From “Live by the Sword” by Gus Russo:
The Rifle’s Capability
If Oswald was up to the task, surely his cheap ($13) rifle was incapable of such a performance, other critics assert. Upon close examination, this too proves to be an inaccurate oversimplification. Originally manufactured in 1891 for the Italian Army, the bolt-action 6.5 mm Mannlicher-Carcano rifle Oswald owned has been widely maligned as too inferior to be used in the assassination. The truth is that this weapon is so powerful—and accurate—at the range of the Kennedy murder that it should be among the last choices for a weapon someone would want pointed at them from that distance. At the turn-of-the-twentieth-century, for example, the Mannlicher-Carcano was the weapon of choice for those competing in 1,000-yard shooting contests! It was preferred because it was one of the first to incorporate the new idea of “gain twist,” popularized by the famous 19th century American gun-barrel maker, Harry Pope. Gain twist means simply that the grooves inside of the rifle barrel were designed to make the bullet spiral as it exited, much like a well-thrown football. Just as in football, the imparted spiral, or twist, increases the stability and accuracy of the bullet. The Mannlicher has a slightly higher twist ratio (1:8”) than the current military issue M-16 (1:7”). The rifle has been further ridiculed because of its bolt-action mechanism, which obviously impedes the ability to fire off multiple shots in rapid succession—presumably necessary under the circumstances. This criticism, however, ignores the fact that the knob on the end of the bolt is not there for either aesthetic reasons or comfort. This practical addition allows the well-practiced shooter minimal hand movement when cycling from the trigger to the bolt— essentially rotating the trigger hand in one plane past the knob, with no extraneous movement. This is easier demonstrated than described. Someone skilled in the weapon’s use could recycle the weapon in under two seconds, much less than was actually needed in the Kennedy case. Oswald may very well have been so skilled. I noted earlier in the text that Marina Oswald was disturbed by Lee’s repeated dry-firing speed drills on their New Orleans front porch. Witnesses in Dallas recall the speed and accuracy with which he performed at the shooting range in the days just prior to Kennedy’s murder. Oswald’s ammunition was similarly deadly. The Mannlicher Carcano bullets are full-metal jacketed, hyper-velocity (2,700 fps—feet per second), and heavy-loaded (160 grains—twice the amount of today’s bullets of the same caliber). In addition, they are extremely long projectiles, giving them (especially in combination with the gain twist rifle barrel) increased stability. HSCA ballistics expert Larry Sturdivan testified that the Mannlicher-Carcano bullet is “one of the most stable bullets we have ever done experimentation with.” After the infamous dum-dum bullets (which caused massive fatal injuries) were outlawed at the end of World War I, this Mannlicher rifle/bullet combination became extremely popular because of its amazing penetrating abilities, which are legendary among big game hunters and ballistics experts. Outlawing the combination was in fact welcomed by military planners because even though the bullet, when striking the torso, caused fewer fatalities, it often disabled two or more soldiers—this, combined with the two men who had to carry out the wounded, showed how economical and strategic one well-placed bullet could be. Mannlicher ammunition has often been the ammunition of choice for big game hunters because it penetrates even the thick skulls of elephants. In experiments conducted by Dr. John Nichols and Dr. John Lattimer, using identical bullets (and rifle) as Oswald’s, the bullets cleanly penetrated four feet of ponderosa pine and two feet of elm wood, emerging undamaged. Furthermore, these bullets are considered “over-stabilized,” meaning that after the first penetration, they begin spinning like helicopter blades, which causes even more injury to the second person hit. Sound familiar? In the Kennedy killing, the penetrating abilities of this ammunition allowed one bullet to wound two victims, with the second victim, Governor Connally, suffering massive torso damage from the spinning, “over-stabilized” bullet. In summary, the Mannlicher Carcano, when combined with its accompanying ammunition, is clearly a weapon to be reckoned with.
"Oswald may very well have been so skilled. I noted earlier in the text that Marina Oswald was disturbed by Lee’s repeated dry-firing speed drills on their New Orleans front porch." HSCA Report, Volume XI
Current Section: Wesley Liebeler
OSWALD"S RIFLE CAPABILITY
http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=39836On top of all the faults found in the Carcano by a team of Army sharpshooters the WC employed to test it's capabilities as JFK's murder weapon, WC counsel Wesley Liebeler pointed out, in his critique of LHO's rifle capabilities, that Marina first answered that she didn't know what Lee was doing on the porch in New Orleans but then was led to the correct answer.
http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=37#relPageId=33&tab=pageWarren Commission Hearings, Volume I
Current Section: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald
~snip~
Mrs. OSWALD. No. I know for sure that he didn't. But I know that we had a kind of a porch with a---screened-in porch,
and
I know that sometimes evenings after dark he would sit there with his rifle. I don't know what he did with it. I
came there by chance once and saw him just sitting there with his rifle. I thought he is merely sitting there and resting. Of course I didn't like these kind of little jokes.
Mr. RANKIN Can you give us an idea of how often this happened that you recall?
Mrs. OSWALD. It began to happen quite frequently after he was arrested there in connection with some demonstration and
handing out of leaflets.
Mr. RANKIN. Was that the Fair Play for Cuba demonstration?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. From what you observed about his having the rifle on the back porch, in the dark,
could you tell whether or
not he was trying to practice with the telescopic lens?217 O--64--vol.I---3
Mrs. OSWALD.
Yes. I asked him why. But this time he was preparing to go to Cuba.
Mr. RANKIN. That was his explanation for practicing with the rifle?
Mrs. OSWALD Yes. He said that he would, go to Cuba. I told him I was not going with him---that I would stay here.
Mr. RANKIN. On these occasions when he was practicing with the rifle, would they be three or four times a week in the
evening, after the Fair Play for Cuba incident?
~snip~
