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Recognizing the differences between conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is now selecting a contractor to upgrade the 22-year-old Remington bolt-action rifle to become a more effective killing machine. The Army will pour about $5.6 million into upgrades to the M24, with the new gear expected to be delivered to troops by this fall. The M24's barrel is being modified to shoot heavier .300 Winchester Magnum rounds, instead of the 7.62mm NATO ammunition, which should extend the rifle's maximum effective range by hundreds of yards to a maximum of about 1400 yards. The suppressor will reduce the noise and...

An Army judge advocate general (JAG) temporarily banned Army and Marine Corps snipers from using a highly accurate open-tip bullet. The JAG, we are told, mistakenly thought the open-tip round was the same as hollow-point ammunition, which is banned. The original open-tip was known as Sierra MatchKing and broke all records for accuracy in the past 30 years.

JAG, we are told, mistakenly thought the open-tip round was the same as hollow-point ammunition, which is banned. The original open-tip was known as Sierra MatchKing and broke all records for accuracy in the past 30 years. The difference between the open-tip and the hollow point is that the open tip is a design feature that improves accuracy while the hollow point is designed for increasing damage when it hits a target. About 10 days ago, the Army JAG in Iraq ordered all snipers to stop using the open-tip 175-grain M118LR bullet, claiming, falsely, it was prohibited. Instead of the...

Gazing through the telescopic sight of his M24 rifle, Army Staff Sgt. Jim Gilliland, leader of Shadow sniper team, fixed his eye on the Iraqi insurgent who had just killed an American soldier. His quarry stood nonchalantly in the fourth floor bay window of a hospital in battle torn Ramadi, still clasping a long barreled Kalashnikov. Instinctively allowing for wind speed and bullet drop, Shadow's commander aimed 12 feet high. A single shot hit the Iraqi in the chest and killed him instantly. It had been fired from a range of more than three quarters of a mile, well beyond...

Crack shots capable of hitting targets a kilometre away headed for Afghanistan CFB DUNDURN, Saskatchewan - A loud hiss bursts from the silencer of an oversized rifle. A visible ripple moves through the air at twice the speed of sound and there is a loud clang as a bullet strikes a metal target 1,150 metres away. In the gently rolling hills of central Saskatchewan, 14 young soldiers are learning how to be world-class killers. Anyone on the receiving end of one of these snipers' .50 calibre bullets would never know what hit him. No one else will know where the...

Sniper shot that took out an insurgent killer from three quarters of a mile Toby Harnden in Ramadi (Filed: 01/01/2006) Gazing through the telescopic sight of his M24 rifle, Staff Sgt Jim Gilliland, leader of Shadow sniper team, fixed his eye on the Iraqi insurgent who had just killed an American soldier. His quarry stood nonchalantly in the fourth-floor bay window of a hospital in battle-torn Ramadi, still clasping a long-barrelled Kalashnikov. Instinctively allowing for wind speed and bullet drop, Shadow's commander aimed 12 feet high. Click to enlarge A single shot hit the Iraqi in the chest and killed...

Gazing through the telescopic sight of his M24 rifle, Staff Sgt Jim Gilliland, leader of Shadow sniper team, fixed his eye on the Iraqi insurgent who had just killed an American soldier. His quarry stood nonchalantly in the fourth-floor bay window of a hospital in battle-torn Ramadi, still clasping a long-barrelled Kalashnikov. Instinctively allowing for wind speed and bullet drop, Shadow's commander aimed 12 feet high. Click to enlarge A single shot hit the Iraqi in the chest and killed him instantly. It had been fired from a range of 1,250 metres, well beyond the capacity of the powerful Leupold...

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. (Army News Service, March 31, 2005) -- The Army has approved its new long-range .50-caliber sniper rifle, the M-107, for full materiel release to Soldiers in the field. The M-107 program is managed at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., by the Project Manager Soldier Weapons with engineering support provided by Picatinny’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center. The term “full materiel release” signifies that the Army has rigorously tested and evaluated the item and determined that it is completely safe, operationally suitable and logistically supportable for use by Soldiers, officials said. Product Manager for Crew Served Weapons Lt. Col....

MU shuts down 'Adopt a Sniper' Student group calls school 'ultra-liberal' By NAHAL TOOSIntoosi@journalsentinel.com Posted: Feb. 2, 2005 The leaders of Marquette University are being called "ultra-liberal" by the school's College Republicans after administrators told the group it couldn't raise money for a cause known as "Adopt a Sniper." The dispute began Monday, when the Marquette student group set up a table in the Alumni Memorial Union along with signs mentioning "Adopt a Sniper," a program of the Pulaski-based non-profit Snipersonline. "Adopt a Sniper" raises money to buy special equipment for American snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The College Republicans...

SAMARRA, Iraq, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Two U.S. army snipers sit on the top of an ancient minaret in the Iraqi city of Samarra, scanning for rebels who might try to plant bombs on a nearby road, and braving rain, sun and winds in long, lonely shifts. Crouched behind sandbags, the soldiers say guerrillas bent on sabotaging the Jan. 30 elections frequently shoot at them with small-arms fire, mortars and rockets, sometimes hitting the 52-metre-tall minaret, built over 1,000 years ago. "We get shot at all the time," said Sgt. Steve Langelier, 25, from Newport, Rhode Island. "We are very...

