U.S. Snipers Seen As 'Weapons' in Iraq

AP via Washington Times ^ | April 19, 2004 | Denis D. Gray

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

NAJAF, Iraq (AP) -- A U.S. Army patrol stops suspicious vehicles on the edges of this insurgent-controlled city.

Some 500 yards away, lying prone and hidden in the sand, two expert marksmen stalk Iraqis emerging from cars through the cross-hairs of their rifles.

[ladtx]

Carlos Hathcock bump.

[Piquaboy]

They should start taking out those who are carrying arms and concealing their idenity by covering their faces, if they are not already.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

"We can't get enough of them," says Capt. Damien Mason, from Maui, Hawaii, a company commander who ordered the two shooters into position. "Snipers are vital in this kind of warfare."

"It's just you and your buddy and you've got to make the call on the ground and the one call is all you get....The only thing you must think about are those cross-hairs."

A US sniper from the First Battalion Fifth Marines scans the rooftops of southeastern Fallujah.

(AFP/Cris Bouroncle) AFP - Apr 10 12:41 PM

   ~ Link to Los Angeles Times story that accompanies above pic. Thanks, archy.

[battousai]

In another thread on the Marine snipers in Falluja the article said they weren't supposed to give out snipers names, and that the terrorist scum had bounties out for any and all snipers, so not sure why they would give out this wonderful snipers name here, lamestream indeed :/

[PokeyJoe]

And NOT naming names

[Hanging Chad]

"...U.S. Snipers Seen As 'Weapons' in Iraq..."
- - -
1) not just now, and not just Iraq, but always, and everywhere.
2) they shouldn't worry near as much about the 'seen' ones
as they should worry about the 'unseen' ones.
Semper Fi, Marines, let Allah sort 'em out.

[PokeyJoe]

ditto your post, I wrote to the Times and complained.

[First_Salute]

Contrary to the blowhards who think that we have enough people in Iraq, because, according to them, we have enough prescient combat power ... we actually do need quite a lot more men on the ground and especially in the bush, scattered along all the routes that we travel, so as to capture or pick off terrorists.

This is S.O.P.

For the "suits" to now wonder about how we need such people, points out how the "suits" of the Bush [still running 39% of the Clinton] Administration is not yet with the program.

The terrorists should be looking over their shoulders.

They are not looking over their shoulders.

The "experts" in "suits" should know this, they should have planned well ahead for this.

They did not, as usual.

That, among many other features, was, and is, Vietnam.

[LibWhacker]

[em2vn]

Now the world knows how many snipers are in the unit, where they set up at road blocks and their names. None of this information should be disclosed.

[SLB]

Now the world knows how many snipers are in the unit, where they set up at road blocks and their names. None of this information should be disclosed.

Have you notified the publisher of the Washington Times? I would bet there are several electronic copies of the Times delivered to various parts of Iraq and Afghaniston for reading by the bad guys.

[Ranxerox]

It seems to me that being a sniper would be an area of military expertise where rifle choice could be a matter of personal preference. Anybody know if the M-24 (looks like it's based on a Remington Model 700) is popular in sniper circles, or is there something else these guys like to use?

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Your claim that this was and is Vietnam is way out of line.

From a sniper standpoint, you're off the paper. To begin with, we were attacked first on our home soil.

Second, we are in a desert, we have mechanized armory, and we are not carpet-bombing the civilians or the outlying terrain blindly. (jungle)

Thirdly, we have removed the leadership of the country and are ready to replace it with a more acceptable form of government.

This is not, nor will it ever be another Vietnam. You are more than likely saying this because you have no clue what Vietnam was or is because you were never there. If you had been there, you would not have even let the thought cross your mind.

[em2vn]

Does that mean that FR should be another source? I most certainly don't think so. Notice on the page where you construct a post. It says "loose lips sink ships." Specific news stories from a war zone cost lives, as well as putting families at risk in the states.

[Yasotay]

A LONG TIME AGO ....

I always liked the M-21 (a match grade M-14) over the M-24. The purists liked the M-24 ....

[Coop]

I will presume by your screen name that you know that military commanders, not the civilian suits you blamed in such a "blowhard" fashion, determined the troop strength in Iraq.

[Shooter 2.5]

Sniper bump.

[TomasUSMC]

The similarities are exact parallels with Vietnam.

The Generals are already asking for more troops just like Vietnam.

