Certainly the cartridge is capable, but jiminy how accurate would the gun have to be to get into a torso 24" wide at 2400yd reliably? If 1 MOA is 1" at 100yd, thats 24" at 2400yd- the absolute limit of the guns inherent accuracy, assuming its not equipped with heat seeking projectiles of some sort.
That means on a perfect day, with no wind, elevation or atmospheric issues, from a rock solid mechanical rest, the best you could expect would be a hit within a 24" circle at that range, assuming 1 moa accuracy which is pretty stinkin good for any rifle under combat conditions. Add some wind, or a less than perfect rest, or even a single click error - 1/4 moa at 2500 yards is 6", let alone the M3's 3/4 MOA adjustments, which would put you 19" off target PER CLICK - and you've missed.
Not just a tough shot, but nearly miraculous, especially considering the preparation it would take to know WHERE YOUR GUN SHOOTS AT 2430 yards in that specific environment....I'd be curious what a guy like Talbot thinks, or David Tubb, about this shot if the reporting is accurate.
I've looked through powerful rifle optics at objects over 1Km distant, and man sized objects at those ranges are EXCEEDINGLY hard to spot, let alone hit.
WOW is a pretty good summation.
IOW would altitude play much a part here? thanks
Ha, I was commenting on the deer shot at over 400 yards mentioned by wardaddy... A shot on a human target at 2400 is beyond my capabilities...
Although...Carlos Hathcock made a >2000 yard shot using a modified M2...of course he had aiming stakes and travers/elevation equipment on the M2 to improve the odds...
Wow works for me...
Incidently, shortly after joining the conversations on FR I went off on Travis concerning the abilities of a .50 at 2000+ yards on a moving target...that post sounded quite a bit like yours and gave me a chuckle...
take care,
Jim