Sniper rifles trialled

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 401, 27 August 1991, Page 17

Sniper rifles trialled

BYJOHOWIE The School of Infantry in Waiouru is presently conducting trials on seven new sniper rifles. The Parker Hale is the Army's current sniper rifle. It has served the Army well but is now very old and worn, and is well behind in technology, said an Army spokesman. Snipers are expected to be able to hit a head sized target consistently out to 600 metres and frequently out to 1000 metres, and so this places certain demands on the characteristics of a sniper rifle he said. The telescopic sights need to be precise. Consistency of accuracy is crucial and the rifle and the sight need to be durable to be

battle-worthy. Technology today is such that most sniper rifles in the western world are very good, therefore very extensive trials are needed to fully examine and compare each rifle. The New Zealand Army's trials are expected to continue for some time. Snipers in the New Zealand Army are an elite group of soldiers about whom little is known by the wider Army. The sniper is an extremely effective weapon who can easily demoralise an enemy group. Little is known about the use of snipers in the Gulf War but they were used effec-

tively by the Argentinians in the Falklands War. It takes a special kind of soldier to become a sniper. Not only does he need to be a good shot but he must have very good fieldcraft skills and he must be patient. The School of Infantry in Waiouru trains the Army's snipers. The pass rate on the sniper course is often about 25%. The final tests on the course involve: accurately judging distances; stalking (the sniper must be able to stalk undetected to within about 200 metres Turnpage20