The International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning This week it’s a Special Edition of Shooting USA as combat becomes competition for 26 International Teams of Snipers from Britain, Canada, Israel, plus Rangers, Marine Scout Snipers and even an Air Force Security Team. It’s the International Sniper Competition with scenarios recreating the streets of Baghdad.  We’re at Fort Benning Georgia with the two-man teams for five days of competition in traditional events, like shooting in required positions on the thousand yard range and the stalk using Ghillie suits for concealment. But there are also challenges taken directly from the war zones. The urban stress event is scored for time and hits on the targets that represent insurgents concealed in doorways and windows of the buildings on the Fort Benning training ranges. With mortar, grenade and machine gun simulators, plus smoke and even Muslim prayer calls on the PA system; these events are so real some of the Sniper School Instructors say they are getting combat flashbacks.  This is the competition that will change your understanding of the Sniper’s role in combat in the 21st century.  Army Sniper School Commander, Capt. Marc Messerschmitt explains: “The days of sitting there all day long waiting for the perfect shot are gone. What we’re finding, based on lessons learned form Afghanistan and Iraq, is the snipers who are able to just jerk their gun up and take the shot are having the most success on the battlefield. So we’ve tried to surprise a lot of these guys by creating combat stress, combat focused, events.”   Related Links: Fort Benning Infantry Home Page Description of Major Units at Fort Benning, GA Info on the Army Sniper School at specialoperations.com M24 7.62mm Sniper Rifle The M24 Sniper Weapon System, fielded in 1988, represents a return to bolt action sniper rifles by the US Army. The M-24 uses the M118 bullet, a special ball bullet consisting of a metal jacket and a lead slug. It’s a boat-tailed bullet (that is, the rear of the bullet is tapered) and weighs 173 grains. The tip of the bullet is not colored. The base of the cartridge is stamped with the year of manufacture and a circle that has vertical and horizontal lines, sectioning it into quarters. Its spread for a 10-shot group is no more than 12 inches at 550 meters (fired from an accuracy barrel in a test cradle). The M24 Sniper's Weapon System (SWS) represents a return to bolt action sniper rifles by the US Army. As in the USMC M40A1, the M24 uses the Remington 700 long action. The stock (HS Precision) is made of a composite of Kevlar, graphite and fiberglass bound together with epoxy resins, with an aluminum bedding block and adjustable butt plate. A detachable bipod can be attached to the fore-end. Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 win) Operation: Bolt Action Feed: 5-Round internal magazine Weight: 12.1 lb (5.49 kg) empty without telescope Length: 43in (1092mm) Sights: 10x42 Leupold Ultra M3A telescope sight (Mil-Dots), plus detachable emergency iron sights. (Redfield Palma International) Barrel: 24" length, 1 twist in 11.2", 5 lands & grooves. Stock: HS Precision - adjustable length. Max Effective Range: 800 meters (875 yards) Expected Accuracy: 1 MOA with M118 (Ammo is limiting factor) British Sniper Weapons The Army Sniper Association dedicated to the support of those who serve, past and present, as our Nation’s trained Army Sniper Corps. www.armysniper.org