waltappel 1 #1 March 21, 2006 A friend e-mailed this to me. I don't know the original source. This guy made a really badass shot. Walt Sniper shot that took out an insurgent killer from three quarters of a mile Toby Harnden in Ramadi (Filed: 01/01/2006) Gazing through the telescopic sight of his M24 rifle, Staff Sgt Jim Gilliland, leader of Shadow sniper team, fixed his eye on the Iraqi insurgent who had just killed an American soldier. His quarry stood nonchalantly in the fourth-floor bay window of a hospital in battle-torn Ramadi, still clasping a long-barrelled Kalashnikov. Instinctively allowing for wind speed and bullet drop, Shadow's commander aimed 12 feet high. A single shot hit the Iraqi in the chest and killed him instantly. It had been fired from a range of 1,250 metres, well beyond the capacity of the powerful Leupold sight, accurate to 1,000 metres. "I believe it is the longest confirmed kill in Iraq with a 7.62mm rifle," said Staff Sgt Gilliland, 28, who hunted squirrels in Double Springs, Alabama from the age of five before progressing to deer - and then people. "He was visible only from the waist up. It was a one in a million shot. I could probably shoot a whole box of ammunition and never hit him again." Later that day, Staff Sgt Gilliland found out that the dead soldier was Staff Sgt Jason Benford, 30, a good friend. The insurgent was one of between 55 and 65 he estimates that he has shot dead in less than five months, putting him within striking distance of sniper legends such as Carlos Hathcock, who recorded 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam. One of his men, Specialist Aaron Arnold, 22, of Medway, Ohio, has chalked up a similar tally. "It was elating, but only afterwards," said Staff Sgt Gilliland, recalling the September 27 shot. "At the time, there was no high-fiving. You've got troops under fire, taking casualties and you're not thinking about anything other than finding a target and putting it down. Every shot is for the betterment of our cause." All told, the 10-strong Shadow sniper team, attached to Task Force 2/69, has killed just under 200 in the same period and emerged as the US Army's secret weapon in Ramadi against the threat of the hidden Improvised Explosive Device (IED) or roadside bomb - the insurgency's deadliest tactic. Above the spot from which Staff Sgt Gilliland took his record shot, in a room at the top of a bombed-out observation post which is code-named Hotel and known jokingly to soldiers as the Ramadi Inn, are daubed "Kill Them All" and "Kill Like you Mean it". On another wall are scrawled the words of Senator John McCain: "America is great not because of what she has done for herself but because of what she has done for others." The juxtaposition of macho slogans and noble political rhetoric encapsulates the dirty, dangerous and often callous job the sniper has to carry out as an integral part of a campaign ultimately being waged to help the Iraqi people. With masterful understatement, Lt Col Robert Roggeman, the Task Force 2/69 commander, conceded: "The romantic in me is disappointed with the reception we've received in Ramadi," a town of 400,000 on the banks of the Euphrates where graffiti boasts, with more than a degree of accuracy: "This is the graveyard of the Americans". "We're the outsiders, the infidels," he said. "Every time somebody goes out that main gate he might not come back. It's still a running gun battle." Highly effective though they are, he worries about the burden his snipers have to bear. "It's a very God-like role. They have the power of life and death that, if not held in check, can run out of control. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. "Every shot has to be measured against the Rules of Engagement [ROE], positive identification and proportionality." Staff Sgt Gilliland explains that his Shadow team operates at the "borderlines" of the ROE, making snap judgements about whether a figure in the crosshairs is an insurgent or not. "Hunters give their animals respect," he said, spitting out a mouthful of chewing tobacco. "If you have no respect for what you do you're not going to be very good or you're going to make a mistake. We try to give the benefit of the doubt. "You've got to live with it. It's on your conscience. It's something you've got to carry away with you. And if you shoot somebody just walking down the street, then that's probably going to haunt you." Although killing with a single shot carries an enormous cachet within the sniper world, their most successful engagements have involved the shooting a up to 10 members of a single IED team. "The one-shot-one-kill thing is one of beauty but killing all the bad dudes is even more attractive," said Staff Sgt Gilliland, whose motto is "Move fast, shoot straight and leave the rest to the counsellors in 10 years" and signs off his e-mails with "silent souls make.308 holes". Whether Shadow team's work will ultimately make a difference in Iraq is open to question. No matter how many insurgents they shoot, there seems no shortage of recruits to plant bombs. Col John Gronski, the overall United States commander in Ramadi, said there could not be a military solution. "You could spend years putting snipers out and killing IED emplacers and at the political level it would make no difference." As they prepare to leave Iraq, however, Staff Sgt Gilliland and his men hope that they have bought a little more time for the country's politicians to fix peace and stability in their sights. Walt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #2 March 21, 2006 very nice work indeed. I bet there are a few posters who think this guy is unethical for being so far away and taking a "one in a million shot" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,400 #3 March 21, 2006 >I bet there are a few posters who think this guy is unethical . . . Not much unethical about shooting someone who just killed a US soldier. The only question at that point is what's the most convenient way to do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #4 March 21, 2006 That article is from Soldier of Fortune Magazine."