Question. Do snipers have to…

[Pochanaquarhip]

Do snipers have to compensate for the spin of the earth on long shots?

 

[Kwaynem]

The spin of the riflings

 

[JEVapa]

It’s called Coriolis. Yes and no. Out to 1km, not really. Beyond 1km, you might start considering it. When shooting 2k or more, it might be in your solution depending on direction of fire and target size and lack of wind. You would use a ballistic calculator and the direction of the target.

For the most part, it doesn’t matter much and inside 1000m not at all. Even out to 2000m it doesn’t.

 

[JCann]

It depends on your latitude/longitude (northern or southern) hemisphere and the direction of fire from that point. At great distances your bullet will either hit high, low, left or right depending on where your at and the direction of fire. At the equator the earth is spinning over 1,000mph. You also have to contend with spin drift. All modern ballistic programs salve for both of these

 

[JEVapa]

And it still doesn’t really matter unless you’re shooting at a 10” target with no wind 3000m away.

 

[SoonerP226]

If you’re sniping with an artillery piece or a naval rifle, sure. If you can see the target with your naked eye, not so much.

 

[Ndenway]

Y'all think this "sniper" calculated "spin" in as he aimed before squeezing the trigger?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/former-canadian-sniper-says-he-consulted-with-military-colleagues-before-releasing-video-of-kill-shot-1.6278407%23:~:text%3DDallas%2520Alexander%252C%2520a%2520former%2520member,desist%25E2%2580%259D%2520letter%2520to%2520the%2520podcaster.&ved=2ahUKEwjL3Ybou9yIAxVu38kDHQ8WFvgQgMkKegQIHxAL&usg=AOvVaw3r8SeDH-QAWC8cS_ltxrIS

The Canadian with the longest recorded sniper kill is an unnamed soldier who shot an ISIS fighter from over 3.5 kilometers away in 2017 while serving in Iraq. The soldier was part of the Joint Task Force 2 (JTF-2) and used a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle. The shot disrupted a Daesh attack on Iraqi security forces.

Details
Distance
3,540 meters
Almost 2.2 miles
Location
Mosul, Iraq
Rifle
McMillan TAC-50
Unit
Joint Task Force 2
A video of the kill shot was released by Dallas Alexander, a former member of the JTF2, on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast. The military investigated the unauthorized release of the video and sent a "cease and desist" letter to the podcaster.

 

[JCann]

Coriolis does come in to effect even at 1000 yards but it’s not a dominant factor and is most often not seen as a contributing factor. If everything was perfect at 1000 yards, BC, MV, zero wind, POA, coriolis would contribute about 1/10mil depending on cartridge

Spin drift could cause wind call issues due to more drift with a left wind and less drift with a right wind given a right hand twist

 

[JEVapa]

Y'all think this "sniper" calculated "spin" in as he aimed before squeezing the trigger?

They don’t calculate anything while they’re aiming and squeezing a trigger.
If he did calculate spin drift and coriolis, which they probably did, it was in his Kestrel when they calculated the fire solution, which takes about .2 seconds. They spent more time setting up and zooming their long range camera on the target and lazing the target for a range.

 

[HoLeChit]

Man, the only time I ever saw anyone take shots over 1k was just dicking around.

"I bet you can't hit....."

"I fuckin bet you I can"

"Oh shit he hit him"

Granted, that was just grunts with DMRs, not bonafide snipers. I can't imagine taking 1500+ yard shots on a target is a reliable way to eliminate someone of value, when there is such a large possibility of missing or winging the fucker. That Canadian dude reportedly killed a guy at 3540 meters using a Schmidt and Bender 5-25x, standard Canadian issue for the Tac50. The rough effective range for a 50bmg is 1970ish yards, and I am not sure if it is considered "point target" effectiveness as the same as a standard anti infantry round, considering that the 50bmg and the Tac50 is technically an anti materiel platform. Still, 3540 yards is almost 2x the effective range of the round.

Granted I have no experience with the platform or the optic, but something tells me you aren't exactly able to ID a guys facial features with a 5-25 at over 2 miles away.

I guess I am saying that I have my doubts of the legitimacy of making calculated, high risk shots on high value targets from such distances. I always felt that there's a lot of hollywood thrown into that perception. Pot shots and low volume, long range suppression? Yeah, but not some shooting some dudes dick off after doing some trigonometry while shitting your pants in a ditch.

 

[JEVapa]

Granted I have no experience with the platform or the optic, but something tells me you aren't exactly able to ID a guys facial features with a 5-25 at over 2 miles away.

80x zoom lets you do that.

1970m for a 50BMG Raufoss or some other loads is short by at least 500-600 meters with the rifle as is. With other devices and a Kestrel, yes you can shoot that far accurately. Accurately is a little relative but at that range, 1 MOA is 35ish inches, with that gun being somewhere around 1.5-2 MOA or more your error is pretty big, and it get bigger because the projo is subsonic at that range. Still has plenty energy tho, like somewhere around 750 ft lbs. They weren’t just plunging rounds whackamole style.

 

[KurtM]

Well, to this whole thing all I've got to add is YES you have to take earths rotation into account. As for all this manly MOA talk, the stuff we sniped with only had to be within a hundred yards or so. 16" Naval rifle is like the honey badger...it don't give a fuck! 2-3000 yards hawhawhaw, let's do 22 MILES and you don't need no 80x super zicon zoom crap type optic, you just need an idiot with a pair of 8X binos with a mil grid and a radio!
Just saw a picture from Lebanon on the news, it was the Lebanon heights and it had dust and smoke rising up and it reminded me me of December 14-15 1983 when we were "sniping" Syrian Zu-23 positions that were shooting at our helicopters as they were coming in. We were sniping with the 16" rifles off the battle ship New Jersey....looks no different now than then.

 

[Pochanaquarhip]

Hey so…. Why does the earth move under a bullet but not a plane or a helicopter.

 

[Ndenway]

80x zoom lets you do that.

1970m for a 50BMG Raufoss or some other loads is short by at least 500-600 meters with the rifle as is. With other devices and a Kestrel, yes you can shoot that far accurately. Accurately is a little relative but at that range, 1 MOA is 35ish inches, with that gun being somewhere around 1.5-2 MOA or more your error is pretty big, and it get bigger because the projo is subsonic at that range. Still has plenty energy tho, like somewhere around 750 ft lbs. They weren’t just plunging rounds whackamole style.

iirc reading at the 2.2 mile distance the bullet had an 8 to 10 seconds time of flight,

So pretty sure the man in addition to his equipment had a lot of experience & a bit of swag of what his rifle would do at that range.

 

[JEVapa]

The swag is a Kestrel

 

[KurtM]

Kesstral is great at telling you the wind where you are, but nothing about what the wind is doing in between muzzle and target. It's a good first step, but experience and shooting a lot trumps gadgets Everytime!!!

 

[SoonerP226]

Hey so…. Why does the earth move under a bullet but not a plane or a helicopter.

Mostly because a helicopter is in powered flight, not on a ballistic trajectory.

At least its occupants hope it’s not a ballistic trajectory.

 

[JCann]

The right Kestrel does a lot more than just read wind velocity and is extremely valuable in setting up a firing solution. Those who shoot LR or ELR should know this

 

[Hillside Desolate]

Hey so…. Why does the earth move under a bullet but not a plane or a helicopter.

I think you been already know the answer..

 

[Pochanaquarhip]

I think you been already know the answer..

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You’re the only one that picked up what I was putting down.