Left is the .30-06, the round Carlos Hathcock used to great efficiency. Next, the 5.56 is a great little cartridge but not much at distance. The 7.62 Ball M-80 has power but often not much accuracy (at least not by sniper standards). The Sierra Match 168 load, or even heavier bullets, is the accepted standard for accuracy in a .308. Right, the .300 Win Mag has been touted as the new long-range cartridge but has long been a bridesmaid and never a bride.

The shooter who works for the lower-level unit commanders in the military is the Squad Designated Marksman, and he often has a rebuilt M14 or a scoped M16. For the close fight, fast follow-up shots can be critical. For the real sniper, a "follow-up shot" on a target 1,200 yards away is anything that arrives within five seconds of the first shot. In a SWAT operation, instantaneous incapacitation (or as close as we can come with a shoulder weapon) matters more than fast shots. Accuracy is paramount.

What has changed since Vietnam is volume and availability. Today, getting an accurate rifle is easy. Finding accurate ammunition is easy. Finding the gear that makes up a sniper system is easy; the gear is more available and better than ever.

In the early days of sniping, as in the early days of IPSC, finding someone who could build what you needed was tough--so tough a task the Marines simply did the job themselves. Now you can have one built by any number of excellent gunsmiths, or just buy one already made. Two examples I have on hand are the H-S Precision and the FN SPR. I'll soon have for testing (and your enjoyment of the results) the Sako Tikka sniper and the TRG.

Blueprinting an action used to be a lot of work, with quite a few dimensions in need of adjusting. In this modern age of CNC machining, actions are a lot better than they used to be. Companies like H-S Precision and FN are simply shifting the after-manufacturing work that gunsmiths used to do right onto the manufacturing floor and blueprinting actions from the start.

The Springfield Scout is fast up close but not much more accurate at range than iron sights. You can hit at 300 yards but not like you can with an M40A1.

Blueprinting an action for the gunsmith involves recutting the action threads and barrel threads so that they are concentric and centered on the action and bore respectively. Also, it involves making sure the action and barrel shoulders are perpendicular to the action and bore centerline. For a long time "close enough" was good enough. Now computers can make it close to perfect. With all the requisite tools on hand, FN can blueprint its Model 70 Special Police Rifle before it gets blued.

On many rifles, the Corps welded the bases to the receiver to ensure a permanent bond. We can use threadlocking compounds now, but the base and rings are still a potential weak link. Luckily, we have bases such as the Badger Ordnance, with a built-in muzzle rise to let you get all the adjustments in your scope in play for long-range use.

While the Marine Corps still uses Unertl scopes (not just the same model but the same scopes), there are many other choices. Scopes have better optics, better seals, better coatings and more durability than ever. The problem isn't so much getting a good one but picking one from the choices out there.

A good drag bag, like this Blackhawk, also doubles as a shooting mat and has extra pockets for the little things that matter, like a notebook and extra ammo.

One big change from the old days is in the stock. Back when wood was king, you did your best to get a straight-grained heavy stock and then carefully inlet it before bedding with one or another exotic epoxy compound. The method worked, but not well. Today a sniper rifle with a wood stock is a curiosity. No one would do it by choice, unless he wanted the weight of a laminated stock.

Sniper stocks now are synthetic, often built of layers of fiberglass and carbon fiber cloth laid over a foam core and even compressed, heated or otherwise cured. Far tougher than wood and impervious to the elements, cleaning agents and all known solvents--including New Jersey tap water--a synthetic stock will not change its zero due to the weather. While most are light and unsuitable as boat anchors, all are tough enough to be used as emergency impact tools.