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Carlos Hathcock Method of Sighting in a Rifle
Am Shooting Journal ^ | 9/7/20 | C Cocole

Posted on 09/07/2020 8:24:02 AM PDT by w1n1

Sighting in a rifle is an important thing to do if you want your rifle to be dead on when taking a shot. Which brings us to the Carlos Hathcock way of sighting in a rifle. For those that don’t know who Carlos Hathcock is, he was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills.

What many people don’t realize is that the Unertl scope back in the day doesn’t have glass amplification. There also isn’t any internal adjustments to zero. The scope adjusts with turrets integral to the rear scope mount, and the tube of the scope floats inside adjustment pins. The scope reticle does not have Mil Dots like the modern-day sniper scopes. Mil Dots gives you accurate unit measurements to compensate for gravity and wind drift, this is like “Kentucky windage”. So in other words using this Unertl requires lots of downrange practice. It is such an accomplishment of what he can do using what he had at the time.

The following is a story by Gus Fisher a retired MGySgt USMC who talks of the time he met Carlos. As mentioned before, I was a very young Marine Sergeant when I came up to THE Marine Corps Rifle Team the first time as the junior Armorer.
My introduction to both high power shooting and long range shooting was in Marine Corps Boot Camp. On Qual Day in Boot Camp, I ran 7 consecutive bullseye’s from the offhand position at 200 yards. The 8th round was a pinwheel bullseye, but it was on the target next to mine, so I got a maggie's drawers. Knee High wind got me after that and I fell apart and only shot Sharpshooter in boot camp.

So after I came up on “The Big Team,” I asked the second senior Armorer – Ted Hollabaugh, if he could show me how to REALLY sight in a rifle with a scope. He said sure and he would do it, but since we had all the talent in the world at MTU, why didn’t I ask one of the shooters?
Well, I was a young kid and I didn’t know any of the shooters that well – most of them were much older than I. That’s when he suggested I ask Carlos Hathcock for some help. I didn’t know Carlos then and did not know of his exploits in NM and Sniper shooting. Ted talked to Carlos about it and Carlos stopped by the shop later that afternoon.

Carlos looked at me and said, "So you want to sight in your rifle, eh? OK, thoroughly clean the bore and chamber. Dry the bore out with patches just before you come down to Range 4 tomorrow at noon on the 200 yard line. Have the sling on the rifle that you are going to use in hunting." Then he went on about his business.

When I got to Range 4 the next day, he had a target in the air ready for me. He told me to get down in the best prone position I had. He checked me and adjusted my position just a bit. Then he said, “Before you shoot. The MOST important thing I want you to do is take your time and make it the best shot possible. It doesn’t matter how long you take, just make it a good shot. ALSO, and this is as important, make sure you give me an accurate call on where you think the bullet hit the target.” After I broke the shot, I told him where I thought the bullet had hit.Read the rest of Hathcock method of sighting in a rifle.


TOPICS: Hobbies; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: banglist; blogpimp; carloshathcock; clickbait; getaneditor; momsbasement; readthresthere; shooting
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1 posted on 09/07/2020 8:24:02 AM PDT by w1n1
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To: w1n1

WEBSITE BLOCKED DUE TO TROJAN VIRUS - MalwareBytes Premium, Norton 360.


2 posted on 09/07/2020 8:27:01 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: w1n1

Very interesting.


3 posted on 09/07/2020 8:31:58 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Where do you find the word "except" in the 2nd Amendment?)
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To: carriage_hill

I got no such warning, but then I use Linux.


4 posted on 09/07/2020 8:33:04 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Where do you find the word "except" in the 2nd Amendment?)
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To: w1n1

The link will not load.

Firefox says:

“Secure Connection Failed

An error occurred during a connection to americanshootingjournal.com. SSL received a record that exceeded the maximum permissible length.

Error code: SSL_ERROR_RX_RECORD_TOO_LONG

The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified.”

Chrome is similar


5 posted on 09/07/2020 8:34:43 AM PDT by BwanaNdege ( Experience is the best teacher, but if you can accept it 2nd hand, the tuition is less!)
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To: carriage_hill

I have both Malwarebytes and Norton installed and get no warnings from either.


6 posted on 09/07/2020 8:36:03 AM PDT by BwanaNdege ( Experience is the best teacher, but if you can accept it 2nd hand, the tuition is less!)
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To: w1n1

A good method if you have a week available to sight in one rifle. I can sight in in a few minutes without worrying about flys farting and never have to worry about missing a deer or a varmint, so why bother?


7 posted on 09/07/2020 8:36:42 AM PDT by Clarancebeaks
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To: Blood of Tyrants

can you post the remainder of the article?


8 posted on 09/07/2020 8:37:20 AM PDT by BwanaNdege ( Experience is the best teacher, but if you can accept it 2nd hand, the tuition is less!)
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To: w1n1

He was a badass... among a generation of badasses.


9 posted on 09/07/2020 8:38:57 AM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: BwanaNdege

I’m still getting Trojan warnings from both.


10 posted on 09/07/2020 8:48:27 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: BwanaNdege

Hmm. Firefox let me in without so much as a fly’s fart.


