# Can a sniper shoot accurately through a glass window? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304 "2006-01-10T14:06:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/1 "2006-01-10T14:06:37Z")
I was watching a cheesy 80s TV show last night, and in one scene a sniper shoots from a roof at a target inside of a building, through a window. Is that realistic? Will a bullet, even a high-velocity round, go through glass without significant deflection? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/2 "2006-01-10T14:21:56Z")
No cites here, but I can tell you that a well accepted view among hunters is that if a bullet strikes even a small obstruction (e.g. a twig) its accuracy will be compromised. The effect is (not surprisingly) thought to be greater with small bullets. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/3 "2006-01-10T14:58:26Z")
Depends upon the angle of attack. If deflection is a concern, two snipers can fire. One shoots to break the glass, the second to hit the target. I would guess that deflection is less of an issue with .50 sniper rifles, though I’m not sure if metro police use them. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/4 "2006-01-10T15:04:21Z")
The first James Bond novel (_Casino Royale_) mentions this. Bond is reminscing with a member of French intelligence and mentions his first official kill; the sniping of a Japanese cipher expert and double agent in a high-rise office or apartment (I forget which). Another agent shot first, to shatter the window. Bond got the target in the mouth when he turned to gape at the broken window. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/5 "2006-01-10T15:10:45Z")
Is there a reason the sniper himself can’t fire both rounds? Just squeeze the trigger twice quickly? Does the gun heat up too much, or recoil too much, or something? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/6 "2006-01-10T15:13:23Z")
> [@audiobottle](#): > > Is there a reason the sniper himself can’t fire both rounds? Just squeeze the trigger twice quickly? Does the gun heat up too much, or recoil too much, or something? Snipers often do not use automatic or semiautomatic weapons, because the mechanism can restrict accuracy. So they would have to reload after each shot. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/7 "2006-01-10T15:16:16Z")
In real life, I believe that snipers will usually fire a first shot just to break the glass, then a follow-up shot to hit the target. If possible, the shots are fired by two different people to keep the time between the two as short as possible so the target has no time to react. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/8 "2006-01-10T15:19:32Z")
The distance that the bullet has to travel after striking the glass would also be a factor; shooting someone who has their nose pressed up against the glass is more likely to work with a single shot than, say, shooting someone who is twenty feet behind the glass. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/9 "2006-01-10T15:27:14Z")
On pages 201-202 of [The Ultimate Sniper](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0873647041/qid=1136906538/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9809325-1484151?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) Major John Plaster addresses shooting through glass. He suggests using at least a .308 to improve penetration and shooting perpendicular to the surface of the glass. He notes that on angled shots the bullet tends to curve more sharply in the angle it was travelling, not deflect. He also suggests the possibility of using two shooters but directs that both shots should be aimed at the target and be perpendicular to the glass, if possible. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/10 "2006-01-10T15:36:20Z")
This [article](http://www.trmagonline.com/Summer2003/summer2003operationtactics.htm) suggests a length of det cord around the perimeter of a window if the sniper is shooting from behind a window. I think I would flinch. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/11 "2006-01-10T17:05:51Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Snipers often do not use automatic or semiautomatic weapons, because the mechanism can restrict accuracy. So they would have to reload after each shot. I saw a thing on TV talking about snipers, and it also mentioned that some like the bolt-action rifles because they don’t spew spent casings everywhere. Fire a shot, open the bolt, remove the casing and put it down next to you, then pick up your spent brass and quietly slip away without leaving anything to announce where you were hiding. Also, a bit of brass flying through the air is more likely to catch the wrong bit of sunlight and signal your position to the enemy. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/12 "2006-01-10T17:18:51Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > I saw a thing on TV talking about snipers, and it also mentioned that some like the bolt-action rifles because they don’t spew spent casings everywhere. This isn’t the reason for the preference. There are bags to attach to the rifles over the ejection ports to catch the brass, so the above isn’t an issue. Bolt-action rifles are preferred because of improved accuracy and range. The design of automatic and semi-automatic weapons is such that some of the energy of the charge goes into cycling the action, which necessarily reduces both the range and accuracy of the shot. There are some other factors, too, but they escape me at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/13 "2006-01-10T17:43:24Z")
