86-year-old World War II sniper earns U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s coveted black hat. First they gave him a replica of the 1903 Springfield A4 sniper rifle he used in WWII and he hit the target three times in a row from 300 yards. Then they gave him a modern Remington 700s and he hit the target from 1,000 yards. No wonder the Germans gave up on capturing Bastogne – an 86-year-old shooting that good is “Nuts!”
This post was last modified on January 26, 2021
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Interstingly, in every war America has had, their snipers were pulled from the farmer/hunter part of society. Kids who learned to shoot as virtual toddlers make really good marksmen for the military. As Hank WIlliams JR says, "country boy can survive."
A while back I read Sergeant York's firsthand account of his Medal of Honor battle, and it was actually pretty funny. At one point he was surrounded by Germans who had higher ground and he realized if he let them get started they'd massacre him and the few American men left, so he stayed on his feet and simply picked them off one by one as they raised their heads. It was like Whac-A-Mole only with Germans instead of moles. When he finally ran out of ammo a group of Germans charged him and he finished them off with his .45 - then the Germans surrendered. That kind of shooting under extreme pressure can only come from a lifetime of experience with guns.
Gentlemen (and Ladies...) Here is your chance to stop being a cook and become a rifleman. The Appleseed Project is a volunteer organization dedicated to teachin our American heritage and history, as well as basic marksmanship skills. Check this out:
http://appleseedinfo.org
I have a 1903 I purchased about 7 years ago. It came with the mount for a scope that didn't work for crap. After shooting it a bunch of times with the scope I couldn't hit crap with it and we called it the wall hanger.
After removing the scope and mount, I split 3 brake drum plates in half at 100 yards with the iron sights. Maybe it's not something that's ready to hang up just yet.
There was a time in this country when being a rifleman was considered by many to be duty. Bless you sir, keep your powder dry as we may need you again!
Diane Frankenstein would likely pee her jockstrap reading about this guy.
Let's see. What did they call those guys? Oh yeah, the GREATEST GENERATION.
Congratulations, Mr. Gundy!
Holy Cow! That's some shootin'! I went target shooting recently for the first time in my life and struggled to get in the circle at 30 freekin' yards! How does one shoot as well as this ole boy, even WITH a scope?
My Dad gave me a 1903 that he bought as surplus back in the 50's for about 20 bucks. Love the thing, has the pop up site that adjusts for windage, Shot my first deer with it but there is no way in hell I could shot like this guy! My Hats off to him.
Damn would I like to have the replica of the Springfield.
You familiar with the Civilian Marksmanship Program?
http://www.thecmp.org/sales.htm
Thanks PD, that one's filed to look into.
Yeah, pretty cool gift.