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FC/OT: SAS Sniper shoots ISIS Commander from over a mile away...

This is one of the greatest series on YT. I think it's about 13 parts. They don't show you the stuff they go through like the SAS but the discussions are compelling. Check it out if you care to. I've watched all of them several times. The Polish born American is priceless.

Thanks for posting Victor, don't have time this morning to watch all the segments but will eventually make time.
 
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That's what I was wondering. Never heard of sniping with a machine gun. .50 cal, yes. .50 cal machine gun, no.

GSgt Carlos Hathcock, 2,500 yards with a Ma Deuce in 1967. There have been others, but none long enough to make the record books.
 
Interesting to note that the bullet comes down from an extreme angle and could potentially split the torso in two lengthwise.
The trajectory angle for the last 100 yards isn’t too great. Of course the ballistic chart is providing an approximate composite of the many variables from “0 sight in distance”, velocity, shape coefficient, weight. also take note of the "time of flight" (TOF) 5 seconds :eek:

The last 100 yards of trajectory has an interval drop of about 40’, meaning the bullet approaching the target is coming in at 8 degrees from the horizontal.

To get an idea of the bullet angle prior to impact, lay a 4’ straight edge on the table. Hold the right end on the table and lift the left end 6½”.

Range Velocity Energy Trajectory TOF
(yards) (fps) (ft-lb) (inches) (sec)
0 2700 11169 -1.50 0.0000
100 2578 10185 -0.00 0.1137
2300 945 1369 -3104.37 4.7
2400 924 1308 -3538.07 5.1
2500 905 1254 -4013.10 5.4

Provided by:: Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School Oct '78
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071
 
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If you like how one 50 cal. shoots how about four as in a Quad 50. In Vietnam I was a Heavy Automatic Weapons unit commander and had a few Quad 50 trucks that ran convoy escort and perimeter security and eight Dusters which were tanks with two 40mm cannons that shot at max 240 rounds a minute of cannon fire with each round more powerful than a couple of hand grenades. Extremely effective on ground troops and fortifications.
 
The trajectory angle for the last 100 yards isn’t too great. Of course the ballistic chart is providing an approximate composite of the many variables from “0 sight in distance”, velocity, shape coefficient, weight. also take note of the "time of flight" (TOF) 5 seconds :eek:

The last 100 yards of trajectory has an interval drop of about 40’, meaning the bullet approaching the target is coming in at 8 degrees from the horizontal.

To get an idea of the bullet angle prior to impact, lay a 4’ straight edge on the table. Hold the right end on the table and lift the left end 6½”.

Range Velocity Energy Trajectory TOF
(yards) (fps) (ft-lb) (inches) (sec)
0 2700 11169 -1.50 0.0000
100 2578 10185 -0.00 0.1137
2300 945 1369 -3104.37 4.7
2400 924 1308 -3538.07 5.1
2500 905 1254 -4013.10 5.4

Provided by:: Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School Oct '78
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

Step....not as much of an angle as I expected at that range...although the 3700 yard shots must be like dropping a mortar round.
 
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Step....not as much of an angle as I expected at that range...although the 3700 yard shots must be like dropping a mortar round.
Here ya go Ram, link to balistics of various calibers:
enjoy
http://www.shooterscalculator.com/ballistic-trajectory-chart.php?pl=.50+BMG+100yd&presets=&df=G1&bc=1.050&bw=750&vi=2820&zr=500&sh=1.5&sa=0&ws=0&wa=90&ssb=on&cr=2500&ss=100&chartColumns=Range~yd;Elevation~in;Time~s;Energy~ft.lbf;Vel[x+y]~ft/s&lbl=50+BMG+750gr+Hornady+A-Max&submitst=+Create+Chart+

3700 yds
About 10-11 degrees off the horizontal; 9" in 48"
 
It's a difficult shot (nothing like stating the obvious). Like this kill, there are no details of the longest one (3,871 yards). In the second longest, 2,707 yards, Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison fired nine rounds to range his targets before killing two Taliban gunners with consecutive shots(at the same distance. Harrison fired .338 Lapua rounds, which are nice pieces of ordnance.

The third longest kill was recorded by Corporal Rob Furlong, who fired three round to take out his target (the second hit the target's backpack). Furlong, a Canadian, cites use of American .50 cal ammo as contributing to his success.

I saw a piece on Rob Furlong on the History Channel. Very humble young man in very unique circumstances.

The fact is he ran out of Canadian ammo and had to borrow some from the Americans. He said the American ammo "runs hotter" than what he was used to. The Ammo: Hornady .50 cal A-MAX 750 gr "low drag" bullets. His weapon: McMillan Tac-50. His target: three Taliban fighters walking on an opposing ridge line 2,657 ft. away. He also credits his success to the low air density shooting at 9,000 ft. elevation. He had to compensate for winds blowing in three different directions of the bullet's path.