> [@audiobottle](#): > > Is there a reason the sniper himself can’t fire both rounds? Just squeeze the trigger twice quickly? Does the gun heat up too much, or recoil too much, or something? Snipers need extreme accuracy and it takes a while to line up for an accurate shot. Plenty of time for the target to react and get out of the way of the second. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/14 "2006-01-10T17:45:15Z")
Tom Clancy, in one of his novels has the HRT employing the double-shooter method for sniping. > [@](#): > > There are some other factors, too, but they escape me at the moment. Given that sniping is most often done at very long ranges (up to several thousand yards), a pretty hi-powered telescopic sight is mounted on the gun. Re-acquistion of the target after recoil thru such an optic device isn’t a quickly accomplished task. Thus, the greater rate of fire of a semi- or fully-automatic rifle is entirely superfluous. And a bolt-action/single-shot rifle is inherently less prone to mechanical failure should a second shot be needed. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/15 "2006-01-10T19:08:57Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > In real life, I believe that snipers will usually fire a first shot just to break the glass, then a follow-up shot to hit the target. If possible, the shots are fired by two different people to keep the time between the two as short as possible so the target has no time to react. I don’t think that a the first shot to break the glass could be relied on to create a big enough hole in the glass for the second shot to pass through. It might make a bullet sized hole, it could take out a small section of glass, or it could take out the entire pane. Anyway, it would be better to take the first shot to hit the target _and_ break the glass, and have the second shooter hit the target. If you have two guns, why not put both shots on target? ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/16 "2006-01-10T19:46:58Z")
There was a hostage case at a bank in Sacramento in the early 90’s. One of gunman was in the fron, with hostages lined up on the floor. He was pretty easily visble through the glass window and door. The SWAT team made a plan to have a sniper take him out, and immediately after the shot, storm in through the back. The shot was deflected by the glass in the door. The gunman ran down the line of hostages shooting wildly into them, and ran into the back. The SWAT team came in and secured the building, but the initial missed shot caused a couple of hostages to be killed (IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/17 "2006-01-10T20:17:22Z")
My knowledge of this comes entirely from spy novels and films, so you know that it has to be 100% accurate. In the last Timothy Dalton Bond film, **License to Kill** , he arranged for an explosive charge to break the window before he fired, so the glass wouldn’t be there. In Frederick Forsyth’s novel **The Day of the Jackal** , the Jackal’s previous job had been shooting the driver of Trujillo’s car through the triangular vent window, which was, unlike the other windows, of non-bulletproof glass. The car was moving and he only got the one shot, but succeeded. No wonder the OAS hired him to assassinate deGaulle. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/18 "2006-01-10T20:21:49Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Given that sniping is most often done at very long ranges (up to several thousand yards), a pretty hi-powered telescopic sight is mounted on the gun. Point of note: 600 yards/meters is about a practical maximum range for a .30 caliber rifle (7.62 NATO, .30-06, .300 Win Mag). Ranges of up to 1500 meters with the .50BMG round are plausible. Longer shots have been taken, but these are the exception rather than the rule. It’s not just the accuracy of the gun and the skill of the shooter, but the increasing significance of bullet drop and spin reduction that cause rounds beyond this range to be increasingly less accurate. “Several thousand yards” is unlikely. > [@UncleBeer](#): > > Re-acquistion of the target after recoil thru such an optic device isn’t a quickly accomplished task. Thus, the greater rate of fire of a semi- or fully-automatic rifle is entirely superfluous. And a bolt-action/single-shot rifle is inherently less prone to mechanical failure should a second shot be needed. Actually, the