Sniper - Spotter

[steve ashworth]

Guys

 

Looking for some advice, at a coming eveny I have been tasked with being a snipers spotter, not having don this role before in game what equipment should I be looking at getting sorted as for weapons I will be using my SR armalite but as for concelment I haven't got a clue my sniper has a full ghillie suit, not really looking to spend fortunes on a ghillie but I'm prepared to make one my self wether thats a blanket, poncho, or suit

 

I have attached a pic of my SR

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[HeartBreaker1317]

Ask your Sniper what he wants you to do. You'll probably be rather close to him, so he may want you ghillied to protect his position, but he may not. It's really a decision you should make with his assistance, as it most affects him.

 

Also, you should look at getting a good pair of binoculars, as they allow you to search and spot without moving your rifle. Less movement=Greater concealment, and that's the name of the game.

 

Additionally, I'd recommend having a backup to your rifle, preferably a small machinepistol/smg, like an UZI or MAC-xx series at the largest. This can really help you out if you're found close in, and need the oppo's heads down.

 

Finally, you may want to check and see if the sniper has a radio, and get a compatible one, so that a). you can reconnoiter and alert your team while he stays on overwatch; and . if you get separated or if he wants you to spot from further off, you can remain in communication.

 

And remember, you are your sniper's eyes when he's focused down range, so keep aware to prevent being ambushed! Walk soft.

[angelmaker]

binos and shooting glasses don't mix...

[HeartBreaker1317]

Well, firstly, you should be using goggles as shooting glasses don't make a full seal around your face, and thus don't protect your eyes. Also, many shooting glasses aren't impact rated for reasonable energies encountered in airsoft.

 

And as to binos not working well with them:

If you have a pair of binoculars with sufficient eye-relief, then one's goggles, glasses, or other interfering items will cause no sort of issue. The trick is finding a pair with proper eye-relief, which is rather hard to do without a lot of trial and error.

 

But it is worth it. I have a pair which I purchased before I got contacts, and they could go right up against my glasses so that I could see the image sans vingetting ((Getting a black circle around it)) but still see the image period ((Due to my terrible eyesight)). Getting the right pair of field glasses is absolutely worth it to anyone who uses them regularly.

 

Since it seams likely that the OP won't, he shouldn't worry. I only offered the suggestion as it has helped me in the past. If he has another rifle scope however, I'd take it as a spotting scope, if only to increase his level of concealment.

[thewallhitme]

when the sniper team is mobile, the spotter is in charge as he is the firepower if you get bumped. the spotter has to decide the route thats best, and take the lead. this comes from my expiriences as taking the lead towards a position with only a single shot rifle often lead to bad things. however, dont think that you have authority over the shooter, because this isnt the military. you have to cooperate.

 

as for concealment, i would think you should have some sort of ghillie suit if only to conceal yourself when you are together. it would also allow you to stay near the sniper and continue to provide mutual support.

[terrorist killer]

unless you got a decent capacity mag for that, your not a spotter,

 

and any type of clothing will do as long as its camo, because your a spotter for gods sake, your gonna be pretty far away from the guy your informing your sniper about,

 

and with that sr you'll be able to DM anyway, so tell ya sniper that ya quit

[HeartBreaker1317]

I didn't know there was a magazine capacity rule for spotting.

 

You'll want to be ghillied probably because sniping range in airsoft isn't quite as insurmountable as it is in real combat, so a sniper or spotter's main weapon is his ability to remain concealed. But as I said before, ask your sniper, he may have a preferance one way or another.

 

Yes, you will be able to DM with your rifle, which is good, because if your sniper misses ((It happens, even to the best of us, of which I am not a member)) you can probably make the quick follow up shot, which will help if you really need the target down now. So by all means, don't tell your sniper 'ya quit'.

 

*****

 

Thewallhitme is right on all points I'd say. Just remember to have fun.