11 posted on 09/07/2020 8:50:16 AM PDT by null and void (The Left weaponizes everything in the service of tyranny.)
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To: carriage_hill

No active threats on my Webroot.


12 posted on 09/07/2020 8:50:28 AM PDT by matthew fuller (we're "blessed to have a leader" like Trump. Goya CEO)
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To: BwanaNdege

From MalwareBytes text file:

Malwarebytes
www.malwarebytes.com

-Log Details-
Protection Event Date: 9/7/20
Protection Event Time: 11:49 AM
Log File: b8a827e6-f121-11ea-90b5-00ff4078e0d1.json

-Software Information-
Version: 4.2.0.82
Components Version: 1.0.1025
Update Package Version: 1.0.29569
License: Premium

-System Information-
OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1
CPU: x64
File System: NTFS
User: System

-Blocked Website Details-
Malicious Website: 1
, C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera\70.0.3728.154\opera.exe, Blocked, -1, -1, 0.0.0, ,

-Website Data-
Category: Trojan
Domain: americanshootingjournal.com
IP Address: 107.154.146.227
Port: 443
Type: Outbound
File: C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera\70.0.3728.154\opera.exe

(end)


13 posted on 09/07/2020 8:53:26 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: matthew fuller

Malwarebytes
www.malwarebytes.com

-Log Details-
Protection Event Date: 9/7/20
Protection Event Time: 11:49 AM
Log File: b8a827e6-f121-11ea-90b5-00ff4078e0d1.json

-Software Information-
Version: 4.2.0.82
Components Version: 1.0.1025
Update Package Version: 1.0.29569
License: Premium

-System Information-
OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1
CPU: x64
File System: NTFS
User: System

-Blocked Website Details-
Malicious Website: 1
, C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera\70.0.3728.154\opera.exe, Blocked, -1, -1, 0.0.0, ,

-Website Data-
Category: Trojan
Domain: americanshootingjournal.com
IP Address: 107.154.146.227
Port: 443
Type: Outbound
File: C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera\70.0.3728.154\opera.exe

(end)


14 posted on 09/07/2020 8:53:53 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: Clarancebeaks

“A good method if you have a week available to sight in one rifle.”

[Article: “How many shots do you think you are going to get at a deer?”]

Well, probably just one. But it’s not like a Regiment of NVA are going to come after me, either.


15 posted on 09/07/2020 8:56:21 AM PDT by PLMerite ("They say that we were Cold Warriors. Yes, and a bloody good show, too." - Robert Conquest)
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To: Clarancebeaks
From the article:
"Some years later in the late 90’s or really early this century, I was talking to a Police Sniper and he was really impressed I knew Carlos. I told him about the way Carlos had me sight in my rifle and suggested he do the same thing as he was a sniper for the Henrico Country SWAT team. He had never heard of that and took it to heart. About two and a half years later, he got called to a domestic situation where a husband had a handgun to his wife’s head and was going to kill her. After the Sergeant in charge and the Pysch guy determined the husband was really going to do it, the Police Officer was asked if he could hit the guy at just over 200 yards and not hit the wife. He said he knew he could (because he had followed Carlos method), so they told him to take the shot. One shot and the perp’s head exploded. The wife was scared crapless, but unharmed.
When he told me about it about when I saw him the first time a week after the incident, the first thing I asked him if he was OK about taking the shot. He understood I was talking about the psychological aspects and he really appreciated it. He said, it had bothered him a little that night until he remembered that if he had not taken the shot, the wife would have died. I checked back with him and he really was OK with having taken the shot. I’ve checked back every gun show I see him at and I know he is doing fine about it."
Without the discipline of recording and understanding every factor, the Sargent in charge and the psych guy and he himself might not have had the certainty to take the shot. The wifey would be dead, and very shortly thereafter so would the hubby.

Was it worth depriving the ever loving hubby of the originally scheduled remaining few seconds of his life? I think wifey and her family would say so...

16 posted on 09/07/2020 9:02:02 AM PDT by null and void (The Left weaponizes everything in the service of tyranny.)
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To: Clarancebeaks

Oh yeah, tough guy - but you don’t have to worry about that deer shooting back, do you?

Big talk.


17 posted on 09/07/2020 9:08:51 AM PDT by Chainmail (Remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence)
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To: w1n1

One shot with a Caldwell type rest.

With the rifle firmly in the rest fire your best shot.
Make sure you are sighted in on the original bullseye. Adjust your cross hairs to the bullet hole in the target.

You are allowed to shoot more rounds:)

Doesn’t work well with iron sights too much.


18 posted on 09/07/2020 9:21:53 AM PDT by Cold Heart (Legalize Hydroxychloroquine)
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To: null and void

Cryrogenically treated barrels shoot the same cold as they do hot.


19 posted on 09/07/2020 9:26:44 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: w1n1

Such a killer with such now primitive gear.....really incredible man


20 posted on 09/07/2020 9:29:04 AM PDT by wardaddy (I applaud Jim Robinson for his comments on the Southern Monuments decision ...thank you run the tra)
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