Another Great Shot

[10thSFFD]

SAS sniper annihilates ISIS commander with ONE SHOT from over a mile away with .50 cal gun

One source familiar with the operation said: “The .50 Cal has got a phenomenal range and is very accurate even though it is almost 40 years old.

“It can be fired on single shot. The sniper fitted a special sight to the machine gun and got a spotter to estimate the wind speed.

“He also took into account the heat of the day and the light. The image of his target was quite ‘watery’ because of the heat being given off from the ground.

“The Islamic State commander was briefing his men and clearly liked the sound of his own voice because he was standing still for a least 20 minutes while his fighters sat on the ground in front of him....
“The sniper knew he only had one chance. It took several seconds for the round to hit the commander who appeared to fly into several pieces. For a few seconds no-one moved. When they realized what had happened they got up and ran away.”

 

[Horrible]

It is thought to be the best long range shot in the elite regiment’s history.

The sniper – a sergeant and veteran of the fighting in Iraq and Syria – killed the terrorist with one round from a huge .50 Calibre machine gun.

The bullet struck him in the chest with such force it ripped off his arm and shoulder, killing him instantly.

Amazing that a round still has that type of power at such a long range. Impressive shot.

 

[Dip Dungles]

 

[Radtekk]

"It took several seconds for the round to hit the commander who appeared to fly into several pieces."

Roflmao!

 

[Lowbird]

 

[fitzknny]

"Now I'm a gonna do it Left handed" . . . . .

 

[once_upon_a_doobie]

"The .50 Cal has got a phenomenal range and is very accurate even though it is almost 40 years old." I'd certainly hope the ammo or rifle aren't 40 years old! If they are...more power to them! Don't think the age of the caliber makes a different.... :-/

 

[amm5061]

"The .50 Cal has got a phenomenal range and is very accurate even though it is almost 40 years old." I'd certainly hope the ammo or rifle aren't 40 years old! If they are...more power to them! Don't think the age of the caliber makes a different.... :-/

It was an M2 mounted on a vehicle. 40 years is not unheard of for a service life for an M2. Didn't the army just find one hidden away that was like 90 years old and still serviceable?

 

[milktree]

40 years?

Um... (math) 2018 - 1921 = 97 years.

The fact that he could do that from a freakin' truck is astounding!

You breathe or scratch your nose in anything with any useful suspension and you have to re-aim.

 

[10thSFFD]

View: https://youtu.be/FKjjWCqGQhs

 

[eboos]

M2 on single shot... that is some old school Carlos Hathcock whacking a dude on a bike type stuff.

 

[10thSFFD]

M2 on single shot... that is some old school Carlos Hathcock whacking a dude on a bike type stuff.

 

[Lip]

M2 on single shot... that is some old school Carlos Hathcock whacking a dude on a bike type stuff.

That or the timing wasn't set.

 

[PatMcD]

Cool trick, but, with that gun, lucky shot.

Yes, the shooter/spotter needed to get the range correct, as well as the wind, but the accuracy of that weapon at over a mile isn't capable of repeating the feat.

 

[StevieP]

I'ma need vidyo evdance, umkay?

 

[weekendracer]

Cool trick, but, with that gun, lucky shot.

Yes, the shooter/spotter needed to get the range correct, as well as the wind, but the accuracy of that weapon at over a mile isn't capable of repeating the feat.

Doesn't matter, that guy will tell the story for years. Rightfully so.

 

[Dadstoys]

The look on the rest of the clowns faces when the hit happened is what I'd like to see.

 

[PatMcD]

Doesn't matter, that guy will tell the story for years. Rightfully so.

Absolutely. Good luck trying to buy himself a drink for the rest of his life.

 

[Picton]

Cool trick, but, with that gun, lucky shot.

Yes, the shooter/spotter needed to get the range correct, as well as the wind, but the accuracy of that weapon at over a mile isn't capable of repeating the feat.

Everything I’ve read, seen, and experienced about the stock M2 indicates that it’s an extremely accurate platform. Remember that this one was scoped. But the system itself has always enjoyed a good reputation for accuracy, provided the pintle mount is functioning properly.

My mortar platoon’s M2 had a 1943 date on it. This was in 1999, and I’ve got no doubt at all that that very same gun is still in service with the same platoon. They don’t get a huge amount of wear, but they’re built like miniature tanks anyway.

 

[PatMcD]

Everything I’ve read, seen, and experienced about the stock M2 indicates that it’s an extremely accurate platform. Remember that this one was scoped. But the system itself has always enjoyed a good reputation for accuracy, provided the pintle mount is functioning properly.

