I gotta call BS on this stat...what do you guys think?

[sinister]

The stats sniper schools originally quoted was for all small arms ammo vice sniper rounds per kill.

Just how many 7.62 rounds do you think an AC-47 or AC-130 put out in a night? Nobody complains when they're slaughtering shitbirds in the wire.

[120mm]

You heard a BS stat or mistruth on the Military Channel? I am SHOCKED!

BTW, in case you haven't checked, The Military Channel is MADE out of bullshit and recycled footage.

Extremely low production value and crappy research R us.

BTW, I believe that stat includes all ammunition expended, including stuff that was destroyed by burning or being shoved into a hole by bulldozers.

[ALCOAR]

Good stuff in here.....what do you guys think of the "cheese" man, Mr. Mack himself, tester extraordinaire for future weapons?

[Cascades236]

Anyone read LT Grossman's books..On Killing or On Combat? He says that only 15-25% (IIRC) actually fired upon people in combat during WW2. Others were happy to help buddies reload while others postured by firing above enemies etc.

He does say that with each war rates went up as training changed to address the phenom.

That said, 50k per does sound ridiculous.

[Alex V]

I remember seeing this program a while back, and unless I am mistaken [which could very well be the case] didn't they say the reason for this was because the doctrine of the day was to spray the forest with as much automatic fire as possible, weather it be to supress the threat or done simpley in the hopes that "with enough lead flying that-a-way you are bound to hit a zipperhead"?

My GF's father who was in Vietnam confirmed this, though I don't know how truthfull he may be about it.

As someone who has very little experience with the Military save for my grandfather's was stories from the Easter front of WW2, my Dad's doomsday tales of flying on TU95's with nukes on board over the passific for "training" and my extended weekend at the USNA as a potential Plebe, I find the Military channel to be pretty entertaining lol. Only wish Comcast carried it in HD

[Gramps]

"STATISTICS and SURVEYS" are made to say or back WHATEVER one wants them to do. Like an "Accountant" what do you want the total to be?!

[CAVDOC]

the stat I saw was more like 100k for each verified casualty produced. It is not as crazy as it sounds-think about the tactics/terrain at the time
1) close range fights in low visibility against poorly defined numbers of enemy with large # troops having/using full auto.
2) tactics promoted spray and pray of jungle in assaults.
3) prepping of lz by airstrike/helo miniguns all adding up fast- if 4 helos shoot minigun for 30 sec each in prepping lz (no known combatant in lz) thats 20 k already
another stat- something like 10k expended for every casualty in the civil war-with muzzleloaders!

[CAVDOC]

regarding the stat in current conflicts-
having been deployed to both Iraq and A-stan we have been VERY careful, even to the point of endangering our own troops, to use fire discipline and target id to minimize collateral damage. so I imagine the number is much lower- but this is due to terrain and roe rather than any difference in the ability/technology vietnam vs today.
Having said that I was in one engagement in Iraq where a large number of us responded to a threat and in 30 seconds or so we ripped thru several hundred rounds, so I can see how the #'s can climb in a protracted engagement

[Spiffums]

I thought the M40 came after Viet Nam. In Marine Sniper they talk about taking commercial Winnys and Remmys and reworking them into sniper rifles. And the M40 is 308 and Carlos used a 30-06 when they 1st started.

[tirod]

In the day it was touted as being 100,000 rounds per confirmed kill. Like a lot of statistics, nothing was done to explain where the figure came from.

Calculating the total rotational firepower of actual combat troops in theatre during some kind of timeline, divided by the amount of ammo actually shipped incountry, minus training and target practice, minus the amount left incountry still in ammo bunkers at the end, blah blah blah.

Sounds like somebody spouted a figure at some background briefing and it got picked up by a journalist.

I agree, it's time to call BS on the figure and say, Prove it.