3 ms·

This seems heavy (4.6 pounds). I wonder if that will limit its use. Several of the standard issue snipers are already hovering around 15 pounds. This would pus

This seems heavy (4.6 pounds). I wonder if that will limit its use. Several of the standard issue snipers are already hovering around 15 pounds. This would push it up to nearly 20 pounds. The weight also appears to be placed at an awkward spot. I can't be sure, but it looks terribly front heavy. It seems almost unusable without a bipod. Makes perfect sense for a .50 BMG machine gun that already weighs 50 pounds or whatever, fires quarter pound shells, and wasn't portable to begin with. I'm a little more dubious for snipers, who seem like they'd value agility. Assuming they have 5 spare pounds of carrying capacity, is this what they'd want? Not a sniper, I don't know, but I do know those kits are already heavy.

euroderf 3y ago
> snipers, who seem like they'd value agility I'm not a sniper either, but my impression is that agility is not a key factor. Time in position is a key factor. And patience (duh). I base this on having read a book by a sniper in the (or: an) Iraq war, altho the name of the book escapes me ATM. It was an excellent read.
- everforward 3y ago
  Mine is based largely on a book around Carlos Hathcock; perhaps my impressions are based on old strategy. My impression is that snipers need agility to get into position (i.e. being dropped off miles away to sneak into position unseen), and agility to change position if they've been spotted. I didn't think they were deployed in a squad large enough to take a head on firefight and preferred disengaging and repositioning over symmetric combat. That might be outdated, though. Wars have been urban of late and the "deploy behind enemy lines and extract" pattern might be a relic, or even the product of sensationalization. If snipers are rolling out in Humvees with a whole squad these days I can definitely see how weight would be much less relevant.

euroderf 3y ago

> snipers, who seem like they'd value agility I'm not a sniper either, but my impression is that agility is not a key factor. Time in position is a key factor. And patience (duh). I base this on having read a book by a sniper in the (or: an) Iraq war, altho the name of the book escapes me ATM. It was an excellent read.

everforward 3y ago
Mine is based largely on a book around Carlos Hathcock; perhaps my impressions are based on old strategy. My impression is that snipers need agility to get into position (i.e. being dropped off miles away to sneak into position unseen), and agility to change position if they've been spotted. I didn't think they were deployed in a squad large enough to take a head on firefight and preferred disengaging and repositioning over symmetric combat. That might be outdated, though. Wars have been urban of late and the "deploy behind enemy lines and extract" pattern might be a relic, or even the product of sensationalization. If snipers are rolling out in Humvees with a whole squad these days I can definitely see how weight would be much less relevant.