US Army To be a sniper is to be an expert marksman at great distances. Snipers consider their target, ballistics, and shooting position, knowing the first shots may be their best. Several current and former US military sniper instructors told Insider about what it takes. What do snipers think about before they pull the trigger? There are dozens of possible considerations that go into a sniper's shot, everything from wind to an escape plan should things suddenly go sideways, current and former US military sniper instructors told Insider. A sniper must be able to put accurate and effective fire on targets that may be moving at distances far beyond the range of regular infantry, which are trained to shoot at targets out to a few hundred meters. Snipers are trained to shoot targets possibly thousands of meters away.