Caution..! Graphic and NOT FOR CHILDREN's EYES...!

[Kerry & Kathy]

I am posting this for two reasons:

1. It is important to appreciate the skills that our men in uniform and those of our allies possess. It is hard for the average citizen...even ex veterans to appreciate the difficulty in hitting an enemy combatant at 1/2 mile...let alone 1.43 to 1.48 miles...!

2. Only those who have witnessed a shooting first hand or served in combat can appreciate the destruction that can be wrought on the human body by a high velocity bullet. However...VERY few appreciate how destructive a 1/2" diameter 50 caliber bullet weighing 660 grains can be on a human body. The results on a soft tissue target are explosive.

I can assure you that these Taliban snipers did not feel pain. As graphic as these pictures are...their demise was quick and humane. The hydrostatic pressure applied to their bodies would have rendered their nervous systems incapable of transmitting pain within micro seconds of being shot.

These pictures depict the shooting of four Taliban snipers who were positioned above friendly troops and were killed by Canadian snipers using McMillian bolt action 50 Cal. sniper rifles made here in the US. These same weapons are fielded by our own US Sniper teams in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To put the skill of these shooters in perspective. A Barrett 660 grain bullet with a 2900 ft / sec muzzle velocity will drop 96 FEET 5 inches...below the rifle bore centerline...at 1750 yards...! The record kills by two Canadian snipers exceeded these distances by another 750 YARDS...!

I can't even calculate the bullet drop at these distances because every ballistic calculator I have will not calculate to these extreme distances. My guess...and it is only a guess is that bullet drop at 2500 yds (1.43 miles)...would be in excess of 150 FEET. Yet these shooters had the skill to compensate for this bullet drop...as well as the effect of wind... both side to side as well as the updrafts in these mountains to hit a man sized target at these distances.

In two of the examples shown...only the head and shoulders of the Taliban sniper can be seen. Yet these shooters made good cold bore hits.

This is an amazing feat under closely controlled circumstances...let alone in combat.

I warn you again.
If you are squeamish ...do not open this link.
If you do not want to witness the graphic deaths of four enemy snipers...do not open this link.
If you are offended by this post...you have the choice to close it now.

However, If you can watch this video for the instructional value intended....continue at your own discretion.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/jpozadzides/videos/26/

Kerry

Note that this post does not conflict with the posted rules for the Paddock as set by Mark.

 

[Tim M]

Thanks for the warnings. I would not have believe it without seeing it. So, when a sniper aims at a target that far away, are they seeing the target in the scope? I'm sassuming they turn a knob on the scope to adjust for the drop/distance?

 

[Kerry & Kathy]

Thanks for the warnings. I would not have believe it without seeing it. So, when a sniper aims at a target that far away, are they seeing the target in the scope? I'm assuming they turn a knob on the scope to adjust for the drop/distance?

The weapon and scope are first zeroed at a known distance. For a hunting rifle that might be 100 yds or more frequently 200 yds for flat shooting calibers. But for a sniper rifle...especially a 50 caliber, the distance is much greater... 800 yds or more. I suspect, but do not know that these long distance shots may require a zero of 2000 yds or more.

Keep in mind that the bullet has to pass the line of sight twice. Once as it leaves the barrel and rises above the line of sight...and a second time as the bullet drops past the line of sight at the "zero" distance. From that point on... the bullet continues to drop. The spotter will have a "dope" book that includes all records of every shot that rifle has fired since new. Every distance...every temperature... every elevation and barometric pressure...every detail. Once the spotter can range the target with a laser rangefinder...he then consults the dope book to determine the number of MOA...minutes of angle... necessary to achieve a hit at the range desired. Each scope will have turrets for elevation and windage. Each of those turrets will have a number of "clicks" equal to 1 MOA. If the minutes of angle needed are 22 and there are 8 clicks per MOA...then he tells the shooter to "come up" 22 MOA ...or 176 clicks. This is also referred to as "come ups". The shooter then adjusts the elevation turret "up" 176 graduations.

The spotter then has to determine the wind direction and velocity. Often this has to be estimated by watching smoke, trees, water, or any indicator that will provide wind direction and velocity. There are electronic wind measurement devices they carry but that only measures the wind at the shooter's position. The wind may be totally different at the target's position and the spotter has to take all of this information in to make a determination. After reading the wind, the spotter will then indicate how many clicks are needed left or right to offset what he believes are the current wind directions and the shooter will adjust his windage turret accordingly. Of the two variables, wind and elevation..the wind is by FAR the most difficult to predict accurately.

In the four examples shown in the video the shooter made hits on each of his first shot (cold barrel). That is often not the case. If the shot misses...the spotter then observes the vapor trail of the bullet and if possible the point where the bullet impacts near the target. He then will instruct the shooter to make an adjustment and quickly fire a second shot before the target can take cover.

And we haven't even touched on other variables such as temperature....or shooting uphill vs. downhill...or elevation effect (air density)... For example, a change of 30 deg in temperature can change a bullets trajectory by 3" in only 500 yds. At 2500 yds that would be a change of 15"...just due to a 30 deg shift in temp.

When you begin to understand all of the variables involved and how many variables have to be estimated...rather than measured...it is AMAZING that a target the size of a human torso (about 12" x 18" ) could be hit on the FIRST shot at those distances.

I shoot regularly to 500 yds at the range on our farm...and I am blown away by the skills of these shooters.

Kerry

 

[Tim M]

Uh, WOW

 

[TBULL]

I agree with Kerry. These guys are amazing. I sat through a couple of short seminars on this during some weapons familiarization courses. Of course those were with the McMillan rifle, but still it's amazing. My best shot was on a plate at 630 yards in the desert with a .308, I can't even imagine the distances these guys are shooting. Good equipment is of course a must. Kerry, I thought the Canadian goverment said they didn't officially have any "snipers" in their military. Of course that's just what I heard when the guys broke the record for the longest snipe, they weren't allowed to give them any recognition award for sniping because they didn't have any sniper teams. I guess they just have some shooting enthusiasts.

Nice write up.