New scope for Marine snipers
 
Camp Mercury, Iraq - Marine snipers here put the Corps’ latest sniper optic to the test and it proved to be spot-on. Proof is one less bad guy planting roadside bombs.

Snipers of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment proved the 3x12 variable-powered Schmidt & Bender M-8541 Scout-Sniper Day Scope’s usefulness in January when they killed an insurgent planting improvised explosive devices near Fallujah. It was the first recorded combat kill with the new optic.

“It was kind of a big deal with the sniper community to get the first kill with the new scope,” said Gunnery Sgt. Paul Starner, platoon sergeant for the battalion’s Scout-Sniper Platoon, who squeezed off the shot. “After the kill, we did a picture-perfect extraction. They didn’t even know we were there.”

The scope’s ability to allow Marines to target insurgents wasn’t a one-time stint, though. Marines in the platoon reaffirmed the scope’s combat utility seven times since then, according to Starner.

The new scope came into service in November 2005, but the battalion’s snipers didn’t get them until December, giving the platoon just one month to learn how to use it before the battalion deployed in January. The Schmidt & Bender scope replaced the aging fixed 10x Unertl scope Marines have used for decades.
“Right away, they said to learn on it, train with it, then deploy,” said Starner, 33, from Kansas City, Mo.

He said snipers in the Marine Corps had been asking for a variable scope for years, and the new scope was selected from a number of different models through field-testing by Marine sniper instructors in Quantico, Va., last summer.

Not every scout-sniper was initially impressed with the scope. Most of the shooters are tried-and-true gun nuts and convincing these Marines to part with proven products of the past was tough. Still, after seeing it in action, they have a new love.

“I was opposed to this scope for the simple fact that it’s metric and most Americans are used to yards,” Starner said. “But now that we’ve got it, launched it and used it, it’s an outstanding scope.”

He said snipers got around the difference in measurement standards by using a simple formula to convert yards to meters.
“I carry a calculator with me everywhere I go,” Starner said. “It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.”

The new Schmidt & Bender allows better positive target identification, according to 2nd Lt. Jake Cusack, Sniper Platoon commander. The Schmidt & Bender scope has a greater light-gathering capability, boasting a 50 mm objective lens and illuminated mil-dot reticle pattern, better adapted to drop insurgents at a distance in low light conditions as well as daylight.

“The scope allows them to make more precise adjustments,” Cusak explained. “The variable power lets you look at multiple targets or moving targets and pick one then zoom in.”

The new scope is more durable than its predecessor, as well. It handles better in the field. Marines are rough on their gear and need equipment that can stand up to bumps and bruises expected in tough combat environments. So far, the new scope demonstrated less risk of losing sight alignment. It held a battle-sight zero through a variety of combat applications.

“With the old scopes, you’d lose the zero if you bumped it,” Starner said. “I haven’t had any problems with this one keeping its BZO.”

“It gives them more confidence in the placement of their shots, even if they’ve been out operating for a month or so,” Cusack said.

That confidence will aid the Marines’ mission, providing overwatch for patrols and interrupting IED emplacement in the area.

“On the battlefield we’re in right now, the sniper and his rifle is the most precise weapon system available to the commander,” said Cusack, 23, from Detroit. “With all of our concerns with rules of engagement, discrimination and engaging targets, the sniper can guarantee that he’s applying one 7.62 mm bullet to one very specific target.”

“We’re here to find the enemy and kill him, and that’s what we’re doing,” Starner said. “Any time you make them think twice about what they’re doing, you’re doing your job. I want it in their heads that we’re watching them.”

Every Marine in the platoon has at least one deployment under their belts, and all but two are formally-trained snipers.

The match of superior weapons, optics and highly-trained professionals is proving to be a boon for the battalion.

“It’s almost unheard of,” Starner said. “We’re the only platoon in the country with that many school-trained snipers. I’ve got numerous honor graduates, Instructor’s Choice, all quality Marines, hand-picked.”

They are veterans with cool-nerves of steel and practical experience behind their weapons. That spells nothing short of a death sentence for insurgents.
“I’m confident this is one of the most veteran and trained sniper platoons in the country right now,” Cusack said.

This article was released March 2006 on Military.com

The Corps made an initial purchase of 575 scout sniper day scopes, manufactured by Schmidt and Bender, and assembled and distributed by Premiere Reticles of Winchester, VA, according to Major Allen Boothby, project officer, Scout Sniper Systems, Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA.

“The three key features we look for in a scope are accuracy, durability and weight—with a balance to be struck trying to keep all three relative to each other,” explained Boothby. “If the focus is too strong on one of these, the other two can suffer—although accuracy means confidence in the weapon system.” The Scout Sniper Scope, a 3x12x50 rifle telescope with illuminated Generation II mil-dot reticle, will be designated the M8541 and will replace the Unertl 10X sniper telescope.

“Our intent is to place this telescope on all of our precision rifles, including the M40A3 (the M40A1 is being phased out), the M82A3 (which will be upgraded to the M107), and the DMR, eventually,” said Boothby. The biggest advantage of the new scope is that it is variable-powered.

“At longer ranges the Marine scout sniper can go up to 12 power (an improvement on the 10X of the Unertl), and at shorter ranges, the Marine can set his optic at a much lower power, thus allowing him to increase his field of view inside the scope, and look at targets ‘just across the street’ more easily,” said Boothby.
“In addition, this scope features an illuminated reticle at the crosshairs allowing the sniper the option of lighting his crosshairs red during times of limited visibility, what snipers often refer to as the grey hours—dawn and dusk,” said Boothby. “It will also feature the Generation II mil-dot reticle, which is based on suggestions made by Marine scout snipers over the years.”

The scout sniper day scope will be approximately the same weight as the Unertl Scope it’s replacing. “Weight is crucial for a small team that already has to carry all the gear they need to survive for days on end,” said Boothby. “We would not allow more weight, in this scope than we already were used to with a scope we had carried for 20 years,” said Boothby.

Another important factor used in evaluating scopes is eye relief. “The distance from the shooter’s eye to the ocular lens which provides optimal viewing is called proper eye relief,” said Boothby. Eye relief should be at least two inches and preferably three inches according to Boothby. “The proper eye position allows an entire field of view within the scope, so the sniper can see clearly from edge to edge,” explained Boothby.

During the course of the last year as Boothby was heading the search for a replacement for the Unertl Sniper telescope, he contacted over 20 optical companies worldwide. “At the end of the day and after all the testing, I’m confident that we found one of the world’s best combat riflescope,” said Boothby. Of course there are other companies