History Main / SniperScopeGlint

* Defied, and exploited: This trope is precisely why UsefulNotes/SimoHayha never used a scoped rifle (that, and the issue of sniper scopes becoming frosted over due to the harsh winter conditions of Finland), as the scopes reflected light that was itself reflected from the snow that covered the Finnish battlefields. In fact, several of the Soviet snipers that tried and ultimately failed to kill him were themselves given away thanks to the glints of their rifles, which Simo used to his advantage.

* This trope is precisely why UsefulNotes/SimoHayha never used a scoped rifle (that, and the issue of sniper scopes becoming frosted over due to the harsh winter conditions of Finland), as the scopes reflected light that was itself reflected from the snow that covered the Finnish battlefields. In fact, several of the Soviet snipers that tried and ultimately failed to kill him were themselves given away thanks to the glints of their rifles, which Simo used to his advantage.

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'': Indy, Henry, and Sallah are spotted by the German motorcade on a hillside overlooking their route by a glint off of Indy's binoculars. The motorcade stops and the tank opens fire on their position, destroying Sallah's car.

* ''Franchise/MetalGear'':

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': This is one of the ways to defeat the End. His rifle will give off a glint that Snake can spot from across the map, letting the latter close in on him.

* During UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, this was how Carlos Hathcock spotted the sniper who was trying to take him out. Aiming for the reflected light ended up resulting in one of the very few real-life examples of the Scope Snipe. The main reason that he was able to pull this off was that the sniper had him right in his sights, and if the other sniper had gotten on the trigger first, Hathcock would have been done for.

* ''Anime/DesertPunk'': The Shimmer Sniper deliberately invokes this trope as his calling card in the second episode. Desert Punk points out how stupid it is and calls Shimmer Sniper an amateur and poser for deliberately giving his position away.

* There are few devices that are fitted to scopes that are intended to reduce this. One is simply making the tube the scope is housed in extend over the forward lens so it will glint at less ranges. Another is a honeycomb like structure that fits over the lens that breaks up the glint but is almost imperceptible to the shooter.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'': When Chargers are ready to fire, the user's ink tank emits a bright glow that can be seen from quite a ways away, while a laser sight reveals to other players where they're currently aiming.

* ''VideoGame/SniperElite5'' brings back the white glint, now accompanied by a two audio cues, with the first indicating that the enemy sniper has seen the player, with the second indicating he is about to fire on your position and blow your cover. Additionally, in Axis Invasion Mode, the Allied sniper, should they be aiming while using a scoped rifle, will produce a similar white glint as both regular enemy snipers and the Sniper Jager (the invading player, should they also be aiming with a scoped rifle).

** A feature added in the multiplayer of ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'' is having SniperRifle-wielding players have their scopes produce a noticeable glint visible to other players present. An interesting detail here is that the glint itself is only visible to other players provided that the enemy sniper is facing towards you from at least 20 degrees to the left or right. ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' brings this detail back, but modifies the mechanics on how it's seen.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* ''Literature/SongOfSusannah'': Immediately after arriving in Maine from Mid-World, Roland and Eddie get into a firefight with Enrico Balazar's enforcers. It begins with Roland catching a circular flash of light from the woods and thinking, "in his experience only two things made that unique reflection: eyeglasses, and the long scope of a weapon." Cue sniper fire.

* ''VideoGame/Splatoon'': When Chargers are ready to fire, the user's ink tank emits a bright glow that can be seen from quite a ways away, while a laser sight reveals where they're currently aiming.

In fiction, a sniper will almost always give their position in one of three ways, the sound of their {{Sniper Rifle}}s firing, [[EveryBulletIsATracer tracer rounds being fired from their weapons]], or, in this case, their scopes giving off a huge and very obvious glint. This is often from sunlight reflecting on their scopes, but this can also apply to any form of light in general, such as from a nearby fire, streetlight, or even a LaserSight that comes as part of the rifle. Thanks to this giveaway, expect the sniper to fall to a ScopeSnipe from a counter-sniper, with the glint disappearing just as the bullet flies into their scope. Some snipers in fact see these glints as a reason for them to opt to use rifles [[NoScope without scopes instead]], due to this trope making a scope AwesomeButImpractical in combat. Alternatively, the sniper can also exploit this trope to their advantage, by having decoys, usually an OutfitDecoy, fitted with a dummy rifle or light that replicates the glint produced by a sniper rifle, in order to bait enemies into attacking or moving to the supposed position, only for the enemies to be LuredIntoATrap and killed. In a SniperDuel, a glint from either combatants' rifles is enough to spell the difference between life and death.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/SniperElite4 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20210629204740_1.jpg]]]]

In fiction, a sniper will almost always give their position in one of three ways, the sound of their {{Sniper Rifle}}s firing, [[EveryBulletIsATracer tracer rounds being fired from their weapons]], or, in this case, their scopes giving off a huge and very obvious glint. This is often from sunlight reflecting on their scopes, but this can also apply to any form of light in general, such as from a nearby fire, streetlight, or even a LaserSight that comes as part of the rifle. Thanks to this giveaway, expect the sniper to fall to a ScopeSnipe from a counter-sniper, with the glint disappearing just as the bullet flies into their scope. Some snipers in fact see these glints as a reason for them to opt to use rifles [[NoScope without scopes instead]], due to this trope making a scope AwesomeButImpractical in combat. Alternatively, the sniper can also exploit this trope to their advantage, by having decoys, usually an OutfitDecoy, fitted with a dummy rifle or light that replicates the glint produced by a sniper rifle, in order to bait enemies into attacking or moving to the supposed position, only for the enemies to be LuredIntoATrap and killed.

* During UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, this was how Carlos Hathcock spotted the sniper who was trying to take him out. Aiming for the reflected light ended up resulting in one of the very few real-life examples of the Scope Snipe. The main reason that he was able to pull this off was that the sniper had him right in his sights, and if the other sniper had gotten on the trigger first, Hathcock would have been done for.