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #5 March 21, 2006 That's one helluva shot! That man, did his job!!! Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scoop 0 #6 March 21, 2006 Good shot. Well done.... Although might I also say excellent propaganda for the troops. Nothing like the story of a hero to get the troops motivated. Either way. Kick ass! All those guys and girls serving over there have my support Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites namgrunt 0 #7 March 22, 2006 HOOAH ARMY .....YES ..59 YEARS,OVERWEIGHT,BALDIND,X-GRUNT LAST MIL. JUMP VIET-NAM(QUAN-TRI) www.dzmemories.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AggieDave 6 #8 March 22, 2006 That's even better then Hancock's 1050m shot last year. Both shots are pretty darned impressive.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skydemon2 0 #9 March 22, 2006 Very niceBeauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone! I like to start my day off with a little Ray of Soulshine™!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites waltappel 1 #10 March 22, 2006 QuoteVery nice It was really nice, and if the guy is never able to make a shot like that again, he made that one and did it when it really counted. The graphic that came with that story really gives a great perspective on just how great that shot was. Walt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Gawain 0 #11 March 22, 2006 The Ramadi Inn as the pic refers to it, is what we called the "hotel" . It was our OP in my company and I have been inside that company many times. The surrounding area looks like a wasteland. I heard a couple stories about ACF snipers using the hospital as a place to wreak havoc, and all I know is that we used counter-snipers to take them out. We could have used airstrikes, but it is a working hospital...so it's nice to keep the building...well...relatively speaking, intact.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tcnelson 1 #12 March 22, 2006 i'm intimately familiar with m24's and a torso shot from 1250m is literally outstanding. the glass is only 10x so, that target must have looked pretty tiny. not only that, the 7.62 round that hit him must have come in like a mortar round! nice shot sergeant..."Don't talk to me like that assface...I don't work for you yet." - Fletch NBFT, Deseoso Rodriguez RB#1329 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites SkyDekker 1,123 #13 March 22, 2006 Quite the shot.... He must have taken some lessons from Canadian snipers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites warpedskydiver 0 #14 March 22, 2006 QuoteQuite the shot.... He must have taken some lessons from Canadian snipers in that case the terrosrist must have been drinking the last cold icy beer! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Rebecca 0 #15 March 22, 2006 Ditto on all the congratulations to SSgt. Gilliland, but this part: Quote[Staff Sgt Gilliland] hunted squirrels in Double Springs, Alabama from the age of five before progressing to deer - and then people. is creepy, like how serial killers are described. It's the one part of the article I'd have rewritten you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Richards 0 #16 March 22, 2006 Did an excellent job. Saved the lives of his buddies, and thats all that matters. Richards My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites briguy 0 #17 March 22, 2006 i was surprised to read that it was a 7.62mm round and not .50 cal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites JohnRich 4 #18 March 22, 2006 QuoteThat's one helluva shot! With his training, experience and equipment, I'm not surprised. Yeah, it's still a heck of a good shot, but it's not really a "one in a million" or "blind luck". I've been shooting .308 in 1,000-yard matches. I can put about 8 shots out of 10 in a five foot circle. And that's just me as a sloppy amateur, with iron sights, who only does it once a month. So, given a professional soldier, with a top grade rifle, scope, and ammo, practice with tens of thousands of rounds, who knows his ballistic tables and wind drift - and the shot becomes highly probable rather than a miracle. He knows his craft, and used his expertise to make an extraordinary shot. Bravo for him! I use 27 minutes of elevation at 1,000 yards, arcing my shots about 22 feet high in the air. I wouldn't even begin to know the "come up" for 1,350 yards. And I would think the bullet had dropped to subsonic speed by then, which also reduces accuracy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites steve1 5 #19 March 22, 2006 The insurgent was one of between 55 and 65 he estimates that he has shot dead in less than five months, putting him within striking distance of sniper legends such as Carlos Hathcock, who recorded 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam. One of his men, Specialist Aaron Arnold, 22, of Medway, Ohio, has chalked up a similar tally. Walt ........................................................ What a shot! Sgt. Hathcock's kills were confirmed, and not an estimate. Hathcock probably had an even higher number of unconfirmed kills. So the actual number was probably greater than 200. I know this is kind of a sick thought, but in the buisness of war, that is what a sniper's job is all about.....Steve1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
