Re: Professional and LE Snipers. Dope Question?
I sighted my rifle in at 250 yards. From 0 to 300 I was never more then 4 inches high or low. The AMU taught a nose shot so you were covered. Though, being urban there would seldem if ever been a shot at that range. About all LE snipping missions are under 100 yards.
I'm still a cert. LE sniper/counter sniper instructor. Nothing I've learned over the years has taught me to vary from what I was taught in the AMU Sniper School.
I've taught Military sniping to the NG and Active Army. Then were were using either the M1C/D or M21. The M1C/Ds had settings at 50 yard incuments. Sight in at 50 and congerm to 900. The M21 had sn automatic ranging scope, as you ranged the power knob it adjusted for elevation. It had stadium lines based on 30 inches. It wasn't hard to figure out range if you knew the size of the target.
The M1's M84 scope didn't have range finding abilities. but you could use the front sight post. The average front post on a M1 is .076. Which figures out to be 19 inches at 250 yards. 19 inches being the average width of a soldier, it made a pretty good range finder. If the target was as wide as the front sight, it was 250 yards. If the front sight was half the width of the front sight it was 125 yards, The target twice the width of the front sight, it was 500 yards, etc etc. With practice you could get pretty good.