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Books and Stuff about Sniping
I've recently had several inquiries about books related to sniping, so I thought I
would add this section to give my own personal reviews on books and other stuff related to
sniping. I also started an affiliation with
Amazon.com
so I could link straight to their specific books. For those of you so inclined to purchase,
just click on the book image on the left.
Click on the above image to search amazon.com for all sniper related books.
Books (04/03/08)
Software
Video's & DVD's
Useful Field Gear
Books
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13 Cent Killers, The 5th Marine Snipers in Vietnam ~ John J. Culbertson NEW!!
This book is written by a 5th Marine Sniper veteran from Vietnam which is both good and bad. The good part
is that it is coming from someone who was there and is the real deal, and for that alone the book is probably worth reading.
But I will be honest and say that the book is more a culmination of unrelated short stories, or experiences, of the
5th Marine Snipers in late 1966 and early 1967, and is not a historical account. It can be difficult
to follow as the stories are not necessarily in chronological order and typically do not relate to each other
from one chapter to the next. The writing is not the greatest as there are a few too many "... the enemy's
head exploded like a smashed pumpkin" references as well as some odd inconsistencies like referring to the
173gr bullet and then in another chapter referring to it as a 168gr bullet, without any sort of explaining
of why they may have been using 168's (I don't believe they ever did). Beyond that, the separate stories/chapters
are good for giving an account of what it was like to be a combat sniper on the Vietnam battlefield and
Mr. Culbertson certainly deserves credit for sharing the experiences of the 5th Marine Snipers, and for that, despite
the books shortcomings, it is worth the read.
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Illustrated Manual of Sniper Skills ~ Mark Spicer
I will say right off the bat that I really enjoyed this book. Mark Spicer is an experienced sniper with
the UK military and this book itself is different in that it is not the same sniping manual that you see
now a days, but instead it is a book outlining things learned from both good schools as well as real world
experience. The subject matter is more along the lines of advanced knowledge and covers some very good topics.
I especially appreciated the section about mountain sniping since I am here in Western Montana and I
have already tried several of the ideas mentioned in the book that are not typically taught in any of the US schools.
A lot of the mountain section comes from the German Alpine Sniper school that Spicer attended. The other
wonderful part about the book is the photos, there are a lot, and they are very good. Real world photos as
well as training. With the author being from the UK, there is a European influence to the book which
again is nice to have a different perspective on things. All and all, I recommend this book.
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Snipers: Stalkers and Shooters - A History of Snipers ~ Kevin Dockery
This book is a different read than your typical book about sniping, as the first half of
the book takes you through the very early development
of sniping tactics starting with the Long Bow in the medieval period up through modern sniping in Iraq
and the history of Law Enforcement sniping. The second half of the book is personal biographies of
some current military and law enforcement snipers written by their own hand, as well as a few industry
professionals. The historical part was interesting but it seemed to have more details and information
on the very old weapons and tactics then it did with the development of the modern day sniper and
tactics today. There were a few things that were not quite right but for the most part it did have
a good amount of little facts you don't see in most of the other books. The Biographies were okay,
especially the military ones, though some of them drug on a bit and were perhaps a bit repetitive.
Overall the book did offer some interesting facts I did not know before and the biographies, while
seeming a bit out of place and almost like a separate book, offers some personal connection to the
snipers themselves as men.
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Octopussy and The Living Daylights ~ Ian Fleming
We all know who James Bond is from the movies, but the reality is the original books written by
Ian Fleming are considerably more realistic and in my opinion more enjoyable. This was actually the
first of the James Bond books I have read and I now plan to read more. The reason I read this book
was because I heard that "The Living Daylights" was about sniping and worth the read.
This book is actually a compilation
of 4 short stories about James Bond, of which "The Living Daylights" is the one we care about, though
the other three are good as well. If you recall the movie of the same title, there is a scene when
007 uses a Walther WA2000, the entire story is about the preparation of and the taking of that
particular shot taken in the movie.