My mortar platoon’s M2 had a 1943 date on it. This was in 1999, and I’ve got no doubt at all that that very same gun is still in service with the same platoon. They don’t get a huge amount of wear, but they’re built like miniature tanks anyway.

I guess I'd have to see what "extreme accuracy" means. The. 50 BMG round in and of itself is not all that accurate (in comparison with other available calibers). It has the range, no doubt, but not repeatable accuracy.
1 mile is 1760 yards. 1 MOA would be +/- 17.6 inches, or approximately the width of a man. Remove all atmospheric variables and there is still no way in hell that weapon system is capable of 1 MOA.

Not to take anything away from the shooter: he still had to get the bullet in the neighborhood in order to connect.

 

[Picton]

I guess I'd have to see what "extreme accuracy" means. The. 50 BMG round in and of itself is not all that accurate (in comparison with other available calibers). It has the range, no doubt, but not repeatable accuracy.
1 mile is 1760 yards. 1 MOA would be +/- 17.6 inches, or approximately the width of a man. Remove all atmospheric variables and there is still no way in hell that weapon system is capable of 1 MOA.

Not to take anything away from the shooter: he still had to get the bullet in the neighborhood in order to connect.

A mile isn’t very long range for a heavy MG.

 

[weekendracer]

A mile isn’t very long range for a heavy MG.

The point he's making is the inherent accuracy of the platform is almost enough to miss even if you are dead bang center. At 1 MOA it's 17 inches, so any given round is going to be a foot and a half off with no variables. I don't know what the built in accuracy of the M2 is, but 1 MOA seems 'overaccurate' for what the gun is designed to do.

 

[white feather]

M2 on single shot... that is some old school Carlos Hathcock whacking a dude on a bike type stuff.

 

[Uzi2]

A mile isn’t very long range for a heavy MG.

Agree, aircraft were routinely engaged at far greater distances. Using the tracers to see the trajectory/pattern, they'd lay a stream of bullets out and let the aircraft fly into it.

By the way, the .50 BMG is also effective as far as one can see to adjust fire.

 

[Uzi2]

The point he's making is the inherent accuracy of the platform is almost enough to miss even if you are dead bang center. At 1 MOA it's 17 inches, so any given round is going to be a foot and a half off with no variables. I don't know what the built in accuracy of the M2 is, but 1 MOA seems 'overaccurate' for what the gun is designed to do.

Yes, they are an area fire weapon, designed to hose the target/area. Still, an incredible shot though.

 

[JayMcB]

Absolutely. Good luck trying to buy himself a drink for the rest of his life.

I'd buy him one...or several, to hear the story first hand

 

[07Mustang]

"The .50 Cal has got a phenomenal range and is very accurate even though it is almost 40 years old." I'd certainly hope the ammo or rifle aren't 40 years old! If they are...more power to them! Don't think the age of the caliber makes a different.... :-/

Well made firearms, maintained correctly, will last many decades and several human lifetimes. My M1 Garand is 75 years old and still functions like the day it rolled out of Springfield. Many firearms made 40+ years ago are better than new ones made today. S&W revolvers for example.

 

[10thSFFD]

Well made firearms, maintained correctly, will last many decades and several human lifetimes. My M1 Garand is 75 years old and still functions like the day it rolled out of Springfield. Many firearms made 40+ years ago are better than new ones made today. S&W revolvers for example.

Not just firearms! I have a vacuum cleaner, Electrolux, made in 1962 + all my tools not made in China but made here or in Germany are still serving. We are not building for a longevity anymore, marketing wants repeat buyers.

 

[Picton]

The point he's making is the inherent accuracy of the platform is almost enough to miss even if you are dead bang center. At 1 MOA it's 17 inches, so any given round is going to be a foot and a half off with no variables. I don't know what the built in accuracy of the M2 is, but 1 MOA seems 'overaccurate' for what the gun is designed to do.

But apparently not.

The M2 was known to be uncannily accurate for decades. Troops were scoping them in Korea to take sniper shots, and then of course there’s Hathcock’s achievement (with two shots, yes, but his target was in motion). All those guys had “more precise” options, yet still saw something useful in taking a shot with an M2.

My point about a mile being intermediate range for a heavy MG is that the system was designed to keep a round stable at ranges well beyond a mile. These are also “tunable” weapons systems: they’re designed to be highly adjustable for reliability and, if desired, increased accuracy.

So provided a shooter can control all those variables, allowing him to satisfy himself that the bore was pointed at the bad guy, I don’t know that this constitutes a “lucky shot.”

 

[ISOTOX]

At the end of the day...Bad guy dead!