# Marines win 2009 International Sniper Competition



## Teufel (Oct 25, 2009)

A team of Marine Scout Snipers from SOI won the overall and service categories of the 2009 International Sniper Competition.  This is the first time that Marines have won the competition.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/army_snipercomp_102309w/

Marine team takes gold at sniper competition

Posted : Sunday Oct 25, 2009 9:40:33 EDT
A Marine team from Scout Sniper School (West) at Camp Pendleton, Calif., won the ninth annual U.S Army International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., officials announced Friday.

The event took place Oct. 14-22.

This year, the teams were divided into two classes. The service class featured teams firing 7.62mm NATO or smaller rounds as a primary or secondary weapon system, and the open class was made up of teams firing rounds in a caliber larger than 7.62mm NATO.

The Marines won the service class and were the overall winners. The team from A Company, 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, 194th Armor Brigade, from Fort Knox, Ky., won the open class.

Competitors were tested in a wide range of skills including field firing, advanced marksmanship and nontraditional firing positions.

The winners are:

Overall

Team 3, Scout Sniper School (West), Camp Pendleton

Service Class

1st Place: Team 3, Scout Sniper School (West), Camp Pendleton

2nd Place: Team 24, D Company, 2nd Battalion, Special Warfare Training Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

3rd Place: Team 6, C Troop, 1st Battalion, 73rd Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg

Open Class

1st Place: Team 10, A Company, 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, 194th Armor Brigade, Fort Knox

2nd Place: Team 23, D Company, 2nd Battalion, Special Warfare Training Group, Fort Bragg

3rd Place: Team 21, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg


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## TheWookie (Oct 25, 2009)

*...a Marine and his rifle is....*

Nice job, Devil Dogs, Semper Fi.


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## HoosierAnnie (Oct 25, 2009)

Good Shootin, Marines.


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## Gypsy (Oct 25, 2009)

Congrats, Marines!


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## 08steeda (Oct 25, 2009)

OUTSTANDING!!!! Good Shootin!!!


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## 104TN (Oct 25, 2009)

What's the difference b/w classes?


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## KBar666 (Oct 25, 2009)

rick said:


> What's the difference b/w classes?



Not be an ass, but really...?

"The service class featured teams firing 7.62mm NATO or smaller rounds as a primary or secondary weapon system, and the open class was made up of teams firing rounds in a caliber larger than 7.62mm NATO."


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## Teufel (Oct 25, 2009)

Service class is 7.62 or below, open class is above that.


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## 104TN (Oct 25, 2009)

KBar666 said:


> Not be an ass, but really...?
> 
> "The service class featured teams firing 7.62mm NATO or smaller rounds as a primary or secondary weapon system, and the open class was made up of teams firing rounds in a caliber larger than 7.62mm NATO."



Really. I didn't read the article but was curious about the results.


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## 0699 (Oct 25, 2009)

As expected... 

Well done Marines.  Semper Fidelis.


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## KBar666 (Oct 25, 2009)

rick said:


> Really. I didn't read the article but was curious about the results.



My bad.

Anyway does anyone know if they're going to air this on the military channel as well?


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## 7point62 (Oct 26, 2009)

Ooorah Bros. Get some.


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## dknob (Oct 26, 2009)

Robbie Johnson must not have been competing


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## Crusader74 (Oct 26, 2009)

Who were the International Teams??


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## Poccington (Oct 26, 2009)

Irish said:


> Who were the International Teams??



We had a team over AFAIK... At least that's what it said on the front page.

So although I dunno where the Irish team came, I'd like to take this moment to forget any concept of sense, to just be blinded by love for my country and say... We were fucking robbed!!!


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## lancero (Oct 30, 2009)

dknob said:


> Robbie Johnson must not have been competing


Yep.


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## fiannoglach (Oct 30, 2009)

AFAIK, the Irish Team won best Foreign Team but came in at 20 something.


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## 7point62 (Nov 1, 2009)

fiannoglach said:


> AFAIK, the Irish Team won best Foreign Team but came in at 20 something.





If memory serves, I think Irish Guards snipers were on an episode of _Top Gear_. They nailed Jeremy, BTW.


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## Crusader74 (Nov 1, 2009)

7point62 said:


> If memory serves, I think Irish Guards snipers were on an episode of _Top Gear_. They nailed Jeremy, BTW.



Irish Guards are part of the UK armed forces.

The Irish Team that  fiannoglach is talking about are from Ireland;)


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## 7point62 (Nov 3, 2009)

Irish said:


> Irish Guards are part of the UK armed forces.
> 
> The Irish Team that  fiannoglach is talking about are from Ireland;)




When you think about that, it makes sense.  Thanks, mate.


