LASnipers.org, Lafayette, LA (2026)

05/19/2023

Go Figure…They Both Work

Each has its Pros and Cons. Number one takeaway if an LE Sniper is that your reticle and turret adjustments should be same/same.

Loved the Leupold Mark 4 LR/T, but it required using both systems to do one job. Not efficient.

The Pros and Cons mainly apply to your operating environment and distances, and what your brain can compute easily.

Always open to different points of view, so curious about the thoughts and experiences of others.

We might have well just asked .308 or 6.5 however 🤣

05/18/2023

The Dummy Card

Just an expanded take here on the traditional Data Card. Introducing our “Dummy Cards.”

Ballistic Data, Angle, Drop, Mover, Holdover, Known Object Size, Wind, and some Checklist “Reminders”

Of course we should always try to remember simple formulas/methods/cheats for almost everything here, but stuff happens. Especially under time compression, adrenaline, and the stress of potentially having to use lethal force and take a life…or make a mistake and fail. So this resource plays a role.

Easy enough to make with a jpeg/png of your reticle, Excel, and all organized on a Word Doc. Laminate and voila!

Have one for each various piece of kit apparatus that can and have deployed in so always available. Everyday Outer Vest, Plate Carrier, Big Pack, Small Pack, Ghillie Pocket.

Heck, can even be used as an Objective Lens Rain Guard in a pinch! 🤷🏼‍♂️

05/12/2023

When you pass the time writing Sniper Haikus in your head behind the glass…

In shadows waiting,
Adaptability key,
Brothers safeguarded

05/07/2023

Food for Thought

The use of shooting tripods by police snipers during callout operations has become increasingly common in recent years, as they provide a stable and versatile shooting platform that can be quickly set up and adjusted as needed. However, many police sniper shooting test standards do not require the use of tripods, which can lead to inconsistent and unreliable training for snipers who use them in the field.

By incorporating shooting tripods into police sniper shooting test standards, departments can ensure that their snipers are properly trained and qualified to use them effectively in high-pressure situations. Shooting tripods require a unique set of skills and techniques that differ from shooting from a prone or supported position, and testing snipers on these skills will help to ensure that they are able to make accurate and effective shots when using this equipment in the field.

In addition to improving the overall effectiveness of police snipers, incorporating shooting tripods into shooting test standards can also improve officer safety by minimizing the risk of collateral damage and reducing the likelihood of missed shots. Shooting from a tripod allows the sniper to maintain a stable shooting position while keeping a safe distance from potential threats, which can be especially important in urban environments where the risk of unintended casualties is high.

Overall, the inclusion of shooting tripods in police sniper shooting test standards is a crucial step in ensuring that snipers are trained to the highest standards of proficiency and effectiveness. By providing a consistent and comprehensive training regimen that includes the use of this essential equipment, police departments can improve the safety and effectiveness of their sniper teams and better protect the communities they serve.

05/03/2023

Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office SWAT will be offering its first ever Basic Sniper Course June 19-23, 2023 in Lafayette LA.

The course will be taught by an experienced & current SWAT sniper/certified instructor (and content provider for LASNIPERS/SWAT Sniper Skills Symposium), along with other active snipers.

The 5 day curricula is well rounded and designed with a specific emphasis on the most probable circumstances encountered by LE snipers/precision marksmen/women, with a further dive into the particulars of deployments in Louisiana.

Attendees should expect to encounter physical demands within the course, and a written and shooting test last day.

This course is limed 12 persons and Active Law Enforcement Only.

Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office is generously offering this course Tuition FREE to support the professional development of Law Enforcement SWAT Snipers.

DM with agency email. You will be added to list with stipulations to be confirmed.

04/19/2023

Trying Something…

Made a plate for this Shadow Tech Tripod. Realized when you unscrew the top portion it has an 8-32 end and the set ring is adjustable. Got some 2” 1/8” thick aluminum and k**b at hardware store for under $18.

Cut aluminum at 7” (1” wider than the Game Changer) used Dremel to round/sand sharp corners down, drilled hole in center, and two others on the end for elastic cord lock and locks.

Initial impressions good, not great yet. Gonna ditch the k**b as it is too “high center” under any bags (like with the Tac Pad here), and just gonna go with a low wing nut. Overall just want to have something to switch easily between bag use and head use, but moving more towards some bag use exploration. This plate will be more of a constant on tripod.

*We know about Arca rails, great solution. Our newer stocks cannot accommodate.

We shall see how the plate holds up in some training use first.

04/17/2023

Know Your Holds, But Don’t Stress

Here is a simple way to test your bullet drop, along with the added addition of quick reference aiming points for targets at 200 and 300 yards. (308/168gr)

Set target at 100yd. Shoot at 25-50-75-100-150-200 (250 and 300 if your range allows). However, shoot it with your 100yd zero, and aim at the same spot every time.

We have heard newer snipers stress about “holds” and aiming high and low, when there is really minimal deviation when talking about center mass shot placement until you reach a certain yardage. The observation is a tendency to overestimate the deviation and hold too low/high.

When it comes to the reference lines drawn on the target here, these will help you to get quick center mass of target shots by holding at/near the indicated lines given the corresponding distance.

Remember…Safety First
1. Always know the condition of your firearm-loaded/unloaded
2. Never point your firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until on target and ready to shoot
4. Know what is surrounding your target and beyond your target before you shoot

04/14/2023

Improvised Shooting Positions

Part of training this week. Working on “improvised positions,” shooting from different obstacles around the range.

