The 25 Deadliest American Snipers of All Time

By Chris Lange Published Aug 16, 9:51AM EDT

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The 25 Deadliest American Snipers of All Time — © Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

“American Sniper” is a harrowing movie about the exploits of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who is known as the deadliest sniper in the history of the U.S. military. The film delves into Kyle’s contributions to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, but it also underscores the importance of the modern-day sniper. (Also see, the deadliest snipers of World War II.)

The U.S. military has had many outstanding sharpshooters throughout its history. From the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, American snipers have played a pivotal role in battlefield engagements.

To determine the deadliest American snipers of all-time, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed information from Sniper Central, an online database of snipers ranging back to World War I. We ranked snipers from U.S. service branches by their number of confirmed kills, listing the top 25 with 40 confirmed kills or more. Precise figures were not available for one sniper in WWI. Supplemental information about unconfirmed kills, conflict served, and military branches also came from Sniper Central.

Chief Petty Officer Kyle secures the top of this list with the highest number of sniper confirmed kills in American military history at 160 confirmed. His military career accolades include one Silver Star Medal and numerous other commendations. During his tour in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, he recorded nearly 100 kills, earning him the name of “The Devil of Ramadi.” Kyle was also credited with hitting an insurgent over 1.2 miles away, a feat of incredible skill aided by modern sniper technology. (Find out about these rifles here: every sniper rifle currently used by the U.S. military.)

U.S. Marine Carlos Hathcock is considered a legend among Marines from the Vietnam era. He was renowned for his accuracy and lethality. During his service in the Marine Corp. he held the record for confirmed kills, at 93, and longest confirmed kill at 2,500 yards. Like many other elite marksmen, his skill was gained from a young age practicing with a gun or hunting.

It is worth noting that a majority of the snipers included in this list served in the Vietnam War. During that conflict, the significance of the sniper was brought to bear as ambush tactics, assassinations, and support fire became increasingly important. This would carry over into the following conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Here is a look at the deadliest American snipers.

25. Ronald D. Bundy
> Confirmed kills: 40
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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24. James Gularte
> Confirmed kills: 40
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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23. Tom “Moose” Ferran
> Confirmed kills: 41
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

22. Joe York
> Confirmed kills: 42
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Navy

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21. Daniel L. Greene
> Confirmed kills: 42
> Unconfirmed kills: 12
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Navy

20. Lynn Bushnell
> Confirmed kills: 43
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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19. T.R. Graves
> Confirmed kills: 43
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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18. James C. Peters
> Confirmed kills: 43
> Unconfirmed kills: 11
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Army

17. Terry Mathis
> Confirmed kills: 48
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Army

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16. Raymond W. Westphal
> Confirmed kills: 49
> Unconfirmed kills: 19
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

15. Philip G. Moran
> Confirmed kills: 53
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Army

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Nui Lon, Operation Bold Mariner by USMC Archives

Nui Lon, Operation Bold Mariner (CC BY 2.0) by USMC Archives

14. George Filyaw
> Confirmed kills: 56
> Unconfirmed kills: 20
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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Herman Davis (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Unknown photographer

13. Herman Davis
> Confirmed kills: 60
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: World War I
> Military branch: U.S. Army

12. Jack Coughlin
> Confirmed kills: 63
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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11. Joseph T. Ward
> Confirmed kills: 63
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

M1 Garand rifle USA noBG new by Armu00e9museum

M1 Garand rifle USA noBG new (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Armu00e9museum

10. Steve Suttles
> Confirmed kills: 63
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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9. Thomas R. Leonard
> Confirmed kills: 74
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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Best Army Photos 2 (CC BY 2.0) by Expert Infantry

8. Ronnie Shinya Marshall
> Confirmed kills: 77
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Army

Carlos Hathcock, 1968 (CC BY 2.0) by USMC Archives

7. Carlos Hathcock
> Confirmed kills: 93
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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M1903-Springfield-Rifle by Curiosandrelics

M1903-Springfield-Rifle (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Curiosandrelics

6. Eric R. England
> Confirmed kills: 98
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

5. Herbert W. McBride
> Confirmed kills: 100+
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: World War I
> Military branch: U.S. Army

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4. Charles B. Mawhinney
> Confirmed kills: 103
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Marine Corps

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3. Adelbert Waldron III
> Confirmed kills: 109
> Unconfirmed kills: 0
> Conflict: Vietnam
> Military branch: U.S. Army

2. Timothy L. Kellner
> Confirmed kills: 142
> Unconfirmed kills: N/A
> Conflict: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Haiti
> Military branch: U.S. Army

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1. Chris Kyle
> Confirmed kills: 160
> Unconfirmed kills: 95
> Conflict: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom
> Military branch: U.S. Navy SEALs

About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.