When we picture a sniper in his hide, patiently watching and waiting, he's always prone on the ground, with the rifle supported by a bipod, sandbags or perhaps a pack. While the supported prone position is of course the most stable position, and offers easy concealment, it's not always viable.
I've found myself utilizing one of several variations on the sitting position many times over the years during SWAT training, on callouts, and on hunting trips. Admittedly not as inherently stable as prone, sitting offers several advantages including: putting the line of fire above intervening brush and other low obstacles, offering a better platform for steep uphill or downhill shooting, ease of shooting from windows, and it allows the sniper to traverse quickly to different targets.
On a recent Wyoming elk hunt I used sitting position to clear low growing tree branches and other vegetation between me and a large 6x6 bull at just short of 180 yards. Intervening vegetation prohibited use of the prone position, so I sat on my butt, in the classic cross-legged target shooters sitting position, slipped my left arm through my "hasty" sling, let out a half a breath and put one 7mm bullet through the heart & lungs of the big bull. He fell quickly to that one well-placed shot.
During a SWAT training exercise in rural central Washington my spotter and I eased to about 100 yards from the target and found that we couldn't see it from prone due to the sage covered terrain. We both assumed low sitting positions, he determined the range and I placed the shot well from the "snipers sitting" position.
While serving an arrest warrant on a homicide suspect, my spotter and I were forced to use a ground level firing position to cover a second story apartment in a residential neighborhood. Initially I attempted prone, but the sloping terrain prohibited this position and I again used the snipers sitting position. I was able to comfortably maintain the position while the assault element closed on the building and made entry. This position enabled me to shift between the apartment's three different windows as necessary.
Another night SWAT callout found the suspect armed and barricaded in a single wide trailer below a steep, rock and brush covered ridgeline. To gain observation into the trailer's windows my spotter and I positioned ourselves on the steep slope where we could easily provide cover for the advancing assault element. The steepness of this ridgeline again precluded use of the prone position; it simply wasn't viable to prone out with my head well below my feet! This time I adapted the sniper's sitting position and found it worked well, allowing me to comfortably remain on target for an extended period as the suspect was negotiated into surrender.
These are but a few of the times I've used a sitting position with a rifle. The Marine Corps and Washington State's law enforcement sniper school both stress shooting from the sitting position. It is also a required position in many rifle competitions.
Different sitting positions which are favored by snipers include:
Cross legged sitting with either loop or hasty sling.
Open legged sitting. May be more comfortable for some, and works well on steep slopes. Not generally as stable as the cross legged position.
Snipers sitting position. Very stable, and excellent for one shot. Quick follow up shots may be difficult.
Bench rest sitting. More appropriate than many snipers imagine, it's particularly useful when shooting from inside a room where chairs and other furniture are available.
Tools which can help the sniper with his sitting position include: a taller version of the bipod, shooting sticks, a backpack tall enough to double as a rest, a rolled up shooting mat standing on end, and most importantly, a good sling can be used in either "hasty" or "loop" configuration to stabilize the rifle. I use the Tactical Intervention Specialists M-24 sling on my SWAT and hunting rifles and can recommend it wholeheartedly.
Snipers should include the various sitting positions into their regular marksmanship training. With some good coaching and a bit of practice excellent accuracy can be achieved.
Guy Miner