Sniper Elite (26 page)

I've been accused over the years of being modest and quiet, but I have really had to come out of my shell to write this. I know you'll appreciate that I've had to maintain security and only refer to some blokes by either their nickname or initials, and also not mention some towns or villages in our Area of Operations in Afghanistan.

I've put my life on the line for other people now for the last 18 years with total disregard to my family. Now it's time to give something back, and give them the life they deserve. This has also prompted me to seek another career, one where I can spend a lot more time at home.

As I look back on my military career there's no doubt that my time with the SAS has been the highlight. The regiment has a well-deserved reputation. It is full of characters who are hardened and very professional, as you'd expect them to be. It was a sad time to leave my mates. However, I rarely spent time with them outside of working hours as I really valued ‘family time', which probably made my separation from the unit a little easier. But you do develop a very strong bond with the blokes, more so if they have been involved in the same incidents. But most SAS operators spend at least six months away from home a year, sometimes more. So when I'm home I like to put as much time in as possible with the family. My recreational activities like hunting and fishing trips have taken a back seat during my time in the regiment, but I've had to put my family first.

There is also a special place in my heart for the Royal Marine Corps. It was a place where I really felt at home and enjoyed myself while I learnt my trade. The bootneck (marines) attitude is very similar to that of the lads from SASR, and is a possible contribution as to why the regiment and SBS get on so well.

I picked up a book a little while ago about a bootneck called Mark Ormrod from my old unit, 40 Commando, who was horrifically injured in Afghanistan. This is a true account of shear bootneck courage and determination to get his life back together and push his injuries aside; I was touched by his story. Sorry Mark, bootnecks do cry!

I met the most memorable characters during my time in the Royal Marines. Cheeky bastards always up for a laugh, but good hard soldiers also. Taff Cuddihey is one them and would have to be one of the top characters I've ever had the pleasure of knowing–a corps character not just a unit character. He is one of the toughest chefs you will ever come across. Standing in the breakfast queue one morning I noticed a bloke (or I should say ‘fool'), complaining rather loudly about the state of the baked beans and the food in general. Taff was getting quite irate about his rudeness and we could all see what was about to happen as he had a fiery reputation. Taff moved to the front of the bain maries and grabbed this poor bloke's head and shoved it into the hot baked beans. His parting comment was, ‘Now they're fuckin' ruined!'

Not many people messed around with Taff, least of all the bouncers at the Ivory Club, a nightclub in Taunton which 40 Commando used to patronise. He used to get very drunk, as we all did, and then fight with the bouncers for fun. A rumour going around at one stage was that Taff had knocked them all out over various nights. In fact, as Taff entered the club the bouncers always used to raise their hands and say, ‘We don't want any trouble tonight, Taff.'

Taff is a part owner of a bar in Pataya, Thailand. I'm not sure of his arrangement with the Thai woman who runs it, but he used to spend every leave over there, generally taking some of the younger marines and leading them astray. He is a very likeable bloke and loyal to his mates. We used to take the piss out of him in Northern Ireland as he took his weightlifting very seriously; he had a strict routine and even took protein and muscle-building powders. Unfortunately he never worked on his legs and he ended up looking like a toffee apple–big on top but with legs like a sparrow–and the subject of some good banter.

In 3RAR as I mentioned, I became very good mates with Lee, an ex-Grenadier guardsman from England. He is passionate about his hunting and is very good at it. We share the same values and have been great mates since day one of that reconnaissance course. We also both shared the same opinion of several blokes who were so-called instructors on that course.

Lee writes a lot of articles for hunting magazines and is a well-known for his stories of hunting with dogs. We had access to a hunting property outside Bathurst which produced a lot of game. We used it a lot during my time in Sydney. He passed selection for 4RAR and has also completed a couple of tours of Afghanistan.