namgrunt 0 #7 March 22, 2006 HOOAH ARMY .....YES ..59 YEARS,OVERWEIGHT,BALDIND,X-GRUNT LAST MIL. JUMP VIET-NAM(QUAN-TRI) www.dzmemories.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #8 March 22, 2006 That's even better then Hancock's 1050m shot last year. Both shots are pretty darned impressive.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydemon2 0 #9 March 22, 2006 Very niceBeauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone! I like to start my day off with a little Ray of Soulshine™!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waltappel 1 #10 March 22, 2006 QuoteVery nice It was really nice, and if the guy is never able to make a shot like that again, he made that one and did it when it really counted. The graphic that came with that story really gives a great perspective on just how great that shot was. Walt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #11 March 22, 2006 The Ramadi Inn as the pic refers to it, is what we called the "hotel" . It was our OP in my company and I have been inside that company many times. The surrounding area looks like a wasteland. I heard a couple stories about ACF snipers using the hospital as a place to wreak havoc, and all I know is that we used counter-snipers to take them out. We could have used airstrikes, but it is a working hospital...so it's nice to keep the building...well...relatively speaking, intact.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tcnelson 1 #12 March 22, 2006 i'm intimately familiar with m24's and a torso shot from 1250m is literally outstanding. the glass is only 10x so, that target must have looked pretty tiny. not only that, the 7.62 round that hit him must have come in like a mortar round! nice shot sergeant..."Don't talk to me like that assface...I don't work for you yet." - Fletch NBFT, Deseoso Rodriguez RB#1329 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyDekker 1,123 #13 March 22, 2006 Quite the shot.... He must have taken some lessons from Canadian snipers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #14 March 22, 2006 QuoteQuite the shot.... He must have taken some lessons from Canadian snipers in that case the terrosrist must have been drinking the last cold icy beer! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rebecca 0 #15 March 22, 2006 Ditto on all the congratulations to SSgt. Gilliland, but this part: Quote[Staff Sgt Gilliland] hunted squirrels in Double Springs, Alabama from the age of five before progressing to deer - and then people. is creepy, like how serial killers are described. It's the one part of the article I'd have rewritten you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Richards 0 #16 March 22, 2006 Did an excellent job. Saved the lives of his buddies, and thats all that matters. Richards My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
briguy 0 #17 March 22, 2006 i was surprised to read that it was a 7.62mm round and not .50 cal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #18 March 22, 2006 QuoteThat's one helluva shot! With his training, experience and equipment, I'm not surprised. Yeah, it's still a heck of a good shot, but it's not really a "one in a million" or "blind luck". I've been shooting .308 in 1,000-yard matches. I can put about 8 shots out of 10 in a five foot circle. And that's just me as a sloppy amateur, with iron sights, who only does it once a month. So, given a professional soldier, with a top grade rifle, scope, and ammo, practice with tens of thousands of rounds, who knows his ballistic tables and wind drift - and the shot becomes highly probable rather than a miracle. He knows his craft, and used his expertise to make an extraordinary shot. Bravo for him! I use 27 minutes of elevation at 1,000 yards, arcing my shots about 22 feet high in the air. I wouldn't even begin to know the "come up" for 1,350 yards. And I would think the bullet had dropped to subsonic speed by then, which also reduces accuracy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #19 March 22, 2006 The insurgent was one of between 55 and 65 he estimates that he has shot dead in less than five months, putting him within striking distance of sniper legends such as Carlos Hathcock, who recorded 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam. One of his men, Specialist Aaron Arnold, 22, of Medway, Ohio, has chalked up a similar tally. Walt ........................................................ What a shot! Sgt. Hathcock's kills were confirmed, and not an estimate. Hathcock probably had an even higher number of unconfirmed kills. So the actual number was probably greater than 200. I know this is kind of a sick thought, but in the buisness of war, that is what a sniper's job is all about.....Steve1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kbordson 8 #20 March 23, 2006 I have respect for those men. I don't think that I would be able to remain detached and not think about the "target" ... the actual person. I also admire the skill and precision required for accuracy like that. The command of self, the weapon (M24 is nice....although an AI would have been nicer) My thanks to Hathcock, Mawhinney and now the current generation for doing what sometimes needs to be done. (As much as I would like to save everyone... I understand that there are times that casualties are the answer. I just kinda wish that SOF wouldn't glamourize it. SSgt Gilliland might have wanted to live quietly when he got home) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #21 March 23, 2006 Not too shabby, John! I think, the best shot I've ever made was, about 450-yds. with a 30.06 and a 3x9 scope, leaned across the hood of a pick-up. I was shooting feral hogs. Got it one shot. I was fairly proud of that shot. I'm humbled by yours, though. I don't really shoot, that often, either. Like you said, those Army snipers have the best of rifles, scopes and etc. