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

FBI rifle firing speed and accuracy tests

Three FBI firearms experts tested the assassination rifle to determine the maximum speed at which it could be fired, rather than to replicate the assassination conditions. The three experts each fired three shots from the weapon at 15 yards in 6, 7, and 9 seconds, and one agent, Robert A. Frazier, fired two series of three shots at 25 yards in 4.6 and 4.8 seconds. At 15 yards, each man’s shots landed within an area the size of a dime. Frazier’s shots at 25 yards landed within areas of 2 inches and 5 inches respectively. Frazier later fired four groups of three shots at 100 yards in 5.9, 6.2, 5.6, and 6.5 seconds, with each series landing within 3 to 5 inches in diameter. Although the shots were a few inches high and to the right due to a defect in the scope, the FBI agents could have compensated for this if aiming at a bull’s-eye; instead, they were testing firing speed and shot grouping. Frazier testified that while he could not determine when the defect occurred, a person familiar with the weapon could compensate for it. The defect would have assisted an assassin aiming at a target moving away, as Frazier explained that the high-set crosshairs would compensate for any necessary lead, though it would cause a slight miss to the right. This was notable because the President’s car was curving slightly to the right when the third shot was fired.

Expert testimony on rifle accuracy and Oswald’s marksmanship capability

Based on the tests conducted, the experts agreed that the assassination rifle was accurate. Simmons described it as “quite accurate,” comparing it favorably to current military rifles. Frazier testified that the rifle was accurate, had less recoil than the average military rifle, and that one would not have to be an expert marksman to have accomplished the assassination with the weapon used.