[thewallhitme]

unless you got a decent capacity mag for that, your not a spotter,

 

and any type of clothing will do as long as its camo, because your a spotter for gods sake, your gonna be pretty far away from the guy your informing your sniper about,

 

and with that sr you'll be able to DM anyway, so tell ya sniper that ya quit

 

why on earth would you need a large capacity magazine? couldent you have multiple magazines?

 

if the enemy is close enough for the sniper to wear a ghillie suit, and the spotter is next to the sniper, why would the spotter not need a ghillie suit?

 

so long as he has a much better rof with the SR, why would he want to quit? he can still provide suport to the sniper.

 

please, dont talk shet in here.

[lewis hiscock]

you could get away with not having a ghillie suit but

you would be much better off with one.

 

not having one could give ur shooters position away.

 

terrorist killer , i think your mistaking airsoft with real steel

 

you need to be fairly close with an airsoft sniper rifle to get the kill

by comparison to real life sniping. hence why stealth is even more

important.

 

personally i think if your using binoculars then i'd switch the scope

for a red dot as this will be of more use should you get into

a close range firefight.

 

[sniperbigj]

in my opinion, for an airsoft sniper spotter, monoculars are better than binoculars. they take up a lot less room, but still do the same job. and I think a ghillie suit is your best option, but i you cant get one some other form of camo would do. And that SR of yours is pretty much perfect for the job, because of the scope and silencer etc. Another good thing to have would be a quiet pistol or some other form of side arm (mp5k etc.). Bear in mind that is just my opinion based on my personal experience, you may not agree.

[thewallhitme]

i think a side rm as large as an mp5k would be over kill considering he is carrying an AEG already, however a decent pistol would surfice imo. after yesterday, when i bought an AKS74U second hand, ive realised that it wil probably make a good spotter weapon because its small, but packs a massive punch. also, its large mag capacity would mean i could either carry a few, and be very mobile while still have alot of fire power, or i could carry lots and really try and use weight of fire should the SHTF. only down side is its pretty loud. but its accurate enough for spotter role and its punching above its weight in the range and fire power department.

[The Bushman]

I always felt small/short AEG's made better spotter guns than the longer "rifles," in my environment.

 

I favoured carbined or SMG style AEG's to try and pick people off with before ASP2 hit the scene. Short sized guns are far easier to move around with and maintain stealth, this is important for me. I still have a BETA in the cupboard (stock removed) but sold off my classic TM CAR15 "pointman".

 

If you are up against AEG's high caps, then you may struggle when things go wrong if you are using 190 - 300 shots magazines. The AK style high caps are handy as you can operate with a 250 loaded and when things go wrong you can fit the 600 (only carry 1 IMO).

 

Try to travel as light as possible because odds are that at some stage you will have to move like lightning.

 

To be an effective spotter, you must accept that your shooter (partner) will get more points than you (at least if all goes to plan). Few people can accept that unless experienced, in my experience. Once people have played a long while, they have less to prove and are happier to do their role.

 

I used to play in a team of 6 players. Any of which could work together as partners with great effect. However, you do find natural partners in shooting and sometimes they know what the other player is doing before he signals . I will say though that you often knew straight away who was the one who was going to end up shooting and if it was not going to be you, you would do the spotters role. However, you may be in a position to be the shooter and your partner would be watching your back instead. It could change at the flip of a coin, who played which role and that is important for the pair if they intend to be most effective.

 

I suggest you both need camo of equal effectiveness. Could be a small upper toso/head/shoulders ghillie or a larger more encumbering suit if the environment favoured it. Guns should be camoflagued with more than just paint (tie scrim on etc). Too many players don't want to cover up their rifles.

 

Face should be camoflagued with face net or face paint (includes neck and ears). Use camo gloves (not black).

 

The spotter should stick as much foliage into his partners ghillie (if he has none then stuff his pockets) and should check to ensure best concealment. His partner should do likewise. Stopping now and again in game to add foliage if required or getting his partner to move if he feels he is not hidden properly.