The details of the sniping incident are fairly accurate, though there are some tactical flaws in
Bonds sniping techniques. It is apparent that Ian Fleming did some good research leading up to the
writing of this story, but back in the late 50's and early 1960's the tactics were not as developed
as they are today and Mr. Fleming missed a few obvious flaws, but still it is an entertaining read and nice
to see an entire short story dedicated sniping. I enjoyed it.
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Snipers: Profiles of the World's Deadlist Killers ~ Craig Cabell and Richard Brown
This book takes a different look at snipers and sniping. While there is a brief history of sniping
and some facts and tidbits sprinkled throughout the book, it really focuses on a few historical snipers
and their shots. The book is written by two authors that really have no experience in sniping and it
shows in various spots with some of their comments and opinions, and in some places it does distract
from the book as there are some things that are just way off base. But it is a different take from the
standard sniper book that seems to be rubber stamped into publication as of late. It has no real info
about tactics or techniques and a brief and not very detailed section about equipment, but that
was not the focus of the book. If you would like to read about some interesting historical snipers,
good and bad, and some 3rd party insight into what "might" have happened in cases like the JFK
assassination, then this book is worth the read.
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Sniper on the Eastern Front ~ Albrecht Wacker
This book also bears the title "The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger". Sepp is a fictional name given to an
actual sniper to protect his identity. The book is the Memoirs of Sepp who joined as a young man
just in time to be a part of the German withdrawal from Russia and up to its defeat in Germany.
He became a sniper soon after he joined and survived the remainder of the war becoming the 2nd highest
scoring sniper in his Theater of operation and was awarded the Knights Cross. The book
is an okay read with a few good and interesting photos, but there is a lot of focus on the brutality
of the Russians during the war with numerous accounts of prisoner brutality, though only minor mention
of the German's equally brutal treatment of captured Russians. The insight and recounts of the battles
are interesting especially to see how a sniper operated in a war of losing ground. But the frequent
and very descriptive telling of gruesome scenes detracts some from the book. Yes, tell how the soldier caught
a snipers bullet in the head, but do we really need to know the details of how the skull shattered and
where all of the fleshy tissue ended up? What otherwise is a very unique story and experience worth
telling of an Eastern Front sniper is sidetracked by unnecessary gruesome details of little importance.
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A Rifleman Went to War ~ H.W. McBride
Henry McBride is one of the forefathers to modern sniping in the US Military. This book is a
real treat and a book that everyone with military interest should read. It is a first hand
account of his own experiences during W.W.I. Henry did not think the USA was getting into
the war fast enough so he went North in 1915 to join the Canadians and headed over to France.
The book is an enjoyable read and written in a free spirited manner that I enjoyed. H.W. is
not overly dramatic or over zealous in his recounts of the war, he just matter-of-factly
explains how it was. It is quite amazing how much of what he says is still true nearly 100
years later. H.W. was mostly a machine gunner during his two years of fighting in the war
but he did operate as a sniper for several months during trench warfare, and there are a
few chapters about it. His big agenda for the book is to emphasize the importance of rifle
marksmanship and the individual infantryman, and yes, that is still the same 90+ years later.
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One Shot - One Kill ~ Charles W. Sasser and Craig Roberts
This book has been around for a while and includes many real accounts about combat sniping
as told by the men pulling the trigger. There are stories from many of the major conflicts
in the past 75 years and overall is a good read. It may not be overly great reading and
some of the facts may be sketchy based on memory, but the various stories do provide a
good overall view of combat sniping.
