Posted on 05/01/2010 5:02:52 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Hotshot sniper in one-and-a-half mile double kill Michael Smith
A BRITISH Army sniper has set a new sharpshooting distance record by killing two Taliban machinegunners in Afghanistan from more than 1 miles away.
Craig Harrison, a member of the Household Cavalry, killed the insurgents with consecutive shots even though they were 3,000ft beyond the most effective range of his rifle.
The first round hit a machinegunner in the stomach and killed him outright, said Harrison, a Corporal of Horse. He went straight down and didnt move.
The second insurgent grabbed the weapon and turned as my second shot hit him in the side. He went down, too. They were both dead.
The shooting which took place while Harrisons colleagues came under attack was at such extreme range that the 8.59mm bullets took almost three seconds to reach their target after leaving the barrel of the rifle at almost three times the speed of sound.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Well, the article said he had a spotter, so if they’re a liar, there’s more than one here.
I don’t doubt that it is difficult - but I think it is possible. The .338 Lapua is still supersonic (barely) at that range...
As for repeatability: I think it is within the realm of possibility. The rifle in question is capable of half-MOA groups or better. There’s some ferociously accurate rifles out there now. The Intl’ Benchrest Light Rifle category record set in 2007 was under 1.5” at 1000 yards with a .338 Lapua necked down to .30. For those who want to pay up for the quality, it is a heck of a time to be a rifleman...
bench rest shot at 1.5” at 1000 is a far cry from a 20” kill at 2700 yards with “duty ammo” which might shoot one MOA. Like I said - two shots concecutivly? That bullet is decending nearly verticle at that range - no wind at all in 1.54 miles?. Something just doesn’t sound right to me.
The wind issue, I’ll agree on. I find the idea of “dead calm” over the whole path of 2700 yards to be.... beyond lucky. Especially if this was in mountainous terrain.
BTW - The pill isn’t coming down near vertical - my ballistics computations show it dropping something like 350 to 500 inches (depending on the Bc we’re using) per 100 yards at 2700 yards. If it were coming down at a even a 45 degree angle, then the drop would be equal to the run, ie, you’d drop 3600 inches over a run of 3600 inches.
I spent a lot of bucks getting it to where it is now, but it's worth it.
That’s testament to your gunsmith. Mausers aren’t as easy to clean up as a rifle like, say, a Remington 700 or clone. The Mausers usually make great (and fine, expensive, beautifully engraved/inlaid/etc) hunting rifles. Rarely does someone put the money and effort into making them a “bug-holer.”
That was close. I’m glad you’re around to tell the tale.
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