Hal is right. The people making these statements have absolutely no idea
what they are talking about.
As a former Marine and as the exhibits below will back up, snipers routinely
train at ranges from 500-1000 meters. That's the whole point..to shoot
someone without being SEEN. Snipers are sneaky
and stealthy. What is the tactical purpose of erecting a fortified
structure at close range in order to do something that can be done at long
range and unseen?
Exhibit A: Marine Corps M40A1 sniper rifle- as a representative example of
what type of weapon
a sniper would be using http://www.snipercentral.com//m40a1.htm
Exhibits B,C,D: Sniper training manuals (sorry no full text)
USMC Sniping (FM1-3B). Latest manual in current use at Quantico. Chapters
include; The Scout-Sniper, Sniper Equipment, Marksmanship Training, Field
Skills, Sniper Skills, Sniper Tactical Employment, Planning and Preparation
of a Sniper Mission as well as seven appendixes. 200 pages, softbound
3C0008R USMC Sniping $17.95
U.S.M.C. Scout/Sniper Manual. Actual training guide for the deadliest
snipers on the battlefield - the graduates of the USMC Scout Sniper School
at Quantico. Lesson plans take the trainee through the finer points of
Sniping (attack and defense), Weapon Maintenance, Shooting Positions and
Bolt Operation, Sight Adjustments, Zero, Camo, Elevation and Windage,
Sighting, Aiming,
Trigger Control, Weather, Individual Movement, Range Estimation,
Observation, Target Detection, Occupation of Positions etc.
176 pp, soft.
3C0009C USMC S/S Manual $16.95
The Military and Police Sniper by Mike Lau. Advanced precision shooting for
combat and law enforcement. There are many fine sniping books available
today. This one becomes the "ultimate" for 1998! Massive new book emphasizes
use of the USMC M40AI and Army M24 systems, use of the mil-dot reticle,
range finding and wind reading in great depth as well as a very detailed
discussion of terminal ballistics. Crammed full of highly technical and
useful information on rifles, sights, loads and techniques. If you're
serious, this one's for you! Softbound, 352 pages, heavily illustrated.
7X4886R The M&P Sniper $35.00
-----Original Message-----
From: hal@finney.org [mailto:hal@finney.org]
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2000 12:58 PM
To: extropians@extropy.com
Subject: Re: Waco: Sniper's Nest Revealed
Ian Goddard, <Ian@goddard.net>, writes:
> Subject: Waco: Sniper's Nest Revealed
>
> http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a389f17ad2057.htm
I spent several hours studying the earlier Waco video a few months ago.
I agree that, based on these photographs, a structure of some sort is
present in the courtyard on the day of the fire, which was not there a
few days ago.
However I question whether this would be a "sniper's nest" for a couple of
reasons. The main one is that this does not seem to be a very reasonable
position for a sniper to hide. It is in the courtyard, surrounded on
three sides by buildings occupied by the people he would be sniping at.
It does not appear to be a very defensible position, as he could have
bullets coming at him from three directions. Further, he would himself
be firing at virtually point-blank range.
"Sniping" usually connotes a somewhat long-distance firing activity.
Placing your "nest" in the middle of the enemy's courtyard, mere yards
from the walls, just seems utterly absurd.
I also think that the size and shape of the structure is not what I
would expect for something like this, but I am not familiar with military
equipment so I can't say for sure.
The only real evidence for calling it a sniper's nest is that flashes
which could be gunshots were seen near it, and the object did not
appear to be present a few days earlier. However it could easily be
some piece of junk the Davidians moved outside into their courtyard in
the days preceding the final attack. As for the flashes, they are seen
in a number of locations besides the courtyard.
Hal
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