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.

[Ajnin]

Aaaaah, good point. I wonder if he may have been refering to the clicks on his scope. 35 clicks up would be approximately 8 inches in elevation and 56 clicks left would be about 14 inches left. Now that sounds more like it.

[error99]

Q: "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
A: "Practice, man, practice."

[Quick Shot]

That's playing the wind. Curious if it was a fade or a draw. Probably a "Controlled Fade"

[logos]

I take it as the one incontrovertible fact in this article that the shooters hit their targets. After that, the specifics are subject to "adjustment" and/or faulty communication between the shooters and the reporter. It seems to me that the 35' of elevation would be a mite excessive, as just one example.

I have no idea what the extent and magnitude of record keeping is these days, but it is natural for some exaggeration to creep into these feats after the fact ... kind of like how that big bass gets bigger each time the story is told.

But who cares? What is important is that two shooters got two verified hits "over near the horizon". That should be enough.

Or two kills at point-blank range, for that matter. That's the only thing that counts in combat. All the rest is for the war story sessions afterwards for those who will buy the beers to hear it. :)

[KneelBeforeZod]

[patton]

(+)

[GirlShortstop]

 

Awesome... PLUS TWO for the GOOD GUYS!

FWIW, I saw a news report of a sharpshooting military training school down south; the deadly range of these guys was cited as TWO MILES!
Remarkable talent put to GOOD USE.

[bert]

"It was a terrible shot! I was aiming for the horse" The Magnificant Seven

[xsrdx]

Precision Marksmanship BANG!

[Living Stone]

Ping to some of that shooting we were speaking of.

[Publius6961]

Good question. It really, really strains credibility.

Sure does.

Normal people will shake their heads and go on to the next news item.
You go right ahead and obsess on all the reasons why it can't be true.
(There sure be a lot of immature neurotic/obsessive/compulsives posting these days.)

[lawdude]

"Is this article believable when it claims a windage correction of 56 feet for a mere 800-yard shot?"

Pretty obvious you have never fired a rifle. Or hit a golf ball.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

"Betws-y-Coed" means a "prayer house in the wood".

You spoilt my fun. I thought it meant "party girl in Ithaca";)

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Silent souls leave .308 holes.

[Mears]

I've actually been to Betwys-y-Coed,or as many call it,Betty Coed.

It's a beautiful town and obvciously produces some great people.

What a feat!!!

[Lancey Howard]

(There sure be a lot of immature neurotic/obsessive/compulsives posting these days.)

And you wasted your time typing this why?
Take a pill, Bunky.

[Spottys Spurs]

For all of us “arm chair sniper experts,” give Matt a break. First, we’re taking about a reporter regurgitating the “facts.” Exactly how much of the news is accurately reported? If the reporter wasn’t familiar with weapons and sniper tactics/training, you can bet your ass he didn’t get it right! Second, we’re not talking about some old fashioned telescopic sight on a musket. Today’s equipment and superb training puts the military and police sniper community at the top of their game. Speaking for military snipers, their results are right up there with the best “smart bombs” and for a fraction of the cost.

Desert Storm snipers learned a lot from plying their skills in that environment. A desert is pretty trackless. There are few visible objects to establish scale. And, yes, wind direction and sometimes speed can be estimated nearly the same way it’s done in winter with snowdrifts. Everything you see in the desert seems farther or greater than in most other environments and 7.62mm is just fine for all this.

So, let’s just give Matt credit for one hell of a shot… and, his associate for another one immediately following.

[MHGinTN]

1 for one. ( )

[Shooter 2.5]

I hear a lot of people who say they want to do something and then never do it. I have said the same thing on too many occasions. I have a hunting lease that no one uses for hunting. It's a hot range and I still haven't used it for anything like what happened in this article. I can shoot to 400 yards if no one else shows up.

If you are serious about learning how to shoot like this, go to www.shooterready.com. The website will teach you all you have to know. Unfortunately, the tutorial will have you working out math problems more than shooting.

[the_doc]

Pretty obvious you have never fired a rifle. Or hit a golf ball.

See #33.