Aim High (4 of 7)
Series: Guardians of the Galaxy
James Merritt
Colossians 3:1-4
Introduction
1. One of my favorite subjects in high school was physics. I’ve always been fascinated by the science of physics. I read recently about an amazing feat. The Canadian Military confirmed a few years ago that a sniper with Canada’s elite special forces crushed the world’s record for the longest known kill shot. The unnamed shooter hit and killed a target in Iraq at the staggering range of 2.2 miles. It takes incredible discipline and accuracy to be a long-range sniper. What made it even more amazing was when I studied the physics of what it takes to pull off a shot like that.
2. There are a lot of factors that go into it, but just take gravity. At short distances up to a hundred-plus yards, a shooter can line a shot up, pull the trigger, with all of the factors being equal can hit what appears in the center of the crosshairs, but beyond a hundred plus yards the bullet will begin to drop along its trajectory as gravity begins to pull the bullet down and the longer the distance the greater the pull. What does the shooter have to do? He has to aim above the target in order to hit it. The distance between the target and the shooter’s aim is called ‘‘elevation,’’ so the further from the target the greater the elevation.
3. This is where it gets really interesting. Keith Cunningham, a marksmanship instructor, and a former sniper for the U.S. and Canadian Military calculated that the elevation required to hit a target 2.2 miles away with a .50-calibre rifle would be within 50 yards. He said, ‘‘To do this you’ve got to pick a spot 150 yards above your target and aim at that. You are looking way up in the sky.’’ Cunningham said he had never heard of a rifle that could account for 150 yards of elevation. He estimated that the shooter would have had to holdover-that is a term for aiming over the target-by about 77 yards on top of adjusting for elevation on t ...
Series: Guardians of the Galaxy
James Merritt
Colossians 3:1-4
Introduction
1. One of my favorite subjects in high school was physics. I’ve always been fascinated by the science of physics. I read recently about an amazing feat. The Canadian Military confirmed a few years ago that a sniper with Canada’s elite special forces crushed the world’s record for the longest known kill shot. The unnamed shooter hit and killed a target in Iraq at the staggering range of 2.2 miles. It takes incredible discipline and accuracy to be a long-range sniper. What made it even more amazing was when I studied the physics of what it takes to pull off a shot like that.
2. There are a lot of factors that go into it, but just take gravity. At short distances up to a hundred-plus yards, a shooter can line a shot up, pull the trigger, with all of the factors being equal can hit what appears in the center of the crosshairs, but beyond a hundred plus yards the bullet will begin to drop along its trajectory as gravity begins to pull the bullet down and the longer the distance the greater the pull. What does the shooter have to do? He has to aim above the target in order to hit it. The distance between the target and the shooter’s aim is called ‘‘elevation,’’ so the further from the target the greater the elevation.
3. This is where it gets really interesting. Keith Cunningham, a marksmanship instructor, and a former sniper for the U.S. and Canadian Military calculated that the elevation required to hit a target 2.2 miles away with a .50-calibre rifle would be within 50 yards. He said, ‘‘To do this you’ve got to pick a spot 150 yards above your target and aim at that. You are looking way up in the sky.’’ Cunningham said he had never heard of a rifle that could account for 150 yards of elevation. He estimated that the shooter would have had to holdover-that is a term for aiming over the target-by about 77 yards on top of adjusting for elevation on t ...
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