German government contracted Heckler & Koch to develop a semiautomatic sniper rifle (which ended up being sold as the [PSG1](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HK_PSG1)) in response to the Munich Massacre and the inability of sharpshooters to engage multiple targets quickly. The [Walther WA2000](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_WA2000) and [Barrett M98](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_M98) are other semi-automatic sniper rifles, and semi-automatic rifles like the M21, the Draganov SVD, or the Steyr AUG HBAR T are typically selected as “designated marksman” weapons in military units. (A designated marksman is sort of a close-range sniper; think Tom Sizemore’s character in _Saving Private Ryan_.) Bolt guns have been traditionally preferred by detached snipers and police marksmen because they’re lighter, less likely to foul, easier to field service, and easier to modify. But they are slower for followup, as you have to remove the trigger hand from action to actuate the bolt. Some efforts have been made to minimize this–for instance, straight draw bolts or forearm mounted “pump” style bolt actuators–but these have never caught on. Firing through glass is always tricky; one of the reasons the FBI went to the .357 Magnum, then later the 10mm Auto is because the round could penetrate windshield glass rather than deflect off the way a .38 Spl or 9mmP often will. As someone else mentioned, the fictional Bond obtained his double-oh standing by being the second shooter, the idea being that the first shot will shatter the glass and allow time for the glass to fall out of the way, making a clear path for the second bullet. That being said, it’s not a usual situation for a sniper to fire through glass; you generally wait for the clean shot rather than attempt shooting through a barrier if at all possible. Although sniper teams are general comprised of two members, one serves as the spotter (with a large monocular scope) while the other is the shooter, and they may switch off as the shooter becomes tired. (For those who have not participated in marksmanship, although it doesn’t require great athleticism, it does demand considerable endurance and stamina.) Most of the stuff you read about sniping in books–even the formerly well-researched Tom Clancy–are exaggerated, abridged, or just plain wrong. And you can take it as the default that anything you see on TV and the movies with regard to sniping, and more generally firearms, is utter bullshit. If you want to see a movie that is nothing but a continuous string of technical and operational inaccuracies, try [Sniper](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108171/) with Tom Berenger and Billy Zane; or better yet, save yourself the pain and don’t. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/19 "2006-01-10T20:22:47Z")
> [@audiobottle](#): > > Is there a reason the sniper himself can’t fire both rounds? Just squeeze the trigger twice quickly? Does the gun heat up too much, or recoil too much, or something? In his [book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425103552/ref=pd_bxgy_img_b/002-8720388-3705663?%5Fencoding=UTF8), [Carlos Hatchcock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Hathcock) talks about how snipers time the squeeze of the trigger to their breathing and heartbeats. It takes a lot of time to set up for one shot. The delay between shots would defeat the purpose. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304/20 "2006-01-10T20:28:47Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Point of note: 600 yards/meters is about a practical maximum range for a .30 caliber rifle (7.62 NATO, .30-06, .300 Win Mag). Ranges of up to 1500 meters with the .50BMG round are plausible. Longer shots have been taken, but these are the exception rather than the rule. It’s not just the accuracy of the gun and the skill of the shooter, but the increasing significance of bullet drop and spin reduction that cause rounds beyond this range to be increasingly less accurate. “Several thousand yards” is unlikely. Just because this is the straight dope: > [@](#): > > In 1967, Hathcock set a record for the longest combat kill with a 0.50 caliber BMG mounting a telescopic sight. The distance was an astounding 2,250 meters. Hathcock was one of several individuals to utilize the Browning 0.50 caliber heavy machine gun in the sniping role. This success has led to the adoption of the .50 caliber cartridge as a viable anti-personnel and anti-equipment sniper round. > > The record stood until 2002, when it was broken during Operation Anaconda when a Canadian three-man sniper team from the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), set the new record with a shot of 2,430 meters on a Taliban fighter. – From the above referenced Carlos Hathcock wiki page. Very much an exceptional shot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-sniper-shoot-accurately-through-a-glass-window/339304.md?page=2)