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Spirit of a Sniper ~ Bill Russell
This book is an interesting and entertaining read. The book is published in limited
release and is available via direct contact. The book is based on the actual events
of a South African sniper in WWII, as written by the subject himself. It is a bit
odd in that it is written in the third person, which makes it read more like a novel
than historical non-fiction. It is obvious in spots that some content was created
to fill in the story, and it may be hard to determine fact from fiction. But that
does not detract too much from the book itself. The book is interesting in both
its sniping content, which is detailed and appears mostly accurate, and in the
history of the South African military involvement in the various African and
European campaigns. The Zulu influences are strong throughout the book,
but not too much to cause a major distraction and it does offer additional insight to the
culture of South Africa. I enjoyed learning about another part of the world and
how they employed their snipers, even if history was enhanced by literary freedoms.
If you are interested in reading it, you can contact Hendrik van der Schyff via
email to order a copy, currently its
$15 USD.
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Sniping Pamphlet No.28
Nigel Greenaway is reproducing this excellent sniper manual used by U.K. snipers. Its an
excellent reprint of the 1946 No. 28 Pamphlet (U.K. military manual). There is a lot of
information contained within the manual, and while its not nearly as in-depth or as long
as FM23-10, it still contains a large amount of useful data. The information is more of a
practical field nature, not so much of a technical nature. I found the tidbits and pointers
that are in the manual are still very much useful today. There is more information about
field craft then marksmanship, but that has always meen the specialty of the U.K. snipers.
I found the manual excellent, and a valued addition to any library for both its historic
value, and the information contained within. The cost is $25 USD or £15 sterling (cash only).
Email Nigel Greenaway if interested in
purchasing the manual.
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White Feather ~ Roy and Norm Chandler
When I first heard about the new book about Carlos Hathcock several years ago, I feared that
it would be a direct slam against the book by Charles Hendserson, I have been pleasantly surprised,
as there is even a section in this book that praises the book by Henderson, very classy. This
book is very in depth look into the life of the late Carlos Hathcock II, not just his war time
exploits, but his entire life, including such things as his successful competition shooting and
many other accomplishments. There are a lot of photos and copies of historical documents. This
book is a great historical source of information and I strongly recommend it. Click on the image
of the book to be taken to the Iron Brigade Armory site to purchase the book.
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Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills ~ Charles Henderson, E. J. Land
This is the book that starts the interest for most people. It is about Carlos Hathcock,
mostly about his exploits in Vietnam, but also with some insite into his childhood and post
war experiences. Its great reading, and it makes you appreciate just exactly how much Gunny
Hathcock did. The book is highly recommended.
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Sniper One on One : The World of Combat Sniping ~ Adrian Gilbert
This series of books by Adrian Gilbert are a very good look into sniping, and its history.
There is no actual tactics or how to information involved, its more about the actual use
of sniping and their historical role in combat. Very very interesting reading.
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Stalk and Kill : The Sniper Experience ~ Adrian Gilbert
Another book in the series by Adrian Gilbert. This one is focused more toward the actual
experiences of the sniper, in a wide variety of conflicts. Once again it is more of a
history book, but not a historical reference. He gathers a lot of first hand accounts
and presents it in a tasteful way.
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Sniper : The Skills, the Weapons, and the Experiences ~ Adrian Gilbert
This book goes more into the the technical side of sniping, and the developement history of
the training, equipment, and tactics of sniping. It also goes into the impact of modern
eletronics and other devices on sniping. This series of books by Adrian Gilbert covers about
all the aspects of sniping, and does a pretty good job.
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The Ultimate Sniper : An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers ~ John L. Plaster
This is one of the more popular technical manual, and it has a ton of information. The book
takes you from ground zero and works from there. It covers most of the aspects about being
a sniper, from choosing your weapon, to ballistics, to special sniping applications. I personally
think the book has a lot of fluff, but makes a good beginners manual.
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Sniper Training : Fm 23-10
Well, here it is in all its glory. This is the Field Manual that the US Army uses for its
training. Since I am US Army trained, I'm very framiliar with this book, and it covers all
the aspects of sniper training.
