"No gun shoots that far!"

[ForeverPA]

I watched The Hunting Party last night. Had never heard of it. It is free on the on demand from Comcast. A lot of blood letting in the vein of the Wild Bunch. Anyway, the gun angle is that Gene Hackman is using a scoped gun that no one had at the time, claiming to reach up to 800 yards away. They were picking people off like the proverbial sitting ducks and there was nothing they could do. Did this gun ever exist? What an edge to have on your opponent!

[GunLawyer001]

Ever watch "Joe Kidd"?

[streaker69]

Ever watch Back to the Future III?

[Ecclectic Collector]

Top image is possible. The scope is a 4x type known from as far back as the Civil War at least. The rifle is a Martini-Henry, a gun very popular between 1870-1920. The action made it strong enough to make the transition from black powder to smokeless powder. The other two are pure Hollywood. The bolt action is an airgun with an airgun scope on it. I don't know what the hell the M1866 is wearing on top, but .44 Henry rimfire (20 grains black powder topped by a 200 gr bullet) ain't a long range round.

[ForeverPA]

Top image is possible. The scope is a 4x type known from as far back as the Civil War at least. The rifle is a Martini-Henry, a gun very popular between 1870-1920. The action made it strong enough to make the transition from black powder to smokeless powder. The other two are pure Hollywood. The bolt action is an airgun with an airgun scope on it. I don't know what the hell the M1866 is wearing on top, but .44 Henry rimfire (20 grains black powder topped by a 200 gr bullet) ain't a long range round.

In the movie they show the person's body filling up the entire field of view of the scope, so no wonder they weren't missing. I suppose it is the Hollywood thing. There is no way a 4x, 6x or even higher would have that much magnification. Distances if not 800 yards was 400+.The other question is if the availability of scopes could have been kept a secret so people would genuinely wonder how they are being picked off.

[GunLawyer001]

In the movie they show the person's body filling up the entire field of view of the scope, so no wonder they weren't missing. I suppose it is the Hollywood thing. There is no way a 4x, 6x or even higher would have that much magnification. Distances if not 800 yards was 400+.The other question is if the availability of scopes could have been kept a secret so people would genuinely wonder how they are being picked off.

Not sure how many movies and TV shows I've seen, where the sniper looks through his scope and sees the target slightly off-center, so he adjusts the scope knobs.

That would be my favorite movie gun flub, were it not for the scene in a Lorne Greene detective show where the sniper started loading his spiffy take-down sniper rifle by shoving a 30-06 round into the ejection port of a .22 AR-7 rifle.

[markshere2]

Ever watch Quigley down under?

Attachment 83659

"Roy" could make the shot.
Attachment 83658

[ungawa]

There will always be a place for snipers, but the transistor put an end to 800 yard infantry combat.

Other than specialized raids and ambushes, there are two forms of common maneuver. In offense, you keep the enemy at bay with heavy close and medium range firepower, and then suppress them. Including the use of the M16, which you hate so much and the transistor made possible. Then you have your friends dump hell on them, and you flank the survivors and kill them. Again, close range firepower.

In defense, it's the same but in reverse. Close range firepower and the transistor keep the enemy at the proper distance to be engaged with indirect fire.

If there is no indirect fire, you just close as fast as you can and get it over with. The SAW alone is effective at area targets to 800 meters, if modestly so.

[Gunsnwater]

Once, just once I'd wish you'd write a story in nonspook terms.

[Remington788]

Top image is possible. The scope is a 4x type known from as far back as the Civil War at least. The rifle is a Martini-Henry, a gun very popular between 1870-1920. The action made it strong enough to make the transition from black powder to smokeless powder. The other two are pure Hollywood. The bolt action is an airgun with an airgun scope on it. I don't know what the hell the M1866 is wearing on top, but .44 Henry rimfire (20 grains black powder topped by a 200 gr bullet) ain't a long range round.

According to IMFDB, the Joe Kidd rifle is a Remington-Keene in 45-70.