Posted on 03/07/2008 9:27:50 AM PST by Stoat
It is the latest weapon on the front line against the Taliban - the British Army's most powerful-ever sniper rifle, capable of killing with pinpoint accuracy from more than a mile away.
Yesterday the Army showed off its new Long Range Rifle, which has just entered service with combat units in Afghanistan to replace smaller and less powerful weapons.
The £11million upgrade programme is part of a "renaissance" of the sniper tradition - which during the Cold War was largely relegated to the sidelines - as modern commanders rediscover the huge value of pinpoint fire from sharpshooters.
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The new weapon, the L115A3, fires a heavier bullet to much longer ranges and has a state-of-the-art telescopic sight with twice the magnifying power of the old version.
More than 500 are on order from the British manufacturers, Accuracy International.
Since British forces moved into Helmand Province two years ago to take on the Taliban, demand for snipers has soared and 120 a year are now passing through the specialist training school at Warminster in Wiltshire.
One said: "It's a huge step forward. I'll be using the new rifle in Afghanistan this summer.
"It's a little heavier to carry, but the extra power is worth it. The improved telescopic sight can cut through the heat haze, which was preventing us from spotting targets at longer ranges."
Sniping is proving a hugely-important tactic in Afghanistan, where the difficulty of fighting among maze-like compounds and thick vegetation necessitates attacking the enemy at long range.
The controversy over so-called "collateral damage" from devastating airstrikes killing innocent civilians adds to the advantages of a pinpoint attack.
A senior officer at the Weapons Support School in Warminster said: "With the new rifle we now expect to be able to engage a target at 1,500 metres. With the old version it was about 1,000 metres.
"That makes a massive difference. You can keep the enemy at arm's length with snipers. Or you can have several of them firing simultaneously.
"It is devastating for an enemy's morale if a number of their fighters are suddenly shot at the same instant, and they can't even see where the firing is coming from. They tend to withdraw fast."
Training an infantryman to become a sniper can take up to a year, and only the most talented soldiers are allowed even to start the demanding courses.
First a candidate must master the technical aspects of shooting, learning to judge the strength of the wind extremely accurately using a variety of clues, and to adjust aim accordingly.
Just as importantly a sniper must learn to track his prey, move into position with extreme stealth, camouflage himself perfectly whether in natural cover or a battle-scarred city, and then disappear just as stealthily.
The senior officer said: "There is a long waiting list. Battalions are desperate to send soldiers here for training, and every soldier wants to be a sniper.
"They're held in extremely high regard. This new rifle will make them even more effective."
Are you sure? That sure looks like a human arm that is flying off on one of the shots.
>This appears to be the .338 Lapua cartrige with a decent scope/stock/magazine combination.
Sounds like good, clean fun.<
You betcha! Imagine laying on a ridgeline on a nice cool spring day, scoping out the land below you and all your ammo is FREE!
Raufoss Mk211 .50 BMG projectile
Somewhere in the archives here on FR there's an account of the invasion of Iraq where a sniper using an M82A1 rifle vaporized an Iraqi forward observer atop a water tower with a Raufoss round.
Maybe a few inches. Since I am an engineer and it is not EXACTLY 1440 then I am obligated to add the +/-.
Sorry.
Yes, I’m sure. A gun website I visit found the original source video from a DVD produced by a varmint hunter’s club out of Utah/Wyoming.
Well, you know the Brits, Gentlemen Warriors. Their new 8.59mm bullet... 
will kill by just blowing out the back half of the Muzzie's head, not exploding the entire noggin like the US 50 cal does.
Yet, anything less than .45 caliber... 
is for wussies!
I wasn’t thinking about explosive rounds, since I can’t get those. I have shot a Texas (i.e. small) deer with my Barrett just to see... wasn’t pretty, but didn’t do anything like that. And yes, most of the meat was fine. Chest cavity was a mess tho’.
“Capturing them in a live trap and capping them in the forehead with a .22 - and watch them twitch for a while.”
Ha Ha Ha! That’s my next move, bro.
yes.
My 1440 was from my track running days when that was one of the distances run.
Mty HP calculator conversion says 1609.3 m/mile
Sorry for the misinformation earlier.
I take your word for it, It did seem kind of odd that a sniper team would be carrying a video camera with them now that you made me think about it.
Better men than them have made it possible for them to enjoy their freedom to act like sophomoric smart alecks.
Tell her to police her brass! Nevermind, I’ll tell her myself...
What kind of engineer are you? There’s 1609 meters per mile. 1.094 yards/meter and 1760 yards/mile.
Placing the bi-pod legs on a prayer rug or a Koran will have the same effect.
That Canadian sniper team credited for the longest military sniper shot decapitated a Taliban tank commander with their McMillan .50 rifle. I'll bet that the results were indistinguishable from that rockchuck hunting video.
Works like a charm. They get a kind-of indignant/surprised look before they begin to twitch......
You’ll see.. :-)
Please see post number 89 above.
Such accessories are indeed essential, although they can affect accuracy when positioned nearby :-)
Tell her to police her brass! Nevermind, I’ll tell her myself...
Stop worrying about her brass soldier, and pay attention to that a..
Saw it after. And sorry if my post came across snippy - didn’t mean it to.
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