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #22 March 23, 2006 Quote My thanks to Hathcock, Mawhinney and now the current generation for doing what sometimes needs to be done. (As much as I would like to save everyone... I understand that there are times that casualties are the answer. I just kinda wish that SOF wouldn't glamourize it. SSgt Gilliland might have wanted to live quietly when he got home) .......................... I don't have a clue what war is all about. I've never experienced it, and it must be awful. I do read quite a bit about Vietnam and other wars. I had a friend who was a Marine (grunt) in Vietnam, and I knew he was wounded over there. What I didn't realize was that he was probably suffering from Post-Traumatic-Stress. At any rate I was working with this guy and I knew he knew a lot about rifles and he hunted a lot. So, one day I told him I just finished reading this really great book. It was called Marine Sniper. I asked him if he wanted to read it. So, the next time I saw him, I asked him if he had read it, and he said, yes. I could also tell he was more than a little bit angry. "Yep," he said, "I used to go out on those "Kill" teams, and it wasn't no Camelot." That was about all he said, and he didn't want to say more. I could tell he was really, really angry about something. Maybe this book brought back too many memories. Maybe he was pissed because the book kind of glamorized the art of killing. At any rate, I had since enough not to ask him anything more. The next several nights I saw him jogging for miles away from his house. He worked a hard physical job all day, but still went jogging when he got off. I guess that is how he dealt with all those crappy memories....Steve1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DexterBase 0 #23 March 23, 2006 I shoot long distance .308 too and I'm very impressed with this shot. (JohnRich, you already know everything I'm about to type but this information is for those not familiar with just how difficult and scientific long distance shooting is.) There's a huge difference between hitting the 10 ring on a (one way) known distance range with wind flags, and the shot we're reading about. This sniper made a shot at unknown range, in urban wind conditions (probably gusty), under pressure, and on a hostile, half covered, elevated target. I'd say that's a damn impressive shot. Snipers are great at what they do, but every once in a while one makes a shot that is the stuff of legend. This would have been a good shot with a .50 SASR. At 1000 yards, a 168 grain Sierra MatchKing bullet will drop over 250" if zeroed at 600 yards. Being in Ramadi, I would think they're using a closer zero, but I'm not sure. I've been there and I don't think I'd want to be using holds for all typical engagement ranges there. (If the rifle is zeroed at 300 yards, the drop at 1000 is more like 370") 1000 yards also means over 100" of drift in a 10 mile per hour crosswind. So we're talking about clicking in almost 8 MOA and then compensating for wind drift (like two body lengths worth) and then compensating for an uphill shot, say 15 degrees so he's holding a foot and a half under for the bullet POI change... all in the middle of a firefight! And that's only for 1000 yards. I have absolutely no idea what a .308 bullet does past 1000 yards. I'm damn impressed. It would be interesting to re-create the shot and see just how difficult the simple ballistics would be. I'm guessing it would take me half an hour to figure everything out to the point where I could even get a bullet in the ballpark. (If anyone spots an error in my numbers please let me know so I can check my range cards. Thanks) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #24 March 23, 2006 That was a good explanation of some of the various factors, and their complexity, involved in long range shooting. My only comment would be this: the long range .308 shooters I know use the 175 grain bullets, rather than the 168's. The 168's are good out to 600 yards, but can go subsonic at 1,000. The 175's retain velocity just enough longer to ensure they stay supersonic all the way to 1,000 yards. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #25 March 23, 2006 Quote My only comment would be this: the long range .308 shooters I know use the 175 grain bullets, rather than the 168's. The 168's are good out to 600 yards, but can go subsonic at 1,000. The 175's retain velocity just enough longer to ensure they stay supersonic all the way to 1,000 yards. ................... Thanks for the input on this John. I'm trying to figure out which bullet to use in my old 30/06. Actually I haven't hunted with it in years, but am trying to work up a load for it now. I used to use 150 grain for deer and elk. I like the flat trajectory of 150's, but they don't penetrate as well as 180's. Most people I know use 180's on elk, even though I've shot several with 150's. So, I thought I'd split the difference and try 165's. I rarely take a shot over 400 yards. I imagine 180's would buck the wind better, but they drop quite a bit more than 150's at longer ranges. But then again, I put some target turrets on my 3X9 Leupold recently, so I think I can extend my effective range out to 500 yards easily enough, (if there's not much wind, and if I use the right range finder, and have a steady rest.) I hate to make a wounding shot on game, so I want to stay well within my own personal limits and not take a risky shot.....Steve1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