We were 125yds and in to 25yds to simulate most encountered operating environment distances.

Further we used random items we’ve collected as shooting props and other things from around range we can encounter on deployment, and worked various positions from such.

The threshold set was to keep everything within a 1 MOA wobble zone or better per given position.

Note: The barrel is not touching fence due to use of bipod through fence and allows for at least a 20 degree transition before such.

Integrated our .camouflage Ghosthoods just to see how they would do…not bad.

03/25/2023

241 Likes, 14 Comments - LA Snipers () on Instagram: "Final Day Sniper Instructor Course. It’s been a pleasure gentlemen! ..."

03/24/2023

LE Sniper Instructor Course Day 3 and 4 with

Yesterday primary focus was written test to make sure we know our stuff. Not a hard test, but if you don’t have a solid few years behind you in the game you will have a rough go of it. Thereafter we were assigned our Section Topics for teach-backs.

Teach-backs happened today and more tomorrow. Remember, this is instructor development. So you are given your section and need to present in front of your peers anywhere from 45-75 min depending on what is to be covered.

This includes being shown how to develop PowerPoints in certain ways proven to be very effective for presentations.

This writer covered Rifle Fitting and Scope Mounting. Nothing is random as you are given requirements on everything which must be covered. If you miss one of your elements to be covered you will lose points on instructor critique…and rightfully so. It only makes you and everyone better.

The instructor gives his critique and opens it up to your peers. Seen some good presentations today along with a stellar one from one of the San Antonio SWAT Sniper dudes. Great teaching personality.

One of the classmates from Dallas SWAT ran a great range portion today. Drill: All at 100yd. Standing behind rifle, 9 round in 10 round mag (or mag reload smaller mag), drop to prone. Shot on 3” circle, move to barricade kneeling cranial vault shot, move to standing tripod cranial vault shot. Repeat 2 more times non-stop. After each shot cycle gun and safety on before moving. Time cap 3 min. Peer coach watching throughout. Most did around 2 min. Austin and San Antonio SWAT neck and neck under 2min…go figure.

03/22/2023

Day 2. Sniper Instructor Course with

The majority of the first two days of this course essentially covers a 5 day basic sniper course.

The intent is to give insight into all of what should be covered in the baseline of instruction, to be given examples of how certain sections are broken down, and to ensure all attendees are knowledgeable within all the information covered.

You will also be exposed to drills on the first couple of days that will give you some personal threshold feedback due to performance expectation of the drill itself.

One of the drills we did today highlighted some things for this writer. You are given 60 seconds, with tripod in hand, to setup standing tripod, mount rifle, and get off 10 rounds onto the pictured bullseye target.

Lessons learned. Premark bottom leg sections of tripod with Sharpie for witness marks to reference and extend to such faster. This one little thing could had shaved enough time to get the last two shots off.

Practical Application: Running to a scene to setup you never know how quickly something can transpire. If you decide your FFP requires you standing with tripod to provide lethal cover of a specific area, we want to be quick on the setup. We can always adjust improve our position the longer things go on and you can rotate on/off w partner, or if a suspect is being actively observed in a completely different part of a residence…but still make your improvements quickly!

If we can get off 8-10 shots on a 6” bullseye under 60 seconds with a tripod setup in there too, we can certainly make a well placed legal and justifiable single shot, and be ready to follow up until there is no more threat.

To close it out here, the Instructor (Sean Harris) and all students in course are top notch, with lots of collective experience. Certain they will all make a positive impact in the community as they go forth from here. It’s what it is all about. 3 more days to go!

03/20/2023

Part 1 of 4. Gear Re-Org

Like many other LE snipers, our role can vary in terms of planned operation or spontaneous response. This variety also extends to method of deployment…urban hide, vehicle hide, fully camo’d up and sneaking in, throwing on some form of quick concealment in the neighbors bushes or a pipe stack in an industrial yard.

The aforementioned means the need for a LOT of pieces of gear. Most of the gear can be cross loaded for the various deployments, but not all. The remaining odds and ends are not important when the deployment does not call for them. However, when the deployment does call for them, they can make or break the effectiveness of your final firing position (FFP)…or limit FFP options.

For a better understanding by the uninitiated or those newer to the job, most of the time spontaneous is always the wild card. You will never know where you’ll end up, and what your FFP options will be till getting on scene. This is not to say the “planned operation” FFP cannot change either though.

This writer recently set to re-organizing personal gear to be more streamlined (somewhat), and create a system to try to cover all the different common deployments. Here is a closer look at preferred “bare minimum” gear, carried within a slightly modified Eberlestock Multipack (that can be carried solo or attached to FAC Track Pack).

1. .camouflage Brown Compact Poncho 2. Camo netting for optic/suppressor 3. monocular 4. Slope Doper and ballistic card 5. Water 6. Zapple for glucose 7. Headache caffeine 8. Contacts and drops 9. Homemade rain objective lens shield (plastic folder painted affixed w bungee 10. Ammo/barrier marked 11. Pruning shears for veg 12. Lens pen/cloth 13. Gun oil and brush 14. notebook and space pen 15. mini red light 16. Small compass 17. MUT 18. MC light bag 19. Buffs face/neck cover

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