Long Range Shot
- Thread starter SWR
- Start date
Having shot a 1000 yard match I just can't imagine four times that even with a scope. I would need the Hubble to see that far.
woodsy
Buckeye
Was it a "Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits" episode (many years ago) which featured a Union sharpshooter taking out a Confederate general with an extremely long-range shot during the Civil War? Took several seconds for the bullet to hit its mark. Wonder if it was true, regardless.
Well "Twilight Zone" was a little off. :D :D
The most famous sniper shot of the Civil War, however, took place in May 1864, at Spotsylvania Court House. Union Major-General John Sedgwick was watching his troops move some cannon into place for the impending battle. A number of Confederate sharpshooters were also watching, at distances up to 1,000 yards, and soon the distinctive whistle of the hexagonal bullets from Whitworth rifles was heard. With each shot, all the Federal cannoneers dropped to the ground, prompting Sedgwick to chastize them, declaring, “I am ashamed of you. They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” A moment later, a bullet struck the General in the face below the left eye, and he crumpled to the ground. He was the highest-ranking Union officer to be killed in action during the war.
https://lflank.wordpress.com/2016/11/23/snipers-in-the-civil-war/
But the weapon that was most favored by the Confederates, and the best sniper rifle of the war, was the British-made Whitworth. Designed in 1850, the Whitworth was a unique solution to a problem that plagued all rifled guns of the time: as the bullet went down the barrel, the rifling grooves cut into the lead, imparting its spin but also measurably slowing the bullet down and reducing its range. Whitworth therefore designed his rifle with a barrel that was hexagonal in cross section–then designed his own special .45-caliber bullet that was also hexagonal and nestled snugly inside the barrel. This ingenious arrangement allowed him to add tighter rifling of one full turn every twenty inches, giving the bullet a greater spin than other barrels of the same length, and at greater speed. The Whitworth rifle was unmatched by any other gun in the world for accuracy and range. With iron sights it was accurate to at least 800 yards; with telescopic sights it was deadly at ranges of over a mile.
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The most famous sniper shot of the Civil War, however, took place in May 1864, at Spotsylvania Court House. Union Major-General John Sedgwick was watching his troops move some cannon into place for the impending battle. A number of Confederate sharpshooters were also watching, at distances up to 1,000 yards, and soon the distinctive whistle of the hexagonal bullets from Whitworth rifles was heard. With each shot, all the Federal cannoneers dropped to the ground, prompting Sedgwick to chastize them, declaring, “I am ashamed of you. They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” A moment later, a bullet struck the General in the face below the left eye, and he crumpled to the ground. He was the highest-ranking Union officer to be killed in action during the war.
https://lflank.wordpress.com/2016/11/23/snipers-in-the-civil-war/
But the weapon that was most favored by the Confederates, and the best sniper rifle of the war, was the British-made Whitworth. Designed in 1850, the Whitworth was a unique solution to a problem that plagued all rifled guns of the time: as the bullet went down the barrel, the rifling grooves cut into the lead, imparting its spin but also measurably slowing the bullet down and reducing its range. Whitworth therefore designed his rifle with a barrel that was hexagonal in cross section–then designed his own special .45-caliber bullet that was also hexagonal and nestled snugly inside the barrel. This ingenious arrangement allowed him to add tighter rifling of one full turn every twenty inches, giving the bullet a greater spin than other barrels of the same length, and at greater speed. The Whitworth rifle was unmatched by any other gun in the world for accuracy and range. With iron sights it was accurate to at least 800 yards; with telescopic sights it was deadly at ranges of over a mile.
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akbluz
Blackhawk
And I thought I was doing pretty good to down a moose at 210 yards with a 3x9 Leupold scope on my Winchester Model 70 .375 H&H Magnum - but I was thrilled none-the-less.
by my calculations ..... 1 moa target at 3,699 yards is actually 36 inches....
