One of the more basic elements of sniping is stalking. Because not every sniper needs to take a shot, many a time a sniper has been out simply to gather information, or give coordinates to artillery and mortar units. And in order to sneak up on the enemy one needs to be able to be invisible, to bend light to his own advantage. And something that snipers have used since WWI and used before that in Scotland, Ghillie suits. These extraordinary suits which allow the user to tie on things from the specific environment they're in, leaves, grass, sagebrush and the like. Without them sniping would be much more difficult in grassy, forest or jungle like environments. However, the shot is also something we need to analyze(10).
The picture to the left is of a Muzzle loader using black powder, compared to the one below it of a modern rifle using smokeless powder. It's plain to see the difference between the two. During the revolutionary war they were not called snipers. They were known as sharpshooters, because the only element of sniping at the time was being a sharpshooter, however with the invention of smokeless powder was the ability to take a follow up shot, and to stay hidden after firing. Plus the smokeless powder was much more powerful then the black powder, and it worked when wet, a much more stable component. But then their was still the problem of getting close enough to take a shot with iron sights(3).
The picture to the left shows an example of rifling, the practice of putting spiraled grooves into the inside of the barrel which spins the projectile, giving it further distance and improved accuracy. Rifling was actually first implemented in Germany during 1520, before firearms were ever invented the Germans (innovative as they are) were rifling crossbows. By putting the arrows through a tube with spiral grooves which would catch the feathers and spin the bolt in such a way that it became far more accurate, and went farther than any other crossbow in use(Rifling History). Jumping forward to the American Revolution, Hessian (German mercenaries who were hired by the British Empire to fight the colonists) forces were the most feared soldiers on the planet. They were strong, experienced and relentless fighters, and they all had rifled weapons (named Jaeger). This meant that they were technologically advanced in comparison to the Colonial and British Regulars, the only reason Americans won the war was because of the tactics used by the Militia and the fact that they had rifled weapons (called Kentucky and Pennsylvania Rifles) which meant that in hit and run attacks, every shot would count, inflicting the most damage possible without taking any(5).
The picture to the left shows two projectiles, the musket ball , and the mini-ball. Both were originally made of lead, heavy and generally around .50 caliber rounds. The mini-ball was used during the 18th century when the Musket replaced the pike and arquebus, turning all infantry units into musketeers who were later known as Regulars. When rifling first came into play in 1631 (Rifling History) the musket ball was still in use, while it provided spin to the round projectile it was still not as accurate as it could have been because it was not aerodynamic, meaning that by pushing through the atmosphere it would interrupt the spin of the ball. But the mini-ball was shaped something like a football, allowing it to cut through the air, keeping it straight and accurate(5).
Scopes came into play much earlier than people think. During the civil war scopes were long copper tubes with thin telescopic lens on the front and back. They were not very powerful, but they still allowed the soldiers to see from a farther distance, and this meant that they could pick out officers and important figures on the field of battle. But as our civilization and technology advanced we began to make scopes that could see the color of someones eyes from a thousand yards. We began implementing cross hairs so they would be more accurate, now with these scopes and our knowledge of bullet drop and how wind effects the bullets travel as well as heat and humidity, we can drop a pinpoint shot from over a mile away(5).
The Suppressor (or more commonly known as the silencer) is one of the most important parts of a scouts weapon, it allows him to take multiple shots on multiple targets without moving from or exposing his position. It's basic element is to allow less pressurized gas to escape from the end of the barrel and instead give it multiple vacuums and areas to go, making it far quieter. Think of popping off the cork to a champagne bottle compared to slowly letting the air out. A small hiss of air vs. a loud pop. The average mid caliber rifle lets out around 3,000 psi from the front end of it's barrel. An extreme amount accounting for the sound made by the rifle. Whereas suppressors only allow 60 psi to escape from the end of a barrel. Accounting for the small "tisk" you get when firing a suppressed weapon(5).
The weapon systems of today are ridiculously advanced, having the ability to deliver a high caliber round accurately on a target over a mile away. All of the technology discussed above is put into these weapon system, rails, scopes, suppressors and addons such as bi-pods, fold-able stocks, hair triggers etc. The system used by the Marine Scout Sniper is the M110 SASS rifle. One of the most versatile systems in circulation, able to deliver death at a range of 1000 yards, and is compact enough to be useful at close range, clearing houses or getting into a firefight, allowing a Scout Sniper to be ready for any situation that presents itself(5).