Men's Journal

A sniper carries many items in the field. We asked Tyler to describe the five most essential.

1. Rifle and Scope

You want one you’ve shot many times, with a scope you’ve calibrated using a chronograph, which is like a radar gun and calculates the bullet speed. In the field you’ll do calculations to adjust for barometric pressure, temperature, altitude, angle, and even, for longer shots, the Earth’s rotation. But in the end it comes down to knowing your weapon. It comes down to feel. If I were working an urban scenario, like the one in the sketch, and was expecting the target to be people, I would probably opt for an MK11, also known as the SR25, because it is semiauto, not bolt-action, and I can quickly engage multiple targets easier if Ineed to. If I’m on a mission where Ihave to shoot from a distance and still need something light enough to pack around, then I might opt for a .300 Winchester Magnum. For the scope, I want glass that captures as much light as possible, especially for dusk and dawn scenarios. And I don’t want anything too large that’s going to be tough to conceal. Plus, sometimes I need to get into tight spaces. Schmidt & Bender has some of the best glass for rifle scopes — nothing fatigues the eye and body more than looking through a distorted lens.

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2. Rounds

You don’t need many; 30 to 50 would be on the high end. They are heavy, and you shouldn’t be missing. Ilike accurized rounds with open tips, in particular a type called Sierra MatchKing. Open tips fly truer: The center of gravity is shifted slightly toward the rear, and they’re teardrop-shaped for less turbulence. They don’t lose much speed, hitting the target at more than 1,180 feet per second.

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3. Binoculars

You have your scope, but it’s small. Swarovski has some of the best glass you can get in binoculars.

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4. Compass 

I like the Silva Ranger compass because it’s light and easy to use, and it has a signal mirror built in.

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5. Secondary Weapon

If three people are coming around a corner 10 feet from you and all you have is a bolt-action rifle, you are in trouble. I prefer a semiautomatic pistol, a .45 — you can fire three shots in three seconds, and it’s light on your body. Some guys wear it on their torso, but I like it strapped to my upper thigh. You’ll want a silencer, too. That way you don’t have to grab anybody and knife them. The last thing a sniper needs is to have his hide site compromised by a pack of feral dogs or a nosy bad guy or two.

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Return to “The Way of the Sniper”

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This article originally appeared in the December 2009/January 2010 issue of Men’s Journal.

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