From: bartb@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbitt)
Subject: Re: advice on first purchase
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site

Daniel Inayat Von Briesen (div7w@poe.acc.virginia.edu) wrote:

: So, if I had 1000 for a rifle and 350 for a pistol and
: thought I was a skilled sniper, which would be the best, and
: why?

Would it make any difference if you were just a skilled marksman instead
of a skilled sniper?

I oft times wonder why folks think that if someone (even themselves) is
capable of shooting accuratly, they must be a sniper.  Sniping, in reality,
is not a highly skilled level of shooting accurately, but instead a
person-killing process that does not fit will in virtually all elements
of society.  Competitive shooters out perform snipers by a very large
margin; their differences are mainly mental as they don't think about
killing people, just shooting accurately........     But I digress.......

Regarding your desired purchases, for those dollars you can get a used
highpower match rifle and a used bullseye match pistol that will shoot
much, much better (reliably, accurate, etc.) than anything new over-the-
counter.

BB

From: bartb@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbitt)
Subject: Re: Sniping vs. target shooting
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site

bob hale (hale%tesla.is@brooktree.com) wrote:

: Perhaps Bart's statement is true in general, perhaps not.  I
: have just started to read "One Shot, One Kill".  A chapter by
: Carlos Hatchcock describes how he took out someone gunning for
: Hathcock by use of a single round which penetrated the objective
: lens of his adversary's scope, took out the subjective lens, and
: entered the right eye of his adversary.

Even Hathcock was a competitive shooter and won a lot of matches setting
a few records along the way.  But he also knew that the chances of hitting
something the size of an objective lens of a scope (rifle or spotting, you
didn't mention which one) that is 3 inches or less in diameter with the
first shot at any range over 300 yards is not highly probable.  Especially
when the exact range to the target is not known.

So, he did the above event.........once.  Repeatability validates claims.
If it isn't repeated, more often than not.......it's luck.

: Hatcock makes the point that, at least for himself, the matter
: of killing is considered as a separate issue from the matter
: of marksmanship.

Which is exactly what he told me at the 1971 Interservice Matches at Quantico,
Virginia.  The fact that he was the only military sniper that did well at
highpower competition is little known.

BB

From: bartb@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbitt)
Subject: Re: Sniping vs. target shooting
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site

Christopher Morton (cmort@NCoast.ORG) wrote:

: I think Bart should have to low crawl from the PX to the firing line, like
: Hathcock did to shoot that NVA general.... :)

On my back or on my belly?

While serving in Uncle Sam's Yacht Club (USN), twice I was selected to
do single-person combat stuff; once as the person shooting the rifle
and once as an instructor to teach people how to do that.  Thankfully,
my detailer in the Pentagon called me both times and said he wouldn't
let me go do that.  He said my life expectancy was much longer just
shooting matches.  I thanked him very much.

BB