History Main / SniperDuel

* One of the set-pieces in TheHurtLocker is built around a sniper duel between the [=EOD=] team and faceless insurgents.
* EnemyAtTheGates is all about a duel in [[UrbanWarfare the ruins]] of [[WorldWarII Stalingrad]] between an [[AristocratsAreEvil aristocratic]], [[ColdSniper merciless]] German sniper and a [[FriendlySniper drafted Russian soldier]] who learned shooting hunting with his family as a child.
* Happens at least once in each of the three ''Sniper'' movies.

* Tends to happen by merit of player judgment in ''TeamFortress2'', where the majority of snipers tend to think their primary targets are other snipers. This strategy has been criticized for making the Sniper class almost totally redundant and contributing very little to the team.

* In Vietnam, legendary Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock was once hunting another sniper. Hathcock was sighting through his rifle scope, when he saw light glint off metal some distance away, and he fired at it. When he approached, it was learned that he had shot the other sniper-- ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome right through the guy's own rifle scope, killing him instantly.]]'' According to Hathcock, the other sniper must have been looking at him at the same time, and if Hathcock had been any slower on the trigger, he'd have been dead.

A SniperDuel takes the tension in this trope and plays it UpToEleven. Instead of facing off at close range with small handguns, the duelists may be miles apart wielding high-power rifles. Both may be masters of camoflage and/or deception. Sniper duels in fiction can last days or weeks, as each tries to draw the other into a vulnerable position but conceal their own, and often end with single shot. If TheSquad is caught out in the open by an enemy sniper, often their only chance of salvation is a friendly sniper, who will be the only member of the team with the ability to save the day.

* In the trenches of WWII, snipers from both sides sniped each other (and other soldiers) for sport, because when you're knee-deep in mud and subsisting on terrible rations and haven't had any sleep for up to a week, there's not many other ways to have fun.

* Tends to happen by merit of player judgment in ''TeamFortress2,'' where the majority of snipers tend to think their primary targets are other snipers. This strategy has been criticized for making the Sniper class almost totally redundant and contributing very little to the team.
** Not that there is anything wrong with protecting allies by taking out enemy snipers as a sniper. But when they focus entirely on sniping eachother, it becomes pointless. 2fort is a map infamous for this (and a few other things), since both teams have opposite balconies perfect for sniping directly connected to the respawn rooms.

** Hathcock had other engagements involving enemy snipers. One of then ended via an anti tank missile to the Vietnamese sniper's general position (it did the trick), and another involved dozens of enemy snipers and an artillery strike. Hathcock only [[TheCombatPragmatist plays fair when he has to]].

** To be fair, when he is alone and in a decent spot of cover, the sniper can be a useful ally by shooting at enemy team members from a distance (An enemy Heavy, for example, is easier to take out if you're a Sniper, simply because you can avoid getting cut down by their rapid-firing guns). The trouble is that any Snipers working for the enemy will be doing the same to your team, so it is only practical to shoot them. Naturally if the enemy Sniper spots you they will realize this and try to attack you for the same reasons.

* Russians during the Winter War against Finland initially ''tried'' to deal with the legendary Simo Hayha by sending their own snipers after him. It didn't work.

* In ''MetalGearSolid,'' Snake is pitted against Sniper Wolf and needs to beat her at her namesake.

* The battle against The End in ''MetalGearSolid3'' is this. It is a test of endurance, literally, as The End will only use tranquilizer darts in the battle and refuses to kill you outright.

* Russians during the Winter War against Finland initially ''tried'' to deal with the legendary Simo Hayha by sending their own snipers after him. It didn't take.

Sometimes the duel is used to hilight the differences between a protagonist and antagonist, where one is a ColdSniper and the other is a FriendlySniper. The characters often possess ImprobableAimingSkills and the fight may end with a [[BoomHeadshot headshot]] and for truly BadAss characters, a ScopeSnipe. GenreSavvy [[CombatPragmatist combat pragamatists]] who lack either the skill or equipment to engage in a SniperDuel may instead [[AvertedTrope avert it]] by calling in an [[DeathFromAbove airstrike]] or [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill artillery strike.]]

* In ''TheManWithTheGoldenGun'', after British intelligence recieves word the title character has been contracted to kill JamesBond, Bond volunteers to hunt his own hunter.

NeedsABetterDescription

Snipers are [[ColdSniper cold,]] [[BoomHeadshot accurate,]] and difficult to spot before they can kill their targets. So how do you deal with an enemy sniper? Why, send one of your own to counter them! A friendly sniper will be able to identify potential hiding places the enemy can surprise them from, and if the enemy sniper fires first, will be able to quickly isolate where the shot came from and be able to return fire -- in fact, it's safe to assume that at these long ranges, your sniper is the ''only'' one who will be able to return fire.

See also ScopeSnipe.

Snipers are [[ColdSniper cold,]] [[BoomHeadshot accurate,]] and difficult to spot before they can kill their targets. So how do you deal with an enemy sniper? Why, send one of your own to counter them!

* Tends to happen by merit of player judgment in ''TeamFortress2,'' where the majority of snipers tend to think their primary targets are other snipers. This strategy has been criticized for making the sniper class almost totally redundant and contributing very little to the team.

* In Sarojavo during the recent war, one mercenary training a band of Croat snipers made it the business of his "class" to eliminate a Serbian sniper that had a weird taste for [[PsychoForHire shooting civilians]]. They finally got him.

* In TheManWithTheGoldenGun, after British intelligence recieves word the title character has been contracted to kill JamesBond, Bond volunteers to hunt his own hunter.
* There was a sniper duel partway through SavingPrivateRyan between the SouthernFriedPrivate and a German sniper. By the end of the film, it was clear nothing the Germans had could kill him except [[TankGoodness a much bigger gun.]]