Can anybody provide proof of a successful reenactment of Oswald's feat?

[Walt Cakebread]

I never said anything about Marina and dryfiring. I doubt she would even know what is meant by dryfiring. Marina said he practiced with the rifle on the porch.

The WC examining CE 543 and discussing his Marine Corp training believed he was dryfiring.

Dry firing:  All Dr Chapman did was look at the primer of CE 543 and noticed it was dished. If it is dished in that means the firing pin had struck the shell more than once. The reason for dry firing is to practice without actually firing the rifle.  Major Anderson of the Marine Corp explained dry firing to the WC and how much of it LHO would have done while being trained in the Marine Corp training.

Dr Chapman after examing CE 543 and its primer stated the shell had been dryfired.



Mr. EISENBERG. Somebody had done one operation, in your opinion, with this cartridge at three different times?
Mr. NICOL. Right.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, just to set this in context, I have taken the bolt from Commission Exhibit 139, the rifle found on the sixth floor, and could you show the Commission what the extractor is on this bolt?
Mr. NICOL. The extractor is this semicircular piece extending back in the bolt, and its purpose is to withdraw the cartridge from the chamber at the time that the bolt is drawn back. It rides in the extractor groove, which is machined in the head of the cartridge case. At the time that the weapon is loaded, oftentimes this springs around, it first contacts the rim of the cartridge case, and then springs around the rim of the cartridge and produces marks such as these, or marks such as I have illustrated on the three sets.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, is it possible that the reason the marks were present on this cartridge but not on the other cartridge case on this cartridge case but not on the other cartridge cases you examined--is because these marks were produced by dry firing as opposed to actual firing?
Mr. NICOL. This is possible. The weight of the empty shell would be different of course from one which had a projectile in it, so that its dynamics might be different, and it might produce a different mark-- although in the absence of accessibility of the weapon, or the absence of these marks on the tests, I really am unable to say what is the precise origin of those marks, except to speculate that they are probably from the extractor, and that the second mark that appears here, which I have indicated with a similar number, is probably an ejector mark. Now, this, I might add, is a different type of ejector mark than the mark found on the rim from the normal firing of these tests and the evidence cartridges.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, you stated that another mark appeared in all three associated in juxtaposition with the three marks you have been describing?
Mr. NICOL. Yes; and in the same angular relationship to a radii through the center of the head.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, again, if it is an ejector mark, might the difference have been caused by the fact that it may have been associated with a dry firing rather than an actual firing?
Mr. NICOL. That might be possible.
Mr. EISENBERG. Do you think a person would apply a different bolt pressure in a dry firing as opposed to an actual firing?
Mr. NICOL. Well, since this is a manually operated weapon, it is quite possible that no two operations are done with exactly the same force. However, with reasonable reproduceability, all these marks appear to the same depth and to the same extent, so that it would appear that whatever produced them operated in identically the same fashion.
Mr. EISENBERG. Do you have anything you would like to add to your testimony on the rifle bullets or the rifle cartridge cases, Mr. Nicol?
Mr. NICOL. No, sir; I don't think so.

Mr. SPECTER - What do you mean by live firing, sir?
Major ANDERSON - By live firing I mean any time a live round of ammunition is actually placed in the gun and it is fired.
Mr. SPECTER - Is that distinguished from some other type of firing, or heavy firing?
Major ANDERSON - Yes; it is distinguished from what we call dry firing in that no ammunition is used whatsoever. A man just simulates

Mr. SPECTER - Would you outline the marksmanship training, if any, which a Marine recruit receives in the normal course of Marine training?
Major ANDERSON - He goes through a very intensive 3 weeks training period. During this 3 weeks for the first week he receives a basic training in the care and cleaning of the weapon. He learns sighting and aiming. He learns manipulation of the trigger.
He is exposed to various training aids. He goes through a series of exercises in what we call dry firing in which he assumes all of the positions that he is going to use in the full firing of the rifle over the qualification course

Based on LHO's Marine Corp training he had dryfired a great deal.

 Marina said he practiced with the rifle on the porch. 

She said she heard the bolt being operated ....  That's not dry firing...  The sound of the bolt being operated on a dark porch at night means nothing

Based on LHO's Marine Corp training he had dryfired a great deal.

If you were a bit more familiar with the Carcano then you might not appear to be such an ignoramus...

The Mannlicher carcano cannot be "dryfired" by using a spent shell...( one without a projectile)

This is a fact....  And I'll tell you why the carcano cannot be dryfired if you'd like..... Or you can research it for yourself and then acknowledge your ignorance.

[Jerry Freeman]

The commission did believe her. What that means is he spent a great deal of time dry firing the rifle. Dry firing the rifle is practicing.

No they didn't and no it's not.

[Jerry Freeman]

     MARINA said she had never seen OSWALD practice with his rifle or any other firearm and he had never told her that he was going to practice.(Warren Commission Hearings, vol.22, p.763 [Commission Exhibit 1401])
     She cannot recall that he [Oswald] ever practised firing the rifle either in New Orleans or in Dallas. She does not think he did practice in New Orleans because as a rule he stayed home when he was not working. When he did go out, she did not see him take the rifle.  [Commission Exhibit 1403]
     The reporting agent interviewed Marina Oswald as to whether she knew of any place or of a rifle range where her husband could do some practicing with a rifle, and whether she ever saw her husband taking the rifle out of the house. She said that she never saw Lee going out or coming in to the house with a rifle and that he never mentioned to her doing any practice with a rifle. (Warren Commission Hearings, vol.23, p.393 [Commission Exhibit 1785]
     Marina Oswald was asked if she ever saw her husband doing any dry practice with the rifle either in their apartments or any place else, and she replied in the negative.  [Commission Exhibit 1789]

