He said snipers in the Marine Corps had been asking for a variable scope for years, and the new scope was selected from a number of different models through field-testing by Marine sniper instructors in Quantico, Va., last summer. “Right away, they said to learn on it, train with it, then deploy,” said Starner, 33, from Kansas City, Mo. The Schmidt & Bender scope replaced the aging fixed 10x Unertl scope Marines have used for decades. ![]() The new scope came into service in November 2005, but the battalion’s snipers didn’t get them until December, giving the platoon just one month to learn how to use it before the battalion deployed in January. Marines in the platoon reaffirmed the scope’s combat utility seven times since then, according to Starner. The scope’s ability to allow Marines to target insurgents wasn’t a one-time stint, though. “After the kill, we did a picture-perfect extraction. Paul Starner, platoon sergeant for the battalion’s Scout-Sniper Platoon, who squeezed off the shot. ![]() “It was kind of a big deal with the sniper community to get the first kill with the new scope,” said Gunnery Sgt. It was the first recorded combat kill with the new optic. Snipers of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment proved the 3x12 variable-powered Schmidt & Bender M-8541 Scout-Sniper Day Scope’s usefulness in January when they killed an insurgent planting improvised explosive devices near Fallujah. Proof is one less bad guy planting roadside bombs. ![]() ![]() CAMP MERCURY, Iraq - Marine snipers here put the Corps’ latest sniper optic to the test and it proved to be spot-on.
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