Matt's shot in a million

The Sun ^ | Fri, Apr 4, 2003 | NICK PARKER

[pragmatic_asian]

A ROYAL Marines sniper told yesterday how he felled an Iraqi gunman in a strong wind from more than half a mile with an astonishing shot in a million.

Crackshot Corporal Matt Hughes, 28, was ordered to take out the Iraqi, who was firing at his pals and holding up an attack.

Matt pulled off the incredible feat of marksmanship by perfectly gauging the wind speed to bend the bullet to its target.

And amazingly a second sniper alongside him hit a second Iraqi at the same moment with another wonder shot.

The 7.62 calibre round from Matt’s L96 sniper rifle was aimed 56ft to the left to allow for the wind, and 35ft high to allow for the distance.

Yet it flew straight to the target, hitting the Iraqi in the chest. He probably died instantly.

Matt, of the Marines’ spearhead brigade patrol troop in Al Faw, said yesterday: “It was a bit like David Beckham taking a free kick.

“I knew I only had one shot and had to get the angle exactly right.”

Matt, from Betws-y-Coed, Wales, and pal Corporal Sam Hughes, 31, of Plymouth, Devon, calculated the bullet’s trajectory by studying movement of dust across the desert.

Matt said: “Sam told me I would have to fire exactly 17 metres to the left of the target for the bullet to bend in the wind and take him out.

“I made adjustments to my sight. The Iraqi stayed in the crosshairs of my sight the whole time and didn’t move. I knew I’d hit him full in the chest and got him.”

Another Marine sniper next to Matt felled the second Iraqi.

Taking out the two Iraqis who had been shooting at Marines meant the Brits could advance to help secure the peninsula.

[ctdonath2]

I would love to learn how to shoot like that.

[Teacher317]

A million-to-one shot? So we've fired a million rounds already? ;^)

[the_doc]

Thanks, I am beginning to see what you mean from the charts provided by spunkets for a .308.

My original calculations did not recognize that a bullet encased in a shock wave is affected a lot more by a crosswind than a bullet tossed into the air. See my #109.

I am guessing that the shock wave which encases the bullet gives the wind something large and non-dense to push against! (A 100-mph wind blowing against a rifle slug dropped from a height of forty feet [about 1.6 seconds time-to-impact] would not be kicked aside 56 feet!!!!)

I learn something new every day.

[lawgirl]

Hughes! cool! that's my last name! I wonder if my hubby's related to Matt and Sam. Way to go boys!

[kstewskis]

thank you! I have a good friend in WV who is looking for any excuse to get me out there, lol!

[spunkets]

I still think that "56" number is inches and the reporter was lost in the explanation. 56" is very close to the drop between 800 and 900 yards. The shooter was trying to explain how important it is to get the right range. 800, or 900 just won't do, at 800yds you'll get his shoe dusty, at 900- raise a cloud of dust ~10' in back of him.

[spunkets]

Here's another curious "56" that indicates the reporter was lost, but not so far away.

If you drop the bullet we've been discussing from 57ft in the air, it will hit the ground at the same time this guy's shot passed the 800yd mark.

[spunkets]

Well, it's probably as in #107. The reporter got the hight and horizontal mixed up. That 35ft corresponds to the range wind deflection in a 45mph wind. Also if a bullet was dropped from 57' up in a 45mph wind, it will land 35 ft from the point it was dropped. The shooter was probably trying to explain windage with an equivalent, but similar sit.

[CHICAGOFARMER]

HERE is the scoop guys.

ROUND NUMBERS.

7.65 cartidge
3300 fps
190 grain bullet
40 mph wind


1000 yds 16.6 ft drop, 16.8 windage TOT 1.39 seconds
1200 yds 21.5 ft drop, 21.1 windage
1400 yds 27.4 ft drop, 26.0 windage
1600 yds 34.2 ft drop, 31.4 windage
1800 yds 42.1 ft drop, 37.5 windage
2000 yds 51.6 ft drop, 44.4 windage TOT 3.75 seconds
2200 yds 62.6 ft drop, 52.2 windage TOT 4.06 seconds

I think you will find that the story does not say exactly how far the target was, only that it was over 1/2 mile.

