Hi Tumblr! Sorry for the erratic updates. I have been very busy, for secret reasons.
Soon a couple of my dear friends who have little or no experience of handling real firearms are going to be playing snipers at a new LARP game, so this week we’re going to study how real life rifle marksmen* move and shoot, and find ways to quickly emulate their skills in LARP.
This post is not about making you a better shot with functioning LARP firearm simulators like NERF, paintball or Airsoft weapons. The range on those weapons is so low that you can probably learn more by applying the principles of this post about LARP archery than from what I’m about to say here. This post is all about using real life techniques to provide body language and acting skills.
Photo by Oliver Facey, from Pioneers LARP. Kneeling or crouching supported, making good use of cover to steady the rifle.
1. GET LOW. NO, LOWER
A clean shot is a stable shot. The most stable rest you’re going to find for your rifle is the ground; an ideal marksmanship position puts an absolute minimum of the wobbly squishy stuff, i.e. your body, between your rifle and the rest. The best firing position is “prone” – lying on your front, elbows on the ground, rifle resting on the ground and supported firmly in place.
I love hearing people get enthusiastic about the SA80, particularly this excellent person. ‘Sharpshooter’ suggested as more gender-neutral alternative, but might share some of the same problems as ‘Sniper’.
Hey thanks! 😀 I love the SA-80 because it is a gorgeous heavy beautifully balanced lump of antiquated 5.56 beauty and also my bae ❤ ❤
I like “sharpshooter”! It’s a good gender neutral alternative to marksman – thank you. What would the skill suffix or noun be? Sharpshootership doesn’t roll off the tongue 😀
Steel Phoenix Studios 