Now thats a shot!

[Jim Horn]

Bullet drop is standard 16*t^2 feet. 10 seconds to target -> 1600 foot (490m) drop(!!). Over 3450 meters, he aimed Arctan(490/3450) or 8.1 degrees high (that's like aiming 42'7" high at 100 yards). So the aim was within 1MOA while holding 485 MOA high. Not a minor feat!!

 

[Argonaut]

I'm sorry to be the only one, but having shoot a lot of long range, 1000-1400. 1400 being my longest. Some of this is purely luck. Wind variables, air temps, humidity and such at variable distances would need to be calculated to be able to help remove some of the variables. Impossible to do without equipment or spotters at varying distances up to the target.

Could not tell by the article, but was only one round fired?

If that is the case I would say he definitely did his calculations and the uncontrollable variables worked in his favor for that shot.

Still very impressive nonetheless.

Most of the calculations these days are done by computer. There is some pretty sophisticated stuff on the market. I read somewhere that the shot was confirmed by drone camera, it might have had more to do with the calculations than we know. My brother went to all 3 of the Nightforce long range schools in central Idaho, World class course, he consistently hits a 6" plate at 1000 yards with his TRG 338 lapua. We were one of the first units to play with Ronnie Barrett's M82 semi auto rifles. They were still in development. Magnificent piece of machinery. The semi auto allows you to walk rounds into the target if nessisary. Off course, at that range the subject wouldn't even know he was being shot at or at the least where he was being shot from. One of my old instructors had been a snipe in Vietnam Nam (prior to that he was an Alaskan Hunting guide) He used to tell the story about shooting at some VC cooking by a camp fire. They thought the shots came from the opposite direction so lined up with there backs to him. He simply worked down the line...........

 

[3putts]

I wanna see the end result of that shot on video. Just that kind of guy.

 

[BillGabby1]

I am not discounting the shooting skills and talent of snipers....
But much credit should also be paid to the fieldcraft involved to avoid being spotted and the patience needed to wait for the right moment for the shot.

Sniping is much more than a rifle and good shooter.
Andy

That would likely leave Hathcock as the number one all time sniper, and these other can juggle for longest kill shot and title of sharpshooter. Not to be confused with the true sniper.
Gabby

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Lets please not start ranking or comparing* snipers.
No matter the distance or how ever enemy dead ... They were simply doing their job to the best of their ability.
Sniping is difficult task and a often misunderstood one at that.
Lots of mythology and lore surround the men , their job , training and equipment.

I say the above not out of disrespect for those who have been or are snipers.
I myself have been in that position on two deployments while in the army.

* I say no "ranking" or comparing, because the conversation can drift into :
A rifle / gear fight over just what is "better"
Ranking can also cause us to forget that these are men we are talking about , those who have killed others and those who have been killed.
Reading some " Ranking"/ comparing comments , they can come across sounding like sniping is a sporting event or some sort of game statistic.

I am not saying that is going here in this thread ... Nor am I calling anyone out , so to speak.
Just posting this , to hopefully keep this thread from going in that direction.
Andy

 

[HuckleberryFun]

Lets please not start ranking or comparing* snipers.
No matter the distance or how ever enemy dead ... They were simply doing their job to the best of their ability.
Sniping is difficult task and a often misunderstood one at that.
Lots of mythology and lore surround the men , their job , training and equipment.

I say the above not out of disrespect for those who have been or are snipers.
I myself have been in that position on two deployments while in the army.

* I say no "ranking" or comparing, because the conversation can drift into :
A rifle / gear fight over just what is "better"
Ranking can also cause us to forget that these are men we are talking about , those who have killed others and those who have been killed.
Reading some " Ranking"/ comparing comments , they can come across sounding like sniping is a sporting event or some sort of game statistic.

I am not saying that is going here in this thread ... Nor am I calling anyone out , so to speak.
Just posting this , to hopefully keep this thread from going in that direction.
Andy

Well said @AndyinEverson
It's too easy to rank such things from an armchair.
(and Huck is sitting in an armchair as he says this)

 

[mjbskwim]

Lets please not start ranking or comparing* snipers.
No matter the distance or how ever enemy dead ... They were simply doing their job to the best of their ability.
Sniping is difficult task and a often misunderstood one at that.
Lots of mythology and lore surround the men , their job , training and equipment.

I say the above not out of disrespect for those who have been or are snipers.
I myself have been in that position on two deployments while in the army.

* I say no "ranking" or comparing, because the conversation can drift into :
A rifle / gear fight over just what is "better"
Ranking can also cause us to forget that these are men we are talking about , those who have killed others and those who have been killed.
Reading some " Ranking"/ comparing comments , they can come across sounding like sniping is a sporting event or some sort of game statistic.

I am not saying that is going here in this thread ... Nor am I calling anyone out , so to speak.
Just posting this , to hopefully keep this thread from going in that direction.
Andy

Well said,as usual for you.
Different theater ,different rules, I'm sure these guys would have done perfectly fine had they been given a ((*job NGOs* (WTF spell check?) jungle instead of a sand box.

 

[Mygrainman]

Lets please not start ranking or comparing* snipers.
No matter the distance or how ever enemy dead ... They were simply doing their job to the best of their ability.
Sniping is difficult task and a often misunderstood one at that.
Lots of mythology and lore surround the men , their job , training and equipment.

