American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U. S. Military History

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UNS
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eople ask a lot about weapons, what I used as a sniper, what I
learned on, what I prefer. In the field, I matched the weapon to the
job and the situation. At sniper school, I learned the basics of a
range of weapons, so I was prepared not only to use them all, but
also to choose the right one for the job.
I used four basic weapons at sniper school. Two were
magazine-fed semiautomatics: the Mk-12, a 5.56 sniper rifle; and
the Mk-11, a 7.62 sniper rifle. (When I talk about a gun, I often
just mention the caliber, so the Mk-12 is the 5.56. Oh, and there’s
no “point” in front of the numbers; it’s understood.)
Then there was my .300 Win Mag. That was magazine-fed, but

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it was bolt-action. Like the other two, it was suppressed. Which
means that it has a device on the end of the barrel that suppresses
muzzle flash and reduces the sound of bullet as it leaves the gun,
much like a muffler on a car. (It’s not actually a silencer, though
some think of it that way. Without getting too technical, the
suppressor works by letting gas out of the barrel as the bullet
discharges. Generally speaking, there are two types, one that
attaches to the barrel of the weapon and another that’s integrated
with the barrel itself. Among the practical effects of the suppressor
on a sniper rifle is that it tends to reduce the amount of “kick” the
shooter experiences. This helps make it more accurate.)
I also had a .50 caliber, which was not suppressed.
Let’s talk about each weapon individually.
Mk-12
O
fficially, the United States Navy Mk-12 Special Purpose Rifle,
this gun has a sixteen-inch barrel, but is otherwise the same platform
as an M-4. It fires a 5.56 × 45 mm round from a thirty-round
magazine. (It can also be fitted with a twenty-round box.)
Derived from what became known as the .223 cartridge and
therefore smaller and lighter than most earlier military rounds, the
5.56 is not a preferred bullet to shoot someone with. It can take a
few shots to put someone down, especially the drugged-up crazies
we were dealing with in Iraq, unless you hit him in the head. And

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we were dealing with in Iraq, unless you hit him in the head. And
contrary to what you’re probably thinking, not all sniper shots,
certainly not mine, take the bad guys in the head. Usually I went for
center mass—a nice fat target somewhere in the middle of the
body, giving me plenty of room to work with.
The gun was super-easy to handle, and was virtually
interchangeable with the M-4, which, though not a sniper weapon,
is still a valuable combat tool. As a matter of fact, when I got back
to my platoon, I took the lower receiver off my M-4 and put it on
the upper receiver of my Mk-12. That gave me a collapsible stock
and allowed me to go full-auto. (I see now that some Mk-12s are
being equipped with the collapsible stock.)
On patrol, I like to use a shorter stock. It’s quicker to get up to
my shoulder and get a bead on somebody. It’s also better for
working inside and in tight quarters.
Another note on my personal configuration: I never used full auto
on the rifle. The only time you really want full auto is to keep
someone’s head down—spewing bullets doesn’t make for an
accurate course of fire. But since there might be a circumstance
where it would come in handy, I always wanted to have that option
in case I needed it.