# British Sniper Sets Record **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 7, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640 "2010-05-07T15:50:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/81 "2010-05-08T22:12:41Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > That’s a good point. Wouldn’t that mean that, at some point, the line of sight, even through a scope, would coincide with the position of the your barrel? In other words, wouldn’t your barrel (especially a long barrel with the added bulk of a suppressor on the end) intrude upon the reticle? > > Or do you not change your scope position that much, and simply aim at a point, through the sight, 120 feet above your target (aim at empty air, IOW)? Yes, it would, eventually. Still, when you’re aiming at a target more than a mile and a half away, 120 feet above the target is actually a tiny difference in aim. Think about it- over that range, it’s only a couple degrees different than straight on. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/82 "2010-05-08T22:14:29Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > I’m with Ivan on at least one thing: would a bullet fired over a mile and a half away have the requisite kinetic energy to do significant damage to a machine gun by the time it hit? What sort of damage must one inflict on a machine gun to disable it? If the bullet has enough force to kill, it has enough force to damage a machine gun. Of course, it depends where you hit it. If the bullet hit the end of the stock, the gun is still usable. But if it impacted the receiver, it probably would render it unable to fire until repaired. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/83 "2010-05-09T03:26:37Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > That’s good for a predator missile or a sentry gun, unless he’s got hardline. In which case he gets a precision airstrike! You never know, he could have just gotten a care package after his fourth kill, which means he could have gotten any one of several types of weapons. Boy, would he feel ripped off if he got Counter UAV. What are the odds the Taliban would have UAV? ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/84 "2010-05-09T19:18:55Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Hey, at least I can do complete sentences. and you sure do them gooder than any of us do them. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/85 "2010-05-10T04:09:23Z")
For the people in this thread talking about it being beyond the manufacturer’s stated range for the rifle, if you read again you will see that it is the _ **effective** _ range. In military equipment parlance, that means the maximum range at which a soldier of ordinary skill can use it effectively. It says nothing at all about the range at which someone of extraordinary skill can use it effectively. Secondly, for people commenting on how the barrel would interfere w/ the scope sight line at that range, I have a rifle from WWI, designed for trench warfare where the trenches of the two sides were frequently far apart. It has regular open sights that adjust up to 2000 meters. When adjusted to that height, the top of the rear sight is only about 3 inches above where it’s at when adjusted for close range. I just measured it. Mount a scope 4 - 5 inches above the barrel, and you’d never see it in the scope at the range the OP shots were made. It wouldn’t be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/86 "2010-05-10T04:59:01Z")
Whining about lucky shot for three consecutive on target rounds at a mile and a half is absolute “I never even tried anything similar at a training range with no combat considerations whatsoever” sort of asshole thing to say. Yes, it takes luck for an extraordinarily skillful marksman to hit a human silhouette at a mile and a half under any conditions. But asshole wanna be ballistics weenies don’t even get to apply for a chance to ever get lucky enough to do it once, much less three times in a row. And saying that from your home computer about a guy on one of several combat zone deployments is a little bit on the pussy side, by the way. I am entirely opposed to the political motives, and goals for this war, and have been from the first bombing run, but belittling the skill and courage of a professional soldier from the comfort of your home is beneath contempt. Hell of a shot, damn, hell of a second shot, muthafuck! three in a row! If you want to taunt this guy about his skill, I suppose another country is about the right distance to do it from. Tris Could it be some sort of fraud? I suppose so. But it seems to me the combat troops in the area would howl a bit more believably than just some fuckwad on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/87 "2010-05-10T04:59:17Z")
To drag out an old Katie Couric quote…she asked the marine sniper what he feels after a kill… “recoil” he answers… Snipers are a diff breed… I remember being told that people on their side of wary of them. Working alone… piling up kills… It takes a certain amount of detaching… I’m seriously in awe… I’m suppose to goto AR-15 training this fall… I’m sure we’ll discuss this… ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/88 "2010-05-10T08:39:10Z")
> [@Chicagojeff](#): > > Working alone.. piling up kills… I was under the impression that most snipers work with a spotter and sometimes with more people. Are they not also commonly used for recce, where piling up kills would be detrimental to their ability to gather information? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/89 "2010-05-10T11:41:32Z")
