Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual For Military And Police Snipers [Paperback]

John Plaster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1993

This highly readable and extremely valuable training book covers the practical, field-tested details of sniping's three great skill areas - marksmanship, fieldcraft and tactics. Rifles, scopes, ballistics, target detection, stalking, hides, cammo, countersniping, special ops, police vs. military and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John L. Plaster served three tours in the top-secret unconventional warfare group, Studies and Observations Group, in Vietnam. As a long-range reconnaissance leader, he led tiny intelligence-gathering teams behind enemy lines in Laos and Cambodia before leaving SOG in late 1971. He was decorated for heroism four times and retired from the U.S. Army as a major.

Product Details

• Paperback: 453 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873647041
• ISBN-13: 978-0873647045
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #665,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

172 of 175 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great primer for the long range shooter September 9, 2000

By Joe D

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

We'll here's a book title that may get some folks shorts in a bunch. Of course if you wanted to learn about long range shooting, what other title would you look under? As a work dedicated to sniper training, it is probably representative of more basic or summary treatment of topics, but I'd leave this critique to someone more qualified.

The book is promoted or defined as an Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers, but the detail in description and selection of any long range shooting equipment is the most comprehensive I've seen in public print. The book offers quite an education to almost any shooter.

The rifle selection coverage is expansive. You'll find everything from types of actions to special preparation and specific model rifle features to look for. The section on scopes is a definitive work on shooting optics, including full description and application of every reticle I can think of, fitting and setting up a scope including mount and ring shimming and offsetting techniques. I know I have a better understanding of how MIL dot set up is suppose to work. This section concludes with a chapter on utilizing scopes, as well as related problems and solutions.

There is great detail on shooting positions, using a sling, breathing techniques, etc. There is an excellent chapter on ballistics, including the basics of bullet and case construction, and on to premium cartridge selection and cartridge options, pros and cons. This section then rolls into a chapter that ties the preceding together into long-range marksmanship coverage.

All of the preceding is all capped off with a good deal of information on field equipment ranging from range finders and binoculars to field posting and camouflage. Some of the material needs conversion to a hunting situation, while the concept remains the same; as an example, there is a lot of information on tracking and covering a given terrain or situation. To tell you the truth, I thought this content was closer to what "Art of the Rifle" would provide.

If you are interested in long distance shooting with centerfire cartridges, this is an excellent addition to a home library.

93 of 98 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Advanced Training Manual Currently on the Market December 5, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I am an AGR/SSG, Organizer of the Headquarters Special Reaction Team, and RVN Vet: 11B/71L/92Y. I aquired this book in early 1997, read it from cover to cover twice and referred back to seperate chapters more often than I can calculate. Currently I can recommend no other manual with such a wide variety of accurate information on most aspects of precission shooting and tactics. I can make only a few minor criticisms. (1) I found only one error in the text- i.e.: "...do not..." vs "...do...". The error however should be obvious to even a neophite shooter so I have ignored it - but it does rattel me a bit every time I run across it. (2) Some of the Photos seem a bit pretentious - like they came out of an old issue of SOF. (3) Point of contention: MAJ Plaster opens the door to calibers such as 223, and 243, and provides fine tables for their accurate engagement. He may have been rushed to reach a publishing date, but I was hoping to find complete tables on all current match grade (high accuracy/long range)factory munitions. Especially windage tables. I hope the author will produce a supplement later. I reciently entered my first paper target state level competition which reinstilled my confidence in my abilities. With the help of his fine machinery, this manual provided my SRT team member and I valuable information leading to our ability to quickly and consistantly place comfortable hits in the x ring and engage moving targets at 600yds with a 5-7mph wind. I have given up my allegiance to "The Accurate Rifle" for "The Ultimate Sniper". Other than philosophical or theological treatises this is my favorite reading. I only need to convince my commanders of the importance of QRT and SRT programs.

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good novice/intermediate level training manual April 28, 1999

By Rob

Format:Paperback

This book is a valuable resource for the novice to intermediate level rifleman or sniper. I found a credible amount of useful information within it. The ballistics tables are real-world--unlike the dry, theoretical tables found in reloading manuals. Major Plaster sticks to the heart of the subject matter; he doesn't go off on those lame, sorry "soldier of 'fiction'" tangents that many authors do. He even authorizes the reader to photocopy range cards, practice targets, etc..., as long as the credit line is not removed. You can't get much fairer than that. If I mentioned every good thing about this book, I would exceed the 1,000 word maximum that Amazon has limited me to.

Robert, 11B/EIB, U.S. Army, 1981-1984