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Thread: What's the Best Shot You've Ever Witnessed?

  1. #21
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Texarkana, Texas
    I told about my dad’s deliberate shot. Here'a one that was more luck.
    I was still in high school. It was common for a bunch of us boys to get together and go rabbit hunting. One Saturday morning me, my cousins the Ferguson twins, and and couple of other guys met at my house to go hunting. Most of us had .22 rifles of one sort or another. I had my Nylon 66 and Lynn had his trusty Springfield semi-auto. I don’t remember what the other guys were toting. But Mark Ferguson showed up with nothing but an 8 shot .22 magnum revolver. The thing had a long barrel. At least 6 inches. We really laughed at him wondering what he though he was going to hit with a pistol.
    We were just getting into the woods, walking through tall grass when this little cotton tail jumps out of a clump of grass hauling cotton tail for the trees. He was moving so fast, he looked like he was six feet long. Before anybody else could even get a rifle shouldered, Mark draws and fires a single shot, from the hip, that droped the rabbit on the spot. It was probably 20 to 25 yards at the time.
    Nobody was more surprised than Mark. He didn’t even try to convince us that it was anything other than luck. When we picked up the rabbit, it had been drilled right through the heart.

  2. #22
    Site Supporter psalms144.1's Avatar
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    Jun 2012
    Location
    Bloomington, IN
    This is a two way tie:

    #1 - worked the murder of a service member who was shot by a gang banger. SM was driving a (borrowed) full size SUV. Banger was driving a low-slung import - Civic, maybe? SM was driving at an estimated 80-90 MPH when the banger approached, swerved into oncoming traffic around a left-hand curve, raised his right hand and fired a single round from a compact 1911 - striking my victim PRECISELY on the point of his left temple. Round proceeded through his skull and brain, exited the right side of this head, and lodged INSIDE the passenger side sun visor - going into the sewn seam of the visor so neatly it took us several days to locate it... I bet I couldn't replicate that shot in 1,000,000 tries.

    #2 - worked an assault involving an "unloaded" pistol which discharged, striking a SM perfectly on the outside corner of the left eye. Round traversed the victims head via sinuses and cheek - destroyed Victim's left eye but otherwise left him functional. To me, this is proof of guardian angels - SOMETHING directed that round (fired at about 4-6 feet) from entering the victim's brain and killing him or making him a vegetable...

  3. #23
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    Feb 2011
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    NH
    I was shooting 1R2's at my local indoor range using the turning target system. I bobbled the reload and only got off the first shot after the reload. In order to keep only one round in the gun for the next cycle, I put the extra round into the backstop cutting the target in half.


  4. #24
    Hillbilly Elitist Malamute's Avatar
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    Oct 2013
    Location
    Northern Rockies
    Was out shooting with friends, a little pistol, rifle, 22, and throwing some shotgun clays. Friend was going to shoot a clay bird, half joking, I said "I'll take the big piece" with my Marlin 22. It worked out alright though. The big piece was big enough to hit. I think my head was a little bigger after that.

    Fisrt time I tried a running rabbit with an AR, it was a perfect chest hit (I was actually really surprised I hit it the first shot). I really liked them a lot more right then. I shot quite a few running rabbits with the SP-1's I had. They have very good ergonimics for me.

  5. #25
    Day Five of Advanced Firearms in a recruit class. The first week is getting them familiar with the pistol and qualified on the state course. The second week, it gets serious, and they are introduced to shoulder guns. Back then it was shotguns, and those who had an approved rifle or carbine could qualify with it as well. I was handling that phase for this particular class, and therefore had my Colt SP-1 carbine at the range stand with me, for use as a demonstrator. We're talking plain-vanilla, slick-side, A1 upper AR-15 carbine. Scopes were something you put on sniper and hunting rifles, and most of us were not even aware of the existence of holographic red dot sights- primitive as those were at that time.

    Anyway… at that range, the line was 26 points- 13 on a side. There was plenty of room between each point, because the range had been designed as a bullseye range and there was a small table at each firing point. In the middle was a large, elevated box for the range officer/controller, who sat about two feet higher than normal. I was sitting there, with the other instructors in or near the box around me, and the cadets spread out to my left and right; waiting for the chow wagon to show. We were basically done with all the serious training, with just off-duty handgun and rifle quals remaining; and none of that was a deal-breaker. If you failed, you didn't get sent home for good. IOW, everybody was rather relaxed.

