Major John Plaster on Police Sniper Training: "Patience and Discipline
By developing the qualities of patience and discipline through a concept referred to as, ``This is the last shot for the rest of my life,'' snipers become conditioned to regard each round fired in practice as a single, final event with an exact beginning, a definite end, and a standard for achievement. During range fire, they should individually remove each round from the cartridge box, load it, fire it, ``call'' it, observe the results through the spotting scope, and then record it.
Recording each shot individually is critical. Police snipers should each maintain a record book to note the history of their fire with a particular rifle. Not only does this help snipers to concentrate on each shot, but it also helps them identify minor deviations in the ``book'' data versus their rifle and ammunition. This generates information for the data card. For example, a sniper may learn that the first shot fired in practice--the so-called ``cold barrel zero''--could vary by several inches from subsequent shots. It's only through such exacting attention to detail that the sniper can develop into a precision marksman who focuses not on three-shot groups but on individual shots.
Snipers should pace their practice fire by mentally planning each shot, then analyzing it afterward. It is also useful to dry fire between each live-fire shot. Only five rounds should be fired into a single target to better focus the shooter's concentration. Also, accomplished marksmen should fire no more than 15-20 rounds total during a practice session to prevent them from sliding into undisciplined ``banging away.'' By habitually applying these proven techniques during practice fire, snipers develop the patience, concentration, and discipline critical for precision shooting. "