Its all about the scope

[ruraldawgs]

Played some renegade ball today on a field I have never seen before. First time out with my 9.1 where I could really get some distance shots in. The field was an old landscaping place with concrete bunks (mini walls, some 6ft some 2ft). There was plenty of desert brush and trees as well as large open areas. Terrain was varied with hills, a bridge, sand cliffs like a river bank (20 ft high). All in all a excellent field. Probably the best renegade field I have played on in Phoenix area.

I realized I sighted my scope in wrong for distance shots and made a quick adjustment to the APR. Once on the field I was able to take out a player each game from a distance. My ranges were mostly 40-60 yds. I had 1 excellent head shot at about 30 yds from a female who poked her head up once too many ;-) Because my scope wasn't dialed in it took me about 4-5 shots for each kill. I had to make educated guesses.

I learned that I have to get more practice in using my scope and get it really zeroed in. A fish net type drape over shoulders / mask with some camo woven in might help as well. I also need a side arm for 10-20 yd confrontations. Maybe a sling on the rifle for this circumstance as well. I have a T9 too that I could convert to pistol play.

Received many compliments. One of which... "I cant even hear that thing down range" ! I dont even have a silencer on it yet :-) Another was intimidation, "I know your out there and that alone is a psych" (I liked that one the best).

I did take a shot to the front of my new Hawke XB1. I think it cleaned up fairly well though. I used water and some cotton balls at home, q-tips. Gentle hand. Also I lost a mag and DEFINITELY have to figure out a better rig. Maybe thigh rig but sand was an issue laying down.... hmmmm....

In closing it was very cool peering thru a scope and scanning, pulling the trigger... A whole different game that I like.

Feedback from you pros out there is always welcome !!!

[DJmatt123]

You might want to look into a kill flash for the XB1 to help protect the lens from a direct hit. It might not survive, but it should help slice up the paintball before it hits the lens. I took a ball to my fake eotech and it broke the front glass out. Here's a link to the kill flash I got, the small 32mm one, I removed it from the housing it comes in and just slid it inside the end of the scope and took the lens out of the lens protector and use that to hold it in. It also really helps to get rid of the glare which is nice when you are sniping and trying to stay hidden.
www.ebairsoft.com/scope-kill-flash-32mm-56mm-p-2317.html

I found these mag pouches and they seem to work great for the Tiberius mags....
www.rockstartactical.com/Special_Ops_Triple_Mag_Pouch_w_Molle_SO_Digi_p/specops-3mag-sod.htm

[trinity]

Sounds like you learned some really valuable lessons out there. The first and foremost lesson is zeroing you scope for every distance you will shoot at during the event. Most snipers don't put in enough hours practicing. There can be good reasons for that. It's expensive. It's hard to find a place in some locations that has the range to shoot at 75 yards or better and still be safe. Regardless of the reasons, no matter how good your equipment, you will be more accurate if you practice.

For me, I will shoot at a boot, hopper, or mask out to about 50 yards and be confident of hitting that target. Starting at about 60 yards, I like to be able to see most of the upper body. At 75 yards, I want a full-size target if I can get it. I will only shoot beyond 75 yards in two situations. The first is when I am tasked with taking out a high value target that I can't get closer to than that distance. The second is almost like range practice when I have a secure position with no chance of being flanked and a lot of teammates fighting a battle in front of me so I won't be overrun.

Camouflage is another important aspect of the game. Full coverage of terrain-matching ghillie suits with lots of natural vegetation provide the best camouflage. There is no doubt about that. Unfortunately, they are hot and cause google lenses to steam up quite quickly. In addition, ghillie suits can be cumbersome to play in all day long if you are going to be doing a lot of moving around. I have found that something like a concealment vest that covers the head, shoulders, and upper body in netting provides most of the benefit of a full ghillie suit. I like to work in a small amount of burlap and augment that with natural vegetation that I find no higher than about 24-36" off the ground. The concealment vest also includes a net hood that I pull up and over my head when I am in a hide.

Having a pistol is essential for me. When I am in a hide it is out on the ground next to my shooting hand. If someone gets close to me unexpectedly it is much, much, much easier to pick up a small pistol and slowly turn it to take out that player. If you start moving a rifle around that movement will get noticed. In addition, when I am on the move in thick cover, I will sling the rifle and move with the pistol. A first strike pistol that you know how to use is a really effective weapon in close quarters.

DJmatt has covered the other stuff, but I would never tell anyone to use a flash hider or cover their scope front lens. I love glint and whether its from the mask (wear a visor) or from the scope objective lens, it's what gives away most snipers. That's my ace in the hole; I wouldn't want to give that secret away. I always stalk other snipers with the sun behind me so that if they look my way or study the field through their scope there is a chance the sun will reflect off something and give their position away.

[White Feather]

I love this guy! Trin, you think just like me.

[trinity]

Mar 11, 2013 18:34:00 GMT -5 White Feather said:

I love this guy! Trin, you think just like me.

That's why I hang out here. There are experienced shooters on this site. On other forums, some kid with a pink space gun would be ranting about my post and referring to snipers as just being "worthless campers." Paintball is about making mistakes and then learning from them, and I've made nearly every mistake you could make on a scenario field.

[White Feather]

I hear ya there. I have had a long road to travel in learning my craft, mostly where stealth and concealment were concerned. But, I am what I am today as a matter of solid mentorship, practice, trial & error, practice, do-overs, and more PRACTICE!!! That can't be stressed enough!

Not to hijack this thread or anything but, I think that the only thing that still bothers me in scenario 'ball is the lack of engaging assignments or challenging mission objectives in most games I attend. I need to be tested again.

Hey Nessy, what's the first rule of stalking?