     Marina changed her tune when she testified...MARINA advised that OSWALD had told her after the WALKER incident that he had practiced with his rifle in a field near Dallas. She said further that in the beginning of January, 1963, at the Neely Street address, he on one occasion was cleaning his rifle and he said he had been practicing that day. She said [that] on an evening in March, 1963, … OSWALD left the house at about 6:00PM. OSWALD had his rifle wrapped up in a raincoat … When OSWALD returned about 9:00PM, he told her he had practiced with the rifle. She said [that] on an evening in March, 1963, … OSWALD left the house at about 6:00PM. OSWALD had his rifle wrapped up in a raincoat … When OSWALD returned about 9:00PM, he told her he had practiced with the rifle. Warren Commission Hearings, vol.22, p.197 [Commission Exhibit 1156] 
     Unfortunately, the rifle which Marina Oswald had apparently watched her husband clean early in January 1963 did not [reportedly] come into his possession until more than two months later, toward the end of March (Warren Report, p.119)
    The Warren Commission was aware that many of Marina Oswald’s statements were contradictory and unreliable, and that she was under pressure to tell the authorities what they wanted to hear. According to an internal Warren Commission document, which became public 15 years after it was written, “Marina Oswald has repeatedly lied to the [Secret] Service, the FBI, and this Commission on matters which are of vital concern to the people of this country and the world” (HSCA Report, appendix vol.11, p.126).

[Jerry Freeman]

The point is - did LHO ....

...Do all that stuff. But an even greater point of the thread...Could ANYBODY at all have done all that stuff? I guess they could have if they were a combination of the Amazing Kreskin ...Houdini...and Superman.

[John Iacoletti]

The WC examining CE 543 and discussing his Marine Corp training believed he was dryfiring.

Begging the question.  Even if CE 543 showed signs of dryfiring, that doesn't mean that it had anything to do with Oswald.

In any case, Marina didn't see or hear anything that would indicate that Oswald ever "practiced" by pulling the trigger on this or any other rifle.

[Walt Cakebread]

     MARINA said she had never seen OSWALD practice with his rifle or any other firearm and he had never told her that he was going to practice.(Warren Commission Hearings, vol.22, p.763 [Commission Exhibit 1401])
     She cannot recall that he [Oswald] ever practised firing the rifle either in New Orleans or in Dallas. She does not think he did practice in New Orleans because as a rule he stayed home when he was not working. When he did go out, she did not see him take the rifle.  [Commission Exhibit 1403]
     The reporting agent interviewed Marina Oswald as to whether she knew of any place or of a rifle range where her husband could do some practicing with a rifle, and whether she ever saw her husband taking the rifle out of the house. She said that she never saw Lee going out or coming in to the house with a rifle and that he never mentioned to her doing any practice with a rifle. (Warren Commission Hearings, vol.23, p.393 [Commission Exhibit 1785]
     Marina Oswald was asked if she ever saw her husband doing any dry practice with the rifle either in their apartments or any place else, and she replied in the negative.  [Commission Exhibit 1789]

     Marina changed her tune when she testified...MARINA advised that OSWALD had told her after the WALKER incident that he had practiced with his rifle in a field near Dallas. She said further that in the beginning of January, 1963, at the Neely Street address, he on one occasion was cleaning his rifle and he said he had been practicing that day. She said [that] on an evening in March, 1963, … OSWALD left the house at about 6:00PM. OSWALD had his rifle wrapped up in a raincoat … When OSWALD returned about 9:00PM, he told her he had practiced with the rifle. She said [that] on an evening in March, 1963, … OSWALD left the house at about 6:00PM. OSWALD had his rifle wrapped up in a raincoat … When OSWALD returned about 9:00PM, he told her he had practiced with the rifle. Warren Commission Hearings, vol.22, p.197 [Commission Exhibit 1156] 
     Unfortunately, the rifle which Marina Oswald had apparently watched her husband clean early in January 1963 did not [reportedly] come into his possession until more than two months later, toward the end of March (Warren Report, p.119)
    The Warren Commission was aware that many of Marina Oswald’s statements were contradictory and unreliable, and that she was under pressure to tell the authorities what they wanted to hear. According to an internal Warren Commission document, which became public 15 years after it was written, “Marina Oswald has repeatedly lied to the [Secret] Service, the FBI, and this Commission on matters which are of vital concern to the people of this country and the world” (HSCA Report, appendix vol.11, p.126).

Let me see if I've got this right..... Lee Oswald practiced firing the carcano on several occasions ..But he never discovered that the scope was MOUNTED ASKEW....   ?? 

[Jerry Freeman]

  Even if CE 543 showed signs of dryfiring,

It wouldn't... as the firing pin merely strikes air in a centerfired rifle [or pistol]
 If dryfiring is a form of active practice...why has the military then spent millions for range ammunition?

[Richard Smith]

The usual deficient response....made over and over.
 Marina in her testimony did state that he went to the park and shot leaves and also went out to the airport to practice.
The Commission didn't believe that and also, Richard Smith knows this but simply likes to be argumentative...it is a fun way to be 

Ask for evidence, be given evidence, suggest evidence is fake.  The old CTer impossible standard of proof.  Oswald's own wife confirms that he practiced with his rifle.  You don't like that fact so it must be false.  Just dismiss it and move on.  The WC concluded that Oswald had practiced with his rifle including dry practice as described by Marina to improve his proficiency with the rifle. Confirmation from his own wife who spent more time with Oswald than any other person is compelling.