Firing a Mosin Nagant 7.62mm carbine,
Zhang Taofang is not even using a scope in this
Chinese propaganda photo. With or without a scope,
his 214 confirmed kill total is an extraordinary accomplishment.
The CCF weren't noted for their snipng
accuracy, you usually knew they were around when a
nearby sandbag suddenly emitted a loud
"whack." But they were certainly good
enough so that only the inexperienced casually wandered around
where they might be under observation from
unfriendly eyes.
The "Underground Wall Of
China" permitted snipers on forward slopes to
man their positions until artillery actually began
to fall, and then simply back into the tunnels
behind them. With careful frontal embankment and
tunnels angled shortly after entrance, the snipers
would be safe even from direct hits (napalm was a
different story). The Chinese propaganda photo
below makes this point. As a rule, when assaults
were made on enemy positions, strategems such as
time-on-target air-burst barrages fired after a
period of inactivity long enough for the CCF to
re-emerge from their holes tended to reduce the
effectiveness of their responses.
