One point I'd like to make is that I don't think we have that many profecient riflemen in this country, reguardless if the animal hunted has four legs or two. While I was in Europe in the late 60's I spent time as an instructor at the Sembach AFB rifle range. Granted these were Air Force personnel but they come from the same pool as the rest of the military. It was inconcieveable that most of these men were allowed to handle a weapon. Forget shooting at another man, forget the animal, many of these guy's couldn't do a decent job on a piece of paper!

Look around the country, how many program's are there that really teach someone to shoot? I don't see or hear of many. We live in America and for some reason even tho many of us have access to many place's to shoot, we don't! The town I live in has about 35 people, depending on the day. I alway's shoot alone, nobody else is intrested. They have gun's mind you, they just have thing's they'd rather do. A number of years ago at a local turkey shoot they made me shoot left handed because I shot to much to suit them and they were afraid I'd beat them. Piece of cake, so I beat them left handed. American shooter's should not be so bad that some hic living in a small town in nowhere can beat them shooting from the wrong side of the rifle!

I believe that probally our best military shooter's, sniper's, do not do their job so much because they really like shooting but rather that they were trained to do it. I think that a guy that really wanted to go out and shoot people might well get over anxious at the wrong moment. Sniping is not only about shooting well, it has to be about mental control also. No only in pulling the trigger but more importantly, when knowing not to.

I think many people that do some of the long range shooting they do and more that talk about it do so to be identified with these highly trained professional's. These guy's are not only trained to shoot better than us, they are also trained to hunt better than us! And tho some of us might well shoot as well as some of these guy's,we don't hunt as well. How many time's have you read where a shot was taken because it was as close as someone could get? How many at the animal that was getting away, even tho no shot's had been fired? There lies two difference's between military sniper's and hunter's. Mental conditioning!!!!!

If you read post's on site's, maybe even here, people are alway's bragging about the long shot they made, never a word about the long shot they missed. And what's worse, seldom a thred about what's really needed to shoot long. I started one on another site and the vast majority felt it took practice more than anything. No mention of the equipment or shooting skill's required. I found it strange that some of the people that talked the most about it had the least information on how to do it. And when it come's to hunting, those in the know will preach to all that will listen that you really need certain camo, scent blocker's, scent free soap, ect., ect., ect. Are we a nation of hunter's or shopper's? I'd bet there's a good number of people reading this thred that just pull on their jeans and go hunting,,,,with success. I read where one guy that claim's to alway's get his deer smoke's on his stand, I really don't doubt it. And yet another guy was worried sick about the brand of tooth paste trying to keep down odor's that would scare off a deer! We are not a nation of shooter's or hunter's, we simply hunt and shoot because most seem to believe it's a God given right. It's not and I think we should work harder at it.