Posted on 08/04/2006 12:15:58 PM PDT by Brit_Guy
A BRITISH sniper waging war on the Taliban is so deadly he has earned a chilling nickname The Man Who Never Misses.
The unerring Army sharpshooter has killed 39 rebel fighters single-handedly.
His marksmanship is so lethal that rumours have spread like wildfire through insurgents camps, causing panic and confusion.
The sniper who The Sun is not naming to prevent him becoming a target himself is a member of elite 3 Para.
Described by sources as the best shot in the Army he is responsible for over five per cent of the 700 insurgents killed by Paras since British forces returned to Afghanistan.
He is based in the wild Helmand province, where our troops launched a massive assault on the Taliban this week.
A source said yesterday: This sniper is truly something else a silent assassin.
In the deadly terrain of southern Afghanistan, where guerilla warfare rules, he has been invaluable. The rumours are sweeping enemy camps that he is the man who never misses.
The snipers actual toll is probably higher than 39 but the Talibans tendency to reclaim bodies makes deaths difficult to confirm.
His lethal L96A1 rifle has a range of 1,000 yards and is fitted with electronic sights and laser range-finders.
He works with a partner called a spotter, who locates the target and helps judge wind speed and distance so the bullet travels accurately.
Each day the pair risk their lives away from fellow Paras, taking up covert positions and often lying hidden for as long as ten hours at a time. Once the shot has been fired they need nerves of steel to stay concealed while Taliban rebels wielding rocket-propelled grenades and machine-guns desperately try to hunt them down.
The Ministry of Defence would not discuss the crackshot for security reasons.
But he is regarded as one of the most successful British snipers since World War Two.
Earlier this year it was revealed that the Army is creating an elite force of almost 700 snipers, with all 38 infantry battalions required to have an 18-man platoon of sharpshooters by 2008. It will be the first time formal sniper platoons will have existed since the end of the First World War in 1918.
The decision follows the success of British and US sniper teams who have killed dozens of terrorists on recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In 2003 Royal Marines sniper Corporal Matt Hughes killed an Iraqi gunman from 900 yards with a wonder shot in which he aimed 56ft to the left and 35ft high to allow for wind.
The bullets trajectory was calculated by his spotter after he studied the movement of dust in the breeze. And Irish Guards Sergeant Eddie Waring lay on a roof for hours to take out three Iraqis who were laying mines in Basra.
I never said, "flintlock", did I? Find a copy of Ned Roberts book, "The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle", and enlighten yourself.
If you automatically connect "flintlock" with "muzzle loader", you have a lot to learn!
As I said in my post, niether the Revolutionary War or Civil War era weapons were capable of such shots. Max effective range for a Civil War muzzle loader with conical bullets was maybe 200 yards. Could a good marksman stretch this range? Yes, but not anywhere near 900 yards.
.50 cals make the lighter rifles obsolete in terms of projectile caracteristics., unless you need a light weapon on your crawl.
You can see a tango head shot here, courtesy .50 cal Barrett:
http://www.nbcnco.com/image002.jpg http://www.nbcnco.com/image002.jpg
TRAJECTORY TABLE, FEDERAL MATCH .308 CAL.168-Gr. BOATTAIL HOLLOWPOINT
Trajectory by Yards, Expressed in Inches
Zero Range 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
100 Yards Zero -4.5 -15.9 -35.5 -64.6 -105 -159 -228 -315 -421
So at 900 yards, -315 inches = -31 ft.
Seems to confirm the physics calcs.
Try doing it yourself.
http://www.shooterready.com/
It is not in the best of interest to zero a rifle at 100yrd for long range shooting. The table gives various zeros for comparison. I zero at 200 for easy shooting from 100-300yrd. This gives me a range of +1.5" @100 to -6.7" @300. Note that the First Zero would be at about 60 yrd. (You would have to understand that a rifle has 2 zeros.) Ballistic Tables are tools. One detail left out was that the table was set for 2600 fps for that BC.
Ya'll have a good weekend.
You better stop digging yourself into a hole. Swampsniper is correct. The Ned Robert's book is really enlightening and you should see if you can find it.
Some shooters preferred the muzzle loader for accuracy. This way the bullet had already contacted the rifling.
Also, do a google search on "They couldn't hit an elephant at this range....... Famous last words.
Must be one of Savage's soccer thugs.
Para ping!
Semper Fi
"147 grain BTMJ (boat tail full metal jacket) -56.1 foot drop at 500 yards. Source: Guns and Ammo online.
150 grain 2900 fps muz vel -37 ffoot drop at 500 yards"
It doesn't make sense that the heavier load drops less- also, if it drops 56 ft good luck with open sights - but I was never good at physics
The Whitworth rifle was indeed capable of lethal hits at 800 yards without all that much difficulty.
During the Civil War Union General Sedgewick was killed by a single shot fired from that rifle at a range of 1200 yards.
His last words were: " "Why, my man," he chuckled, "I am ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
Seconds later the good General was dead from a single wound to the head.
L
I was gonna let him dig a little deeper, LOL
Thanks! Exceptionally cool!
???...no big deal, I did the same thing when I was 12 with a half inch ball bearing and a slingshot.....nearly took my toe off
Doogle
The ballistic drop is functionally independent of weight, relates to velocity primarily.
Any of you guys ever see the 1971 movie "Valdez in Coming" starring Burt Lancaster? One of my favorites.
You're dead.
It's my understanding that the equivalent weight when dropped vertically will hit the ground at the same time as the projectile that is fired parallel to it, regardless of velocity- perhaps a pre-Einstein theory?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.