In the past, I have been outspoken about my disdain for high tech long range sniping as a means of hunting. As this so-called sport becomes increasingly popular, I have not changed that opinion. I feel that getting close enough to the game to make a reasonable shot is a part of hunting. It doesn’t take much skill to get within 800 yards of an elk, deer, or antelope. I admire the skill of long range target shooters, but this is a different sport. How did this interest in long range shooting come about? It has its roots in military sniping.

When we committed to militarily helping South Vietnam in 1959, we were totally unprepared for precision, long range, small-arms engagement. The North Vietnamese army was literally operating in the open because of our sniping inability. Because of the Soviet Union’s WWII sniper training doctrine combined with large numbers of WWII-era Soviet sniper rifles, the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) had a sniping advantage in the early part of the war.

Up to this point, U.S. sniper training had been informal at best. Thanks to the U.S. Marine Corps, the attitude and approach quickly changed. USMC Major Edward James Land was behind this new emphasis. Land organized the first sniper training school in Hawaii in 1961. Land’s efforts were accompanied by USMC Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock who became a sniper legend. Unfortunately, the U.S. Army didn’t begin organized, in-county, division-level sniper training until early 1967. It can certainly be said that the Vietnam War hastened the development of sophisticated small arms and ammunition.

What both surprises and amazes me the most about our military’s ineptitude is that the rifle I was using at this period of time was at least equal to our military sniper rifles. In the late 60’s I killed my first quality whitetail buck with a 300 yard shot. I was using a military 1903A3 Springfield rifle I had purchased from Gene Webster at Mitchell’s Leader Hardware. I then took it to Bob Winter of Menno who reworked the bolt and drilled and tapped it for scope mounts. That first scope was of 2.5 power with a post for a reticle. I completed the project by fitting it to a Fajen stock and glass-bedding it. You are now thinking that my rig was pretty basic. Wait until you hear what our military was using.

Other than having to start out with military ball ammunition rather than match grade ammo, the Marine Corps had emptied every armory of its Winchester Model 70 target rifles. These, along with M1C/D WWII rifles, were fitted with Lyman Alaskan 2.5 power scopes with flat post reticles. These low power scopes limited serious shooting to no more than 500-600 yards because a man-sized target was covered by the post-type reticle. So desperate was the Army for scopes that buyers were sent around the country to sporting goods stores to buy up Weaver 330 model 2.5 power hunting scopes.

Meanwhile, the Marines mounted Unertl 8 power and 10 power scopes on their glass-bedded Model 70 Winchesters. These rifles matched and exceeded what the North Vietnamese were using. The Remington Model 40X became available in January 1967. This led to the standardized sniper rifle and the USMC’s M40 sniper rifle built on a Remington Model 700/40X action.

Just how good are today’s American snipers? Gy. Sgt. Hathcock killed an enemy soldier at 2500 yards in 1967. That’s over 1.4 miles. That record was broken in March 2002 and has been broken six times since. Today’ record is 3,871 yards. That’s well over two miles.

Today’s information was taken from the article “Early Vietnam Sniping” by Dave Emary. It appeared in the May 2020 Guns & Ammo magazine. I have tried to hit the high points of a very long article.

It doesn’t surprise me that our military was so behind in the development of sniper rifles. From 1873-1892 our military rifle was a single-shot black powder rifle while the rest of the world was armed with flat-shooting bolt-action smokeless powder weapons. At the end of WWI, Billy Mitchell tried to convince our military that aircraft were formidable weapons. They didn’t listen. Pearl Harbor woke them up. Russia launched Sputnik I while our lesser missiles blew up on the launch pad.

For myself, I will die “old school.” I’ll sneak up on my deer, and my computerized range-finder scope will still be on the shelf at Cabela’s.

Order my new book The Dakota Nimrod Grows Older by sending $16 for soft cover to Roger Wiltz, 200 Elm Ave. S.E., Wagner, SD 57380. Tax and shipping are included. Available in Wagner at James Drug, Mid-Town, and Kocer’s Fallen Timbers. Thanks.

See you next week.