Army Sniper Recounts Amazing Shot

American Forces Press Service ^ | Chuck Cannon

[21twelve]

“They did this by shooting at the road in front of the tank and bouncing the rounds off the road and up into the tank.”

I love the ingenuity of our troops!

[PROCON]

I don’t think you really want to see that face.

Ohhhh.....yes I would, just for ballistic analysis of course. :=)

[Greysard]

So, a .50 has a lot of energy in it.

Like this, after flying there and back?

[Shooter 2.5]

I don’t think that worked as well as reported. The velocity of a .50 BMG wouldn’t allow a lead bullet covered in copper the ability to bounce like that and then penetrate the steel plating.

I understood our pilots aimed for the relatively thin plating over the engine compartment.

[SandRat]

he got to meet his 70 virgins ... and they all looked like..

[US_MilitaryRules]

Nice shot soldier! Thanks!

[libstripper]

Try a laser ruler, the range finder’s little brother. I just got one and used it to measure my house for an insurance evaluation. Absoltely terrific and eliminated the need for a helper with a tape measure.

[Thunder90]

[Thunder90]

I love happy endings ;)

[NerdDad]

I don’t know about the .50 BMG being used today but I sliced open several .50 cal bullets from the WWII era. There was not a bit of lead in them. The brass shell surrounded a stainless steel core. Awesome little things.

[TXnMA]

Over 8/10 of a mile One shot -- one kill.

Bravo Zulu!

[Shooter 2.5]

I couldn’t find a thing on the material used for a .50 BMG bullet. I have several cartridges but I always thought they were simply copper over lead except for the black tipped armor piercing.

[Recon Dad]

Sandrat, here's a Marine Sniper who was the honor grad in his Sniper class at Quantico. I'll let you guess who he is.

[SandRat]

You or your son are my guess.

[Vendome]

laser ruler?

[ErnBatavia]

The fun part is also knowing the people I’m with can hit at ridiculously long ranges.

It still - 44 years away - pisses me off to no end that in Marine Corps Boot Camp I fired "Expert" in every pre-qual shoot....but on actual qualifying day, I hiccuped and only made Marksman; didn't even make Sharpshooter...

Pretty much the same thing a couple of years later, just before I got out (woulda been worse, but I was a short-timer) it rained and my eyeglasses got all gooed up and I actually was a Non-Qual.

[ErnBatavia]

he got to meet his 70 virgins ... and they all looked like..

"Multiple Organisms"

[ErnBatavia]

Bravo!

[JDoutrider]

"McGuire took a breath and then squeezed the trigger of his Barrett .50 caliber sniper weapon system. After the dust cleared, McGuire prepared for a second shot, but was unable to find the target. "I asked my spotter, 'Where is he?'" McGuire recalled. The spotter replied: “I think you got him." "

Now that's what I'm talkin about!

HoooAhh!

[Screaming_Gerbil]

The .50 round ( many of them ) were used by P-47 pilots to take out Tiger Tanks. They did this by shooting at the road in front of the tank and bouncing the rounds off the road and up into the tank.

Sorry to burst you bubble when we're on a .50 cal roll here, but that's an old WW2 myth.

P-47 takes out Tiger Tanks

The harassing file from the planes was very valuable though. Combined arms - aircraft strafing the tank (that's gotta sound LOUD inside the tank!) allowing the ground troops the ability to get in position close enough to attack the tank with explosives or a bazooka.