I wouldn't even think of trying at that range and I've never shot at a 1000 yard range.
Hit a crow once at 370 yards (rangefinder and paced) which in my best, that or the fly at 100 yards.
Remingtom 40XBR in .22 BR Remington ans a 24x Leupold.
Hit a crow once at 370 yards (rangefinder and paced) which in my best, that or the fly at 100 yards.
Remingtom 40XBR in .22 BR Remington ans a 24x Leupold.
A close friend was an Army Ranger in the 60's, and is now a retired gentleman farmer. For years, my wife and I hunted woodchucks on his farm. One day, he was down on one of the fields interrupting my wife's hunting :-); THAT always annoyed her even though it was his land. He spotted a 'chuck' and announced it. The lovely woman (then in her 60's) grabbed her Rem. Mod.7 , Youth sized, .223, and immediately asked "WHERE". Being the macho Ranger, he said: 'Oh, he's WAY OUT THERE Caryl'. Impatient by now, she said: "Where is the (expletive) woodchuck Vinnie?". He said that it was at the far end of the third field in the left hand corner. She simply raised her rifle while standing UNDER his left armpit (she always kept her scope no higher than 6X) and fired OFFHAND (the ONLY way she feels comfortable shooting). He put his binocs down and looked at me and said: : "It's impossible, but that chuck just disappeared". We had to trudge through three fields until we got to the dead 'chuck' and picked it up so Vinnie could witness the kill. He used his laser range finder to spot 293 yds. He asked for her hand in marriage when we got back to the truck (fortunately, I had beat him to it). Now for the good part. She never saw any type of firearm until she met me in her 50's. When I taught her to shoot, no one mentioned to her about how difficult a specific shot could be; she just learned that IF she held her cross-hairs on a target and gently squeezed the trigger, she would hit it. She never learned that this was not a 100% guarantee (of course, I keep her rifle sighted-in for 100-300 yd woodchuck hits). She has dazzled the farm team over the years with shots from the top of "Vinnie's' truck and other unusual spots because she gets so excited, she can't stop to look for a more stable place to shoot. She made a head shot at 245 yds (offhand) because the 'chuck' was on the far side of a hill and only presented the back of his head. She had been after that on for 3 years running. While not a 1,000 yd shooter, I'm sure glad she's my wife :-). We haven't been out in the hot fields for the past 5 years or so, but she still gets itchy when she's sees a critter on the roadside..... I keep her rifle at home, just to be on the 'safe side'.
J
J
What gun, scope, and caliber was she using? I have shot at a target at 300 yds(not real good). My farthest on a deer offhand was 120 yds. (One shot one dead deer :). )That lady is good!
gramps
gramps
The black on a 1000 yard target is five feet across. Sounds large till you realize it's way away. Not sure of the exact time but a 308 take a bit more then a second to cover that distance. Wind and mirage have to be considered too. Effectively four times that needs a lot of doping.
Oh wow, a wildcat cartridge. Well done!
gramps
gramps
My father always said the rifle range at Paris Island was a 1,000 yards back in the 40's but everyone on the internet says no way. I do know he shot a perfect score when qualifying at boot camp... He complained to the DI and then the company commander that his issued rifle was not accurate and the DI pissed off about it handed him another M1 and 3 rounds and said..."sight it in" the only issue was he shot one too many times... seems he missed the 15 yard target. I have his military records and it does show he was an expert rifleman.... as I've said.... when he got to Korea they issued him an 03 Springfield with a scope and he was on a recon team..... every once and a while he would mention a 1000+ yard shot....
warren5421
Single-Sixer
You are talking about a West Point officer that wanted to setup the sharpshooters and had to prove it could be done. An Confederate officer was shaving when shot. He shaved in the same spot every day, this gave the shooter the time needed for the bullet to get there. the Confederate was in comand and him getting shot stop the flow of comand long enough for the Union troops to attack before the Confederates reacted.
