03-04-2014, 05:54 PM
Source: Warren Commission Testimony of Robert A. Frazier - 3H, 411
Mr. Eisenberg. Mr. Frazier, turning back to the scope, if the elevation crosshair was defective at the time of the assassination, in the same manner it is now, and no compensation was made for this defect, how would this have interacted with the amount of lead which needed to be given to the target?
Mr. Frazier. Well, may I say this first. I do not consider the crosshair as being defective, but only the adjusting mechanism does not have enough tolerance to bring the crosshair to the point of impact of the bullet. As to how that would affect the lead - the gun, when we first received it in the laboratory and fired these first targets, shot high and slightly to the right.
If you were shooting at a moving target from a high elevation, relatively high elevation, moving away from you, it would be necessary for you to shoot over that object in order for the bullet to strike your intended target, because the object during the flight of the bullet would move a certain distance. [b]The fact that the crosshairs are set high would actually compensate for any lead which had to be taken. So that if you aimed with this weapon as it actually was received at the laboratory, it would be necessary to take no lead whatsoever in order to hit the intended object. The scope would accomplish the lead for you.[b] I might also say that it also shot slightly to the right, which would tend to cause you to miss your target slightly to the right.
The Warren Commission Report included this game-changing information and added the following comment. "Frazier added that the scope would cause a slight miss to the right. It should be noted, however, that the President's car was curving slightly to the right when the third shot was fired."
In this case the commission stated the correct conclusion for the wrong reason. The "miss to the right" would have been reduced, if not eliminated, primarily because the limousine was moving away from the sniper's nest somewhat to the right of directly behind the target.
Mr. Eisenberg. Mr. Frazier, turning back to the scope, if the elevation crosshair was defective at the time of the assassination, in the same manner it is now, and no compensation was made for this defect, how would this have interacted with the amount of lead which needed to be given to the target?
Mr. Frazier. Well, may I say this first. I do not consider the crosshair as being defective, but only the adjusting mechanism does not have enough tolerance to bring the crosshair to the point of impact of the bullet. As to how that would affect the lead - the gun, when we first received it in the laboratory and fired these first targets, shot high and slightly to the right.
If you were shooting at a moving target from a high elevation, relatively high elevation, moving away from you, it would be necessary for you to shoot over that object in order for the bullet to strike your intended target, because the object during the flight of the bullet would move a certain distance. [b]The fact that the crosshairs are set high would actually compensate for any lead which had to be taken. So that if you aimed with this weapon as it actually was received at the laboratory, it would be necessary to take no lead whatsoever in order to hit the intended object. The scope would accomplish the lead for you.[b] I might also say that it also shot slightly to the right, which would tend to cause you to miss your target slightly to the right.
The Warren Commission Report included this game-changing information and added the following comment. "Frazier added that the scope would cause a slight miss to the right. It should be noted, however, that the President's car was curving slightly to the right when the third shot was fired."
In this case the commission stated the correct conclusion for the wrong reason. The "miss to the right" would have been reduced, if not eliminated, primarily because the limousine was moving away from the sniper's nest somewhat to the right of directly behind the target.