> [@Triskadecamus](#): > > If you want to taunt this guy about his skill, I suppose another country is about the right distance to do it from. See, here we go again with the implied threats to the physical well-being of someone with objections. I’d prefer these guys to save their tough guy acts for people who are coming at them with more than words. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/90 "2010-05-10T15:25:44Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > I’m with Ivan on at least one thing: would a bullet fired over a mile and a half away have the requisite kinetic energy to do significant damage to a machine gun by the time it hit? What sort of damage must one inflict on a machine gun to disable it? Also, are there many snipers in the Household Cavalry? Aren’t they the ones with the spiffy shiny helmets? Actually when they’re not on ceremonial duty the H.C. are combat soldiers the same as everyone else. The Welsh Guards seen marching through Red square in the Russians commemoration of V.E. day wearing their bearskins and scarlet uniforms were not long back from Afghan where their commanding officer (A Lieut Col ) was killed in action. On a slightly different topic I think that everyone is being a bit harsh on **IVAN ASTIKOV** s viewpoint, he is well known for his caring attitude to mankind in general and he is no doubt equally condemnatory of say…the large number of random murders by rockets and suicide bombers of Israeli civilians by the Palestinians just to posit a totally random example. Its just that he’s no doubt forgotten to mention it. I for one see no bias, let alone predujice against the U.K., the U.S.A. or the West in general in his posts, no doubt because he lives in Manchester in England. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/91 "2010-05-10T16:19:56Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > See, here we go again with the implied threats to the physical well-being of someone with objections. I’d prefer these guys to save their tough guy acts for people who are coming at them with more than words. There was no implication of any actual threat, only an implication of your cowardice. Pay attention. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/92 "2010-05-10T16:41:50Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > See, here we go again with the implied threats to the physical well-being of someone with objections. I’d prefer these guys to save their tough guy acts for people who are coming at them with more than words. You should _link_ to the pit thread Twickster asked you to make if you’re going to make comments inviting people to it. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/93 "2010-05-11T19:45:17Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > I’m guessing you havn’t met too many special forces type guys. The kind of guys who excel tend to be the type for who missing never really enters their mind. The expectation of success in anything is usually 100% > > The phrase “Nobody on earth could ever XXXXXX that” is a good way to get things going. That seems a bit much. I was watching a program on snipers and they interviewed a US sniper with the longest-range recorded kill with the standard issue sniper rifle (name escapes me but it makes sense now that they kept clarifying that it was with this particular rifle) and he explained that his intent was not to kill the enemy sniper that was firing on his comrades. His intent was to get a shot close enough to the sniper that would put that guy on notice that his position was compromised and he needed to stop shooting. He just got lucky that his calculations were right on and he got a centermass shot. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/94 "2010-05-12T20:15:24Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Actually when they’re not on ceremonial duty the H.C. are combat soldiers the same as everyone else. But they drive scimitar tanks into combat, I wouldn’t think that would have much cross over with sniping. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/95 "2010-05-12T23:49:33Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > But they drive scimitar tanks into combat, I wouldn’t think that would have much cross over with sniping. A unit being a cavalry unit doesn’t mean it’s 100% cavalry. It can include ancillary units and specializations. An armor unit could also use lighter vehicles for recce, which can deploy infantry, including snipers. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/96 "2010-05-13T00:23:26Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > I’m amazed that he would have taken the shot in the first place. The article says his fellow troops were under attack, bit it seems remarkable that he had a high enough expectation of success to have taken the shots anyway. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I think he had to take the shot. Even if he missed he would have probably made those guys start scrambling for cover IIRC, this is exactly what the Canadian had in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/97 "2010-05-15T16:53:57Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > But they drive scimitar tanks into combat, I wouldn’t think that would have much cross over with sniping. The British Army has always made a point of being multi skilled/cross over training. When the army was in Ireland trying to stop the two communities from butchering each other ALL units had to do BANNER tours, acting as infantry on the ground. Before they went over they were trained in counter insurgincy and infantry tactics whether they were armoured troops or whatever. The Army is one Army and we all share each others fate and guard each others backs whatever happens, though of course I must mention that the marines are all Gay and the Paras are all thick, and don’t ask me about the Catering Corps, the sick murdering bastards. Yes we are all cross trained to a very high level compared with other armies. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640/98 "2010-05-15T17:48:30Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I think he had to take the shot. Even if he missed he would have probably made those guys start scrambling for cover rather than continue to set up the ambush. This doubtful based on the fact that after the first gunner was killed the second one took his place. But who knows, maybe they take lots of ultra-long shots and miss. Regardless, that was some mighty fine shootin, Tex. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-sniper-sets-record/538640.md?page=4)