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## Mac_NZ (Nov 3, 2009)

Good shit.  Is the winning team going to Gagetown next year?  Apparently the moratorium on joint training with the US placed after the ANZUS debacle will lift soon and we will hopefully send a team over.


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## KBar666 (Nov 4, 2009)

Don't think this needs a seprate thread.

Benning Competition 
Fort Knox paper:


FORT KNOX — One year ago, when Staff Sgt. Kevin Wildman and Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Johns of the 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry, 194th Armored Brigade, competed in the International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., the pair returned to Fort Knox with a 12th place finish.

What a difference a year makes.

This year Wildman and Johns returned from Benning with a first-place triumph in the Open Class competition and No. 2 ranking in the overall competition. A difference of 123 points separated the Fort Knox team from the No. 1 Marine Corps team from the Scout Sniper School at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

“The Marine Corps team that won it overall were probably two of the best marines I’ve ever worked with in my military career,” said 1st Sgt. Steve Johnson, Fort Knox’s team coach. “They were very proficient and very professional in their level of communication.”

Despite their victory, Wildman and Johns still had to contend with many of the same issues that hindered their performance last year. They had to request tactical weapons from an outside source and set up as much training time as possible at the firing ranges. Adding to that, Wildman is busy fulfilling his duties as Fort Knox Drill Sergeant of the Year, Johns is a brand new father and Johnson was pushing a cycle of 240 trainees. Finding time to practice was tough.

However, Fort Campbell supplied the team with the weapons they needed and Fort Knox Range Control provided a training schedule. Range Control even helped construct unique targets.

However, the team was a little surprised when its threesome arrived at the competition and were moved from the Service Class category to Open Class because of the caliber of weapon they were using. It meant they were competing against Special Forces, Special Operations and other big-league teams.

“We were just, ‘we’ll do what we can do.’ And then after the first day we won an event — we won Movers (moving targets on the range), which is a big points event. Then it just started coming to light that we could possibly win this thing,” Johns said.

“We placed second or third in every single event, and by day five or six we were in first place in the Open Class.

“It went well, they definitely made it more challenging physically. Last year they didn’t give points for anything physical.”

The Fort Knox team was thrilled with the outcome, especially since its shooters went head-to-head against 30 other teams in this year’s 21-event competition, which included three foreign teams, two teams with SWAT, and an FBI team.

“I had an outstanding time. The level of competition seemed a little more advanced this year,” Wildman said. “There (were) a lot more units represented, and there was a higher caliber than last year.

“We went down there with a lot better feeling – especially with the equipment that we were carrying. They took our comments from last year and they developed, what I feel, is a better competition. There are still some logistical problems on their end, but overall the competition itself was a lot more ‘mission-focused’ as opposed to a shooting competition as it was last year.”

“I’m definitely not detracting from what anybody else accomplished down there,” he added. “There are some world-class shooters that were in this competition, and it’s just amazing to be in the presence of them, let alone cross-load information. Everybody does things slightly different. You walk out of there with a wealth of knowledge.”

Wildman and Johns also were able to use their six years of camaraderie and teamwork — they served together in their last two units — to help them bring in the points, including an event called the Dialogue Shoot, where the spotter has to direct the shooter where to aim specifically on a target. The spotter is allowed to see the overall target and instructed which individual aspects of the target need to be shot, then the spotter relays the specific location to the shooter.

“We’ve been working together so long, we have that communication already developed … we have that system already in place,” explained Johns.

“That’s one thing that showed very strong on our behalf — the communication between us,” agreed Wildman. “It’s definitely a science now.”

As a trophy for first place, Wildman and Johns each received an Ashbury Tactical .300 Win Mag rifle, as well as the satisfaction of proving that they have what it takes to be world-class snipers. 

“As much as we did … none of it would have been possible without so many other people assisting us,” said Wildman. “Fort Campbell loaning us the equipment, 1st Sgt. Johnson running our logistics for us, the battalion and the brigade, and post chains of command, all trying to give us assistance anywhere we needed it.”


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## dknob (Nov 5, 2009)

Not going to lie, it is a little embarassing that they beat some of the top SF and SOF teams.


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## JJOIFVET (Nov 5, 2009)

dknob said:


> Not going to lie, it is a little embarassing that they beat some of the top SF and SOF teams.



They have beat us, but guess we have to work harder next time. Congrats to those who won. Good job fellas


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## Rogers0317 (Nov 5, 2009)

Why is it embarrassing?


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## dknob (Nov 5, 2009)

Because they beat some of the top SF and SOF teams... idk whats so hard to get.

And its not just the Marines, but hooahs from the 194th Armor Brigade beat the SF and SOF as well in the open class.. ummm a Mechanized unit's snipers beat SF and SOF as well ? I think there is definitely something wrong with this picture. 

