86 yo WW2 sniper vet

Nice video:

http://kkyr.com/ww-ii-veteran-sniper-receives-honor-then-makes-unbelievable-shots-to-prove-hes-still-got-it-video/

For those of you who are doing the math in your head wondering how an 86 year old served 70 years ago (it would put him at 16 in 1944), the video was filmed in early 2011, so he would have been either 19 or 20 in 1944. Right in the heart of most US service men of the time.

Heck of a shot.

Even if not, it was not uncommon duruing that time that 16 year olds were faking their birth certificates to join up.

Bobzilla wrote: Even if not, it was not uncommon duruing that time that 16 year olds were faking their birth certificates to join up.

My great uncle, who is still aboard the Arizona turned 16 on November 29 of 1941

1000 yards looks funny to me. Like...yeah, sure, seriously...when are we moving closer?

A 3 shot 5" group at 100 yards. Jeebus.

When Mr. Gundy was just standing there talking, he looked like a Grandpa, but when he got behind that rifle, he had sniper's eyes.

Hat's off to you, Mr. Gundy. Very impressive.

BOOM! HEADSHOT!

Jay_W wrote: A 3 shot 5" group at 1000 yards. Jeebus.

Fixed that for you. 5" at 100 is not that great. At 1000 it is spectacular. I actually know a couple vietnam era snipers ( one army one marine). Sadly never met a WW2 sniper in person. I shoot with the vietnam guys on occasion and hunt with one of them.

On a side note my '03 has essentially the same barrel and trigger as the A4 (more grooves and different twist rate than standard '03). Mine has a Redfield finger adjustable rear peep sight. First day out with it I was smacking the gong at 300 yards at our range. It is one of my favorite rifles. When I did that some early 20's kids were sitting there watching me all slack jawed. After I was done they bombarded me with questions. Apparently shooting that far with irons is not the norm these days.

Oops. Didn't get that third zero in. Twas sposed to be in there. I mean heck even I can do 5"@100! :p Add that zero in and um no I don't think so. I bet I could sit behind that same rifle for 20 shots and be thrilled to hit that target once. I used to be pretty good at hitting clay pigeons with my iron sight .22 when they were far enough away that I had to hold about a foot high and all I could see was an orange dot, but if that range was more than 200 yards I'd be surprised. 1000 yd is reeDONKulous and anyone who can hit a target at that range has my total respect.

Not trying to hijack,. but as a western historian, thought I'd mention "the Shot" - June 30, 1874 at the second battle of Adobe Walls, buffalo hunter Billy Dixon shot an attacking Indian off his horse at a distance measured at 1550 yards, using a .50-90 Sharps.

Back to honoring this outstanding WWII veteran.

rebelgtp wrote:

Jay_W wrote: A 3 shot 5" group at 1000 yards. Jeebus.

Fixed that for you. 5" at 100 is not that great. At 1000 it is spectacular. I actually know a couple vietnam era snipers ( one army one marine). Sadly never met a WW2 sniper in person. I shoot with the vietnam guys on occasion and hunt with one of them. On a side note my '03 has essentially the same barrel and trigger as the A4 (more grooves and different twist rate than standard '03). Mine has a Redfield finger adjustable rear peep sight. First day out with it I was smacking the gong at 300 yards at our range. It is one of my favorite rifles. When I did that some early 20's kids were sitting there watching me all slack jawed. After I was done they bombarded me with questions. Apparently shooting that far with irons is not the norm these days.

I'd love to have an '03A3 (not the A4) for the iron sights. There's just something about them I love. Sure the Garand is awesome. The M1 Carbine is really cool. But man.... something about that bolt action .30-06 rifle is pure awesome to me.

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sedgwick

whoops!

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:

Back then it was a shot of luck more than skill. Not saying they weren't using all their skill to luck into a hit.... but it was more chance than skill.

EDIT: This is just nuts. http://www.examiner.com/article/new-world-record-set-for-longest-sniper-kill-afghanistan

1.74 miles.

Bobzilla wrote:

rebelgtp wrote:

Jay_W wrote: A 3 shot 5" group at 1000 yards. Jeebus.

