Nicely done

[Backlighting]

Canadian sniper shattered world record, killing ISIS fighter from 2 miles away, report says:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/06/22/report-canadian-sniper-kills-isis-fighter-2-miles-away/418889001/

[merjet]

Wow! This Fox news story about the event identifies the weapon and comments on the spotter's role.

[Peter]

Me! Me! Remember those old coke bottle looking glasses? Luckily I was never that bad. I could hit a body shaped image at 600 yards and that got me an Expert rating with the U.S. Army with the M-14. Yet to this day one of my eyes is about 20/200 without glasses, though my good eye is 20/20. Both of my eyes look the same with newer glasses and I am not required to drive with my glasses on, thanks to my eye doctor. I'm just sayin'.

Peter

[Peter]

I liked the idea that the role of the spotter was emphasized, with a scientific evaluation of conditions, but I wonder how many times in ten tries that rifleman could hit the target? Of course we have missiles that lock on target and I bet something like a long range hand held, bazooka / rocket is in the works. I wonder what a fifty caliber rifle is like when it bangs your shoulder? Worse than a twelve gauge? I shooed some cat food eating raccoons away with a 410 shotgun the other day and even that hurt my shoulder because I did not have it snug. No animals were harmed in the making of this story. We have a family of reddish tailed raccoons that have materialized.

Peter

[BaalChatzaf]

1 hour ago, Peter said:

I liked the idea that the role of the spotter was emphasized, with a scientific evaluation of conditions, but I wonder how many times in ten tries that rifleman could hit the target? Of course we have missiles that lock on target and I bet something like a long range hand held, bazooka / rocket is in the works. I wonder what a fifty caliber rifle is like when it bangs your shoulder? Worse than a twelve gauge? I shooed some cat food eating raccoons away with a 410 shotgun the other day and even that hurt my shoulder because I did not have it snug. No animals were harmed in the making of this story. We have a family of reddish tailed raccoons that have materialized.

Peter

I would say there was as much luck as science behind this sniper's shot.  The wind could have shifted downrange.  There is nothing the shooter could have done about that.  He took his shot based on the conditions he detect.  Once the bullet was on its way, the gods of wind and humidity rules for the next 18 seconds. 

[Backlighting]

3 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said:

I would say there was as much luck as science behind this sniper's shot.  The wind could have shifted downrange.  There is nothing the shooter could have done about that.  He took his shot based on the conditions he detect.  Once the bullet was on its way, the gods of wind and humidity rules for the next 18 seconds. 

I would say it's impossible for me to determine how much luck, if any, was involved.

What I do know is Canadian military snipers, as well as our own, have gone through extensive training and endless hrs. of practice.

[Backlighting]

5 hours ago, Peter said:

I could hit a body shaped image at 600 yards and that got me an Expert rating with the U.S. Army with the M-14.

Peter

That's really good shooting Peter. I remember, with the same rifle, hitting those targets @ 300 yards. I don't remember firing to 600 yds....this was in Basic, 1968, Ft. Jackson. The real challenge for me was shooting from the squatting position...I found it difficult to keep the barrel steady. Kneeling, the prone and standing positions were not nearly as difficult.

[BaalChatzaf]

3 hours ago, Backlighting said:

I would say it's impossible for me to determine how much luck, if any, was involved.

What I do know is Canadian military snipers, as well as our own, have gone through extensive training and endless hrs. of practice.

These master snipers determine the factors affecting the shot as exactly as humanly possible.  Even so, the conditions can change downrange in the interval it takes the round to get to its intended target.  Once the shot is away there is nothing the shooter can do to prevent changes that can spoil the shot. Also the intended target could move in that interval.  There is nothing the shooter can do about that.  The shooters maximize their probability  of a hit.  That is as much as any sniper can do. 

[Peter]

I certainly agree with Backlighting. I could hit the broad side of a barn standing, kneeling, or sitting. But if the gun is resting and I am prone, I can hold steady. The last time I actually aimed a rifle I had a lot of jiggle and I could not stop the tremor, so I would place my chances at 50-50 from 300 yards with no guarantees that I would hit the target in the chest.

What will warfare look like in a few more years? Instead of a rifle a soldier might carry his drone, recharge it from a battery pack or electrical sockets on a mobile device like a jeep.  If you are fired upon from a roof you could guide your drone up there with a camera built into your helmet. Rat a tat tat.

And autonomous, armed spider bots programmed to leave our guys and civilians alone is certainly on the horizon. If you were a terrorist imagine a wave of them coming at your position as Wagner plays over loud speakers. “Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!”

Peter

[Backlighting]

7 hours ago, Peter said:

"The last time I actually aimed a rifle I had a lot of jiggle and I could not stop the tremor, so I would place my chances at 50-50 from 300 yards with no guarantees that I would hit the target in the chest"

Peter

Try this one Peter. It's a lighter and much shorter version of the one we qualified with. Around $1800 on-line. Gotta say, If I could only have 1 rifle...this would be the one. Up to 1200 yds or so for hunting, home defense and target shooting. A serious caliber, a serious rifle, made by a serious manufacturer.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/m1a-socom-16-cqb/

[BaalChatzaf]

2 hours ago, Backlighting said:

Try this one Peter. It's a lighter and much shorter version of the one we qualified with. Around $1800 on-line. Gotta say, If I could only have 1 rifle...this would be the one. Up to 1200 yds or so for hunting, home defense and target shooting. A serious caliber, a serious rifle, made by a serious manufacturer.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/m1a-socom-16-cqb/

Will that do you any good if the government sends a drone to bomb you from 5,000 ft.?

[Backlighting]

2 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said:

Will that do you any good if the government sends a drone to bomb you from 5,000 ft.?

OK I'll play. It's not designed as an anti-drone weapon.

