Posted on 11/30/2004 3:35:05 PM PST by InfantryMarine
USMC Sniper stops insurgents from 950 yards
http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/m...58?opendocument
FALLUJAH, Iraq (Nov. 27, 2004) -- A U.S. Marine sniper waited patiently inside a one-story house deep within the city. Lying in the prone position for several hours, he scanned the area through his scope before he finally found the three insurgents responsible for two previous mortar attacks.
Sgt. Memo M. Sandoval, a platoon sergeant with Scout Sniper Platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, needed to positively identify the insurgents before he could take his shot.
Sandoval, 26, saw that one of the men was about to place a mortar in a mortar tube. He knew he had to make a well-aimed shot before the insurgent gunner launched the deadly round. Sandoval cleared his thoughts and slowed his breathing as he gently squeezed the trigger of his M-40A3 sniper rifle. The 7.62 mm round covered the 950 yards in a flash, slamming into the chest of the first insurgent.
"The battalion (executive officer) ordered me to 'make the mortars stop,'" said Sandoval, a native of El Paso, Texas. "I took it personally and went out specifically to stop the insurgents." With two more insurgents still alive and ready to continue the mortar attack, Sandoval composed himself for the next shot at the assistant gunner. The last two shots took out the driver of the vehicle that carried the weapon.
"When I finally spotted them along a tree line, I realized how far they were but it was surprising how easy it was," said Sandoval.
Those four shots were the longest in Sandoval has taken since he became a scout sniper.
"It was very impressive of Sandoval to shoot from so far away and be on target with all four shots," said 1st Lt. Samuel Rosales, a platoon commander with Scout Sniper Platoon, H&S Co., 3/5.
"When you are being mortared you never know where they will land, to be able to stop them from shooting anymore felt good," said Sandoval.
He joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school in 1997 and has been with 3/5 since April. His leadership ability has reflected on the Marines around him and allowed Sandoval to accomplish his mission.
"(Sandoval) is filling a staff noncommissioned officer's billet, He is a great Marine to work with," said Rosales, 32, a native of San Clemente, Calif.
After recently reenlisting for four more years, Sandoval, who has been in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since September, hopes to represent the United States in the Olympics in competition shooting.
Sandoval says a fellow Marine, Staff Sgt. Jared M. Casanova, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, helped him improve his skills with the rifle, which has become a valuable commodity in Iraq.
"We have always been in competitions against each other, one day he would win and the next day I would win," said Sandoval. "Out here in Iraq it is a two way rifle range, with insurgents shooting at you. You have to make well aimed shots."
Granted, I never fired a gun in my life, but I have to question this information. How do you aim at a target and compensate for a 30 foot drop?
'How much does a 7.62 drop at 950 yards?'
'The bullet probably drops about 30 ft from the line-of-site of the barrel at that range.'
Amazing shot! How does the shooter take that into account? Do you just plan to aim a little high, hoping that the bullet will drop just the right amount by the time it gets to the target? Also, what about the factor of the wind blowing? Does this cause any problems?
Makes a red blooded American proud.
And let's hope he brings home an Olympic medal too.
mc
7.62 X 51mm
At 1000
Yards Time Of Flight - seconds 1.369
Bullet Velocity -ft/sec 1711
Remaining Energy -ft-lbs 1091
Drop - inches (from LOS) 245
Drop - ft-in. 20'-5
Killer shooting!!!!
They have some pretty precise calculations that they have to learn to account for Muzzle velocity, windage(wind), heat, ammo strength, etc... that is why shots like this are so amamzing the do all the calculations but it still us up to the eye of the sniper to judge if he will be on target. :)
see post 53 :)
Now THAT is impressive!
Adjustments are made on the scope - the scope has "knobs" that allow you to adjust both the vertical and horizontal crosshairs. The shooter has to not only account for "droppage" but also things like "windage", muzzle velocity and actual weight of slug (grain) - typically that is why a sniper always works with a spotter who is trained to help calculate the above info and feed it to the sniper so he can adjust the shot accordingly.
"Sgt. Memo M. Sandoval, a platoon sergeant with Scout Sniper Platoon,...."
Well....these insurgents can't claim that they didn't get the memo...
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.
