Alvin York/Gary Cooper movie

[Infrequent Shooter]

I just watched an 8 minute clip on youtube showing York in basic training shooting his 1903 Springfield. Does anyone know what the shooting distance would have been depicted in the movie? It looks to be a pretty big target, my guess is 3-500 yards. I am pretty sure York used a Model 17 in real life.

 

[tmwinds]

It’s a movie. Probably never happen.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

No, I am asking what the distance would have been for training w the '03 Springfield rifle?

 

[Rube Shooter]

No, I am asking what the distance would have been for training w the '03 Springfield rifle?

A great question to know the answer to considering he was using a mass produced rifle with iron sights to qualify with, not just to earn his spot but to represent the country he would be fighting for.

 

[joshb]

I love that movie! It looks like 300 yards to me. That movie was a big reason why I had to own an ‘03 Springfield. Classic!

 

[Fuj]

Found this. Army probably has training guides of the period
archived.

 

[Spoonbill]

One of my favorite movies since I was a young kid

 

[jackieschmidt]

Our qualifying with the M-14 was 300 yards at Ft Bliss Texas In the mid 1960’s.
We never shot over 300.

 

[K22]

If you want to read a truly amazing true story, read the story about George R. Farr in the 1921 N.R.A. (long range) Individual Matches when at 62 years of age, Farr, using a stock service rifle with service sights issue to him the day of the match and using Frankfort Arsenal issue ammunition nearly beat Sergeant John W. Adkins, a record holder, who was using a "special" rifle with "telescope" sights.

The course of fire was at 1,000 yards.

 

[mongo chicago]

Interesting documentary on you tube about "Sgt. York The Myth". (Hope I got the title correct). Indicates a lot of fiction in the whole story.

 

[jackieschmidt]

One thing that is not Hyperbole in that film clip is draftees or enlisted that had never actually seen a real firearm.

We had several in our Basic Training Company from New Jersey and Massachusetts that were exactly like the depiction. They had no idea.

Us that had grown up in Texas had been shooting our entire lives.

 

[nmkid]

Our qualifying with the M-14 was 300 yards at Ft Bliss Texas In the mid 1960’s.
We never shot over 300.

I was at Ft. Bliss in 1966. We shot at 100 yards(meters?). Then, we qualified by shooting a small silhouette stuck in the ground. I don't remember the yardage, but it was pretty close. A trainee asked if we were going to shoot at 100. I distinctly remember the Drill Sargent saying, "You are probably going to Vietnam, you don't need to shoot at 100".

 

[jackieschmidt]

I was at Ft. Bliss in 1966. We shot at 100 yards(meters?). Then, we qualified by shooting a small silhouette stuck in the ground. I don't remember the yardage, but it was pretty close. A trainee asked if we were going to shoot at 100. I distinctly remember the Drill Sargent saying, "You are probably going to Vietnam, you don't need to shoot at 100".

Wasn’t that fun at Bliss. They had to continually hose down the Low Crawl pit so the sand would at least mimic mud.
The first day we were to go to the Range, we were given out Rifles the night before to clean.
We all had them all oiled up, shined, and ready to go.

Of course, the Drill Sargents knew exactly what was going to happen. They had let us all out about 3 miles from the range so we could have a nice hike in what amounted to a desert, complete with wind and a real fine dust, that of course, clung to all of that oil like super glue.

We spent the better part of the morning just cleaning and getting the M-14’s to function. And then we got to spend the night in pup tents with the bugs.

Of course, it as all part of the Armies way of teaching us a lesson, which I am sure they repeated with every class going through.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

I love that movie! It looks like 300 yards to me. That movie was a big reason why I had to own an ‘03 Springfield. Classic!

Yeah, that '03 is on my want list. I have a 1917 intact sporter that I want to put back together, I have 95% of the parts. It won't be matching but mine is remington in super condition. 300 is a good estimate.

 

[jmm03]

Having shot at the same type of target when I was in the Seabees, it looked like 200 yards to me. Funny, I just watched that clip. "well, I reckon I might do a mite better with this here rifle gun once I get used to it Seargent..." I recall that Gary Cooper actually was a hunter and a firearms aficionado.

 

[K22]

At Fort Cambell during basic, 1970, we shot at 100, 200, and 300 meters. The targets were plastic silhouettes that toppled electronically if hit. Except for the brutally cold weather, I enjoyed the rifle training even though I started shooting at 12 years old.

 

[Bill K]

Typical for most movies regarding true life people. I believe I read in one or two stories about York and his prisoners, he brought in. That he carried and used his service handgun more than his rifle in that event.
I think those German prisoners wanted to surrender and did so, to him.

\Interesting documentary on you tube about "Sgt. York The Myth". (Hope I got the title correct). Indicates a lot of fiction in the whole story.

 

[Fairchaser]

Looking at that group of about 3 inches, the maximum distance would have been 300 yds. That is exceptional with iron sights of a 1 MOA group. More likely it was 100 yds. Snipers had scopes and were expected to shoot beyond 100 yds. The cartridge looked to be a 30.06.

 

[FNSafari]

A good read on what York did and the controversy over which '06 chambered rifle he used.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | 'Over There': The Sgt. Alvin York Story

Watch this American Rifleman TV segment "Over There! Part Five" to learn about the famous action during World War I for which Sgt. York was awarded the Medal of Honor.

www.americanrifleman.org

Another story, longer read and convinced he used a 1917.

Sergeant Alvin York: Personal Accounts That Reveal His True Story

Historical accounts suggest that Sergeant Alvin York was an ordinary man who became a legend by boldly facing extraordinary circumstances.

warfarehistorynetwork.com

 

[joshb]

I don’t watch movies for the “facts”. The ones I like have a message, usually about good values conquering evil ways. The good guys get the girl and they live happily ever after.
Who watches a Star Wars movie and grumbles about how they don’t have spaceships that travel at warp speed? Reality is over rated.
I’d like them to try to do Mr Smith goes to Washington set in modern times.