As modern conflicts have showcased new and formidable technologies, it has become tempting to think that the role of snipers will shortly be replaced or negated by new innovations. This has become part of the rationale for an ongoing trend away from snipers, most evident in the USMC’s recent decision to abandon them altogether.1 Drones in particular are being evaluated both as the replacement for snipers and as their counter when combined with advanced sensors. These considerations constitute major challenges and demand adaptation, but a human sniper will always have a unique and critical role ..read more

It has likely been a long time since anyone has mentioned Winchester and Sniper Rife in the same sentence, and for good reason. Winchester has had a bumpy history over the past few decades as they have tried to find their place in the modern firearms market. The storied Winchester name is owned by Olin and is used for their Winchester Ammunition, but the Winchester name is also used under license by FN and Browning for firearms, and it is the FN side that brings us here with the SX-AR. Back around 2009, the management at Winchester decided to try and take advantage of their ties with the paren ..read more

Charles “Chuck” Mawhinney, famed USMC sniper with 103 confirmed kills during the Vietnam war, passed away on February 12th, 2024 in Baker City, Oregon. He was 11 days shy of his 75th birthday. The death was announced by the funeral home and there were no further details given. Mawhinney in Country – USMC When it comes to famous snipers from the Vietnam War, Charles Mawhinney is second only to Carlos Hathcock in notoriety. Chuck actually had the most confirmed kills for a USMC sniper with 103 compared to Carlos’s 93, but the book Marine Sniper written in the 1980’s by Charles Henderson made Car ..read more

As the war in Ukraine steadily morphs into a long war, it is an optimum time to consider both what impact snipers have already had in the conflict and how important they could be in the coming months and years. Snipers have so far had a limited appearance in the media and the public spotlight, being overshadowed by such gripping developments as drones, foreign support, cyber warfare, and advanced weaponry. When snipers are featured, it is typically only as a buzzword to gain viewership and generate hype for a particular side rather than in a detailed analysis. To learn what snipers are doing a ..read more

What Made Vietnam Different? That is the question we answer in this, the second part in a three part series on what lessons sniping in Vietnam taught us about unconventional warfare. If you have not read part 1 with the introductions and historical background to this topic, go ahead and do it now. Now lets get into what made Vietnam different. When US involvement in the Vietnam War started in the early 1960’s, sniping as a part of the formal military structure and US warfare tactics was still in its infancy and modern sniping theory was based on experiences from World War 1. Snipers up to this ..read more

Back in 2021 the first female US Army soldier graduated the US Army Sniper School, but she was a member of the Montana Army National Guard, and you can read about that event here. This time the Army announced that in November of 2023 Sgt. Maciel Hay, who is an active duty cavalry scout with the 173rd Airborne Brigade serving in Europe, graduated sniper school and was awarded the B4 identifier. Image courtesy of the US Army Women have operated as snipers in numerous conflicts throughout history and have performed exceptionally well and knowing what it takes to pass sniper school, I can declare ..read more

Snipers initially appear to offer little to a Taiwanese defense against potential Chinese invasion. Being an island nation, protecting Taiwan from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will principally be a contest of air and naval power, leaving ground defense as the last resort in a desperate situation. But, as the PLA’s advantages in size and might have widened, Taiwan’s defensive approach has had to move away from victory and towards deterrence, which may create a place for sniping as part of a larger strategy. In 2017 the Taiwanese chief of armed forces introduced a new defense concept ..read more

Last we we posted our dates for our 2024 long range shooting classes and this week we have posted the dates for a tactical tracking class which will be hosted in Missoula Montana. This class focuses on the fundamentals of man tracking and then incorporates that into a tactical scenario covering formations, security, and tactics for tracking in a tactical environment. You can read all about the course in our description found on the information page. (See the link below) Please feel to reach out with any questions and we look forward to meeting all of you. If you would like to host a tracking c ..read more

Sniping is fated for an inevitable and grim appearance in the Middle East as Israel prepares a serious urban offensive against Hamas terrorists. Fighting in the densely populated Gaza Strip may or may not revolve around tunnels, rockets, human shields, and drones, but it will surely feature that particular brand of marksmanship that has become a longtime staple of urban warfare.1 How it looks and the impact it has will depend on the strategies of both sides but will undoubtedly warrant close attention as the conflict unfolds. As the defending party in Gaza and a less than legitimate fighting f ..read more

EOTECH has been building holographic sights in the USA since 1996, but it was not until 2016 that they entered the precision long range rifle optics business. Their initial model is the Vudu series of top tier tactical scopes that they offer in multiple different magnification ranges and in both First Focal Plane (FFP) and Second Focal Plane (SFP) iterations. EOTECH prides themselves on making very high end professional grade optics and we wanted to take the opportunity to put one of these scopes through our detailed review process to see how well it performed. With thanks from a long time fri ..read more