 

EDIT: I forgot to say you should practice to communicate using minimal hand signals.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Good Hunting

[thewallhitme]

just watched a documentary called sniper:stalk and kill. was pretty cool. in it they said that the spotter is the most senior member of the team as he has the most responsibility. the shooter just... well shoots really. the spotter is responsible for routes, positions (radio. not really much of a point in airsoft), and he is the firepower of the team. i have to say, as much as i respect your expirience bushman, i feel i disagree with your statement that the shooter will get more points. it may just be that our styles/ area of play differ (probably most likely) but i found that when i was shooter, it was mostly my spotter who was taking people out. however, the close range and number of enemy in these games may be the cause of this as it may have been too risky to fire one shot only.

 

edit: i forgot to say, if posible, practice shooting each others guns as there may be a point in time when you need the accuracy of a sniper rifle, but cannot swap positions. this may be more for dedicated teams, but personally im not worried about handing my rifle over simply because i know that my spotter isnt going to damage it or do anything to it on purpose.

[monkey530]

Just make sure whatever your spotter uses, he can tell how far the people are fairly accurately.

[The Bushman]

THEWALLHITME : I understand we play in very different environments, but I have played all styles of game in the past. Speedball tournaments and fast paced games make good practice for some elements of "sniping". However, they severly restrict other techniques and tactics due to limited width arenas, short game lengths and large amounts of players.

 

I must say that my first year in a speedball tourny, I had a bolt action and only scored 3 hits all tournament. My team carried me and all I mainly succeeded in doing was holding off 1-2 players on a flank all game. At one point I asked for 1 player with an AEG to help me in a quick ambush. He shot all 4 opponents in 1 burst. Although I did get the last 2 shots in the all important final .

 

Anyway, the following year I turned up with an AEG. Says a thousand words really. Well the game you describe sounds more like it is simply too close and fast paced to gain much benfit, from using a single shot rifle due to MED's and multiple opponents.

 

However, that doesn't mean you can't play with a bolt action. Sure it will be frustrating at times and more like an online shooter, than real "sniping". Why not try the single shot if its close but NOT in your MED? You should have fired at the same time your partner did, either that or he was in the position you perhaps should have been in?

 

In a game with longer LOS and more time available, I still maintain the shooter will score more points if the pair play well. If things go to plan, the spotter will not fire (the shooter will take the shots from long range). Withdrawing early, under cover is the key to success. If the spotter is good, he won't walk into an ambush (so won't need to fire) when repositioning. Much of the time a spotter has to control himself and resist shooting, no matter how tempting it can be. Few people can do that time and time again, in my experience. Most want to get involved in a firefight. The main time you may shoot, as a spotter, is if you are flanked (which you should avoid getting into that situation in the first place) or if your opponents try to follow up when you withdraw.

 

I will add that if your opponents are not too good, they will give the spotter more oppertunity to shoot (ie an ambush where both the shooter and his partner shoot 2 different opponents simultaniously) and in that case it is fine

 

You are right about swapping rifles and knowing how to operate and fire them like your own. Spend time on the range with your partner's rifle. It keeps things interesting, as you swap roles, on a long event. My original partner did it, now and again, with some effect. I always played the front man and therefore nearly always the shooter role. Our other 2 man team on the team also had 1 main shooter and a very dependable backup man who was ALWAYS in the right place at the right time, but still rarely fired. When both pairs came together to play as a very strong 4 man team, I played the pointman. Only in later years, did other players voice that they fancied going point, that I graciously dropped to thirdman. Still worked a treat, as I could control the spacing and if needed could flank with my partner (4th man) to the flank I decided was most beneficial. My partner and I were very fit and cover ground quickly but low to get to the position ASAP and would never leave our front element's *albartroth* blowing in the wind.

 

One thing was certain, our Modus Operandi went like this most of the time....

 

Long slow single file patrol with extended pointman. Silent movment at all times with handsignals.

Rest frequently and listen in ambush positions, silent running.

Once opponents located, we would set an RV, then split into 2 elements and move to pincer attack.

Simultanious opening fire to maximum effect.

Follow up if benficial, otherwise withdraw under cover ASAP and meet up at RV.