IN Vietnam we DID replace the head of Government, Ngo Dinh Diem. Some say that was why and by whom Kennedy was killed.

We did not bomb civilian populations in Vietnam. We should have leveled Hanoi and Haiphong and Vinh.

We are doing most of the fighting in built up urban areas. Close in fighting. In the jungle is was close in fighting also. Mines and booby traps and ambushes against US are killing most of our troops.

We allow the enemy sanctuaries in Syria and Iran just like we did in Cambodia and Laos and at times we even refused to bomb parts of North Vietnam.

We allow civilians to handcuff our troops with rules of engagement and ceasefires and truces while the enemy has none at all.

We are trying to win with money - the hearts and minds while the enemy controls - the hearts and minds with fear.

One thing that IS different is that in Vietnam our President never said Communism was a religion of Peace.

[Littlejon]

I think this should answer your question. FWIW - I know a former gunny that trained snipers for many moons after Vietnam & the Marines use a variation of the Remington 700 as well, though, IIRC, they are all custom made now at Quantico. I have used a Remington 700 .30-06 for hunting since I was a teenager and love it. Now, as you can probably guess from my screenname, I am NOT a big guy, so it kicks the crap out of me and I would hate to shoot it for long periods of time, but it is a very accurate gun and one of the best ever made.

---

M24 Sniper Rifle
Function: Primary U.S. Army sniper rifle

History: Introduced in 1988 as the Army's designated sniper weapon system, the M24 SWS the first bolt action rifle to see dedicated service with the US Army since the .30-06 caliber Springfield Model 1903. With the withdrawl of the Springfield 03 during the Second World War, all army sniping activities have been carried out, more or less, with either scoped regular-issue rifles (in the case of the M1C and M1D) or match-grade variants of issue rifles (as in the case of the M21 sniper rifle.)

While the use of issue rifles has eased the logistical demands on the army supply system, the use of semi-automatic rifles for sniping applications is not with out serious drawbacks. Although the M21 is a very accurate weapon, it is not designed to stand up to battlefield abuse. The wood stock was subject to warping, the gas operating system was subject to fouling and contamination, and because the weapon was semi-automatic there was no way to ensure every round was chambered in exactly the same way. All of these conditions could grossly affect the accuracy of the rifle beyond 500 yards.

In light for these limitations, the Army initiated a program in the 70's to re-introduce a bolt-action sniper rifle to its inventory. Eventually, the weapon the Army settled on was the M24 bolt-action rifle. Chambered for 7.62mm NATO (.308 Winchester) the M24 is based on the Remington Arms 700 action and is very similar to the civilian 40X target rifle and the Marine Corp's M40 series rifle.

As with the M40, the M24 utilizes a custom-built fiberglass stock but with an adjustable cheek pad as well as an adjustable pad on the butt stock to adjust length of pull. Both utilize an internal 5 round magazine, are scoped, and are adaptable to the use of night vision devices and weapon scopes. The greatest difference between the two is the fact that the M40 is a "short" action and the M24 is a "long" action. The reason for this difference is the Army ultimately wanted to adopt a more powerful .30 caliber cartridge (such as the .300 Winchester Magnum) which would require the "long" action to extract the larger cartridges in its re-chambered sniper rifles.


Description: The M24 Sniper Weapon System is a bolt-action rifle chambered to fire 7.62mm NATO (currently either the M118 Special Ball Cartridge or the M852 Match Cartridge, though it can fire any standard NATO 7.62mm cartridge.) The Kevlar-reinforced fiberglass stock is custom built by HS Precision and incorporates an adjustable cheek pad and as well as an adjustable pad on the butt stock to adjust length of pull. The 24" barrel is bolted to the full-length aluminum bedding block in the stock to reduce vibration and loss of zero. The scope is a Leupold & Stevens Mk. IV M3A day telescope and is mounted on the rifle using Mk. IV rings and base.


General Characteristics, M24 Sniper Rifle

Manufacturer:
Remington Arms Company


Length:
43 inches (109.2 cm)


Barrel Length:
24 inches (61 cm.)


Weight:
12.1 lb (5.49 kg) empty, without scope


Bore Diameter:
7.62mm (.308 in.)



Maximum Effective Range:
800 meters (3250 feet)


Optics:
10x42mm Leupold Ultra M3A telescope sight (Mil-Dot), plus detachable emergency iron sights.


Magazine Capacity:
Five rounds


Unit Replacement Cost:
$3,500