RLoving1

I have been to Adobe Walls where Dixon made that shot! Fantastic country,for some reason I imagine after Dixon sqeezed that shoot off and went and got a cup of coffee his first words were "Holy S&$%"!The poor native American was gonna die that day,lightning strike,horse trip and fall,stroke,...it was just his day!We all shoot rifle,handguns,bows,whatever at game and some of us still get nerves doing it,shooting another human is traumatic even in self defense in the heat of battle.I deal with a 24 year old that has been back from Iraq about 1 year.After a couple drinks he starts turning angry for what he had to do during battle,running a 50 cal. and confirming 13 personel kills has had its effects on him.I don't want to harm another human...self defense will be bad enough but I hope I could do it to protect life and country!

drs1961

I'm just glad that we have enough proficient riflemen in this country to keep recruiting and passing on that great American tradition.Riflemen (hunters)earned us our independence back in 1776 and havehelped keepus free ever since. Bob Hart of Hart Rifles is a dedicated hunter and builds 1000 yd. rifles for competition and sport. He has helped trained the military and law enforcement snipers on the proficient operation of the rifle and accurate shooting at extreme ranges.That kind of ability is a greatasset to all of us who want to uphold our right to be "a well armed militia, being necessary to the security of a free state".

WWhunter

Don F and RLoving,

Thanks for your comments on this thread. I have been following it and was reluctant to say anything because so much said via email language gets misconscrewed.
I was trainedas theMarksman/Shooter for the Special Ops team I was assigned to when in the military. I say shooter because we weren't really called snipers as this was when Special Ops was in its infancy for the mission types we were to be doing. I also shotfor the markmanship team winning 1St place junior shooter and competed in the 1980 Worldwide Championships held in San Antonio Texas.The training is intense and very mentally draining. It is a younger mans job!A time in life where the idea of taking another mans life doesn't mean as much as it may as one gets older. A time when you look forward to "action" and are almost on a high hoping for something to happen. I remember this vividly as if it were yesterday from a mission to Panama many years ago. As I have gotten older I have learned to value life differently. The trained "sniper" should have the mental capacity to deal with the senario whereas the average hunter would not.

I am a very avid hunter and have hunted in many areas of the world up close and personal. The scariest was probablyspending a whole day "In the Long Grass"tracking a wounded lion while hunting in Zimbabwe. But it is nothing compared to the thought of another human being possibly hunting you at the same time.

Sorry, guess I got off topic. So, what I am trying to say is....NO! The very best hunters will have an above average chance, but no match for a well trained sniper.

WW

Don Fischer

One point I'd like to make is that I don't think we have that many profecient riflemen in this country, reguardless if the animal hunted has four legs or two. While I was in Europe in the late 60's I spent time as an instructor at the Sembach AFB rifle range. Granted these were Air Force personnel but they come from the same pool as the rest of the military. It was inconcieveable that most of these men were allowed to handle a weapon. Forget shooting at another man, forget the animal, many of these guy's couldn't do a decent job on a piece of paper!

Look around the country, how many program's are there that really teach someone to shoot? I don't see or hear of many. We live in America and for some reason even tho many of us have access to many place's to shoot, we don't! The town I live in has about 35 people, depending on the day. I alway's shoot alone, nobody else is intrested. They have gun's mind you, they just have thing's they'd rather do. A number of years ago at a local turkey shoot they made me shoot left handed because I shot to much to suit them and they were afraid I'd beat them. Piece of cake, so I beat them left handed. American shooter's should not be so bad that some hic living in a small town in nowhere can beat them shooting from the wrong side of the rifle!

I believe that probally our best military shooter's, sniper's, do not do their job so much because they really like shooting but rather that they were trained to do it. I think that a guy that really wanted to go out and shoot people might well get over anxious at the wrong moment. Sniping is not only about shooting well, it has to be about mental control also. No only in pulling the trigger but more importantly, when knowing not to.

I think many people that do some of the long range shooting they do and more that talk about it do so to be identified with these highly trained professional's. These guy's are not only trained to shoot better than us, they are also trained to hunt better than us! And tho some of us might well shoot as well as some of these guy's,we don't hunt as well. How many time's have you read where a shot was taken because it was as close as someone could get? How many at the animal that was getting away, even tho no shot's had been fired? There lies two difference's between military sniper's and hunter's. Mental conditioning!!!!!

If you read post's on site's, maybe even here, people are alway's bragging about the long shot they made, never a word about the long shot they missed. And what's worse, seldom a thred about what's really needed to shoot long. I started one on another site and the vast majority felt it took practice more than anything. No mention of the equipment or shooting skill's required. I found it strange that some of the people that talked the most about it had the least information on how to do it. And when it come's to hunting, those in the know will preach to all that will listen that you really need certain camo, scent blocker's, scent free soap, ect., ect., ect. Are we a nation of hunter's or shopper's? I'd bet there's a good number of people reading this thred that just pull on their jeans and go hunting,,,,with success. I read where one guy that claim's to alway's get his deer smoke's on his stand, I really don't doubt it. And yet another guy was worried sick about the brand of tooth paste trying to keep down odor's that would scare off a deer! We are not a nation of shooter's or hunter's, we simply hunt and shoot because most seem to believe it's a God given right. It's not and I think we should work harder at it.

HEAD0001

When my brother came home from Vietnam, he told me an interesting story. He told me that soldiers from WV, TN, And KY. were sought after. He said that soldiers from these states had inherent hunting and shooting skills, that were of great benefit in a fire fight situation. He conveyed that these soldiers were more apt to "aim and shoot, rather than spray and pray". He said soldiers from large cities were put out front first, since they were more apt to be worthless when the "chips were down".

I can not argue about who is best, but I believe if you were brought up doing something, yuo should be better at it. Tom.

M77man

These guy's are not only trained to shoot better than us, they are also trained to hunt better than us! And tho some of us might well shoot as well as some of these guy's,we don't hunt as well. How many time's have you read where a shot was taken because it was as close as someone could get? How many at the animal that was getting away, even tho no shot's had been fired? There lies two difference's between military sniper's and hunter's. Mental conditioning!!!!!

Tis true but Hunting and taking out the enemy are two completely different things all together.