Sniper Pocket Book 4th Edition 2024
- Last updated: 21/06/2024
Reviewer: Ed Jackson
› The Sniper Pocket Book dates back to 2012 when it was originally published as part of the Military Pocket Book series. However, this 2024 edition is now the intellectual property of the author, Frank Fletcher, who served 24 years with The Parachute Regiment, half of which was spent as a sniper, sniper instructor, and Sniper Platoon Commander. So, with the author’s credentials covered, what’s in the book?
Well, one look at the contents shows you that this book is designed to give the reader a detailed overview of the sniper’s world, and it also contains some decent illustrations to help explain some of the topics covered. As well as detailing the history of the British sniper, Frank also explains the chain of command and the primary role of the sniper, before going into great detail about marksmanship. It is this section that all shooters will find particularly interesting, as it includes breathing and trigger control, shooting positions, ballistics, grouping and zeroing, miss drills, cleaning etc. Overall, there is a good chance that any shooter, no matter their experience, could learn a thing or two from this section, including some decent processes on how to tackle wind calls.
For those interested, the book then enters the world of military fieldcraft, offering a civilian reader the opportunity to understand the skill set of a professional soldier. It’s all interesting stuff and includes the aim of camouflage, signature management, why things are seen etc. This section is then complemented by others that cover observation and judging distance, panoramic sketching, air photography, and glass shooting. The book ends with the top 13 notable shots from the battlefield.
Overall, the aim of this book is to give an insight into the world of the military sniper, and it certainly does that.