paintball sniper. It's good to run drills for accuracy. It's good to practice stealth for it's own sake, and snapping with a pistol to get better, but it's when you practice all the applicable skills in a game that you start getting better at everything coming together. You should play at least 5 games geared up as a sniper, forcing some pistol play, before you buy/set up a vest effectively. There's no faster way to learn which mistakes to avoid than to make them.

   The 5 "S"s of camouflage are shape, shine, silhouette, shadow, and sudden movement. You want your barrel tip, hands, head and shoulders all with added material to give that "moundy" effect. That will greatly aid shape and silhouette on the most important areas. Why are they the most important? Because they move a lot, draw the eye, and have a telltale shape. An experienced player can pick out the outline of a mask from a mile away. It goes without saying that shiny belt buckles and watches are a no go. Good woodsball gloves will cover rings, just be mindful of anything else that could potentially reflect light. Staying aware of the position of the sun will go a long way in helping you cast a silhouette when it's behind you, or give away your approach with your shadow. Both are telltale signs experienced players look for. When I mention sudden movement, I'm essentially talking about avoiding jerky movement. The eye is drawn to it, and it's important to maintain that slower, smoother motion bringing up your optics.You never know who is watching you. They may be scanning your general direction, and the quick hand movement was all it took. Camouflage is a big subject. Please see the paintball ghillie article for more on that. Suffice it to say that using the best camo available to you is fine. Even flat green overalls can be effective with a little added foliage Just don't wear black. Even ninjas didn't wear black. Trust me. "Nothing black in nature" means you're sure to stand out. Treewalking is another skill essential to stealthy movement. It boils down to ensuring you always have cover between you and the opfor, never taking your eyes off of your target, and even taking a longer "clover leaf" route rather than areas of sparse cover.

   As far as barrels go, use the best paint or first strikes you can get your hands on, and a barrel that shoots it well. I don't know that how well a barrel shoots through breaks is more important that the porting/sound reduction, again it's up to the individual. I will caution you that traditionally hating longer barrels, I will not play a sniper role without a 14" barrel, for one practical reason. Time after time, I have missed the opportunity to take shots for no reason than not being able to shoot through a little cover separating me from OPFOR. I run first strikes through a heavily upgraded Kingman Hammer 7, and I have learned that sound reduction as well as a barrel I can "part the grass" with to take a shot is ideal for my play style. I also run a 13/3000 on the back of the Hammer, so efficiency isn't my top concern. All things I've taken into account through a lot of field testing. Flatlines and apex barrels are definitely neat, but I personally choose not use them as I value accuracy over the range, and besides, I use first strikes anyway :P
Remember to "Train as you fight". I shoot masks in training because I shoots masks in games. Soda bottles and paper plates are a stand in for the real thing.

"Stephanie" is what I use when I can't shoot first strikes, like at FPO only events

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