Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Interesting hunting/sniper rifle with historical significance

Good post Tom.


A bucket of icewater seems appropriate to get this back on topic vs who shot Kennedy.

Allen

David Bushnell started his company about 1950. I am curious about this rifle in that the use personal firearms were generally forbidden by the military and, engraved MS firearms were definitely not GI.

Any comments?

djs:

Over the years, I've talked to a number of combat veterans of Korea, who told me of some things they did and had that were not G.I.

Lots of field expediency, they told me.

I wasn't there, of course.

The plaque on the rifle is totally consistent with what Tom Aylward told me. I was his supervisor when he passed away (about 1993?).

Welcome to the 'fire.

Tom Aylward told me personally that he had made these shots. He said that snipers had been bothering him (and those around him I assume) for weeks. He never mentioned the plaque, but did tell of this event. I expect that he offered to take the shots, perhaps to impress t he brass visiting at that time. Tom was certainly very confident.

I only knew Tom from about 1980 to his passing about 1993.

Truth is often stranger than fiction. This thread is one of the more interesting threads that has ever appeared on the 'fire.

Has any more information about this rifle and its story come to light in the last four years?

It would be nice to finally get the actual, confirmed "true" story.

And if you know a Korean War veteran, thank him for his service. My 83-yr-old former Marine neighbor, Tommy, has some serious stories. He was very fortunate to survive his time in Korea.

One story: With the slope in front of them littered with dead enemy, their small unit was almost completely out of ammo as the communist soldiers prepared for another assault. Their only hope was for the low, cloudy weather to break so that some air support could get in to hit the enemy.

The assault had started, when two Marine Corsairs roared in under the low clouds at about two hundred feet with guns blazing, chewing up the enemy position in front of them. He was out of ammo when hot .50 caliber cases fell onto the ground around him from the Corsairs overhead. He warmed his hands with the warm cases, a welcome relief in the bitter cold.

The assault was stopped. A couple of hours later the clouds broke and some Australian planes came in and had at the enemy for awhile, allowing what remained of his unit to take their dead and wounded back to a more secure position.

Tommy told me this story shortly after we first met, when he found out I was a Marine pilot. He got a little emotional when he told me the story, saying, "Two Marine Corps pilots saved my life".

I think everyone is overlooking one important fact on this rifle. It's not the rifle that made the shots, it's a presentation rifle made after the shots in honor of luetenants (sp) remarkable feat. It doesn't say it's the actual rifle that made those shots.

Wiki says Bushnell started optic sales in 1948. Just a guess but the rifle, if the same one used, may have been embellished after the fact. No doubt the plaque came later. Still an interesting piece...