His first shot missed. It took 4 seconds to impact. Amazingly the Taliban fighters stood still. His second shot hit a backpack. Still, they stood! His third shot took the torso off a guy carrying a RPG.
 
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Here he is when he was a kid

a-christmas-story-bb-gun.jpg
 
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It's a difficult shot (nothing like stating the obvious). Like this kill, there are no details of the longest one (3,871 yards). In the second longest, 2,707 yards, Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison fired nine rounds to range his targets before killing two Taliban gunners with consecutive shots(at the same distance. Harrison fired .338 Lapua rounds, which are nice pieces of ordnance.

The third longest kill was recorded by Corporal Rob Furlong, who fired three round to take out his target (the second hit the target's backpack). Furlong, a Canadian, cites use of American .50 cal ammo as contributing to his success.
True, I have heard some talk by military folk who are skeptical about this one.
 
Also, the ISSI Commando never heard the shot. In other words, the sound of the shot will not carry those distances so no one really knows in which direction to shoot or pursue the sniper. This makes the kill even more psychologically devastating for those near the body. I read that in Vietnam the snipers usually used a Remington 700 caliber .308 which had a range of 600-700 yards, a distance that was dangerous for the sniper.
 
Also, the ISSI Commando never heard the shot. In other words, the sound of the shot will not carry those distances so no one really knows in which direction to shoot or pursue the sniper. This makes the kill even more psychologically devastating for those near the body. I read that in Vietnam the snipers usually used a Remington 700 caliber .308 which had a range of 600-700 yards, a distance that was dangerous for the sniper.

RU, Here is a good discussion concerning the sound wave vs the bullet impact.

Link below: (not the blue text ...wekipedia), link is the title "If someone shoots at you, how far do you have to be to be hit by the bullet before you hear the shot"
Enjoy the read


theartfulcodger
"Former Master Corporal Rob Furlong Arron Perry of the Canadian Armed Forces set a distance record for sniping in 2002. His target distance was estimated at 2,430 meters, or a little over 2,650 yards - more than a mile and a half.

Furlong's first shot missed the intended target, an RPK-carrying Al-Quaeda guerilla; his second hit the target's knapsack; his third was the kill shot. At that incredible distance, and travelling through the thin, dry mountain air at significantly less than its sealevel "book" speed of 343 m/s, the report from Furlong's first shot wouldn't have reached the ears of the target group for more than seven full seconds - in other words, they only heard the first report about the same time the third round arrived and spoiled someone's day. But of course, a .50 cal low-drag Hornaday round has much greater muzzle velocity than any handgun, and therefore a much more distant supersonic dropout point, which is when the report would begin catching up to the bullet itself."
 
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RU, Here is a good discussion concerning the sound wave vs the bullet impact.

Link below: (not the blue text ...wekipedia), link is the title "If someone shoots at you, how far do you have to be to be hit by the bullet before you hear the shot"
Enjoy the read


theartfulcodger
"Former Master Corporal Rob Furlong Arron Perry of the Canadian Armed Forces set a distance record for sniping in 2002. His target distance was estimated at 2,430 meters, or a little over 2,650 yards - more than a mile and a half.

Furlong's first shot missed the intended target, an RPK-carrying Al-Quaeda guerilla; his second hit the target's knapsack; his third was the kill shot. At that incredible distance, and travelling through the thin, dry mountain air at significantly less than its sealevel "book" speed of 343 m/s, the report from Furlong's first shot wouldn't have reached the ears of the target group for more than seven full seconds - in other words, they only heard the first report about the same time the third round arrived and spoiled someone's day. But of course, a .50 cal low-drag Hornaday round has much greater muzzle velocity than any handgun, and therefore a much more distant supersonic dropout point, which is when the report would begin catching up to the bullet itself."
That's amazing. I bet spotters factored this into the shot or should I say shots.
 
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Also, the ISSI Commando never heard the shot. In other words, the sound of the shot will not carry those distances so no one really knows in which direction to shoot or pursue the sniper. This makes the kill even more psychologically devastating for those near the body. I read that in Vietnam the snipers usually used a Remington 700 caliber .308 which had a range of 600-700 yards, a distance that was dangerous for the sniper.

Depends on when and branch of service. Early on during the Vietnam conflict, Marines were using M-1s and the Army 1903s. Next in the progression was the Winchester 70 (.30-.06), used primarily by the Marines and to a lesser extent the Army, which relied primarily on the M14 and its bolt-action variant M21 (7.62x51). Remington 40x/700 was modified by the Marine into the M40, which went into service in 1966.

Bert Waldron, the most prolific American sniper of the War, used the M21 and M14 variants. Hathcock primarily used the Winchester 70 and Chuck Mawhinney, the Corps' highest tallying sniper, the M40.
 
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