[BaalChatzaf]

5 hours ago, Backlighting said:

OK I'll play. It's not designed as an anti-drone weapon.

Spoken like a reasonable sane individual!  Yet there are gun obsessed  people who make a fetish out of fire arms.  This are people who collected dozens  or even hundreds of firearms  and keep them ready to fire.  Some people think that  carrying a fire arm open in public makes then invulnerable to harm, attack or government tyranny.  That just isn't the case.  In an uprising if the government sends planes,  tanks, drones  or using artillery or gas  from long range,  a person packing a pistol or wielding a 20 rounds/clip  automatic weapon does not stand a chance.  

[Brant Gaede]

On 6/24/2017 at 3:26 PM, Backlighting said:

That's really good shooting Peter. I remember, with the same rifle, hitting those targets @ 300 yards. I don't remember firing to 600 yds....this was in Basic, 1968, Ft. Jackson. The real challenge for me was shooting from the squatting position...I found it difficult to keep the barrel steady. Kneeling, the prone and standing positions were not nearly as difficult.

My brother set the record at Camp Pendleton for M-14 accuracy in 1966. It's possible the course qualification record still stands as the Marines switched to the M-16 for Vietnam.

I didn't shoot expert with the M-14 at Ft Ord in 1964--just one grade below. Halfway through the qualification it started to rain and as a lefty I needed glasses for near-sightedness in the left eye. As the target popped up I stood my rifle at my side and calmly put my wet glasses in my front pocket all the time my eyes on the target. Then with one smooth burst of speed I whipped the M-14 to my right shoulder and fired hardly steadying it for sighting. I didn't see what happened, but the range sergeant said, "I don't know how you did that." Bullseye! I shot the rest of the course right handed. I'm semi-ambidextrous in that I learned to write right handed naturally, but the physical stuff is left handed. Except, that is, for firing a rifle if from the left won't do.

In Vietnam/Cambodia I fired the M-16, usually in three round bursts left handed, and never used my glasses. In those days I was 20/40 in my left eye and 20/20 in my right. The depth perception was rather poor.

--Brant

[Brant Gaede]

3 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said:

Spoken like a reasonable sane individual!  Yet there are gun obsessed  people who make a fetish out of fire arms.  This are people who collected dozens  or even hundreds of firearms  and keep them ready to fire.  Some people think that  carrying a fire arm open in public makes then invulnerable to harm, attack or government tyranny.  That just isn't the case.  In an uprising if the government sends planes,  tanks, drones  or using artillery or gas  from long range,  a person packing a pistol or wielding a 20 rounds/clip  automatic weapon does not stand a chance.  

If they think that they are either ignorant or idiots, but you shouldn't mix up the categories of (private) self defense and dealing with the government.

--Brant

[Brant Gaede]

14 hours ago, Backlighting said:

Try this one Peter. It's a lighter and much shorter version of the one we qualified with. Around $1800 on-line. Gotta say, If I could only have 1 rifle...this would be the one. Up to 1200 yds or so for hunting, home defense and target shooting. A serious caliber, a serious rifle, made by a serious manufacturer.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/m1a-socom-16-cqb/

If it shoots through walls those walls may be your neighbor's.  There are three weapons needed for home defense and this is only one of those. The others are a pistol or revolver and a shotgun. The rifle is the least needed unless you are in a rural area or live in a brick house. Then it's (my) first choice.

--Brant

[Backlighting]

2 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

If it shoots through walls those walls may be your neighbor's.  There are three weapons needed for home defense and this is only one of those. The others are a pistol or revolver and a shotgun. The rifle is the least needed unless you are in a rural area or live in a brick house. Then it's (my) first choice.

--Brant

Agreed.

[Peter]

Brant wrote, “In those days I was 20/40 in my left eye and 20/20 in my right. The depth perception was rather poor.”

I always hated being at bat playing baseball in my childhood because my depth perception was not good. He swings. He misses it by a mile. His friends laugh. I compensated by moving my head and taking snap shots in my brain of where the ball was currently traveling in that microsecond, and then timing my swing.

Someday, I will have to have cataract surgery on my bad eye and it is a dilemma. If I can “fix” it, should I? I have been told I may/will feel woozy suddenly seeing depth better. My brain would undergo visual reprogramming that may last a long, long time. I think I will wait until necessary to have anything done. Hopefully I can save my poorer eye for “The Fix” if my good eye has a problem.    

I remember the day I qualified with the M-14 at Fort Bragg. Our CO had to sign off on my score and for some reason he despised me (he knew I was a “Navy brat’) and read off my score sarcastically. I felt elation at my score and then dread that I would be a grunt slogging through the rainforest mud when I was hoping for a more technical job.   

Peter

[Backlighting]

10 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said:

Spoken like a reasonable sane individual!  Yet there are gun obsessed  people who make a fetish out of fire arms.  This are people who collected dozens  or even hundreds of firearms  and keep them ready to fire.  Some people think that  carrying a fire arm open in public makes then invulnerable to harm, attack or government tyranny.  That just isn't the case.  In an uprising if the government sends planes,  tanks, drones  or using artillery or gas  from long range,  a person packing a pistol or wielding a 20 rounds/clip  automatic weapon does not stand a chance.  

The obsessed ones don't concern me...I leave them to their own paranoia.

[Backlighting]

7 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

"If it shoots through walls those walls may be your neighbor's. There are three weapons needed for home defense and this is only one of those. The others are a pistol or revolver and a shotgun" --Brant

New from Mossberg: Here's an interesting new take on a shotgun. With only a 14" barrel (legal) it's ideal for home defense...tight quarters. Remington has followed with its own version. Around $600 on line.

https://www.mossberg.com/category/series/590-shockwave/