[ExcursionGuy84]

Wasn't Sgt. Hathock also the pioneer of .50-cal sniping (using the 'ole Ma Deuce no less)?

[NewRomeTacitus]

Wasn't Sgt. Hathock also the pioneer of .50-cal sniping (using the 'ole Ma Deuce no less)?

According to his book Hathcock was extremely frustrated in how a countersniper kept well out of range while using a valley's dense forest and bowl features to his advantage. One day he was told that the sniper was boldly moving about a high terrain feature confident that he was out of range. Seeing a troop-carrier with a 50 caliber machine gun mounted on it nearby he was inspired to modify it to single-shot with improvised sighting. Using that Carlos was able to kill that bothersome bug at two miles distance, more or less.

It was tragically ironic that he was on a similar troop carrier when it caught on fire under bobardment and gave him injuries severe enough to take him out of the war effort for good. Hathcock, as usual, rose above his personal self interest and sustained more damage than necessary while rescuing a fellow occupant from the vehicle.

[Rockpile]

"Wasn't Sgt. Hathock also the pioneer of .50-cal sniping.."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Americans and Taiwanese were using Boys anti-tank rifles--- modified to use Ma Deuce barrels and ammo---back in the '50s to shoot at Red Chinese soldiers. They popped away at one another between little outpost islands that lay between Taiwan and the mainland.

There was also a lingering airwar going on, noteworthy for instance in the loss of a dozen or more U2s with Taiwan pilots.

[NY Attitude]

2,500 yards with a 700 grain boattail bullet.

[do the dhue]

Sounds right. I have this from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Hathcock

Hathcock remains a legend within the U.S. Marines. The Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock Award is presented annually to the Marine who does the most to promote marksmanship training. [2] There is also a sniper range named for Hathcock at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
In 1967, Hathcock set a record for the longest combat kill with a Browning M2 .50 BMG machine gun mounting a telescopic sight. The distance was 2,500 yards (1.47 miles). Hathcock was one of several individuals to utilize the Browning M2 machine gun in the sniping role. This success has led to the adoption of the .50 BMG cartridge as a viable anti-personnel and anti-equipment sniper round.

The record stood until 2002, when it was broken during Operation Anaconda by a Canadian three-man sniper team lead by Master Corporal Arron Perry from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). The new record was set by Corporal Rob Furlong with a shot of 2,430 meters from a McMillan TAC-50 Long-Range Sniper Weapon on a Taliban fighter.