New'ish Sniper

[SyotosCreed]

Hey there!

So I've been up to my knees in research what with an increasing interest in sniping (say what you want). I was hoping to get some professional experienced advice out of this thread.

So, I've been doing this for a good couple of years now and I decided that I would get into sniping/recon work. Because I did not have a lot of money to drop on a fairly decent rifle I picked myself up a MOD24. 400FPS out-of-box with a Polymer Stock Metal Barrel With Receiver, Adjustable Butt Plate With Rubber pad, Full Metal Bolt System and all that stuff.

(looks like this):

Actual picture could be acquired if necessary

I was looking to find advice on what and how to upgrade the gun as I heard almost every sniper gets upgraded past stock.

I am also looking for gear as well as I am currently using woodland multicam BDU

I usually play in woodland territory but the places I play at are tan on green so I am also looking to see if there is some sort of gun pattern and gear pattern that can blend with woodland while still giving a tan presence.

I am not so big on the idea of spraying the gun but if that's what benefits myself as a sniper outdoors I am willing to consider. Also, because I see myself as patient sniper sitting back and all I am considering a ghillie suit if not a ghillie jacket + hood.

P.S. I hope to purchase a sniper in later years, I would be looking for a rig that is higher quality, lighter weight, and durable internals, so by all means, please give me some ideas as to what is good to look into.

Let me know what you think about the gun.

Thanks in advance for all the friendly help.

[Wrath144]

I have one here. I'd say the mandatory upgrades are cylinder head, barrel and rubber. It uses APS2 cylinder heads, and VSR barrels and rubbers. I used PDI parts in this one. The other parts of the gun seem to be good enough, but from there you will find most benefit in mods rather than upgrade parts: barrel spacers, flat nub and TDC mod at the least. Also, on this one, I had to file down part of the bolt handle because it was rubbing on the receiver, creating an offset between the trigger assembly and the piston sometimes resulting in the gun failing to fire. I've heard of at least one other with that problem so it may be something worth looking in to.

[redzaku]

Don't refer the sniper rifle as a sniper, makes you sound like you are twelve. And have fun

[TCLP]

You mentioned woodland multicam. Do you mean woodland and multicam?
As far as tan that acts green, Khaki is your friend there. It's kind of an in between for the 2.
A set of good glass and comms will make you an asset to your team to be able to relay vital information back.
A reliable secondary to switch to when people get close. Most people don't like getting a hot gun with heavy bb's up close or there is a min engagement distance.
Some fields have restrictions on ghillie suits check with the locals and see if they have issue with them. If they don't have issue look up how to make them and build them for the area of operations. Not every field is the same so make adjustments accordingly. Either way learn field craft in the way of masking your movement so you don't stand out.
Make sure you have enough equipment to last a game and that it isn't large and cumbersome.
Shoot lots at a range if you can. Learn how your gun works. You have a limited ability to shoot, make those shots count and the best way to do that is practice.

[AngelusNex]

If that is the Modify M24 it'll be quite accurate out of the box 10x more so then most bolt actions. I have one and honestly, with good bbs (very good bbs are important) and a decent scope I use it as is for sniping out to 300 feet. It's a pre-upgraded gun in stock form only thing that might need changing is the spring but just to acquire the specific fps you want.


If it's not the Modify then I only have experience with javelin M24s and that is to avoid them and/or replace every bit of it.

[SyotosCreed]

Thank you for the advice, The retailer I bought it from has it listed as the MOD24 (supposedly modified out of the box.) but Im not sure. Also, I have another question, do all of the bolt action rifles feel "cheapy" in quality or is that just me? My m24 as much as I love it feels like the cheapest quality materials, and I feel it could brake at any moment.

As for redzaku thank you for the harsh advice. I will keep that in mind. Please stay off this thread, thank you.

[jomor]

I have been looking at picking up either the Modify M24 or the Aps M40. Is one better than the other? Your Mod 20 do you know if its compatible with parts for the Classic Army CA24?

[Bellerophon]

Didn't expect to write this much, but this is clearly an immense topic and I'm barely scratching the surface. You'll have to do a lot of your own research, but for now these are notes from my experience sniping, learned through trial and (mostly) error:

Equipment
- Get a reliable sidearm, and get very comfortable using it. Many fields won't let you use a high powered rifle unless you have a lower powered backup weapon to use within your minimum engagement distance. A good holster is essential, poor fitting or poorly attached holsters get annoying really fast.
- Corollary to above: a decent sling for your rifle is essential. A sidearm isn't very useful if you have nowhere to put your rifle. Some shooting positions also rely on the sling for stability.
- Commercially made ghillie suits are usually terrible. You can make your own out of burlap and some substrate to attach it to, such as a net (by knotting) or some tough coveralls (by gluing or stitching). It's good to have one, though whether you use it or not depends on the mission and your role in it. Improve it as you learn.
- Get a radio and headset, learn how to use them. A sniper's primary role is reconnaissance, and the info you've gathered is worthless if you have to run all the way back to your teammates and deliver the news in person.
- Good BBs are utterly essential. You can be the best marksman in the world, with a million dollar rifle, but with poor quality ammo you're not going to hit a damn thing. Heavy weight (0.3g or more), tight tolerances (listed on the pack, ±0.01mm or tighter is desirable but you should check that with calipers if available).
- As for a rig, a vest is usually unnecessary. I use a battle belt with suspenders and a 2.5L hydration pack to carry my sidearm, radio, water, ammo etc.
- As always, good quality goggles (and particularly some anti-fog) are a must. If you can't see anything through all the fog in your eyes, you're not sniping.

