Greatest Shot ever taken?

"Master gunny repeat after me: It couldn't have been done, I couldn't do it"
Yes Sir!

See, Oswald didn't do it. Orders from higher authority say so.

I got ya all beat. Large Slow Target pulled behind a small single engine aircraft. All these guys around me taking turns shooting at the large slow target and then It's my turn. I show em, one burst and the target drifts down into the ocean as the tow plane flies away. 1957, West coast of the US, live fire exercise w/ Quad Fifty on Half Track.

The greatest shot in history:

My friend Dennis, firing my S&W 625 at the range: "Are you sure these sights are adjusted? I just fired all 6, and not a single one hit the target."

Me: (casually) [BAM] -- One shot, perfect bullseye, one of the few I've ever made. "Yep. I think they're OK."

It was more luck than I wish it was, but the effect was perfect Also, to be fair, Dennis has shot, but is not "a shooter" (not that I am), and had not fired a revolver before. I suspect he was shooting straighter that I did the first time



Of course, I didn't have an maladjusted Carcano around, I would have done even better.

timothy

A couple of weeks ago I pulled my personal best shot, a bowling around 70yds with a S&W 642 1-7/8". I have no plans to attempt such a thing again, I'd let my friends tell that story for a while before I screw it up.

I vote hathcock

But he did repeat it. He repeated that shot within minutes of the first. Remember, he shot the bike AND the boy.

As far as the M2, Hathcock wasn't the only sniper in Viet Nam using the M2. There were several. And people don't realize how good Hathcock was. Look at the shooting matches this guy won, including the Wimbleton Cup.

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The biographies put out claim that the shot was repeated, but that's irrelevant. Yes, he was indeed an amazing, world-class shot, but the best shooter in history can't make a shot that's more or less physically impossible within the given constraints. The best shooter alive, shooting a Ruger 10/22 at two thousand yards, will lose every time to a rookie with a benchrest rifle.

I have no doubt that it's possible to hit something at that distance with that platform, but I argue that it's not just not possible to intentionally do so twice in a row, under the claimed circumstances of a deliberate warning shot. Aspects are undoubtedly true, but the whole story as told is simply not believable.

some of those fellers will pull your leg chuck yeager told one on tv about shooting a hole in his prop and being able to see it

I have no doubt that it's possible to hit something at that distance with that platform, but I argue that it's not just not possible to intentionally do so twice in a row, under the claimed circumstances of a deliberate warning shot. Aspects are undoubtedly true, but the whole story as told is simply not believable.

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I think that platform and the shooter could have definitely hit a person-size target at that range, but not the bike frame. That part was just luck, whether or not he was aiming for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62gvoKyODu4

penn and teller "rapidfire" a Mannlicher-Carcano then shoot a melon to show head direction move TOWARD the entrance wound as the exit wound acts as a jetblast or rocketblast

also, got to mention Nick Ranstad who got a 2100 hit on a taliban with an M82 IIRC, and while it does fall a few yards short of the Canadian's record, Ranstad did it in a single shot, while the Canadian took 3 shots to actually connect.

I've been trying to think of a witty way to say this and I can't come up W/ one so here goes;

The Idea that the is some all encompassing government conspiracy to cover up the facts of the Kennedy assasination, a cover up that's spanned 45 years W/out being discovered, requires far more faith in our government's competence than I have. In my opinion a government that could pull that off would already have your guns.

I've been trying to think of a witty way to say this and I can't come up W/ one so here goes;

The Idea that the is some all encompassing government conspiracy to cover up the facts of the Kennedy assasination, a cover up that's spanned 45 years W/out being discovered, requires far more faith in our government's competence than I have. In my opinion a government that could pull that off would already have your guns.
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That was witty enough.Oswald did it all by his lonesome.
There's not one shred of evidence linking those shots directly to another person in all those 45 years.
The sad sack hapless loner did pull off the crime of the century.
All by himself.

I'm with Correia. Nothing impossible about Oswald's shooting. I can't remember the program, but they recreated the assasination using a platform elevated to six stories and the correct vehicle (Lincoln, right?). Anyway, they used a melon for the head and then pulled the car on a line at the same speed that Kennedy's vehicle had been moving. The shooter was, IIRC, an experienced marksman and they used the correct M91/38 Carcano with scope. He pulled it off.

I own 4 Carcano's (M1891, M91/38, M91/38 Cavalry and M38 7.35mm). All of them are reasonably accurate and, if the clips are in good condition, cycle reliably and quite quickly. It's really not the inferior design people say (regurgitate) that it is. They're just not terribly strong when compared to a Mauser-type action; The Carcano's that were chambered in 8x57JS did beat themselves to death.

I've never visited the Daley Center or done any research on the assassination, but a 70 yard shot on a slow-moving target just isn't that hard. Heck, I've shot running praire dogs further than that from a truck window with a 16" AR-15 and a cheap 3-9 scope.

hmmm, what about Walt Whitman

i saw the same tv show mach IV i want to say it was 60 mins almost 20 years ago.

I throw my vote behind the shot(s) that started the Revolutionary War. Known or unknown, it changed history more than anything. Think about it-we could be Canada!

