Evidence of the 448-yard shot was submitted to the U.S. Secret Service shortly after Crooks was killed, according to two elite experts who have frequently served in security missions globally. They are often called on to train snipers for the Secret Service, SWAT, and sniper teams at many federal agencies and tactical teams at state and local law enforcement agencies.
The sources expressed a firm belief that the much closer snipers stationed about 150 yards away just behind the speaker's platform did not kill Crooks. When Crooks fired his first shot at Trump, one of those snipers visibly flinched, took his eye from the scope, and raised his head. When he returned to the rifle, the barrel was aimed too low for the trajectory needed to hit the gunman.
Those actions, the experts said, are indicative of what they consider a "B-team" or even "C-team" sniper. Top-tier "A-team" operators don't flinch at the sound of a rifle's report, they said.
The two snipers on the barn behind Trump appeared to be using .308 caliber Remington model 700 bolt-action variants, according to a special operations source who spoke exclusively with Blaze News.
Those are not the types of rifles used by the Secret Service A-team snipers. For normal operations, Secret Service snipers use semi-automatic .308 rifles such as the Knights Armament Co. SR-25 or a high-quality AR-10 variant that has interchangeability with the SR-25. For long-range operations, they use bolt-action .338 Lapua Magnum rifles, the source said.