Fixed that for you. 5" at 100 is not that great. At 1000 it is spectacular. I actually know a couple vietnam era snipers ( one army one marine). Sadly never met a WW2 sniper in person. I shoot with the vietnam guys on occasion and hunt with one of them. On a side note my '03 has essentially the same barrel and trigger as the A4 (more grooves and different twist rate than standard '03). Mine has a Redfield finger adjustable rear peep sight. First day out with it I was smacking the gong at 300 yards at our range. It is one of my favorite rifles. When I did that some early 20's kids were sitting there watching me all slack jawed. After I was done they bombarded me with questions. Apparently shooting that far with irons is not the norm these days.

I'd love to have an '03A3 (not the A4) for the iron sights. There's just something about them I love. Sure the Garand is awesome. The M1 Carbine is really cool. But man.... something about that bolt action .30-06 rifle is pure awesome to me.

rifle range qualifying at Navy boot camp San Diego used the Garand and a 300 yd range …

'til then I'd never fired a gun/rifle in my life … zero Maggie's drawers, and all but one round in the target (6' square with circles inside) … 3/4 inside the the black … thought that was pretty good for a squid

Bobzilla wrote: In reply to Fueled by Caffeine: Back then it was a shot of luck more than skill. Not saying they weren't using all their skill to luck into a hit.... but it was more chance than skill. EDIT: This is just nuts. http://www.examiner.com/article/new-world-record-set-for-longest-sniper-kill-afghanistan 1.74 miles.

Really? Ever heard of a whithworth rifle?

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:

And still the exception rather than the rule. I'm not saying it was impossible, but it was improbable. At those distances the naked eye can't tell what you're actually shooting at other than "something vaguely shaped kinda like a dude but could be a stump".

Bobzilla wrote: In reply to Fueled by Caffeine: And still the exception rather than the rule. I'm not saying it was impossible, but it was improbable. At those distances the naked eye can't tell what you're actually shooting at other than "something vaguely shaped kinda like a dude but could be a stump".

yes, but it's documented that the CSA ordered 250 of these rifles with scopes and that sedgwick was shot with one.

It is also not understood that a "good" enfield or springfield could easily nail a person a 300 yards... I don't think you're giving credit where credit is due.

That's right. Knowledge Dropped!

and to the OP.. that shot is amazing, but I think it was posted here a year or two ago..

1000 yards is still a hard target to hit, even with modern equipment. That's my point. going to muskets and open sights makes it even more difficult a shot and not something that would be a "one shot, one kill" with high percentages. That's all I'm saying.

Bobzilla wrote: muskets and open sights

not a musket.. Didn't have open sights.

Very few didn't have open sights. Once again, you're talking about the exception rather than the rule. I've never said it was an impossible shot. Just that it's not a likely shot.

They weren't specifically aiming at Sedgwick. It was common practice to launch volleys to demoralize enemy troops, in a similar fashion to how mortars and rockets are used today. If you destroy some equipment or people, great, but the main point is to make people lose their cool.

Also, 1000 yard kill shots are still the exception today. Having snipers take out high priority targets is great, but they are arguably most effective at demoralizing and causing confusion among the enemy's ranks.

rotard wrote: They weren't specifically aiming at Sedgwick. It was common practice to launch volleys to demoralize enemy troops, in a similar fashion to how mortars and rockets are used today. If you destroy some equipment or people, great, but the main point is to make people lose their cool.

Which goes back to a lucky shot rather than a good one. Standard practice of the day.

rebelgtp wrote: When I did that some early 20's kids were sitting there watching me all slack jawed. After I was done they bombarded me with questions. Apparently shooting that far with irons is not the norm these days.

Over ringing a gong at 300 on good iron sights on a good rifle? I'm in my early 20s and once printed a ~1.5" group with my tuned up M91/30 at 100 yards on stock sights shooting surplus, at that range the front post is bigger than the printer paper target, that was a reason to sit there slack jawed. Great fun, though nobody has ever called me normal.

In reply to Bobzilla:

Mine is a Mark I with a 4 groove barrel like the A4. The standard '03 and A3 had a 2 groove barrel. They action is as smooth as glass and the trigger is light and crisp. It has a C stock that has been cut down and floats the barrel and has been bedded for the action. It is still sporting the original leather sling. It is so accurate and I am so confident if I can see it I will hit it if it is inside 500 yards. Never tried it out beyond that yet. When elk season come that is generally what I am packing.