Congrats to the winners.


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## Teufel (Nov 6, 2009)

dknob said:


> Because they beat some of the top SF and SOF teams... idk whats so hard to get.
> 
> And its not just the Marines, but hooahs from the 194th Armor Brigade beat the SF and SOF as well in the open class.. ummm a Mechanized unit's snipers beat SF and SOF as well ? I think there is definitely something wrong with this picture.
> 
> Congrats to the winners.



Nothing against SOF units but SOF units have to train to a litany of mission essential tasks, where as a sniper platoon only has to train to a few.  If there was a machine gun competition I would expect a heavy machinegun platoon to do very well.  Also the Marine team came from the school house, and the school houses of all the services generally provide the best teams.


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## dknob (Nov 6, 2009)

Teufel said:


> Nothing against SOF units but SOF units have to train to a litany of mission essential tasks, where as a sniper platoon only has to train to a few.  If there was a machine gun competition I would expect a heavy machinegun platoon to do very well.  Also the Marine team came from the school house, and the school houses of all the services generally provide the best teams.




I understand that completely.

I guess im just a little confused with this outcome:

1st Place: Team 10, A Company, 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, 194th Armor Brigade, Fort Knox

2nd Place: Team 23, D Company, 2nd Battalion, Special Warfare Training Group, Fort Bragg

*3rd Place*: Team 21, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg



Oh well, can't wait to watch it on tv, and see what went down.


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## Teufel (Nov 6, 2009)

dknob said:


> I understand that completely.
> 
> I guess im just a little confused with this outcome:
> 
> ...



Results of the US Basketball dream team at the 2004 Olympics:

Gold: Argentina

Silver: Italy

Bronze: USA

You know how it is man, there are a lot of factors in competitions.  Some guys have good days, some guys have off days.  Who knows who sent who.  We didn't send any Recon Marines (at least from the west coast) to the competition because of GWOT requirements; I am sure a lot of units were under the same constraints.  Bottom line: kudos to the Marines and Mech Infantry guys, they brought their A game and won fair and square.  Remember, just because someone is SOF does not mean they are better... it just means that you can generally expect a higher level of performance because have been through a stricter selection and assessment process and typically get more and better training than conventional folks.  

Remember Carlos Hathcock was a conventional sniper, Vasily Zaytsev was a conventional sniper and largely self taught.  The longest kill (2286m) was made by a conventional Canadian sniper Master Corporal Rob Furlong.  And don't forget this nameless devil dog in Afghanistan who got 20 kills inside of 20 minutes with 21 rounds:
http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/20-shots-20-kills/


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Nov 6, 2009)

Way to go Marines! ;)

My buddy jason (former USMC SS/ now Army Sniper) rubbed this in my face all night tonight.


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## lancero (Nov 6, 2009)

Yeah, I work with a former Marine Sniper, and I am a former Army Sniper. The arguments could go on for days!

Also, unit affiliation does not guarantee you are best there is.  I did the BRC the year Gunny Oakes won.  I got 7th, he got 1st.  He killed me and a lot of other SOF guys.  It had nothing to do with him being a Marine and everything to do with him being a bad muthafucka. Also, I have out-shot guys a lot "cooler" than me.  Shit just happens that way.

Competitions like this just show who arrives ready to play on that day.    

Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you.  The Marines ate everyone at the comp!

Congrats Marines.


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## dknob (Nov 6, 2009)

I would like to eat a bear.


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## Rogers0317 (Nov 6, 2009)

Just wanted to agree with most of the other posts.  Nothing embarrassing about Marine snipers winning hahaha.

The way I look at it is that we should be winning these competitions.  Being in a sniper platoon, sniper missions are really all we focus on, we dont have to worry about all of the other types of missions SOF teams do.  Obviously the big problem for us is the lack of adequate money for ammo and training, but if you are at a schoolhouse like the winning team, this should not really be an issue.


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## dknob (Nov 6, 2009)

I agree with and am happy for the school house team. But 194th Armor Brigade winning 1st in open class?? Who the hell are these guys?


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## KBar666 (Nov 6, 2009)

Keeping in mind I'm on the outside looking in, I'm happy one way or the other as long as its a US team that takes the win.(No offense to our allied military personell)


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## SCOUT52 (Nov 6, 2009)

fiannoglach said:


> AFAIK, the Irish Team won best Foreign Team but came in at 20 something.



The Irish team came 9th in the service class 16th over all, 
they where using 1992 Ai 308 and a issue Steyr 5.56 spotter wpn             HK USP 9mm hope that helps


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## Chaske (Mar 5, 2010)

Good on them. BTW are civilians allowed to watch the competition? or what..

Would be sweet to watch.


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