To many people, the words “JFK assassination” are almost synonymous with “conspiracy.” The event and the aftermath sparked off a debate that continues to this day, and has been the subject of many books, research papers, and a few movies. It’s also been referenced in countless works of fiction. For example, in Alan Moore’s famous Watchmen comic book series, it’s strongly suggested that one of the main characters was the shooter on the grassy knoll.
Though the Warren commission determined that there was only one shooter, many alternate theories postulate a second gunman, firing from either the grassy knoll or the Dal-Tex Building, across from the School Book Depository, or somewhere else entirely. It appears to me that the reason for the popularity of these theories is a basic unwillingness to believe that Oswald could have made the shots he did in that time span. I decided to test that out myself.
First I looked up the timespan. To my surprise, it has yet to be conclusively narrowed down. It’s estimated at 4.8 to over 7 seconds. I decided to use the lower number as a benchmark. I don’t have a Carcano rifle like Oswald, so I had to make do with a bolt-action .22 rifle.
My first test was seeing if I could fire three shots in under 4.8 seconds. I stood about 80 feet from my target, a 9×11 piece of paper. I was using an un-scoped .22. I performed the test three times, the first two standing, the final one kneeling, using a wooden bench rest (much like the window sill Oswald probably used).
First result: 2 out of 3 hits (same as Oswald) in 3.14 seconds. Second result was 2/3 in 3.2. Third and final result was 3/3 in 3.6 second.
I now knew that the firing speed, at least, was easily doable. But what about accuracy?
For the next test, I set up 3 targets at 250 feet. The targets were 2x4s, about 8 inches long, standing vertically. I used the same .22 rifle as before, only this time with a 9X magnification scope. I used the same wooden bench as before for a rest. The result was 2 hits out of 3 shots in 5.2 seconds.
I realize there are problems with this test, due to my inability to rent a sixth floor snipers nest and a moving target. However, these things are trivial. The fact of the matter is that accurate, rapid fire can be achieved with a bolt action. I may not convince anyone else, but I’ve surely convinced myself: Oswald acted alone, and anyone who says otherwise is just trying to make things more complicated than they really are.
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