I watched the first episode of Top Shot on HULU and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am not a fan of Survivor-type shows, but I do understand the appeal.
After watching Mike Seeklander completely fail at shooting the 1903 Springfield, I (like many others) were wondering just what the heck happened. And, to be fair, I am out there in print saying I thought I might be able to figure out that shot sooner. But, I wasn't there and it is easy to criticize from behind the anonymous keyboard.
Anyway, here is Mike in his own words regarding the performance. Seems like a class act, and someone I would like to meet some day.
Pax,
Newbius
2 comments:
Well, if you can't see the strike of your rounds, and your spotter isn't getting good info to you on strikes, it's pretty much impossible to figure out which way to hold off to make hits.
Using the crappy battlesight, instead of flipping it up to use the finely adjustable precision sight (the 1903 has a fixed battlesight with a flip up precision peep sight like early Mk4 No1 rifles, only the battlesight on the 1903 is a crappy Mauser style notch set for between 400 and 547 yards, depending on load and version of the sight; the precision peep you get when you flip the battle sight up goes all teh way down to 100 yards -- the range he was shooting at.) certainly didn't help -- although in absence of a good zero, the calibrated sight may not have done much good. . .but then there's the elevation built into the sight system. . .
Having the trajectory of your bullets passing two to three and a half feet (roughly teh difference between where you are looking through the battle sight and the top of the target DOES make it hard to get them low enough to see your misses and thus figure out your dope and hold off.
The battlesight range was selected basically so a soldier aiming at an enemy belt buckle would be sending his rounds anywhere from the face and throat, down to the knees. This is a much bigger target than an 8" explosive bull. His POI would have been through the air in the vicinity of the target, and only come crashing to earth HUNDREDS of yards downrange from where he and the spotter were looking for dust bunnies.
See http://www.surplusrifle.com/1903/operations.asp
After five or more rounds with no good impacts, I was a little surprised he didn't throw a round into an bare dirt area at roughly the same range, where he could observe bullet impact and see the needed hold off. That would likely have had him on teh target frame, at least, and he could have walked into teh bull from there. But the idea of "throwing a round away" to check zero is anathema to USMC and competition shooters, even when you're obviously not hitting anywhere near POA/POI.
I just caught that episode last night, on the History Channel, and I loved the show.
I wasn't watching from a perspective of expertise, but it was fascinating none the less.
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