I say the above not out of disrespect for those who have been or are snipers.
I myself have been in that position on two deployments while in the army.

* I say no "ranking" or comparing, because the conversation can drift into :
A rifle / gear fight over just what is "better"
Ranking can also cause us to forget that these are men we are talking about , those who have killed others and those who have been killed.
Reading some " Ranking"/ comparing comments , they can come across sounding like sniping is a sporting event or some sort of game statistic.

I am not saying that is going here in this thread ... Nor am I calling anyone out , so to speak.
Just posting this , to hopefully keep this thread from going in that direction.
Andy

A world record is a ranking system... and therefore the article and this thread are both about ranking snipers... and it's very existence wouldn't be prudent in that case.
I posted earlier that these records should only count as broken if the shot is taken with a similar weapon, in similar circumstances. Hathcock..(whom I'm sure all the other snipers that made the record book would probably agree is the GOAT).. Should remain atop his own category, as should Billy Dixon. All the recent guys in the "sandbox" are in a class of thieir own, and I have the utmost respect for them, and the job that they do. Admittedly I haven't served, and can only imagine the toll it takes. Anybody that has seen American Sniper.. or read Hathcock's biography, and has a soul, would find it impossible to ignore the human element.
It's hard to draw a line of what's prudent to discuss , when the armed forces sensationalise the shooters and their kill shots, then use them for recruiting. Companies like McMillan an Hornady use them for civian sales. The snipers themselves, Rob Furlong for example, put themselves on TV and open shooting academies by using the record shots as their resume'... and who can blame him? Especially considering the lack of support veterans get in the years after retirement as thier service continually takes a toll on them and thier families. This I do have first hand experience with. If they can turn their experience into a lucrative living post service, they really should.
Sniping is not a sporting event. But many snipers(Hathcock included) go on to become competitive sporting shooters. It's from the war time sniper programs that the long distance shooting sports has evolved and the equipment advanced to the point it is now. Many events are based on sniper scenarios employing military techniques. People talk about, and compare active/past military shooters and gear extensively as a means to try to get an edge in competition or further their own abilities. As long as done with with respect and reverence, what's the harm? It is a fascinating subject that I've enjoyed learning about, and discussing since first reading "Marine Sniper" 20 some years ago.

 

[BillGabby1]

mygrainman has a good point here, I can sympathize with Andy, but feel both of you are correct to a great extent.
Gabby

 

[Mygrainman]

mygrainman has a good point here, I can sympathize with Andy, but feel both of you are correct to a great extent.
Gabby

It's not about being right or wrong... I just didnt want to see a great thread squashed. Andy has a great point... these are humans, killing humans. That fact should be recognized and given due consideration and respect when discussing these things.
This goes beyond snipers...Generals like Patton are celebrated for orchestrating battles, responsible for thousands of deaths in a matter of hours. The great battles of the civil war are reenacted all over the country, reliving neighbor killing neighbor, brother killing brother. There are forums and groups all over discussing every aspect of these things. Do they do it because they wish they could have been there, or done that, or because they like war and violence. Not the vast majority. They do it for the love of history, sharing common interests, making friends, and learning from the experiences... or maybe it has something to do with igniting large amounts of black powder. There are those that do fascinate over killing and violence unfortunately, and that is the kind of mentality that is not welcome, and should be discouraged by all means.
There is also the other side. The lives that were saved, battles avoided, and/or won as a result of thier actions. Billy Dixons shot for example. One man down, the natives loose confidence, ride away, and a battle with hundreds of lives in the balance is avoided. And It's hard to imagine how Dday would have turned out if not for Operation Quicksilver, Pattons "ghost army"... dividing the German forces with rumors and rubber tanks. These are the the things that can be discussed with pride, and without fear of crossing a line.

 

[Argonaut]

I think we discuss these things (as well as saving lives) because they are the most significant, dramatic experiances humans can be involved in. Beyond saving or taking a life......there isn't much left. The most watched tv programs and most read books are all about the same subjects as well. Police and Medical dramas have always been the most popular.......have any of you guys read Shakespear, the Bible, early Greek literature? The subjects never change.....as humans don't either. The only things that change are our toys and technology. I vote for the USAF officer sitting in an air conditioned office in Creach Nevada that takes out a bad guy in Afghanistan with a Predator as the longest Sniper shot.

 

[Mygrainman]

I think we discuss these things (as well as saving lives) because they are the most significant, dramatic experiances humans can be involved in. Beyond saving or taking a life......there isn't much left. The most watched tv programs and most read books are all about the same subjects as well. Police and Medical dramas have always been the most popular.......have any of you guys read Shakespear, the Bible, early Greek literature? The subjects never change.....as humans don't either. The only things that change are our toys and technology. I vote for the USAF officer sitting in an air conditioned office in Creach Nevada that takes out a bad guy in Afghanistan with a Predator as the longest Sniper shot.

Have you ever seen "Good Kill" with Ethan Hawk? If you haven't it's on Netflix now. pretty intreaging. With the High def cameras on those drones it can be just as, if not more, personal than a sniper shot... They can watch a guy for weeks before they decide to send one. Only a $68,000 Hellfire missle can do a lot more damage than a $5 Bullet. Drone strikes go beyond demoralizing the enemy. Crazy to think there could be one watching you right now and you would never know it