January 01, 2006

Guess all that squirrel-shootin' practice back in Alabama really paid off; maybe you should get that air rifle, Rob...

When is this damn restraining order going to expire?

Unfortunately, the photo they have of the guy has him holding an M16, rather than the Remington rifle they actually use.

Still, exceptionally fine shot with a .30 cal.

I often aim twelve feet above the target to score a kill. Unbefreakinbelievable!

Good shot, well beyond the normal sniper range of the 7.62mm NATO round. (800-1000yds)

Not to give the now-ventilated insurgent too much credit, but he did take out a U.S. soldier at that same range using a 7.62x54R Dragunov or Dragunov clone. That's not bad shooting, in itself...

While I can hit something at 50' with a sidearm I seriously doubt that my .270 wby mag with the scope would give me the ability to reach out and say hello at that range.

That was an *exceptional* shot with a .30 cal rifle, ~4,100 feet or over 3/4's of a mile.

I am glad that SSgt Gilliland is on our side.
Outstanding shot under ANY circumstances, let alone in combat.

(1) The article didn't explicitly state where SSGT Benford was when he was shot. There's not a lot of obvious slant here, but I would think that they would have pointed out if the bad guy had made the same shot.
(2) Anyone know why the flag on SSGT Gilliland is "backwards"? (I know that a flag on the left shoulder mimics a flag-bearer running into combat, so the union is "forward", but I can't figure it out here.)