This Friday’s shoot-the-shit topic was a tossup between deflated NFL balls or American Sniper the movie. Both have resulted in equally stupid dialogue but I decided to go with the movie. Remember this is a shoot-the-shit so you are free to change topics, if you choose to do so.
No doubt you’ve all been hearing about the great disturbance in The Force, with its epicenter in parts of the entertainment industry and both right and left media, ad nauseam. I saw the movie and found it to be about as un-sniper as you can get and still have it be about Chris Kyle. I think Clint Eastwood’s brilliance was creating a movie that paints an accurate portrayal of combat in Iraq through the life experiences of as U.S. Navy Seal sniper, Chris Kyle. The movie gives the audience a glimpse into the man’s character, commitment to his comrades and the strength and strains of his wife Taya. I didn’t see a lot of Ghillie Suites, stalks, building hides, etc. so any suggestion of sniping is crap.
I also believe that Michael Moore, Seth Rogen et. al. are entitled to their opinions and must be allowed to reveal themselves as the morons they truly are. It is a CLASSIC case of an alligator mouth overloading a canary ass. They’re uninformed and as the hackneyed cliché suggests, “an empty barrel makes the most noise.”
The movie is hugely successful for a number of reasons: well directed, casting was awesome, cinematography and editing superb and the story was powerful. As a result, it will be in the top 5 highest grossing films ever. If you haven’t seen it please do so, it will be time well spent.
Did I have an issue with it on the technical side? Yes! Mustafa, the jihadi “super sniper” was shooting a Dragunov SVD with a PSO optic. The SVD fires a 7.62 x 54R cartridge. Giving Mustafa the benefit of the doubt, let’s just say that he was using Russian made sniper ammunition 7N14, which is rolled specifically for the SVD. Recall the last scene where Chris Kyle found himself between Mustafa and the troops he was maintaining over watch on. Kyle turns towards the sniper and ranges Mustafa at 1900 to 2000 yards. This is a tough shot for a 338 Lapua but there has not been an SVD made that can make a 1900+ yard shot. Assuming a 300 yard zero, Mustafa would need 3795 inches of elevation, flight time is in the order of 5.3 seconds and bullet velocity about 750 feet per second at 1900 yards and a 158 grain projectile. A pigeon fart would have deflected the bullet.
So, let’s have a shoot-the-shit. You can agree or disagree, use foul language or change the topic. It’s your call.
Have A Great Weekend Everyone!
FOG HORN 