I'd rank the Kennedy assasination second. I saw a television program of more recent vintage where they recreated the magic bullet shot, down to ballistic gelatin targets with simulated skeletons. I think they were made of metal.
The result was identical to what really happened, with 2 exceptions, the second of which explained the first.

1) The bullet did not actually penetrate the Connally analogue's thigh, though it did hit it!

2) The bullet hit TWO of "Connally's" ribs instead of just one. After having already gone through the President's body, this is just random luck in my opinion. At any rate, the extra deceleration from hitting an extra rib explains why there was no penetration of the thigh. Supposedly the actual bullet just fell out of the Governor's leg later anyhow.

In my book, the case is shut. There was one gunman.

I'm with Correia. Nothing impossible about Oswald's shooting. I can't remember the program, but they recreated the assasination using a platform elevated to six stories and the correct vehicle (Lincoln, right?). Anyway, they used a melon for the head and then pulled the car on a line at the same speed that Kennedy's vehicle had been moving. The shooter was, IIRC, an experienced marksman and they used the correct M91/38 Carcano with scope. He pulled it off.

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What was missing from their evaluation?

I agree that Oswald made the shot. What I have a problem with is all the evaluations. Each and every one of them is the same. They all leave something out.

The ones that say Oswald didn't make the shot all leave out something. One sniper didn't even attempt the shot, just looked at the area and said it can't be done. Hathcock said it couldn't be done according to the FBI investigation, but we don't know the details of that investigation.

The ones that do show it being possible all leave something out too. Everything is recreated but never recreated exactly the way Oswald's shot was. Never. In the recreation Mach mentioned they were shooting from a platform. Oswald didn't shoot from a platform. He shot from a window and his shot was partially blocked by drainage pipes. They never use the same rifle and we all know how much war relic rifles will differ in accuracy depending on the abuse they've seen.

They use skilled marksmen. Oswald wasn't a very good shot by Marine Corps standards. He qualified Sharpshooter and Marksman. When he qualified Marksman he only passed by 1 point.

Oswald made the shot. But it wasn't skill. He not only missed Kennedy on his first shot he missed the vehicle completely. He missed a land barge Lincoln at 70 yards.

It was the luckiest shot ever taken. I think that's been my point all along. That's what the evidence from both sides point to. He was essentially, a non-shooting goof ball that luckily offed a President.

Just for fun...
I remember when one of the three stooges slammed the butt of a gun on the ground and a duck (or goose) fell from the sky.

and leave us not forget Elmer Fud.........
bang, phftt
bang, phftt
phftt, bang.

yo, quicksdraw..

Today on the range two guys showed up with their Savage Action Target rifles with the GIANT scopes. They were shooting at 100 yards and one started saying, "hey you have a fly on your target." the other guy shoots and they just start celebrating, "You got him!" I though it was BS until I went down range and you could see the nicely splattered fly guts and a 6mm hole in the middle. I have to say I was impressed. Those guns are so accurate I give credit to the rifle on that one though. Personally, I think the sniper in Afghanistan who took out 4 enemy at 1000 yards, two of them through a window get the nod from me. He was either Australian or British?

The sparrow I killed from across the back yard with open sights on a Daisy Red Ryder when I was 8 years old was without question the greatest shot ever taken. It was sitting on a pine tree branch about 10 feet off the ground and I braced the gun on the rim of a 50 gal drum we used to burn trash. Distance was about 100ft or so and I nailed the little sparrow perfectly. One shot, one kill.

I once shot a 98/100 prone with an ancient heavy barrel .22, peep + hood sights. I think they called it Olympic style shooting, but this was under the auspices of high school ROTC. As I recall, we were trying to qualify for military-style marksmanship ratings with a combination of prone, kneeling, and standing scores. Ah, the good old days. I can't imagine the litigation/pussification climate has allowed any such school programs to remain.

WDM Bell, his feats of marksmanship are legendary.

12-34hom

On the contrary, starboard. The high school I teach at has a small (about 10-12 member) but dedicated rifle team. They shoot 50ft. indoor bullseye. Some have their own rifles, but if they don't the team provides a nice Anschutz. I wonder where they got the money for those -- musht have been a lot of car washes!

The greatest string shooter is most likely Ad Toepperwein. One of Ad's first large assignments for Winchester was at the World's Fair at St. Louis in 1904. There he established his first official record by smashing 3507 21/4 inch diameter aerial composition targets without a miss. In 1906 he shot at 20,000 2¼ inch wooden blocks during a period of three days' shooting and scored 19,990 hits.

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I consider Tom Frye's record of 100,004 out of 100,010 far better, with his brace of Remington Nylon 66s. It's certainly in the running for my pick of best shooting feat.

Greatest Shot ever taken?
What is in your opinion the greatest shot ever, as in the most impressive feat of shooting skill/luck.

I would say Billy Dixon shot that dropped his target at 1500 yards with a .50-90 sharps rifle.

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See the original post.The OP is talking about one shot,not strings or in Karamojo Bell's case ,his career body of work.
I still go with Lee Harvey Oswald's second shot under the utmost tremendous pressure, shooting at the most powerful person in the world from distance,taking out JFK and Governor Connolly with one round.
11/23/1963, 12:30 P.M., CST, Dallas,Texas.3 shot elapsed time, bolt action Mannlicher-Carcano:8.3 seconds.
Case closed,IMHO.