Marksmanship
- Learn the basics of marksmanship; proper posture, grip, trigger control, followthrough, and breath control.
- Know your capabilities. You should be able to tell at an instant what shots you are guaranteed to hit, what shots you are guaranteed to miss, and which shots are kind of risky. Your camouflage buys you the opportunity to wait until you are guaranteed a hit, take advantage if it!

Camouflage
- Improve your attention to detail, as it is the skill that underpins every aspect of sniping, most importantly disguising yourself and detecting threats. In general, look at your surroundings and think "If I were a painter, how would I replicate that colour/texture/shape". The only warning of impending attack might be gone in an instant, you have to spot it before it's too late!
- Pure black is a colour that is very rare in nature, do everything you possibly can to avoid or disguise black objects on your person. Obviously this applies to your rifle and clothes, but less obviously it's just as important to disguise your footwear, because when you're prone your head is level with your boots. Choose brown leather boots with brown soles if possible.
- Green is certainly useful in camouflage, but be careful not to overuse it. If you're playing in a forest, the colours you see close to the ground are mostly brown (leaf litter) and greyish (tree trunks), except in the early spring when there is a lot of lush green undergrowth. A patch of brown in a green field is easy to overlook, but a patch of green on a brown field calls attention to itself.

Tactics
- Two pairs of eyes are better than one; travel with a spotter, who is camouflaged to a similar degree as you and equipped with an automatic rifle. Learn to work together and communicate discreetly. If shit hits the fan, cover each other as you fall back (you will do this a lot).
- When you have the luxury of choice, do not expose yourself unless you are certain you can either win or get away.
- Many places you may think are good to snipe from are actually terrible. Towers, hilltops, and other tall places draw attention to yourself. For the best compromise between visibility and security, I'd hide about half way up a hill if possible.
- Avoid isolated cover when possible. Again, it draws attention, and if you're discovered you have to cross open ground as you fall back.

That's all I've got off the top of my head, I've still probably missed a lot but that's good enough for now. Good hunting.

[AngelusNex]

If it feels cheap and the box wasn't covered with the modify name/logo and have a modify logo sticker inside then it was not a modify but something far lower quality.

[SyotosCreed]

Originally Posted by AngelusNex

If it feels cheap and the box wasn't covered with the modify name/logo and have a modify logo sticker inside then it was not a modify but something far lower quality.

Is it bad to have a far lower quality rifle, or should it be trashed. I thought I had someone tell me that if it is just low quality then it means more to upgrade.

Also Thank you for taking the time to give me all the great info on being an airsoft sniper Bellerophon. When you mentioned that retailed ghillie suits are usually cheap and not worth it. Let's say I didn't have the time to put into making a ghillie suit, would you recommend something like the "Warrior ghillie woodland" or the "Arts ghillie jacket poncho" If you need me to I can supply links to them. but right now I'm in the market for thin but disguised suit.

[Jaco14]

Don't be discouraged if you gun is a cheaper/ lower quality gun
If you put in the wrench time and money on the right upgrades it'll be fine
The whole point of buying higher end is that they are better out of the box and generally require less upgrades to make them really good

[Bellerophon]

Originally Posted by SyotosCreed

When you mentioned that retailed ghillie suits are usually cheap and not worth it. Let's say I didn't have the time to put into making a ghillie suit, would you recommend something like the "Warrior ghillie woodland" or the "Arts ghillie jacket poncho" If you need me to I can supply links to them. but right now I'm in the market for thin but disguised suit.

Of those two I'd go with the poncho, based on a cursory search. Given the choice of brown or green I'd go with brown. You'll have to get a boonie hat and disguise it separately to match, as the poncho doesn't seem to have a hood. I didn't like the other one because there is too much loose material on the front side. Having that much material on the front is a terrible idea because;
- it only helps hide you while you're standing, which you shouldn't be
- while you're prone it'll snag on everything, making it even more difficult to crawl
- it makes an already heavy, sweaty garment twice as heavy as it needs to be
- it makes it difficult to access any load bearing gear you may be wearing

Whether you make it yourself or not, you'll still have to modify your suit to better match your environment. Rough up the fabric with a steel brush or rake, vary the colour by dragging it around in the mud, just generally get it as dirty as possible. Filthy ghillie is effective ghillie.

[AngelusNex]

Lower quality MAY mean it's trash OR it'll just need more upgrades. Until you find out the exact brand you won't know till you try and upgrade it and the parts either work or turn out not to fit the gun.

[Bellerophon]

Something I forgot to mention that really helped me out: whenever you get spotted, after the game you can go find the guy that saw you and ask him what gave you away. Take notes on how they found you, and you'll know what to improve next.

[Jborsato]

If it's a modify 24 I have one and am pretty impressed. Shoots well and a lot of the parts are upgraded already. Also is vsr 10 compatable I believe. Not much info available for that gun but read up on custom mods for sniper rifles nd your on your way.