A short post for the conspiracy naysayers.

[MicaelS]

115. I think it could have been done in 7-9 seconds..

But not in 6 seconds or less, UNLESS he used technique described in number 3.

It would be dependent on how familiar Oswald with the rifle.

(1) He bought the gun in March, so that was 8 months before the assassination. If he dry-fired (practiced working the bolt and pulling the trigger when the rifle was empty) the rifle extensively, which neighbors stated he did, he would have become familiar with the working of the rifle, and how fast he could cycle the bolt. He would have developed a feel for the trigger. The more he dry-fired the rifle, the smoother the action would have become through simple wear fitting of the parts. Even today, with modern manufacturing techniques, people still dry-fire guns to break them in. It is easy, the only thing it costs is time, some "snap-cap" plastic practice cartridges to protect the firing pin or striker, and some lubricant.

(2) How many actual rounds had he fired through the gun, so to actually feel how the rifle recoiled when fired, and how fast he could recover his sight picture. The ammunition was good quality, manufactured in the US by the Western Cartridge Company, reportedly in 1954, so it would have been 9 years old. Unless ammo is exposed to the elements, it is not going to deteriorate. Ammunition can last a hundred years or more, and still work. You can read more about the ammo, and tests done on it here. Since Oswald was cheap, he probably didn't get more than 2 or 3 boxes, which meant at 20 rounds per box, that is a maximum of 60 rounds. Twenty rounds through a rifle would be enough to get a feel for it. Especially if he was slow firing, and taking time between shots. This left him 20-40 rounds.

(3) Even though Oswald was right handed, some have speculated he shot left handed that day so he could cycle the bolt faster, with his dominant right hand. He would have used his right hand to cycle the bolt because the bolt was on the right side. Thus he could have kept his left finger on the trigger, and his eyes on the sights. Which meant his rate of fire would have been faster, and his accuracy would have been better. If he had shot right handed, he would have pulled the trigger with his right trigger finger, moved his hand to cycle the bolt, put his hand back on the stock, finger back on the trigger, reacquired his sight picture and then only been able to pull the trigger again.

(4) I do not think Oswald used the junk optical (telescopic) sight that came with the rifle. I think he used the non-adjustable iron sights as he had been trained in the Marine Corp. See here for what the rifle would have looked like to him, and a description of what shooting a Carcano was like. Note the mounting the of the 'scope to the left of the Note that the iron sights are clearly visible.

(5) Here is what I think happened, based on years of reading and thinking about it. I think Oswald did as I have described in #1-#4.

(6) Oswald would had a clear field of fire because he was 60 feet up. He was aiming for a headshot but he was using the non-adjustable iron sights and he had to compensate by "holding under". See explanation here. This first shot would have been at an extreme down angle because the limousine had just turned the corner. Oswald "held under" too much (too low) with his first shot the and bullet hit Kennedy in the upper back, and went on through and struck Connally.

(7) Oswald compensated for his first bad shot, and held higher, but it was too high. This shot missed both men. It might have gone through the limousine windshield, or went completely over the car, hit the pavement and broke up. But in either case fragments probably hit James Teague.

(8) Oswald realizes his mistake, corrects his sight picture, and fires the fatal shot at a distance of under 300 feet (100 yards). When he fired the fatal shot, Kennedy would have been further down the street, the angle would have been less, and this Oswald would have had an easier shot.