The problem with the storm drain wasn't the height of the opening, it was the width of the opening. You couldn't get far enough to one side to get line of sight to the target point.
The bullet was FAR from pristine--it only looks that way in the popular photo used to espouse the pristine bullet theory. Other photos show it looks about like you'd expect given that it's a heavy for caliber 6.5mm FMJ bullet with a very thick jacket. It's flattened, slightly bent, and lost some lead that was squeezed out the back of the jacket. It also has a pretty good divot on the side that's opposite the camera in the "pristine bullet photo."
The bullet that hit JFK in the back was far from magic. When you look at the placement of the two at the time of the strike, you can see that the bullet travelled in a straight line.
I have a hard time believing that anyone who's messed around with rifles much could look out the 6th floor window at the x on the pavement and think it's a hard shot. Yes, I know the one LHO used is sealed, but you can look out the one next to it.
As for the scope. One of the shooters (not from the recent TV show) who duplicated the shot ignored the scope entirely and used the iron sights. According to his wife, LHO had practiced with the rifle and would have known if the scope wasn't working. The design of the mount made using the open sights easy.
There's another thread on this and most, if not all, of the objections raised on this thread are discussed on the other.
The bullet was FAR from pristine--it only looks that way in the popular photo used to espouse the pristine bullet theory. Other photos show it looks about like you'd expect given that it's a heavy for caliber 6.5mm FMJ bullet with a very thick jacket. It's flattened, slightly bent, and lost some lead that was squeezed out the back of the jacket. It also has a pretty good divot on the side that's opposite the camera in the "pristine bullet photo."
The bullet that hit JFK in the back was far from magic. When you look at the placement of the two at the time of the strike, you can see that the bullet travelled in a straight line.
I have a hard time believing that anyone who's messed around with rifles much could look out the 6th floor window at the x on the pavement and think it's a hard shot. Yes, I know the one LHO used is sealed, but you can look out the one next to it.
As for the scope. One of the shooters (not from the recent TV show) who duplicated the shot ignored the scope entirely and used the iron sights. According to his wife, LHO had practiced with the rifle and would have known if the scope wasn't working. The design of the mount made using the open sights easy.
There's another thread on this and most, if not all, of the objections raised on this thread are discussed on the other.