United States Army Sniper

Moving Target
Engagements

United States Army Sniper

TLO
ACTION: Conduct Sniper Operations.
CONDITION :Given an M24SWS, M22
Binos, M144 Spotting scope and other
appropriate equipment.
STANDARD:Deliver long range precision
fire and collect battlefield information
United States Army Sniper

ELO 1
ACTION: Discuss factors of target leading.
CONDITIOIN:In a classroom environment
with note taking material,
STANDARD: Discuss orally or in writing
factors concerning target leads
United States Army Sniper

LEADING
Placing the cross hairs ahead of the
targets path of movement

United States Army Sniper

Four factors to consider

Speed of target
Angle of targets movement
Range to the target
Wind effects on the trajectory of the round

United States Army Sniper

Speed of the target

As the target moves faster, it will move a
greater distance during the bullets flight
Therefore the lead will increase

United States Army Sniper

Angle of movement
A target walking perpendicular to the bullets flight
path will move a greater distance than a target
moving at an angle toward or away from you
A target moving at a 45 degree angle will have less
lateral movement than a target moving at 90
degree angle to a sniper
If a target is moving toward or away from you, no
lead is necessary
Remember, the target range is constantly changing

United States Army Sniper

Range to target
The further away a target is, the longer the
flight time
The longer the flight time, the more the
lead must be increased
Estimate range to target at point of
engagement, not point of detection

United States Army Sniper

Wind effects
The effects of the wind on the trajectory of
the bullet must be considered

United States Army Sniper

Common errors
The sniper is under great stress
Failure to take some factors into consideration:
Retaining a steady position
Maintaining correct aiming point
Determining speed and distance of target
Sniper has tendency to watch target instead of aiming
point
Sniper may jerk or flinch at the movement of his weapon
Sniper may hurry and forget to check wind (windage must
be compensated for with movers as with stationary targets
United States Army Sniper

Question: What is lead?

Lead is the distance the aiming point must

be placed ahead of the targets
movement in feet

United States Army Sniper

ELO 2
ACTION: Discuss Moving Target Formula
CONDITION: In a classroom environment
with note taking equipment
STANDARD: Discuss orally or in writing an
understanding of the moving target
formula
United States Army Sniper

(TIME OF FLIGHT) X (TARGET SPEED)

(Seconds)
(Feet per
second)

LEAD IN FEET

United States Army Sniper

TIME OF FLIGHT = FLIGHT TIME OF ROUND IN SECONDS

Meters
Seconds
100
0.131
200
0.274
300
0.430
400
0.600
500
0.788
600
0.997
700
1.232
800
1.504
900
1.797
1000
2.114
United States Army Sniper

TARGET SPEED = SPEED TARGET IS MOVING IN FEET PER

SECOND

The average speed of a man during:

Slow patrol
Fast patrol
Slow walk
Fast walk
Run

=
=
=
=
=

1 fps/ 0.8 mph

2 fps/ 1.3 mph
4 fps/ 2.5 mph
6 fps/ 3.7 mph
10- 12 fps/ 7 mph
United States Army Sniper

TO CONVERT LEADS IN FEET TO METERS

LEAD IN FEET X 0.3048 = METERS

To convert lead in meters to mils

LEAD IN METERSX 1000
RANGE TO TARGET
= MIL LEAD
(ROUND TO 1/4 MIL)
United States Army Sniper

Consolidated data card

United States Army Sniper

ELO 3
ACTION: Engage Moving Targets
CONDITION: In a classroom environment
with note taking material and in a range
environment
STANDARD:Achieve 70% or higher on
Record fire 2 and 3
United States Army Sniper

Four methods of engaging moving targets

Tracking
Ambushing/ Trapping
Tracking and hold
Firing a snap shot

United States Army Sniper

Tracking
Not the preferred method of engaging
moving targets!
Only positions it should be used in is
kneeling, sitting, and standing.

United States Army Sniper

Tracking

United States Army Sniper

Ambush/Trapping
Most preferred method of engaging
moving targets!
Advantages:
Sniper picks the place of execution
Sniper picks the moment of execution
With practice, sniper can determine exact
leads and aiming points using the M3A
scope
Best for engaging targets that move at a
constant speed, predetermined routes (ie.
Sentry Patrols

United States Army Sniper

Ambush/ Trapping

United States Army Sniper

Tracking and holding

Best used for erratically moving targets
Requires concentration and discipline to
keep from firing before target comes to a
complete halt
Most effective with stop and go targets
(ie. Soldier conducting 3 to 5 second rushes)
Training can be conducted by engaging stop
and go targets
United States Army Sniper

Tracking and holding

United States Army Sniper

Firing a snap shot

Can be used when a target presents itself
for a short period of time (3 to 5 seconds
in a predicted exposure area)
For example, a guard who looks out of the
same window every day at the same time
Training can be conducted by engaging
bobbing targets

United States Army Sniper

Firing a snap shot

United States Army Sniper

SUMMARY
What is lead?
Four factors to consider when engaging
moving targets
Formulas to convert leads
Common mistakes when engaging moving
targets

United States Army Sniper