??Range estimation using grat on a No32/L1A1 Scope??

[Roger Payne]

Cheers Simon. I recalled the Germans did, but couldn't have quoted you chapter & verse on it. Thx.

R

[mossin]

The Russian in WW2 had the same as the Germans in therir manuals will dig it out and also a methord of ranging tartget with a match box and a sniper ruler

[Thunderbox]

IIRC at least for a few decades British sniper range estimation has been based on manual method (Mk1 eyeball) achieved by practice, with optical-mechanical aids as supplementary tools.

If you are in constant practice, you can achieve easily enough +/- accuracy for sniping purposes, without recourse to graticules or range ladders.

My forte was crest range (and angle) estimation for Rapier air defence missile sites - I surveyed thousands. At my peak, my manual range estimation error was usually under 5%, and often <2-3%. This was for the 1000m to 15000m bracket.**

If you translate that into the 100-1000m bracket for sniper purposes, I'd reckon my sniper equivalent should be easily capable of better than +/-25m at 500m, which would not be a particularly significant sighting elevation error for the purposes of hitting a human target (er, *** packet, thats about +/- 6" bullet drop difference at 500 yds for 145gn 7.62mm NATO; probably significantly less for current 155gn or .338).



How times change. I guess most of us these days are limited to wondering whether the foresight blade is somewhere in that blur at the end of the barrel .......




**(p.s. If you are a modern RA air defence subaltern and wonder why you are not equipped with a laser range finder for recce, its because back in c.1986 I consistently beat the original trials laser unit sent out by RSA GTT - aided and abetted by my autistic-savant driver who, although unable to spell his own name (Jones) could memorise and repeat the entire unmask range tables. The procurement was then abandoned. LOL....)

[Peter Laidler]

The problem with the German range/scale table shown by Simon is that once it is in the training manual, it becomes part of the course syllabus and thereafter, you can be rest assured that the end of course written or practical exam WILL have two or three questions about it or various aspects of it. I used to see the snipers sat up in the classroom in the evening, learning/revising the wind strength from flags formula and the old 'count the clicks' regieme (Even though I wasn't a sniper - or even a good shot by any means, I learned both scales by rote just by continually listening to it being repeated a zillion times on the ranges!)

It's a good idea to instead of making them LEARN something complicated like the German range scale table to give it out as a class precis with the words ' take this on board and one day, even if it's stored in the memory banks somewhere, it might come in useful........'. The Leatherwood ART scope that was trialled here was a classic case of overcomplicating something. After using the No32/L1A1 the experienced snipers selected for the ART trials were simply bamboozled. Major Txxxxy the trials Officer wrote in his summing up, words to the effect that the snipers would need a period of re-hab and counselling on return to their units after their 3 week secondment on the trials team at Warminster!