Sniper...is he a Marine?

[capt. apathy]

A couple hundred will buy you a nice ruger in .223  for a few bucks more you add a bi-pod and good quality scope.

With this simple, buy it anywhere hardware I (or just about anybody with a little patients) could have the average 10yr old getting 5" groups @ 300yds in about 1/2 an hour.

This isn't brain surgery.

The guy isn't selecting targets.  He’s taking targets of opportunity.  Find a spot with good cover and an exit, pick your target area (so you know the exact range already) and shoot the first unfortunate soul who walks into your sights.

The sad thing is it makes him pretty damn hard to catch.  About the only way he could be caught is if-

1. He’s a solid nut-job (my guess). In which case he's doing it for attention or fame, whatever. Anyway he'll get bored and do something to make the hunt for him more interesting (the tarot card thing, the phone number, and the letter) eventually leading the cops to him.

2. Pure luck, some body stumbles upon him, his car breaks down, something like that.

3. One of his accomplices (or somebody he mouthed off to) turn him in.  My bet is he has at least one guy working with him.  A spotter to watch out for him while he's in the scope, maybe a lookout in a second vehicle.

If it turns out it's an organized terrorist thing this could be going on a long time.  Hopefully though this Tacoma thing will pan out and they will get soon

[Innominate]

I really hope this sniperi ISN'T a marine.  He would give them a bad name, he is hardly a good shot.

A psychopath? Sure.  A marksman? hell no.

[AKSWulfe]

Well, those Washington state area guys aren't the sniper... according to chief of police in Montgomery County.
-SW

[kbman]

When I was 13, I went to the range with my dad with my Winchester model 94 30-30 that he gave me a few months before for christmas. This is "the gun that won the Wild West " for those unfamiliar. It had open iron sights, no scope. and I had fired it about 8-10 times while sighting it in on one other trip to the range. Just for kicks, when we went uprange to place our 1st set of targets, I put a shotgun shell on a nail on top of the target backboard of the 100 yard target. I hit it with my first shot. My dad was so excited that he hit the range safety light switch so we could go uprange and check it out. Yup, clean shot just under the brass. I put another one up and walked back with my dad beaming and  carrying on. I hit the other one with my 2nd shot and my dad was stunned. I just thought "Wow! I guess I'm a decent shot".
      All of this has little bearing on the identity or background of this malignant individual who is doing these "sniper" killings in DC other than to say it doesn't take much more than a little natural talent and the will to commit heinous acts such as these to pull it off.

kbman

[Xjazz]

When I was in army, there was those "Natural born shooters".

They just take the assault rifle with open iron sights and shoot 300m (327yd) Golden mark just like that.

Jep, they holding a gun first time in their life...

[Pongo]

There is a single shot handgun that comes with a 16 inch barrel and in 223..takes a scope too. wonder if that is what he is using.
Thomson Center Contender. Will shoot 1 inch groups of 3 rounds at 100 yards.