I also became good friends with RS over the years, who was also at 3RAR. I met him when I was posted to support company after our first Timor trip; we played intercompany rugby together–fortunately on the same side since he is 6 ft 8 in (203 cm) and solid muscle. He is another who doesn't suffer fools but unlike Lee, RS can be very diplomatic about it when he needs to be. We did the same selection together and he is responsible for talking me out of throwing it all away. RS is very focused and completed the 13-week training program we were given as a guide for selection day by day, and activity after activity. He has excelled as an operator in the regiment, and is also an SAS sniper, but his main calling is as an as assaulter and he is exceptional. RS has also been in a few scrapes in Afghanistan and won the Medal of Gallantry there in 2006 with Matt Locke.

I have had some great experiences in the forces and have learnt some valuable life skills. I grew up fast in the marines and made some great friends. I could have had a full career in the regiment if I chose, but it would mean not being able to deliver my promise to my family of spending more time with them. It was time to give them a break. While I don't regret my time in the forces–in fact I'm truly proud of it–it's now time to be a father and a husband first.

These are my personal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that I would try to implement if the situation or terrain allowed. Sticking to these SOPs will give you the best chance of success and survival.

Action
The breech mechanism of a rifle that loads, fires and unloads. This encompasses the trigger, magazine housing and bolt.

AP
Armour piercing bullet. The projectile has a hardened steel or tungsten core designed to penetrate armour.

Ball
Full metal jacket projectiles, a standard round which has a lead core enveloped in a copper jacket.

Ballistics
Data concerning trajectory, velocity and energy (kinetic) of the bullet, or characteristics of a projectile before and after it leaves the muzzle of the weapon.

Bore
The interior of a barrel.

Bullet drop
The ballistic measurement of how far a bullet will drop after being fired. Bullets (projectiles) are affected by gravity, which gives it a trajectory–a curved flight path.

Calibre
The diameter of the bore measured from the land surface. A rifled bore has grooves in it to cause the round to spin once fired; these are called ‘land and grooves'. The projectile is slightly larger than the bore size so it will take up the space in the grooves giving it a gas seal.

Cartridge case
The brass container that holds the propellant and projectile.

Chamber
The enlarged part of a bore into which the round is placed. The round will fit snugly in the chamber, which is slightly larger than the round to allow for expansion of the cartridge case once fired.

Chronograph
An electronic instrument used to measure the velocity of a projectile.

Culminating point
The maximum height above a horizontal surface which a projectile rises to above the line of sight while in trajectory to a target. The maximum height a round will go before gravity starts to pull it back to earth. This will vary at different ranges.

Drift
The amount of shift of a projectile to one side or the other due to its rotation in flight or air resistance. If a rifle bore is rifled with a right-hand twist (which is usually the case) the drift of that round will be slightly right. This is known as Magnus drift and is more noticeable at longer ranges.

Ejector
A small spring-loaded post at the face of a bolt that will push the empty case out of the weapon.

Elevation
The amount of adjustment needed to compensate for range.

Extractor
Usually spring-loaded device at the face of the bolt that clips onto the rim of a cartridge case and then pulls it out of the chamber to be ejected.

Field of fire
An area relatively free of obstruction into which a sniper can fire.

Field of view
The angular measurement of how wide an area can be observed through an optical device. Spotting scopes generally have a narrow field of view, rifle scopes are wider, and binoculars wider still. During observation, you will look with the naked eye, if you see something, then use binoculars, and to clearly identify what you're looking at the spotting scope is used, adjusting the magnification.

Free-floating barrel
A barrel that does not touch the stock or any other part of a rifle. The most accuracy you can get is from a barrel that is screwed into the action, but does not touch anything else.

Grain
A unit of weight, there being 7,000 grains in a pound, and 437 grains in one ounce. The weight of a powder charge and the weight of a bullet are expressed in grains.

Group
A number of shots, usually three to five, fired by a shooter at the one target using the same point of aim, position and hold.

Hide
The temporary or permanent position a sniper occupies to engage a target. This should have excellent concealment and cover, good observation, and good entry and escape routes.

