.50-caliber sniper

[snopes]

This is interesting to watch. These video shots are not made through the shooter's telescopic sight ... they are made looking through the spotter's scope.

The spotter lies right next to the sniper and helps the sniper to find and home in on the target. The sniper is using a 50 calibre rifle.

A 50 cal. round is about 7-8 inches long and the casing is about an inch in diameter. The bullet itself is one-half inch in diameter and roughly one and one-half inches long.

Pay close attention to the beginning of the video. A Taliban is laying on top of the peak in front of you ... when you hear the shot fired ... watch what happens. The sniper is also about a half mile away ... or more.

A Canadian sniper in Afghanistan has been confirmed as hitting an enemy soldier at a range of 2,310 meters, the longest recorded and confirmed sniper shot in history. The previous record of 2,250 meters was set by US Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock in Vietnam in 1967. The Canadian sniper was at an altitude of 8,500 feet and the target, across a valley, was at 9,000 feet. Canadian sniper units often operated in support of US infantry units, which were grateful for their help. The record lasted only one day, until a second Canadian sniper hit an enemy soldier at 2,400 meters (8000 feet), over a mile and a half.

The Canadian snipers fire special .50-calibre McMillan tactical rifles, which are bolt-action weapons with five-round magazines ... The Canadian snipers were the only Canadian troops operating without helmets or flak jackets as they had too much other equipment to carry. Each three-man team has one sniper rifle, three standard rifles (Canadian C7s), one of them with a 203mm grenade launcher.

[Malruhn]

Bad news to the submitter - what are being shot are varmints of some flavor - I vote prairie dogs, ferrets or weasels. A human is moved by a .50 cal hitting them, but only knocked down - not tossed about like... well, like a small varmint being shot by a hunting rifle.

Vote: Fake.

The targets are critters. I also think that the rifle is a high-powered hunting rifle - perhaps a .308 or .30-30 or .30-06 using hollow-points.

If nuthin' else, it's good shooting, but horribly misattributed.

Originally Posted by Malruhn

Bad news to the submitter - what are being shot are varmints of some flavor - I vote prairie dogs, ferrets or weasels.

Looks like it. Poor little animals


-Fox

[zerocool]

Yes I've seen this before but it was labeled as varmint hunting.

I'm surprised we haven't covered this before. The video clips have been around for a few years. They appear to have been taken from this site:
Varmint Safari

That's it. Thanks Delta.

[Troberg]

Bad news to the submitter - what are being shot are varmints of some flavor - I vote prairie dogs, ferrets or weasels. A human is moved by a .50 cal hitting them, but only knocked down - not tossed about like... well, like a small varmint being shot by a hunting rifle.

Vote: Fake.

The targets are critters. I also think that the rifle is a high-powered hunting rifle - perhaps a .308 or .30-30 or .30-06 using hollow-points.

It could also be a case of "shoot everything that moves, then declare the target an enemy". They shot some critters, reckoned no one would make a closer check and called them Talibans in an effort to boost their own reputation.

[UEL]

Originally Posted by snopes

The Canadian snipers fire special .50-calibre McMillan tactical rifles, which are bolt-action weapons with five-round magazines ... The Canadian snipers were the only Canadian troops operating without helmets or flak jackets as they had too much other equipment to carry. Each three-man team has one sniper rifle, three standard rifles (Canadian C7s), one of them with a 203mm grenade launcher.

Only one of the snipers in the battalion carries the .50, the rest have either the C3A1 (a Parker-Hale M82, .308 rifle) or a new one that is just coming into service within the past year.

I just did not want everyone to think that all our snipers used was the .50.

"Fisk recommends a 50 caliber rifle, like the McMillan M87R shown here, and a clean headshot for the best 'hometown' defense against destructive giants."



-Fox

I vote on varmint hunting. I have seen deer shot with the 50 BMG and it doesnt not cause this type of damage on "human" size targets.

My SGM sent out this video as some kind of motivation tool... Does anyone have any more information on its origin?

[General Redwood]

Originally Posted by Caduceus Fox

"Fisk recommends a 50 caliber rifle, like the McMillan M87R shown here, and a clean headshot for the best 'hometown' defense against destructive giants."



-Fox

A Naylor reference? Never thought I'd see one of those here.