Suppressors Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

[Xshot]

I read the book... fantastic read and a real hero. I came away with one question.

Marcus recalls shooting a bad guy with his suppressed MK12 long after all his team was killed and while he was hiding. He was not concerned about taking out the threat or being discovered due to his rifle being suppressed.

If I shoot 77 gr. SMK's with a full load, through my SAS Arbiter, the sonic crack of the bullet is very apparent. I would think the crack would echo for miles in a mountain terrain.

Am I missing something in the story or about his equipment?

 

[GLB]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

It's been a while since I read that but seems to me that particular shot was very close.

 

[Xshot]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TacticalHunter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It's been a while since I read that but seems to me that particular shot was very close. </div></div>

Yup, you are correct in that it was a close shot. However, the crack of the bullet had to have been loud and echoed in the terrain. Moreover, the Taliban were active searching for him and I wondered about the risk of taking this shot and attracting more attention.

To be fair, I've read the a full load through a suppressor will be VERY noticeable to the shooter, but anyone down range of the bullet trajectory - left/right - will not hear much other than the sizzle/crack of the passing bullet.

I don't know the answer since I shoot suppressed, alone, on my property.

 

[BigBoss0311]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

Hopefully the movie will be true to the book.

 

[PRDRIVER]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

The Ops Inc Suppressor that he would have been using is the quietest .223 suppressor that I have heard. You still get a supersonic crack, but downrange it is hard to determine what direction or how far away it was fired from.

From what I remembered in the book, the tango that Marcus shot was like 200 yards away on top of a cliff and was trying to look down the crevice that Marcus was hiding in. I am sure from Marcus' point of view it was the right thing to do at the time.

 

[Xshot]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

I would agree that Marcus had to take the shot to eliminate the immediate threat. That said, I'm thinking Marcus knew the crack of bullet would be audible, but echos in the mountainous terrain would make it difficult to pin point him.

 

[GLB]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

I have shot and hunted in the mountains a lot and the sound can be very deceiving. I have been only 200 yards from another shooter him on one side of the ridge me on the other and never heard him shoot. But when someone shoots in the same valley it can be heard forever.

 

[verdugo60]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

I think you are all on the right track. The other thing to think about is that he was wedged in a crack in the cliff face, don't know how deep but that also could have dampened directional sound and any ability the towel heads had to track him by muzzle report not covered up by the can. Was it only one dude he dropped? I was thinking he shot several that came parrallel to his position on the other side, but with their bodies falling off the cliff and the other resons mentioned he was not discovered. Hope the movie is like the books and hope the books was what happened. Don't doubt him but weren't there some discrepancies between the DOD report and the books?

 

[Phylodog]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

Suppressors are known to make pinpointing the direction a round was fired from difficult. It is also difficult to pinpoint the location from the sound of one shot. Given his circumstances at the time, shooting to bastard(s) looking for him seems to have been the only alternative to being observed and bringing a gaggle of the pricks onto his location.

 

[AirborneFO]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

Awesome book and hero. I'm sure the mountains made it tough to pinpoint where he was shooting from. I know from experience that buildings will do the same thing. They must have heard it because they continued to look for him. Glad he made it home and wish the others would have.

 

[TheGerman]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

I have the Ops Inc on order for my Mk12 Mod 1, so don't know about it firsthand, yet.

I thought the exact same thing when I read the book. Weren't there 2 guys together that he shot?

After thinking about this for a while, because it bothered me as far as knowing that a suppressor doesn't completely remove all noise nor the crack of the round downrange, but having shot my Mk12 unsuppressed, I can already comfortably do it without ear protection. As stated before, I also thought something along the lines that it was something that had to be done when he did it and that he was hoping for a bit of luck in that the reduced sound would be masked by the terrain.

The only thing I still wonder about is if the sound, regardless if they could figure out where it came from, solidified to the Taliban searching for another SEAL (I was under the impression that they weren't 100% sure one was still alive) that there was in fact still one out there.

ETA - I did enjoy how his Mk12 somehow always 'appeared' next to him.

 

[MuXi115]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DFOOSKING</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've fired a few different makes of cans....one being a .223 TBAC can on a friends 18" homebuilt AR15.

That rifle shooting full speed ammo is quieter than my heavily leaded up AAC Aviator and .22 subsonic ammo in my 77/22.

Some cans just do an awesome job. </div></div>

How can a rifle with a supersonic crack be quieter than one without? That makes no sense. My 10/22, Aviator and CCI Subs are stupid quiet especially when compared to my suppressed AR. I've yet to hear a suppressed AR with supersonic ammo that was anything close to quiet.

 

[jetmd]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

I have an OPS Inc 12th model on my SPR and it is Very quite!
I also read the book and wondered the same.
All I can verify is the quality of the reduction in noise.

 

[Six Feet Under]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

I am almost done reading the book and it is a good one. I think this dude was so beat up with broken bones, cuts etc that he probably just said fuc$ it and let them fly.. Who knows with the sound and where he was at for sure. I kinda took it as, he though these targes need to be eliminated and deal with the rest as it comes. Maybe I am wrong.

 

[fargo007]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

The sonic crack moves with the bullet. It doesn't act like the report of the rifle. Totally different sound with different characteristics and properties.

--Fargo007

 

[fattycakes]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

Take it with a grain of salt. The book has a writer that worked with Mr. Luttrel. There was one mistake in that book that I can honestly say was a mistake
Through first hand experience.

They didn't shoot functioning M-16's in boot camp. I was in boot camp the same time as Marcuss (same time frame, different company) was and we "qualified" with an m16 that had a laser designator. No bullets.

Even if he was able to remember with pinpoint Accuracy the events of those days it is highly likely that the writer took some liberties.
I was never high-speed so I read the book with a sense of awe at his heroics and sheer will to survive.

 

[BookHound]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

Ops Inc suppressors are outstanding performers. Very quiet with a unique tone. I am a huge fan and own several.

As already stated, suppressors will help to obfuscate the origin of the sound. Using one of (if not the) quietest suppressors available will make that even better.

Mark

 

[7mmSTW]

Re: Marcus Luttrell & Lone Survivor question

If you have a place to be where you can safely hear a bullet pass by (target pulling bunker etc...) the question will likely be answered for you.