USMC Sniper in Korea

[Buster]

I was looking through some old American Rifleman magazines and saw this photo.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

That rifle was confiscated from the Koreans.

Jim

[usmc69]

There was an article some years back about his sons and the revolver he is carrying.

[Critch]

Why was it "confiscated"?

I guess I missed something

[usmc69]

Why was it "confiscated"?

I guess I missed something

I think "reaquired" may have been a better word. If I remember correctly the North Koreans had captured it from U.S.Forces and Tees and company had gotten it back somehow. The same thing happened in Iraq a while back.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

usmc69 is right, reacquired would have been a better word. They took it off a dead Korean soldier. It is a great picture., and he is making some really long shots. Check out the cases on the ground around him.

Jim

[rayg]

Dispite the help of the sling, that's really not a position for real long shots me thinks, Ray

[Critch]

I guess I'm not familiar with this particular sniper...I need to read more about him...

As to a stable postion...

slightly different, but not too much:

[Jim S.]

I thought the forum might be interested to know that the rifle shown in the photo still exists. It was in fact sporterized in Korea (a captioned photograph verifies this) and was recently returned to its "original" condition. Further, if this rifle showed up at a gun show it would be berated as a fake. That is because the rear sight mount is canted off to the side; however, not enough that the scope cannot be properly sighted. I had a chance to shoot this rifle a while ago and it was indeed an honor.

[Art]

Dispite the help of the sling, that's really not a position for real long shots me thinks, Ray

He is in the kneeling position taught by the Army at least up until the 1970s. I don't know if they teach the same kneeling position today but I doubt it. The angle makes it look a bit odd

[rayg]

I remember that position when I was in. Not the best platform for pinpoint long range sniper shooting though. I can't recall if we used that position shooting at the large bulleyes at the 500 yrds or did it in the prone position. Anyone remember from that time period which one using the M1? I must have done ok as I made expert. Ray

[usmc69]

I remember that position when I was in. Not the best platform for pinpoint long range sniper shooting though. I can't recall if we used that position shooting at the large bulleyes at the 500 yrds or did it in the prone position. Anyone remember from that time period which one using the M1? I must have done ok as I made expert. Ray

In the Marines the sitting position is used at 200 & 300 yards on a 12 inch bull for slow fire and a Dog Target(1/2 sized man silhoute)for rapid fire. A 20 inch bull was used for 500 yards. This was with an M-14.

[Art]

The Army used all six positions (foxhole, prone, kneeling, sitting, squatting, standing) at every distance in training. I don't think we shot offhand at 350 meters for qualification but I do know that in training out to 300 meters we used all six at one time or another. Not a lot of hits in the standing position on that 300 meter sillouette I remember :-( The first time we tried that I looked down the line and I think all but 1 or 2 of those 300 meter sillouettes were still up.

[Art]

That looks like the Han river to me, and having seen the Han river in person I can assure you that any shooting across it with any rifle in use in 1953 was mostly to improve one's own morale.

[John Kuhns]

I thought the forum might be interested to know that the rifle shown in the photo still exists. It was in fact sporterized in Korea (a captioned photograph verifies this) and was recently returned to its "original" condition. Further, if this rifle showed up at a gun show it would be berated as a fake. That is because the rear sight mount is canted off to the side; however, not enough that the scope cannot be properly sighted. I had a chance to shoot this rifle a while ago and it was indeed an honor.

Considering some of what I have seen at gunshows being passed off as *original*, or *certified by Duff* it would not surprise me for someone to claim it to be fake.