Leave area and head to new grid to patrol or predict opponents from last contact + move to ambush them.

All round defence is important when stationary or at RV.

 

Good Hunting

[thewallhitme]

fair enough and all, but i never take my sniper rifle into a "speedball" type game. i normally leave it and take an aeg if the game involves respawns or one team assaulting a bunker as the main objective. i only opt for my sniper loadout when we play the slower games when players only have one life each. as im only running 328 i dont have an MED anyway, so range isnt the big problem. last few times i played was with a new spotter. in time everything will work its self out. we have had some great manouvers. we ambushed an 8 man team like so:

 

we set up an L shped ambush at a pathway with my spotter at the base of the "L". i found a position along the longer side of the L. my spotter opened up on full auto when they were withing range of him. he made himself visible by dashing between 2 trees about 3 meters apart every few bursts of fire. this took all pressure off me and i was able to pick them off, i timed my shots to coinside with my spotters firing to further dampen my sound and imanaged to get 5 of the enemy.

 

we have discussed how we want to play and we have decided against a stationary defensive type of role, and opted for the offensive sniper role, when we go and hunt the enemy and get in and take a few out before hiding again. however, our choice of routes werent the best at first, and out positions are limited because at the site i play at, almost everyone knows where everything is. with some practice we should improve though.

 

we are also joining up with a larger team (basically like a fire team) and we said we would carry a radio. if the game has medics, or VIPs, or single lifes, we said we will go out and specifically track the medics/vips. they can handle the bulk, and we try and take out the important players.

[lewis hiscock]

sounds like some sound tactics thewallhitme. will have to try that next chance i get

[thewallhitme]

cheers, buuudy

 

just tried some new tactics the other day. i held a position on my own, while a spotter ambushed an enemy squad and pushed them into my field of fire. it worked alright, although there was alot of risk that it could go wrong.

 

 

[EdrrakNolat]

Generally, spotters just carry a regular assault rifle with a long scope, not to shoot the distance, but for the view.

I would think for airsoft that a good pair if binos and a solid AEG to protect the 2 of you would be best. But the earlier suggestiong of asking the sniper how he would like you to operate is the best idea.

[wolfesbane]

Would it be better if two snipers opperated as a team as they would both have the knowlage as to how a sniper opperates ?

 

Just me and a friend of mine are both looking of taking up a sniper role,if we did would we better taking turns as spotter or not?

He has a well L96 and i have a G-Spec on the way we both have a M4A1 each and side arm already with sniper concealment vest on the way.We both have the same radios already and we work well together just as normal gunners.

What other equipment would u advise i have a set of small binoculars but only low mag ones at the moment but if we both had our sniper rifles with scopes mounted would we really need binoculars?

 

[thewallhitme]

the spotter should have exactly the same amount of knowledge as the sniper. in essence, a spotter is just a sniper without a sniper rifle. the idea of a sniper team is to combine the best fighting abilities of a regular rifleman (lots of fire power) with the abilities of a sniper (to hit accuratly at long distance). the mutual ability should be that both members of the team can conceal themselves incredibly well.

 

on the topic of optics. the spotter would only need a set of binos if he didnt have a scope. personally id say a scope on a rifle is better because it would cut out any movement needed to swap from observing to firing. with a scope u can fire WHILE observing, with binos u have to put them away, take control of your weapon and then fire.

[Brother Decimus]

true but this is airsoft, he will need binos to see farther. a scope like an acog with 4x magnification would be useless for a spotter. much better off with a red dot scope on the rifle and a pair of binoculars in my opinion.

[thewallhitme]

u can mount an m3 on an m16/m4/whatever u want. thats 3-9x magnification right there. if u need more than that then something is going wrong

[The Bushman]

Binoculars are only useful in very long games on large sites. A regular scope on an AEG is more useful most of the time for the reasons stated above.

 

Good Hunting

[lewis hiscock]

yes in airsoft terms i can see binoculars being of more use than a scope, and x3 is fine in my experience to use even on assault rifles , i agree that anything above x4 is more of a hinderance than help though.