The Most Important Error the FBI told the Warren Commission about the Rifle

[Bob Prudhomme]

The favorite Lone Nut argument is that Oswald would have made the first shot with the scope and the next two shots with the open sights. There are serious problems with this argument and, under close scrutiny, the argument does not stand up to any serious critiquing.

To begin with, we have just proven that the Carcano rifle found on the 6th floor will, if impacting a target at 15 yards 2.5 - 4 inches high, impact a target at 100 yards 22 - 32 inches high of the point of aim. No one, even someone with Marine training, can compensate this much when shooting at a moving target. Even at 88 yards, the distance of the head shot, the rifle is shooting 20 - 29 inches high. This is further compounded by the fact the shot was downhill. Shooting downhill will make the bullet go even higher. I do not believe the scope could have been used to make any of the shots.

Suffice it to say, the scope on C2766 was so badly mounted and out of adjustment, bullets would have been impacting a target 22 - 32 inches high at 100 yards, if we are to believe Frazier's testimony. The question we must now ask ourselves is, why was the scope still on the rifle when it was found on the 6th floor? If Oswald practiced with this rifle, as claimed by the Warren Commission, he would have immediately become aware of the fact that the scope was beyond useless and, unless re-mounted by a gunsmith, could not be used to shoot this rifle.


Why did Oswald simply not remove the scope and scope mount and use the open sights to practice, long before he even thought about bringing the rifle to the TSBD? The scope mount is held onto the rifle by two tiny slotted screws. One minute with a flat bladed screwdriver would have removed the scope and mount, giving Oswald complete unencumbered access to the open sights. It is true that it is possible to use open sights on a rifle with a side mounted scope. However, and I can say this from personal experience, it is extremely awkward to do so, and the first instinct to surface, when attempting this, is to simply remove the stupid scope. I simply refuse to believe Oswald would have left the scope on the rifle if he had every intention of using open sights to assassinate JFK.


The next argument the Lone Nuts use is that Oswald banged the scope on his way across the 6th floor and knocked it out of adjustment. It is true that rough handling has the potential to put scopes out of adjustment, but in amounts of an inch or two at 100 yards. For a rifle to go from shooting fairly accurately to being 32 inches high at 100 yards, simply from rough handling, is impossible. There simply is not that much adjustment available in a rifle scope. Oswald would have to hit the scope hard enough to actually bend the tube at some point, and this would have made it impossible for anyone in the FBI to have even used this scope; despite the addition of shims and any subsequent adjustments.