The Army (at least instructors at the Sniper School) has come out with an adendum about sniper
employment, but I doubt its included with the copy you buy from amazon. Keep in mind that
this is an Army field manual, it is not written for the general public, so its not a good
"reading" book. Its just stuffed full of useful info.
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U.S. Army Special Operations Target Interdiction Course : Sniper Training and Employment
Well, here is the "other" army sniper training manual. The Special Operations Target Interdiction
Course (SOTIC) has actually been around longer then the standard US Army sniper school. Once
again, this is a US Army training manual, and isn't the best "reading" but its packed full
of info.
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U. S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Training Manual
This is a collection of lesson outlines that are used to teach the blocks or instruction
at the USMC scout/sniper school. The information is dated (I believe 1979) and is in
a odd format (that of a lesson outline). There is some valuable information, but it
takes some digging in a clumsy format to retrieve, never the less, it is there. Obviously
some of the equipment covered is no longer in use, like the redfield scopes.
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U.S. Marine Corps Scout-Sniper : World War II and Korea ~ Peter R. Senich
Peter Senich is one of the big name history guys when it comes to sniping. His books are loaded
with historical pics and copies of documents. The books are purely historical reference, and
contain very little narrative or discriptions, but that is what the books are suppose to be.
This one is about the USMC sniper program and equipment during WWII and Korea.
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German Sniper : 1914-1945 ~ Peter R. Senich
Here is another of Peter Senich's books, this one deals with the German snipers during both
the World Wars. Contains a whole ton of pics of all the german rifles and optics used during
that time period. Its a must of those history buffs out there.
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The Master Sniper and Point of Impact ~ Stephen Hunter
Okay, well, they are novels, they are about sniping, and they are entertaining reading.
Don't take them much beyond that. Not everything is accurate, but they do a better job
then most movies out there. Enjoy the books for what they are.
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The War of the Rats ~ David L. Robbins
This book is historical fiction about the legendary sniper duel between Zaitsev and
Thorwald during the battle of Stalingrad. There is a love story mixed in, which
kind of hurts the overall story of the book, but the book has a lot of historical
accuracy mixed with fiction, and offers some good entertainment along with historical
data that allows you to learn some history at the same time.
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Dead Center ~ Ed Kugler
Ed wrote a good book here. It was about his two years spent in vietnam as a USMC Scout Sniper.
Ed's time in country was not spent as a traditional sniper, but more as a small unit hit and
run tactics. There are certainly times when him and his teammates used their sniping skills, just
not as much as some might think. I actually think Ed's experience is more in line with most
soldiers who spent time as an operational sniper. I enjoyed reading the book, and recommend
it.
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Dear Mom : A Sniper's Vietnam ~ Joseph T. Ward
J.T. was an accomplished sniper in vietnam, and this is his story, based around his letters
he sent home to his mother. The book has some good stories about JT's experiences, and it
reads ok. I didn't find it as good as some of the others, but its worth reading. Plus, it has
the destinction of being the book that exposed Charles B. Mawhinney to the spot light.
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Software
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Sniper Elite ~ Namco
Sniper Elite is a pure sniper game, but, it is a sniper game for the general public, so it
is not a simulator and is very dumbed down. But it does have things like ballistics that
most games with snipers in them do not. The game is scripted missions with not a whole lot
of freedom to do various things, and a long shot is about 150 meters. So, if you are looking
for a good sniper simulator, this is not going to satisfy you. But, it is entertaining and
is a pure sniper game.
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Rainbow 6 Gold ~ Red Storm Entertainment
Okay, well, I like games also! A few things, Rainbow 6 is a great game, but it has its
limitations. The fact that ballistics are not modeled is the biggest draw back. While Rainbow
6 doesn't model snipers exactly, there are areas that where a simu-snipers can be used.
Especially if you play the excellent multi-player games.
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Rainbow 6 : Rogue Spear ~ Red Storm Entertainment
This is the sequel to Rainbow 6, and it actually models snipers, giving them special deploy
positions in the planning phases, and some other capabilities. It actually has a couple of sniper rifles. (PSG-1, SVD,
M82A1???, and the Walther WA2000). The game also sports other updates to the original R6, but
still no ballistics modeling.
