New record, 1.54 mile double on Taliban

[DAA]

Impressive.

New record.

- DAA

 

[Tacoma]

Very impressive. I remain guardedly impressed with this unlikely new record.

I'd like to see the ballistics specs on that round, and see just how he adjusted for that much bullet drop. We're not talking a hundred yards extra or something-- almost 1100 EXTRA yards is something to seriously adjust for.

Kudos either way, he got two baddies and I'm all for that.

 

[DAA]

I'd like to see the ballistics specs on that round, and see just how he adjusted for that much bullet drop.

Bullet drop isn't the real issue at that kind of range. Well... Maybe I shouldn't say it that strongly, of course drop is huge at that kind of distance and adjusting for it requires specialized equipment and skill. But wind deflection is much harder to compensate for. Range can be precisely measured and precisely adjusted for. But estimating and adjusting for wind deflection over such an incredible distance is much more difficult and much more of an art. Doping the wind is what separates the great from the good.

He was using a .338 Lapua. But I don't know what bullet. The standard factory load with a 250 gr. FMJ have a MV of 3000 fps. You can plug the G1 BC of that bullet, .785, at 3000 fps into any ballistics calculator and see for yourself the amount of drop and wind drift. The numbers are flat out amazing.

He may have been using a more exotic bullet. Some of the 250 gr. bullets have BC's of over 1.000. Plug in a BC of about 1.070 and the same 3000 fps and compare - that much improvement in BC makes an enormous difference down range.

There's an excellent set of ballistics calculators to play with at the JBM site, here.

- DAA

 

[Greg]

That's amazing, would love to see that happen... from behind the rifle of course.

 

[Tacoma]

Bullet drop isn't the real issue at that kind of range. Well... Maybe I shouldn't say it that strongly, of course drop is huge at that kind of distance and adjusting for it requires specialized equipment and skill. But wind deflection is much harder to compensate for. Range can be precisely measured and precisely adjusted for. But estimating and adjusting for wind deflection over such an incredible distance is much more difficult and much more of an art. Doping the wind is what separates the great from the good.

No argument there! I found bullet drop to be relatively easy to correct for, but wind was always the monkeywrench during my brief foray into long-range shooting. I'll play with those calculators. I really am curious to see what happens when you nearly double the range of your ammo.

 

[SAMI]

Doesn't the spin of the bullet also come into play at that range? There's gotta be a thousand variables...

 

[Tacoma]

How do you mean, Jason? The spin, I mean.

 

[SAMI]

I watched a clip of a History Channel program reenacting the previous longest shot with a military issue .308. They went into detail that when the US sniper adjusted for the shot, he adjusted for the spin of the bullet as well as everything else..

As in, if the bullet is spinning clockwise towards the target, over a large distance the cyntrifical force of the bullet will slowly deviate high and to the left, as that is how the bullet is spinning..

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Tacoma]

Ah.

Can't say I've heard that brought up before, but hey, I'm not the Discovery Channel. On the face of it I'm not sure that has more effect than gravity, but.. I suppose it's worth a look. At the ranges shoulder-fired weapons are good to, I'm not sure bullet spin imparts much effect at all, other than the well-known stabilizing effect of rifled projectiles... but you have me curious now.

Edit: brief look reminded me of "spin drift", the high and left thing threw me. Yeah, bullets drift to the right a bit. Works out to a couple clicks of windage at 1000yds. I only ever shot out to about 700.

 

[DAA]

I would not be surprised if the Coriolis effect (caused by rotation of the earth and curvature of it's surface) is actually included in calculations to adjust POA for such a long shot. I know it is for artillery.

- DAA

 

[Grim]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/

this is a shot(s) that i was impressed with

 

[SAMI]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/

this is a shot(s) that i was impressed with

Most definately amazing. I saw an hour long show on the Military Channel about that whole ordeal. Those snipers sat in ready position for hours upon hours, until they had all three threats in a clear sight picture. Stamina comes to mind.

.. For not having cable, I guess I somehow catch some good programs..

 

[sniperthx]

At such a range, spin drift, the coriolis effect, bullet drop, wind deflection, and mirage all come into play.

It aint easy.

 

[UNSTUCK]

My old neighbor and his wife are both snipers at Fort Williams. He runs the practice range there. For their date nights they go shooting. One night they were shooting at a thousand yards. He hit a perfect head shot on the target. After a bit of boasting and egging her on, she got up there and put her bullet right through his hole. He thought she missed the target all together, but when they looked behind the target, they found her bullet lodged into his bullet.
It would be pretty cool to be that good of a shot...but to have your wife right there next to you would be even better.

They have set their tours up when they go to the East so they work on the same helicopter together, or whatever job they get assigned to.