    Now, I cannot remember if LSP552 was there, but our mutual buddy Dave (who is now the Deputy Superintendent for Patrol) damn sure was, because he instigated this. We were talking about the relative accuracy potential between our respective AR carbines, and the boss mentioned that my example was particularly accurate. Dave, ever the subtle shit-stirrer, said, "Well, if he's so good with it, let's see him hit that." And pointed downrange at target #12, exactly 55 yards away, where a BIG-ass red wasp had just alighted in the neck area of the clean TQ-15 posted on it (the TQ15 is a cream color; that dark insect stood out in stark contrast against it).

    Well… every eye turned to me. What's a fellow to do with a challenge like that, but nut up and give it the old college try. I called "Range hot!", and locked and loaded while everybody scrambled to find a pair of hearing protectors and get them on. I stretched out across that thankfully stable plywood and came halfway out of the range chair, assuming a sort of "seated prone" position. Those of you who were in the army when I was might remember the ridiculous Stump firing point on known distance ranges back in those days, and how some of the firing was over the top of that thing. Its actually a pretty solid position if you skootch around just right. But I digress.

    The wasp was not moving around for some reason, and I knew that wouldn't last, so I put a SWAG bead on it and ever so gently pressed off a shot. The wasp disappeared.

    The boss asked, "Anybody see it fly off?". Silence. I cleared the carbine, laid it down, and all the instructors trooped down the center sidewalk to examine the target. I knew what was coming; there was NO way we could know for sure, and the ribbing would shortly commence. Wrong.

    Dave and John got there first, and I heard Dave say "Well, I'll be a ____________."

    There, in the neck, was a clean .223 hole… and the upper third of a pair of wasp wings sticking out. I had center-punched the wasp in his thoracic girdle.

    Instinct told me what to do; I just smiled, turned around and walked back to the range stand. The boss called for the cadets to come see, they oohed and aahhed, and nobody gave me any shit about anything for a couple of months after that. Fortunately, it never occurred to any of them to demand a repeat performance on an equally tiny target...

    .

  6. #26
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    East Greenwich, RI
    Quote Originally Posted by LSP972 View Post
    Day Five of Advanced Firearms in a recruit class. The first week is getting them familiar with the pistol and qualified on the state course. The second week, it gets serious, and they are introduced to shoulder guns. Back then it was shotguns, and those who had an approved rifle or carbine could qualify with it as well. I was handling that phase for this particular class, and therefore had my Colt SP-1 carbine at the range stand with me, for use as a demonstrator. We're talking plain-vanilla, slick-side, A1 upper AR-15 carbine. Scopes were something you put on sniper and hunting rifles, and most of us were not even aware of the existence of holographic red dot sights- primitive as those were at that time.

    Anyway… at that range, the line was 26 points- 13 on a side. There was plenty of room between each point, because the range had been designed as a bullseye range and there was a small table at each firing point. In the middle was a large, elevated box for the range officer/controller, who sat about two feet higher than normal. I was sitting there, with the other instructors in or near the box around me, and the cadets spread out to my left and right; waiting for the chow wagon to show. We were basically done with all the serious training, with just off-duty handgun and rifle quals remaining; and none of that was a deal-breaker. If you failed, you didn't get sent home for good. IOW, everybody was rather relaxed.

    Now, I cannot remember if LSP552 was there, but our mutual buddy Dave (who is now the Deputy Superintendent for Patrol) damn sure was, because he instigated this. We were talking about the relative accuracy potential between our respective AR carbines, and the boss mentioned that my example was particularly accurate. Dave, ever the subtle shit-stirrer, said, "Well, if he's so good with it, let's see him hit that." And pointed downrange at target #12, exactly 55 yards away, where a BIG-ass red wasp had just alighted in the neck area of the clean TQ-15 posted on it (the TQ15 is a cream color; that dark insect stood out in stark contrast against it).

    Well… every eye turned to me. What's a fellow to do with a challenge like that, but nut up and give it the old college try. I called "Range hot!", and locked and loaded while everybody scrambled to find a pair of hearing protectors and get them on. I stretched out across that thankfully stable plywood and came halfway out of the range chair, assuming a sort of "seated prone" position. Those of you who were in the army when I was might remember the ridiculous Stump firing point on known distance ranges back in those days, and how some of the firing was over the top of that thing. Its actually a pretty solid position if you skootch around just right. But I digress.

    The wasp was not moving around for some reason, and I knew that wouldn't last, so I put a SWAG bead on it and ever so gently pressed off a shot. The wasp disappeared.

    The boss asked, "Anybody see it fly off?". Silence. I cleared the carbine, laid it down, and all the instructors trooped down the center sidewalk to examine the target. I knew what was coming; there was NO way we could know for sure, and the ribbing would shortly commence. Wrong.

