Sniper: The Skills, the Weapons, and the Experiences [Hardcover]

Adrian Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1995

The sniper has rightly been called the big-game hunter of the battlefield. For most soldiers combat is an impersonal affair of "us" against "them", but for the sniper it is a deadly one-to-one confrontation. He operates alone - or with a single companion - employing all the skills of a hunter to track his chosen target. He may have to remain in place for hours, sometimes even days, without making any movement that could betray his position, before he is able to fire the single shot that brings down his prey. Snipers have gained a reputation out of all proportion to the numbers involved - and have become a new battlefield elite. This book tells the story of snipers and sniping, following its historical and military development. It also analyses the special skills required of a sniper and considers his effectiveness in combat, and looks at the impact of modern technology on sniping. Among the major points of interest will be sniping 1900-1945, functions and attributes of the sniper, the US approach, the British and Commonwealth tradition, different national approaches, and the role of the sniper in the modern battlefield.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British military historian Gilbert traces the development of combat sniping from the American Revolution to the present and explains how modern sniper training is applied to operations in the field. His survey is replete with sniper stories ranging from the mortal wounding of Lord Horatio Nelson at Trafalgar ("the most successful single shot in the history of sniping") to Marine Sgt. Carlos Hathcock's 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam. Gilbert provides a comprehensive account of the technological advances in rifles, ammunition, telescopic sights and night-vision devices and describes in detail how snipers are trained, a program that includes fieldcraft, camouflage, target identification, stalking, breath control, follow-through and marksmanship. The book will be disquieting to general readers but military buffs should find it engrossing. Photos.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Much American literature on sniping focuses on the American experience or is aimed at gun buffs. This British study of the most refined form of infantry combat is, therefore, particularly welcome for its broader historical perspective. Gilbert summarizes the tactics, weaponry, and training of the sniper, from the earliest rifle-armed troops in the eighteenth century through the current training of British Royal Marines and the high-tech aids for the ordinary sniper rifle. He also includes informative chapters on such topics as wound ballistics (this is not for the squeamish) and for good measure throws in a directory of modern sniper weapons and enough scholarly accoutrements to aid further research. About as good a book of its size on its subject as could be reasonably expected, Sniper is highly recommended for military collections. Roland Green

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 290 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st Ed. (U.S.) edition (February 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312118945
• ISBN-13: 978-0312118945
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and detailed, but not especially easy to read, April 21, 2003

By 

Pooh Guy (Redmond, WA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sniper: Master of Terrain, Technology, And Timing, He Is A Hunter Of Human Prey And The Military's Most Feared Fighter. (Paperback)

Mr. Gilbert's book is remarkably thorough and well-researched. It includes an amazingly thorough bibliography and a fairly extensive listing of sniper rifles in use today.

The book starts with a history of sniping, and is very fair and balanced in its coverage. Unlike some books, Mr. Gilbert doesn't fall into the "we're the good guys and everyone else is slime" bias. For each war he talks plainly about which side was doing what, and how well it worked or didn't.

I found the chapter on Ammo particularly interesting, as it clearly describes bullets and their performance characteristics, including what happens when the hit something.

I take issue with some reviewers who suggest that this book teaches you about sniping. Although someone wanting to learn to be a sniper could potentially gain certain knowledge from this book, and although it is textbook-like in its tone, it is far from being some sort of how-to book. Someone who truly wanted "how to" specifics would be better off with any one of several books that are specifically written as instruction manuals.

I also take issue with the characterization of this book as an exciting or dramatic read. It is definitely not a page-turner. It describes the action in many wars and battles, but does not take you there with the immediacy of a book like "One Shot, One Kill."

Again, I find myself describing it as being like a textbook. Even though it goes into a lot of detail in many places, it also takes in broad sweeps of history. The best way I can think of to describe it is to say that, in this book, stories about individuals and their actions are brought in as secondary examples to illustrate the author's broader statements or claims. Other books tend to leave off most of the context and focus almost totally on the individuals and some of the actions they were involved in.

This books aims (no pun intended) to be very complete, while others aim to be entertaining ("entertaining" is not the best word to use to describe a book about shooting others, but you get the idea).

Don't get me wrong, though. It IS well-written, mind you! It is clear and factual, organized cleanly, and reasonably readable.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone who is seriously into military books or sniping, or even someone who is a student of history, as sniping is an area that is rarely, if ever, even mentioned despite the significant impact it has had in almost all wars or military actions. If you are heavily interested in any of these areas, then you definitely should buy this book. You will enjoy it and appreciate the quality and thoroughness of the book. And you will almost surely learn a lot. Even though I struggled to get through some of the chapters, I was engrossed by other chapters, such as the one on Ammo.

However, if you're not particularly hard-core about the topic, you will probably not be drawn into it and may not even get through more than a couple of chapters before giving up.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who is interested in sniping, August 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sniper: Master of Terrain, Technology, And Timing, He Is A Hunter Of Human Prey And The Military's Most Feared Fighter. (Paperback)

This book provides a broad view about sniping in history and today. The author takes the readers through the historical accounts of snipers in the battlefield since 18 century, as well as the basic principles evolved throughout these experiences.

Unlike most of the books on this topic published in America, this British writer does not limit himself to American's view. In stead, he enumerates different views regarding sniping from both sides in a armed conflict. The material about the sniping in the East Front of WWII is probably the most valuable ones in this book.

This is a must read for anyone who is intrested in sniper and sniping.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good, Sound Study On Military Sniping, October 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sniper: The Skills, the Weapons, and the Experiences (Hardcover)

As a sargeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, and student of military science, I found Mr. Gilbert's book to be a well-rounded history and description of the skills, tactics, and training of military snipers. The book commences with the impact of highly skilled marksmen on the outcome of the American Revolution and Civil War, and how firearms technology developed in the many decades since. The bulk of the history covers the affect of snipers in the major wars of the 20th century. There are also chapters describing marksmanship skills and how modern militaries train personnel in this specialized skill. This book will be enjoyed by military history buffs and sport-shooters in general.