Posted on 04/14/2012 8:52:20 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows
I’m the proud owner of a .34 Weatherby Magnum and I have to say it’s one of the most accurate guns I’ve ever fired. I’ve heard about the Lapua .338 and would love a head to head match with it.
*low_whistle*
POST: Mythbusters tried the scope shot and declared it busted, I’m probably the 600th person to say so.
REPLY: Mythbusters didn’t go to Marine boot camp and do two tours in Vietnam.
Reply: Mythbusters never heard of Simo Häyhä
Ever wonder what the results are like for the fella who's the recipient of such a shot?
I'm thinking that invading Finland might not have been a good idea. Don't know how I got that idea...
At the time of the talvisota Winter War, Finland was experiencing the coldest winter of several decades, possibly of the XX Century, with nighttime temperatures certainly droping to -40°...and the Soviet troops had arrived wearing their summer uniforms, having been told that their fraternal Socialist trade unionist brothers in the cities would be welcoming them with open arms and providing shelter. The lucky ones had greatcoats, and they were indeed welcomed with arms; but few made it to the cities, and more died of exposure than from artillery and small arms fire. Nikita Kruschev, who was a company-level Commisar during the Finnish invasion, put the Soviet casualty numbers at a million soldiers; worse, seeing the drubbing handed out by Finlands reservists and amateurs gave Hitler the confidence that his professional Wehrmacht could finish the job in a year or two, and his Army high command agreed. Stalin's purges of the Soviet officer corps certainly helped, and the ineffectual Russian medical support meant that those who were wounded would freeze to death before treatment was even started, not real helpful so far as troop morale went.
At the time of the year [late Nov 1939- March 1940] and that far North on the Arctic Circle, there was only about 4 hours of daylight between darkness, making the feats of Häyhä's rifle marksmanship even more impressive. Helpfully, the only way the Soviets had to keep alive was to build fires, whick nicely backlighted them for a good marksman, whether with a rifle or *Tikkakoski mowing machine*.
And, of course, Häyhä has an olympic-level targetwshooter and hunter. Once he developed procedures that worked, he stuck to them as doctrine.
By the Russians.
Zaitsev killed Nazis.
Doesn’t matter who or what when they are going up against F-ing EVIL.
Simo BTT. About all he’d ever say about it was “I did my job.” I think of him sometimes when the topic turns to the occupation of American territory. Don’t go into the woods, fellers.
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.