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Ghost Recon ~ Red Storm Entertainment
Well, here is the next in the line from Red Storm. This is a more "military" based game then the
Rainbow 6 family. The maps are more wide open, and there is more of a focus on squad based
tactics. In regards to sniping, its probably the best yet. Ballistics have been modeled on a
very limited scale, but better then before. There is also ghillie suits and the ability to go
prone. The multiplayer games are much more slow and not nearly as fast pace shoot'em up, which
can be good for some, but boring for others. The single player game is lots of fun.
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Delta Force Land Warrior ~ Nova Logic
Okay, okay! Enough already! I've had so many requests and mention of the DF series of games I
decided to put it up. I have never been a real fan of the DF games, they are just too arcadish
for me, the realism just isn't up to the level of the R6 games. BUT, DF does indeed model ballistics
a lot better then R6. There is a huge following for this game, so a lot of people obviously do
not feel the same as me. To be honest, I have not played this one multiplayer, it "might" be
better then the single player.
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Hitman & Hitman 2 ~ Eidos New!! 11/22/02
Here are some games that portray the "darker" side of the art of sniping. While its a game, I
do not recommend these games for anyone who is not mature. These games portray the criminal
life of assination. For a single player games, they do a great job of creating the sense
of survival and sneak and peak. They are not just shoot'em up games, you have to actually think and plan.
The orginal Hitman was revolutionary, but the newly released Hitman2 is more "evolutionary"
and some think it didn't live up to the hype. Either way, the games are fun and an interesting
twist on the sniping profession (and one I do not support in the "real world").
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Operation Flashpoint ~ Code Masters New!! 11/22/02
Operation Flashpoint is another first person shooter, but on a grand scale. Not only is there
some sniping involved, but there are tanks, aircraft, and other vehicles to operate. Flashpoint
actually made an effort to portray ballistics and likewise offers more realism. Of course, its
not totally accurate but is at least better then then "laser" rifles most all FPS. Everything
in Flashpoint is BIG, landscape and all. Overall, its not a bad play, though sniping takes a
very limited role.
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Videos & DVDs
Click on the above image to search amazon.com for all sniper related Videos and DVDs.
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Enemy at the Gates (Added 08/15/01)
This is the most recent "sniper" movie, it was released in early 2001 and was fairly successful.
It attempts to recreate the historical duel between Konings/Thorvald and Zaitsev. The movie is
okay as a movie, but I was not too happy with it. They missed a good opportunity to portray snipers
in a better light, and to really show some good sniping scenes, but they didn't. I didn't like
that every shot was a head shot, the ending was completely screwed up (the real one was better),
and that there were several inconsistencies. But hey, its entertainment I guess, and probably
worth watching.
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Carlos Hathcock:Marine Sniper
To be honest, the quality of the video is pretty bad, its pretty much just a home video camera
recording an interview with Carlos Hathcock. The saving grace is Carlos himself, as he relates
a lot of personal experiences and some other insites.
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Ultimate Sniper
This video is intended to go along with Col. Plasters "Ultimate Sniper" book, but I didn't find
the video very useful. In fact, it was pretty disappointing. I don't know if I'm expecting
too much, but the video was all fluff, and only skirted on important issues. There could have
been a time limitation, but it just didn't seem to have much focus, and showed just about enough
to get someone in trouble.
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Sniper
Well, here is the one full length movie that is all about a sniper(s). Unfortunately they really blew the
technical side of sniping. There is not enough room on this page to write all the things
they got wrong in the movie. But I will give it one thing, its entertaining. If you go into
it with an effort not to criticize everything about the sniping art, then it'll probably be
entertaining to you.
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Useful Field Gear
If you have any other media you would like me to check out and post a review, please
email me!
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