Re your post #380:
With a year of training I would expect a large number of people could with optical sights make a 500 yard shot on a human torso sized target with a high degree of reliability. If the training was intensive a month would be more than sufficient.The shooter(s) favors the Maryland area, undoubtedly very familiar with it. It would be interesting to know if any ME types have been taking lessons at shooting ranges. Believe it or not, they have 50 shooting ranges in Maryland: bang
Of course, that would be racial profiling...
All this talk of super marksmanship indicates a lack of knowledge on the part of reporters, wouldn't you say? I used to shoot targets long ago with a guy who handloaded his own 223 rounds. This guy had no military training but I have seen him put three rounds in a spot that a dime would cover at 100 measured yards shooting from a rest. Any halfway experienced shooter could hit a human size target at 100 yards with a 223 and a good marskman could probably throw the sights away and still do it. With a telescope you should be able to kill squirrels at that range.