Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Oswald’s Rifle Capability

To determine whether Oswald could have fired the shots that killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally, the Commission evaluated four factors: the nature of the shots, Oswald’s Marine Corps marksmanship training, his firearms experience after leaving the Marines, and the accuracy of the weapon with its ammunition.

The Nature of the Shots

From the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, the presidential limousine moved slowly down a three-degree grade in nearly straight alignment with the rifle, at ranges of 177 to 266 feet. Four marksmanship experts—Major Eugene D. Anderson (Marine Corps), Robert A. Frazier (FBI), Ronald Simmons (U.S. Army), and M. Sergeant James A. Zahm (Marine Corps)—testified that the shots were not particularly difficult, especially with a four-power telescopic sight. The scope was characterized as ideal for moving targets and a “real aid” in rapid fire shooting. The combination of the target moving away, the downgrade, and the elevated shooter position made the shots “very easy” to “easy” in Zahm’s assessment.

Oswald’s Marine Training

Oswald underwent standard Marine marksmanship training, including sighting, aiming, trigger manipulation, dry firing, and live fire on the rifle range at distances up to 500 yards. In December 1956, he scored 212, qualifying as a sharpshooter (two points above minimum). In May 1959, he scored 191, qualifying as a marksman (one point above minimum). Marine Corps records also documented his familiarity with the Browning Automatic Rifle, .45 caliber pistol, and 12-gage riot gun. Major Anderson characterized Oswald as a good shot—better than or equal to the average Marine—and good to excellent compared to an untrained civilian. Sergeant Zahm concluded that Oswald’s training would have enabled him to sight in and fire the scoped rifle competently.

Oswald’s Rifle Practice Outside the Marines

Oswald continued firearms practice after leaving the Marines. He hunted with his brother Robert using a .22 bolt-action rifle on multiple occasions, displayed average proficiency, and obtained a Soviet hunting license, joining a hunting club and hunting approximately six times. After purchasing the Mannlicher-Carcano, he told Marina he practiced with it, and she observed him taking the rifle from their home concealed in a raincoat. George De Mohrenschildt reported that Oswald said he went target shooting with the rifle. Marina also observed Oswald on their New Orleans porch at night, practicing with the telescopic sight and bolt. Cartridge case examination on the sixth floor indicated prior loading and ejection, suggesting Oswald practiced bolt operation.

Accuracy of Weapon

Testing by the FBI and the U.S. Army Infantry Weapons Evaluation Branch using Mannlicher-Carcano rifle C2766 and over 100 rounds of Western Cartridge Co. ammunition—matching that used in the assassination—produced no misfires, confirming the weapon’s operational reliability under the conditions relevant to the assassination.

CHAPITRE V. of this report.

The Infantry Weapons Evaluation Branch of the Ballistics Research Laboratory and the FBI each conducted separate series of tests using the assassination rifle to evaluate its accuracy, its rate of fire, and the likelihood that the weapon’s operator could have replicated the timing of the shots fired during the assassination, with NRA master marksmen firing from a tower at three silhouette targets at distances of 175, 240, and 265 feet, and FBI agents including Robert A. Frazier firing the weapon at ranges from 15 to 100 yards to determine how rapidly and tightly grouped the shots could be placed. Based on these tests, firearms experts including Simmons and Frazier testified that the Mannlicher-Carcano was a quite accurate weapon with less recoil than the average military rifle, that a four-power scope was a substantial aid to rapid and accurate firing, and that the shooter did not need to be an expert marksman to accomplish the assassination, leading the Commission to conclude that Oswald, given his Marine training and familiarity with the rifle, possessed ample capability to fire three shots with two hits within the 4.8 to 5.6 second span established elsewhere in the report.

Simulated assassination rifle firing test

The Infantry Weapons Evaluation Branch of the Ballistics Research Laboratory conducted a test to evaluate the assassination rifle under conditions simulating those of the assassination. Three NRA-rated master marksmen fired two series of three shots each from a tower at silhouette targets placed at 175, 240, and 265 feet, with the 265-foot target positioned to the right of the 240-foot target. None of the marksmen had prior practice with the assassination weapon beyond a 2–3 minute dry run to exercise the bolt. In the first series, the firers required time spans of 4.6, 6.75, and 8.25 seconds; in the second series, 5.15, 6.45, and 7 seconds. All marksmen hit the first target when given unlimited time, but for the first four attempts they missed the second shot by several inches, requiring movement in the basic firing position. This larger angle between the first and second shots was used to replicate eyewitness testimony that there was a shorter interval between shots two and three. As noted in chapter III, if the three shots had been fired within 4.8 to 5.6 seconds, they would have been evenly spaced without requiring sharp angular movement. Five of the six shots hit the third target, where the angle of weapon movement was small. Based on these results, Simmons testified that the probability of hitting targets at the relatively short range of the assassination was very high. The highest performance level required of the assassin would have been to fire three times and hit twice within 4.8 to 5.6 seconds, and one of the firers in the rapid-fire test accomplished this with times of 4.6 and 5.15 seconds. The others could have reduced their times with practice familiarizing themselves with the bolt and trigger pull. Simmons testified that such bolt familiarity could be achieved through dry practice, which Oswald had engaged in. If the assassin missed the first or third shot, he had between 4.8 and 5.6 seconds between the two hits, and a minimum total time of 7.1 to 7.9 seconds for all three shots. All three firers were able to complete their rounds within the available time frame.