2012 Long Range Sniper Competition

By Len Lucas, Manager - Technical Customer service and Training (LE/DoD) at Beretta

For the past few years Beretta has hosted the Long Range Precision Sniper Competition held at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland and co-hosted by the Baltimore Washington Metropolitan Areas, Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies; where elite two-man teams compete to earn the coveted title of  “Top Sniper”. In this grueling competition, the participants’ precision, camouflage, stalking and observational skills are put to the ultimate test.

Ten challenging events examine the teams’ expertise in long-range shooting, urban combat and covert maneuvering through realistic conflicts and environments. Bringing together the most elite snipers from around the world, the competition is made up of thirty teams from branches of the U.S. Army, Marines, Air Force and Law Enforcement SWAT teams.

Competitors test their long-range marksmanship and participate in events that push their weapons and combat skills to the extreme, including:

• Poker “Run” Shoot - competitors will run a mile course to get their hearts racing and then engage on the poker card target, best 5 card poker hand. A straight royal flush of any suit being the best hand.
• Observation Exercise - This phase of the competition will test the individual sniper teams’ communication capabilities under difficult conditions. The team will wear gas mask during the first 15 minutes of the observation and shooting phase. The team will scan and memorize as much information about the objects during the 30 minute observation time. This will test the individual teams’ knowledge of judging various distances of different objects that will be randomly placed in designated area from 50 meters to 1000 meters.
• Moving Target Phase - Each competitor fires a cold bore shot on a 1 moa target for a possible 100 points, Then will engage moving targets at 200 and 300 meters.
• Stationary Phase 300 meters and 500 meters - This phase of firing tests the individuals’ and each teams’ stationary marksmanship ability as well as their expertise in dealing with weather effects, operational position shooting, reloading techniques, and overall cohesiveness as a Counter Sniper Team.
• Cold Bore Shot, 200 meter and 500 meter - This will test the Counter Sniper Teams’ ability to accurately engage limited sized targets on a cold bore.
• Obstacle Course - One hurdle after the other, competitors get their hearts racing by running a quarter mile while carrying mission-essential equipment, sniper rifle and a 30 pound equipment pack.
• Range Estimation - This phase of the competition test the individual teams’ knowledge of judging various distances of different objects that will be randomly placed from 50 meters out to 1000 meters.
• Counter Sniper - Navigate in high risk environment and engage enemy targets with mixed non-threat targets.
• Unknown Distance Phase - Test the Counter Sniper Teams’ ability to engage steel type targets at various distances ranging from 100 meters out to a 1000 meters in seven minutes or less.
• Stalking Event - This is the most famous sniper event, competitors are judged on their ability to go undetected in open terrain during broad daylight. In full camouflage, snipers have to move toward their target, while going unseen by spotters, and place an accurate shot.

Beretta’s Law Enforcement / Defense Team was on hand displaying military and law enforcement products
“The Total Solution”, sharing information and providing products and training which will aid the
sniper in accomplishing his mission.