    Dave and John got there first, and I heard Dave say "Well, I'll be a ____________."

    There, in the neck, was a clean .223 hole… and the upper third of a pair of wasp wings sticking out. I had center-punched the wasp in his thoracic girdle.

    Instinct told me what to do; I just smiled, turned around and walked back to the range stand. The boss called for the cadets to come see, they oohed and aahhed, and nobody gave me any shit about anything for a couple of months after that. Fortunately, it never occurred to any of them to demand a repeat performance on an equally tiny target...

    .
    True story! I didn't see it happen but heard about it from several eye witnesses, including the instigator.

  7. #27
    Several interesting shots.
    When I was in high school I shot with several older men who shot bullseye pistol at Camp Perry in the Master level so I saw some good shots.
    Circa 1970s prone with a Colt MK4 Series 70 .45acp with BoMar Target Sights. 7 out of 7 shots 230 gr FMJ on an 8.5'' x 11'' piece of notebook paper at 100 yards measured.
    1979-80 A buddy of mine shot an offhand 2" group at 100 yds with a colt Car 15 SP1 using the iron sights.
    When the American Walther TPH in .22lr came out I saw a 5 shot group shot at 45 feet with Eley 10x that you could easily cover with a 1"x1" target patch.
    Several years ago a friend brought out his AI Arctic Warfare .308 and shot at 500yds. 3 shots off of bipod prone, no butt bag, 1 11/16'' triangle group. This impressed people who routinely shot 2.5'' at 500 yds.

  8. #28
    Brother and I were shooting some heavy barreled varmint rifles for groups. I was actually in the process of doing a 5x5 on a 700 BDL in my beloved 222 Remington. My brother decided to re-zero his Ruger #1 in 22-250, which he did. We were at my Dad's place, and he strolled out. Taking the #1, he took aim at one of the thumbtacks we were using to hold the targets up. We though he was gonna group it, not knowing where he was aimed. One shot, one vaporized thumbtack, Dad got up and went back in the house, grinning. Range was 100 yards.

    Before that one, there was a farmer I worked for when I was a teenager. He hates crows. We were out, I don't remember what we were doing, but he spied a crow out in his field. Out of the truck comes a Smith and Wesson 41. One shot, and one dead crow. We measured the distance, cause I was pretty shocked he actually hit the thing, 70 yards.

  9. #29
    Site Supporter MichaelD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    South Jordan, Utah
    Best shot I ever witnessed?

    I have three:

    1. Cub Scout day camp, my first time firing a real firearm. I think I was 10. It was some sort of bolt-action .22, I knew nothing about firearms at the time and don't remember it well enough to know what make and model it was. The range officer gets all of us into a prone position and tells us to start firing. We had only minimal instruction, and at the time I hadn't even shot a BB gun yet, so I wasn't really sure how to aim the thing. I managed to shoot, with my first shot, the wire line holding up everybody's targets. It was an accident of course, but to hear the range officer yell at me you'd think I had intended to do it. It left a bad taste in my mouth regarding the Scouts and firearms for years.

    2. Late 2008, only a month or so after taking my first introductory pistol class, shooting a rented Taurus 92 at an indoor range. I run the target out to 7 yards, then take my first double-action shot. Dead center in the target; I still have it.

    3. Late last summer, out shooting with my wife. Despite being wary of my firearms and having only minimal shooting experience, my wife is a pretty good shot. We had several clay targets laid out on the hill we were using as our backstop, about 85 feet or so from our shooting position. With her first shot out of my 10/22 Wally-World Special using its standard iron sights, my wife managed to hit almost dead-center on one of the targets without breaking it. The clay target in question is now sitting in our home office.

  10. #30
    Not the best shot I've witnessed but, my most memorable.

    So there I was, many years ago at a Gunsite 250 class. Jeff Cooper was still around. I was standing on the line at 7 yards and it was the first shot of the day. Load and Make Ready. Address the target. Shooter ready. Fire. First shot of the day and it is centered in the letter A of the IPSC target. From behind me, there is a shout, "That is exactly how it should be done!" I holster and turn and there is Jeff Cooper. That really made my class.

    Ok. One more. Again many years ago, I am attending my third class with John Farnham. His assistants know me by now. The drill is facing away, turn and shoot a reactive movers from 15 yds. The targets are held up with a ballon and if struck they fall. They are attached to a motorized pulley and go left or right. On the command I turn, fire, and bang, the target drops just like that. No slow tracking, no hesitation. They assistants go, no, lets do that again. Ok. On command, I turn and fire, no hestitation, two to body and one to the head. On the head shot it drops. They said ok, thats fine.

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