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Army News Service, Jan. 13, 2005)― The 42nd Infantry Division has deployed to Iraq with what leaders term a powerful, yet subtle, combat-multiplier — the sniper-trained Soldiers of the division’s 173rd Long Range Surveillance Detachment, and their newly-issued M-14 rifles. The rifles are “part and parcel” of the changing LRS(D) mission, said the unit’s commander, Capt. Michael Manning. “This is not a detachment of snipers,” said Manning. “This is a detachment of highly trained intelligence collectors. We have sniping capability. Now we can acquire targets, identify targets, and destroy targets with organic direct fire weapons. That’s the...

BAQOUBA, Iraq — In that quiet place between midnight and sunrise, four American soldiers set out into the darkness, swathed in burlap camouflage as they creep through a field pockmarked with gopher holes. The prey they stalk is insurgents who use rocket-propelled grenades to fire at U.S. troops. Just before the sky turns blue, they will creep back to their Humvees, rejoining the scout platoon that shadowed them, another day's work complete. Vigilance at this outpost in the Sunni Triangle never ends. Humvees on pre-dawn patrols have been attacked with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) more than once as they passed this...

Clashes Slow as Cleric's Grip on Mosque Seems to Slip By ALEX BERENSON and SABRINA Jim MacMillan/Associated Press A United States Army soldier used a dummy head to try to draw a sniper into view in Najaf on Friday. Clashes Slow as Cleric's Grip on Mosque Seems to Slip By ALEX BERENSON and SABRINA TAVERNISEPublished: August 21, 2004 AJAF, Iraq, Aug. 20 - Moktada al-Sadr, the rebel Shiite cleric, still seemed to retain control of the shrine of Imam Ali here late on Friday, though there were signs his grip might be weakening as the number of fighters loyal...

In a world of dualities look at the Coke can on the 55 gallon barrel. Life is full of ironies.

My name is SGT John xxxxxx currently deployed to Mosul Iraq with the First Stryker Brigade as a company level Sniper. I have a three-man team. For some reason the Stryker brigade figured a three man team would be better than the traditional two-man team. It has been working well for us. We are able to maintain a better degree of security as well as sustain ourselves on longer missions. To tell you a little about myself i have been in the army for approximately 4 and 1/2 years. I have completed army sniper school and graduated honor grad. I...

Operation Rocketman III   U.S.Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Stansfield, a sniper-scout from Task Force Tacoma, Logistics Support Area Anaconda, assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division verifies the grid coordinates for a target house during Operation Rocketman III, June 8, 2004. Operation Rocketman III was a joint combined arms mission to secure and search anti-Iraqi forces suspected of harboring terrorists and weapons used against Logistics Support Area Anaconda. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Scott Reed lllllllllllll  U.S. Army sniper-scouts from Task Force Tacoma, Logistics Support Area Anaconda, assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division detain a...

THE guns finally fell silent over Fallujah yesterday, leaving the men of the US Army’s psychological warfare team with one overriding concern: where was “Fallujah Frank”? The “psy-ops” soldiers spend their days blasting the guerrillas with heavy metal music and taunting the gunmen into exposing themselves to American snipers. But three days ago they suddenly heard an echo. An Iraqi was driving around with a loudspeaker inside the besieged city haranguing rebels in their own stronghold. Fallujah Frank had made his dangerous debut. “There’s a Fallujah citizen — we call him Fallujah Frank — who’s addressing the Mujahidin or whoever’s...

  Lethal Snipers Lead the Way MOSUL, Iraq -- Lurking in the shadows of infantry patrols, security perimeters and raids, Army snipers are becoming the worst enemy for terrorists in northern Iraq. These highly skilled Soldiers are stealthy, disciplined and precise. "In this type of a conflict, enemies use guerilla-warfare tactics because there's no way they can engage us head on. They hide in crowds and fire at you, hoping you'll return fire into the direction of civilians," said Sgt. Joseph Danier, a sniper for 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team)....

MOSUL, Iraq, March 16, 2004 — Lurking in the shadows of infantry patrols, security perimeters and raids, Army snipers are becoming the worst enemy for terrorists in northern Iraq. These highly skilled soldiers are stealthy, disciplined and precise. “In this type of a conflict, enemies use guerilla warfare tactics because there’s no way they can engage us head on. They hide in crowds and fire at you, hoping you’ll return fire into the direction of civilians,” said Sgt. Joseph Danier, a sniper for 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team). “We are here...

NEWS - February 13, 2004 3rd Brigade snipers get improved rifle  Pvt. 2 Mark Miller fires an M107 .50 cal rifle Friday at Schofield Barrcks while Sgt. Matthew Perkins spots for him. Both Soldiers are in HHC, 2nd Bn., 35th Inf. Rgt.   Story and photo by Pfc. Chris Stump, 17th Public Affairs Det.for Hawaii Army WeeklyMost targets more than a mile away would be relatively safe from rifle fire, unless the rifle is the Barrett Model 107, a .50 caliber sniper rifle being carried by Tropic Lightning snipers in Iraq and those going to Afghanistan.The M107 is a...