The Ultimate Sniper

The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers is a book written by Major John Plaster and published in 1993. (Paladin Press, 584 pages, ISBN 0-87364-704-1 ). An expanded and updated version was published in 2006.

The book teaches methods that help the reader master their sniping skills. It was hailed as a landmark book by the firearms press and is widely used as a reference by military and law-enforcement personnel. The book came under the spotlight in October 2006 when a video about "Juba the sniper," who allegedly killed more than 20 US soldiers in Iraq, mentioned it as an inspiration.

Also included in the book is some history on sniping, including background on the British Army's first sniper unit, the Scottish Highland Lovat Scouts. These scouts fought in the Second Boer War and were fittingly described as "half wolf and half jackrabbit" by their leader, Frederick Russell Burnham, an American who served as Chief of Scouts for the British Army in Southern Africa. All of this material is covered in much greater detail in Plaster's illustrated book, The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting.