I think you really nailed it on the head man!

The one thing I love is going to a game and having people come up and ask me about my rifles. Then they see me shoot it and they all want to be on my team, or you get those guys that think snipers don't do anything in the game. ( these are the guys that I will team up and let them come find me.... needless to say that just about always loose )

There is so much more to sniping that most people want to even think about. I will go to a 2-4 day game and maybe shoot my rifle 20 times, though those 20 times I will hit the target I am going for. The rest of the time is just crawling around the field sending back intel to my commander. This is the less glamorous side of the position, and doesn't mesh well with the "gamer" wanna be's.

 

I've realised that 'sniping' isn't for me. I do like the sneaking around, but I also like to get directly in the action.

That doesn't mean that I don't think snipers are important if done correctly.

 

I completely agree with you except for one thing; the ages. I have seen 12 year olds perform pretty well as a sniper (though I wouldn't say professionally), and I have seen some 40 year old guys thinking age is what makes a rifle accurate. Granted they are rare, but there are enough exceptions to the rule for it not to count. Many of us here are still in our mid to late teens yet still fit the second description. It all depends on the mindset you have when you play.

You mentioned the kid who got the l96 from the videogame. He had the mindset of wanting to play out his tactical fantasies, for lack of a better term. If they start out being realistic about it, and go into the game knowing they are not going to make mile long shots just because they have a sniper rifle, all it takes is some practice and they can become great sipers, despite their age. I taught my friend's 11 year old brother how to snipe and even though he doesn't have the money for good gear, he is still great at the art of sniping.

What I'm saying is, age has little to do with how good they are at sniping and how muture they are. God knows there are enough grown guys out there locked up in their basements playing with action figures and collectible lunch boxes. How do you think they would perform if they started airsofting?

--rant over

 

I completely agree. Many times I have arrived at a site and my presence causes mixed reacions. Some people are like, and I quote" Holy crap! We're in for it now", and others are like, so what, he wont be able to hit us because we have the same range and greater rate of fire. Man I love proving the critics wrong. By the end of the day, many have come up to me saying that though they didnt believe in sniping before I got there, they now fully respect the role and funtion of a good sniper.

But everyone stil hates the 12 year old crossman snipers though!LOL

 

There's one more detail to add to option#2, those 40+ (in my case 55+) with age/sports related injuries that have embraces sniping as a way to stay in the game. I can't storm the kill house any more, but I can ensure no one gets out of it.
When I bring my BASR to the field, the 'kids' drool over it but then fear it after they see the chrono on it.
Sadly, it's impractical at the indoor arenas where we play (ever try to clear a room with a long-gun?) but nicely adds to the shock value of the arsenal when I unpack.

 

I also hate the snipers who fire so many shots with their bolt-actions simultaneously...it should be one shot; one kill.

 

You don't own a Tanaka that's why you can't understand the amount of practice it takes/needs to fire a bolt action like a semi auto!!

Wolf

 

No Wolf, I mean the people who just keep missing and firing and firing because they are rushing their shots!

 

I need to get me a bolt action rifle... I keep thinking about it but I never have the funds! There is always something else I need to buy.

You have pretty much hit the nail on the head there though OP.

 

Well, they are. (Scorned everywhere)
Not just in Airsoft, and at the airsoft stores. (Tried shopping locally for .30 and above BB's lately? Don't even think about internals.
And you go pick out some sniper grade BB's online and they want to charge you an arm and a leg to ship the damn bag.) :shrug:

But historically, snipers draw a high $$ reward by the enemy.
It's "dirty pool" to out gun them. What? Instead run around and get machine gunned?
Naw, more fun to hide and POP! OK, take the walk back to your flag.

But when you finally realize that everybody is selling AEG's and AEG parts, or GBB's, and other "Spray and Pray" upgrades....
Well... it just makes you want to shoot something! :bird:
Know what I mean? >:

 

Their not scorned here?

The snipers who show up here (how good or bad as they are) are highly valued ingame. Maybe its because snipers may shoot 500fps and all other rifles 360fps.

Snipers have become more and more popular here. Though most of them are bad, we have a handfull of really good snipers who rock RS SVD (Two man team, that'll make/break your day, depending what side of the barrel youre on) a sniper and spotter/assault two man team who run systema's and tanaka AICS, who take you down before you can wind your hi-cap.

I myself am part of an all-sniper team, and when we bring out the armory, people stand in awe. people also almost cry for snipers in the field.

So yeah i have non of those experiences, except that the enemy doesnt really like us in the field

Also @Wolf:

Semi auto sniping with a BASR:

Look around the 2:25 mark. I had to use up my old .30's. They shot poorly, so might as well use em up fast :3 Kept the head down of the damn M249 gunner in the back hehehe.

 

LoL That's for laughs!!
I haven't done this yet!! Ha ha... I've done some rapid shooting but nothing like that!!!

Sniper-heavy gunner!

Wolf

 

The art of sniping in airsoft has so much more to do with the shooter than with the rifle in my opinion. A key example of this is the way i got the sniper i have now! A few years back i hosted a scirmish at my house in which twenty or thirty kids and dads came and had a blast. I noticed one of my friends before we started had a new sniper and asked him about it. He continued to say that he had put a brand new expensive real steal scope on it and had spent tons of money on it ect. The usual BS from the 14 year old "sniper" that he was. So later on after i had set up the game and was playing admin i saw him playing. He was rushing the opposing team wearing a blazing red Adidas sweatshirt with an ACU vest with baby bottles filled with black 20. gram bb's shaking loud enough for everyone and thier brother too hear. I swear that i was almost crying from laughter after seeing this, because of his sureness of his sniping abilities even still. I was talking with the enemy team and heard the adults of the group just smashing him and i agreed with everything they were saying. I went up too my friend and kindly critiqued him on how much of an idiot he was being. His excuses included "my gun cant shoot very far" "they always gang up on me" and last but not least "my hop-up is messed up." I decided i wanted to play a game with the guys and asked him if he wanted too use my old Dboys SCAR in exchange for letting me try sniping with his rifle. He gladly accepted and went in with the same approach and still was eliminated quickly by the opposing team. From listening too the team earlier i knew some of the expierienced players had found a flank route along the back of my property so i set up behind a fallen tree inside the mess of upturned roots. After 45 or so minutes i hear the cracking of twigs and with loading my own 28. bbs eliminated 5 enemies as they scrambled from getting hit in the side. I realized at that moment with the right patience and willingness to adapt, as important as the rifle is, the shooter is what makes a sniper. (P.S after the game he sold me his brand new sniper for 30$ and some BB's, because too him it was a "piece of crap" i still laugh at that :yup: