Excellence in marksmanship: military sniper vs. sports shooter

[Turble]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

I find it hard to believe that competitive shooting is lucrative enough for anyone to be a full-time professional.

A lot of the money comes from sponsorships. I have a 16 year old neighbor who has been a nationally competitive shooter since he was 12. His mother recently mentioned that the company that gives him their guns also gives him $60,000 per year.

BTW, he’s a great kid, straight A student, and hopes to go to West Point.

[DCnDC]

@The_Other_Waldo_Pepper

But flip that around: if you’d put him in the Olympic village, given him a good night’s sleep and a good meal, and on a mild and dust-free day handed him a fine-tuned rifle that matched every other would-be medalist’s, how would he have done?

Okay, let’s go the other way: take the Gold-medal Olympic shooter, give him (or her) a bolt-action rifle and drop them in Iraq, circa 2008. At least equally, possibly many times more unfair?

[Ethilrist]

I’d wager that the military shooters would score better compared to civilians if people were shooting back…

[Ranger_Jeff]

@DCnDC

Okay, let’s go the other way: take the Gold-medal Olympic shooter, give him (or her) a bolt-action rifle and drop them in Iraq, circa 2008. At least equally, possibly many times more unfair?

This Olympic medalist has experience making 1,000 meter shots with a Barret .50 cal? 500 meter shots with a 7.62 or .308? In that case, he’d have a chance. But if all he’s really trained on is a custom fitted .22 bolt action shooting at targets 50 meters away, not a chance. He has no experience in estimating the range (though there are lasers that’ll do that for you) or bullet drop over long distances. Not to mention those pesky fellows shooting back at you or calling in 105, 120, or 155 indirect fire at you.