Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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

THIS IS A MUST READ BOOK ,IF YOUR ARE USING THE MIL.DOT SCOPE SYSTEM.THE BOOK GOES INTO GREAT DEPTH ON THESE TYPES OF TACTICAL AND MILITARY SCOPES.AFTER READING THE BOOK I WAS ABLE TO ATTAIN 2.5 INCH GROUPS AT 400 YARDS.NOT BAD FOR A ROOKIE! I USED A REMINGTON 700 IN .308 THE AMMO WAS FEDERAL MATCH 168 GR. BTHP.LOOKING FORWARD TO EXTENDING THE RANGE AND SHOOTING TIGHT GROUPS.THE SCOPE I USED WAS A LEUPOLD 4.5 X 14 TACTICAL VARI-X III WITH THE MIL-DOT SYSTEM.SO MUCH INFORMATION IN THE BOOK I AM CURRENTLY REREADING AND GOING TO THE RANGE MORE OFTEN.THIS IS AN AWESOME BOOK! THANKS MAJOR PLASTER I EXTEND MY GRATITUDE.

I found that a bunch of the fieldcraft taught in this book has helped my hunting a LOT. Let's face it, I'm never going to be a sniper, but I am interested in 2 things

1)Accurate rifle and their use
2)How to hunt better

A lot of the tricks taught here will make you a better hunter - in fact, it's probably better than most of the hunting books out there

I think that this book is very well written and put together. The author only deals with a few calibers of rifle so be warned. Aside from that, this book is bursting with imformation. The author examines every facet of sniping and includes many pictures and diagrams to help. He also includes a wide veriety of tables and charts to help you when your in the field.

I really think that the author knows what he is talking about. He doesn't just pull numbers off ther shelf and put them into the book to make it look like he knows what he's doing. There are several times where he explains how he tested ammunition and camo.

If you are really interested in knowing how to be a sniper/marksman this is the book for you.

I cant even begin to explain how great this book is. you'll just have to read it for yourself. It's awsome.

I found "The Ultimate Sniper" to be a very well thought out and very well written book. The ideas and tactics given to the reader are ones that you can easily apply. While he doesn't go into the tactics of SWAT (for obvious reasons), the information that he does give on tactics was very interesting and informative. The ballistics charts, windage charts and the plethora of other "take to the range with you" information has given me an avdantage at my local firing fange. His ideas and suggestions really do pay off in the "real world" of target shooting. I would recomend this book to anyone who shows the smallest interest in precision shooting, be it for fun or for "other reasons".

I bought this book because when I watched the Juba the Sniper movie they mentioned this book. During the video they interview the commander of the Baghdad sniper brigade he says this book is their main training manual. For all you who want to see theory applied to the real world downloand this movie, it shows about 25 attacks on US soldiers in Iraq. It will give you something to think about. What more do you need than real snipers saying they use this book?

This book gives you with unvaluable information, the expertise and common sense (not so "common" nowadays) in the riflecraft learned in the hard way by the author. This books concerns not only to snipers, but every field shooter.

Also recommend Jeff Cooper's "The Art of The Rifle" as the first book.

Good shooting!