[budwiesest]

spotted his target: an armed Iraqi on a rooftop about 300 yards away.

Now that's gettng down-range!

.50-caliber XM-107 rifle

Cool, a .50 cal. radio-rifle!

[Iris7]

Notice Sargent Davis is using a zero magnification projection type sight. Faster than iron sights, maybe by a half second, which is a long time in his business. Work just a whole bunch better when the light is low, also.

He is making three hundred yard called shots with essentially a faster iron sight setup. This is about normal for a real rifleman. For Davis these are fairly easy shots. At my best I was fairly good, maybe as good as Davis on one of my lucky days. Lucky days didn't come as often as I would have liked, though!!

750 yards with a .50 is not very hard, the problem is picking your target at such long range. If you are well sighted in, that is!! Those boys sight in against brick walls etc. every few hours. This is a lot easier with a .50 than a .30 since the strikes are easy to see, comparatively. At long ranges even ammunition temperature changes get important. The usual stuff has to be closer, chamber throat, concentricity of neck, exact position of bullet, exact charge weight, consistent good bullets, etc. Davis is might be handloading his .50 ammunition, though there may be special ammunition for his application. Could be reloading .30 also, but military match ammo is good enough for his ranges. An M-14 is not very accurate anyway, maybe about 0.75" moa. Be fun to work with him, have to brush up on my shooting, though!