Posted on 06/12/2013 4:43:47 AM PDT by servo1969
Now everyone can shoot like a trained marksman. For a price.
A Texas-based applied technology firm has launched new smartgun technology that gives novice shooters the chance to participate in “extreme distance hunting.”
TrackingPoint’s new precision guided firearm technology, XactSystem, allows the shooter to lock onto a target before allowing the gun to fire upon the intended target, much like a fighter jet’s “lock-and-launch” technology.
And the firearm can consistently hit a target from over 1,000 yards away, the maker says.
“Think of it like a smart rifle. You have a smart car; you got a smartphone; well, now we have a smart rifle,” CEO Jason Schauble told CNNMoney.
The rifles fitted with the XactSystem technology can accurately shoot from over 1,000 yards, and TrackingPoint claims the company record is shooting a South African wildebeest at 1,103 yards.
The system and bolt-action rifles run from $22,500 to $27,500.
The rifles are WiFi equipped to allow the shooter to record their shot and immediately send it to a tablet or smartphone to view and upload to social media sites.
Schauble told CNN Money this is the first technology of its kind, even within the military, and that his company is planning on selling 500 TrackingPoint rifles this year, mainly to clients who want to hunt big game from long ranges.
With the technology, the shooter “tags” a target using a red button on the trigger guard. After the tag is set, the shooter aims the gun and holds down the trigger. Once the tag and the crosshairs of the scope line up, the gun fires.
“There are a number of people who say the gun shoots itself,” Schauble said. “It doesn’t. The shooter is always in the loop.”
The network tracking scope’s technology takes environmental factors, such as temperature, wind speeds, and gravity, into account to ensure a clean shot.
Some in the security sector, however, have reservations about the long-range rifle.
“There are a handful of snipers who can hit a target at 1,000 yards. But now, anybody can do it,” Rommel Dionisio, a gun industry analyst for Wedbush Securities told CNN Money. “You can put some tremendous capability in the hands of just about anybody, even an untrained shooter.”
Note that it doesn’t “guide” the projectile. If the target moves, the shot is wasted.
This video bothers me. I see a lot of gut shots. That’s really crappy shot placement. Simply hitting a standing animal anywhere on its body isn’t that wonderful. You’re supposed to try and take it down fast. Aren’t you? Did I miss some aspect of hunting along the way?
> Note that it doesn’t “guide” the projectile. If the target moves, the shot is wasted.
Not yet anyway. As soon as 0’s DARPA figures out how to manufacture mini missiles with guidance systems that can be fired from a gun we’re screwed. I’m sure they’ve already thought of it.
Bookmark
I do hope that our boys in the sandbox have this technology. as war is not a sport, having more precision snipers out there, that are on our side can only be a bonus.
Fire and Forget?
Oh boy, Swinestein and Schmucky aren’t going to like this. At all.
I do wonder however if there is a difference between hunting game and shooting game. I don't see the skill involved here ...no tracking, no stalking, no baited breath before taking a shot. All that is required here is US$30,000 and the ability to hold a trigger while a computer does everything else for you.
Yes, I also don't think canned hunts are hunts.
Anyways, as for the gun that is one absolute master-piece of a weapon. Although I am certain it will be quickly banned in the US. If Libs were getting fits over the Barrett .50 cal imagine the epileptic fits over this system. :)
I hope that “hunter” doesn’t brag about his long range shots. Elements of marksmanship like breathing, trigger pull and pulse awareness are removed from the equation.
Anyways, this is perfect for the military, as well as patriots and assassins alike. But it is definitely not a hunting system, even though it shoots very well.
.50 BMG for a Kudu. Seems a bit much.
But under powered for a Limo.
45-55 years ago I read an article in an outdoor sporting magazine. The guy had a shotgun that would not fire if it wasn’t on target. Other guys went hunting with him, and he let them borrow his shotgun. Some commented about the trigger pull was so easy and smoothe, while others complained about how hard the trigger pull was. I would never say not to put this new gun on the market, but I would never hunt with one, nor would I hunt with someone who was using one.
We can already give today’s award for Journalistic Malpractice for the headline and the first sentence. The company has already said that they won’t sell it to “civilians”.
At 1,000 yards and a .338 Lapua Magnum, or the .300 Win Mag, he has less than a second to move. And the sound of the shot won't get there until 2 seconds later.
If hunting were truly fair as your idea goes, the game would be packing too. :)
270 WSM ammo can easily be loaded to shoot at 3400 fps or thereabouts and it isn't that hard to get mil-dot values out to 1000 meters for something like that. You can get ballpark mil-dot distances simply by doing retrocalculations with a decent ballistics program.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.