Hold off
Aiming off to compensate for wind.

Lead
The amount of allowance used by a sniper to lead in front of a moving target.

Line of sight (LOS)
An imaginary straight line from the firer's eye through the sights to the point of aim.

Mil dot
A tiny dot of very exact dimension in the scope's reticle pattern, used for range estimation, lead and hold off.

Minute of angle (MOA)
A measurement that measures 1 inch at 100 yards (27mm at 100 metres). When a shooter says he can achieve a ½ MOA group at 100 metres, he means he placed three to five rounds on a target at 100 metres that measured 12–13 mm apart.

Mirage
Heat waves. The image of the target will be slightly displaced due to the refraction of light through the heat waves, how much the target will be displacement depends on how fast the mirage is running. A sniper needs to be able to read a mirage accurately as it will help him an estimate on wind speed.

Mean point of impact (MPI)
The centre of a group.

Muzzle brake
A recoil reducing device attached to the end of a barrel that defects blast sideways or backwards to pull the rifle slightly forward. Unfortunately on the larger calibres like the .50 calibre, it will produce more of a signature, i.e. create more dust from the blast.

Point of aim
The point where the sights are aimed.

Point of impact
The point where the round strikes first.

Prone position
Lying flat, head and shoulders raised and supported by the elbows leaving the hands free to hold and operate the weapon.

Rate of twist
Term used to describe rifling by the distance in inches a bullet passes in the barrel during a single rotation. A .308 sniper rifle will typically have a 1:12 rate of twist, one complete turn in 12 inches.

Recoil
The rearward movement of a rifle produced by its discharge. The severity depends on calibre, weight and velocity of the round. Other factors are the weight of the rifle (the lighter the rifle the more recoil), the design of the stock and the use of a suppressor (suppressors will reduce recoil).

Reticle
Crosshair.

Rifling
The helix formed in the bore of a barrel to give a spinning motion to a projectile passing through it. This spinning motion is what gives the projectile its accuracy and will keep it stable on its flight.

Range card
A detailed sketch of a sector or arc of fire including all prominent terrain and man-made features, likely enemy routes and dead ground, also including ranges to key points. Can also include weather conditions and wind strengths for rapid adjustments to engage targets, can also include bearing to key points.

Sniper data
A detailed record of ballistic data developed and periodically modified, on the performance of a particular sniper rifle and ammunition during varying weather conditions and ranges.

Spotter
A sniper who helps another sniper detect and identify targets, then adjust his fire onto the target. He is also responsible for close range security. Usually called the No. 1 and No. 2, the No. 1 being the shooter and No. 2 the observer.

Suppressor
A device that uses baffles and or fine mesh to dissipate and slow the escape of gases from a weapon muzzle, reducing noise and signature. Usually affects trajectory, and can sometimes even increase accuracy.

Sear
The lock or catch in a weapon that holds the firing pin back until released by the trigger.

Shooting platform
Anything a sniper can use to place himself or his weapon to accurately shoot from.

Swirl
The disturbance in the air the observer can see through optics from a spinning projectile. This gives a good indication of where your round has struck the target, or missed.

Terminal velocity
The remaining velocity or speed of a projectile at the point in its downward path where it is level with the muzzle of the weapon.

Trajectory
The curved path the projectile follows on leaving the barrel until it strikes the target.

Trigger pull
The resistance offered by a trigger when pressure is put on it. The force to overcome this is expressed in pounds or kilos. The average trigger pull is 3–6 pounds. The less trigger pull, the less you will anticipate the recoil and the shot will be release without any undue stress on the rifle.

Trigger squeeze
The correct method of firing a weapon.

Tumble
Used to describe a projectile that turns end over end.

Windage
The amount of adjustment required to compensate or allow for the action of wind on the projectile in flight.

Zero
The adjustment of an optical or open sight so that a bullet precisely hits a target at a given distance.