Based on the drop the actual range of the target was in the neighborhood of 1 mile. A real shot for these guys. A Candian group had a kill of 2450 meters (approx 8000 feet) in Afiganstan.


I shoot dogs at 3-600 yards on the plains of ND SD and shooting in 30 mph winds, and bullet curve balls are the norm not the exception. I don't agree with earlier posts that the measurement was MIL clicks. These guys are too good to screw up MIL clicks with bullet drop. These guys know their tables. Granted the reporter could be a screwup bigtime.

Most of the previous posts of inchs rather than feet are a light weight understanding of heavy winds.

I have lived in Kuwait for the summer and can tell you the winds in Kuwait are much stronger than the plains of SD, ND.

If you want my excel bullet calculator, just send me a private email. It will get you close.

[spunkets]

"7.65 cartidge 3300 fps

A 308 with a 168gr bullet has a max v of ~2650 ft/sec. 3300 ft/sec for a 190gr bullet would be from a 30-378 cartridge. Here's something a little closer to what he was shooting. The wind deflection., v and accel are given in some tables that follow on the thread. They show where the 35ft horizontal deflectn and 56ft ht mentioned in #s98 and 99 come from.

[spunkets]

"#s 98 and 99

Should be 107 and 109 above.

[CHICAGOFARMER]

I think where most of the mis information is coming from is what the actual distance was, and what the actual windage was. 40mph is very real in the desert of Iraq.

The bullet drop is the same for all guns as it is a function of gravity. Energy can neither created or destroyed.

I don't have my bullet book here at work so just guessed at the fps.

[Dr. Frank fan]

He didn't "slight" them. He made a true statement. Why some Brits felt "slighted" by a true statement is beyond me, but it ain't Rummy's fault.

[spunkets]

The cartridge is a 308, so the range of ~1/2mi (~860yds) is good. The bullet drop at any given range depends on the time of flight, hence muzzle v, but for aimed fire, there's a rise followed by a drop. For this shot the shooter was using a 308 and dialed in to ~850yds, so the bullet would have risen ~9.5ft and dropped back down from a direct line between shooter and target. The 56' comes from a height equivalent if the bullet was dropped, or fired from, where the wind would have moved it 35' sideways(45mph wind).

[CHICAGOFARMER]

Based on my excel bullet drop calculator the distance looks like about 1200 yards. At 1200 yards the Time to Target TOT is 2.12 seconds, and the bullet drop is 66 feet.

This is for a 2650 fps 190 grain bullet. Vel at 1200 yards is 1205 fps and the energy is 636 foot pounds.

I did not calculate Relative Humidity, BP, temperature, alitude,Inclination angle, target speed, etc.

Chicagofarmer


Range Vel. Drop Drop TOF
yds fps Inches Feet seconds
0 2650 0.00 0.00
100 2498 -2.57 -0.21 0.12
200 2351 -10.72 -0.89 0.25
300 2210 -25.17 -2.10 0.38
400 2073 -46.81 -3.90 0.53
500 1940 -76.20 -6.35 0.68
600 1814 -115.08 -9.59 0.85
700 1694 -165.28 -13.77 1.03
800 1581 -226.86 -18.90 1.22
900 1472 -301.51 -25.13 1.42
1000 1375 -394.47 -32.87 1.64
1100 1286 -506.40 -42.20 1.87
1200 1205 -636.28 -53.02 2.12
1300 1140 -796.88 -66.41 2.38
1400 1084 -983.06 -81.92 2.66
1500 1039 -1197.00 -99.75 2.95
1600 1001 -1445.04 -120.42 3.25
1700 968 -1718.89 -143.24 3.56
1800 939 -2033.90 -169.49 3.88
1900 912 -2389.12 -199.09 4.21
2000 888 -2765.58 -230.47 4.54
2100 865 -3199.89 -266.66 4.89
2200 844 -3661.08 -305.09 5.25
2300 824 -4166.85 -347.24 5.61
2400 804 -4744.20 -395.35 5.98

[CHICAGOFARMER]

correction to my last post.

The drop is 53.02 feet not 66 feet.

I miss read my own table.