Snipers Zero-In On Longer-Range Kills
Mar 3, 2010
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In 1967, U.S. Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock took a 2,250-meter (7,382-ft., or 1.4-mi.) shot in Vietnam and made the longest sniper kill ever. Hathcock’s record stood for 35 years until two Canadian snipers, operating in the Shah-i-Kot Valley of Afghanistan, set new marks for long-range kills on the same afternoon—2,310 and 2,430 meters, also with 50-caliber rifles, in both cases McMillan Tac-50 Long Range Sniper Weapons.
It is no surprise to some that Hathcock’s record was eclipsed twice on the same day in Afghanistan, or that in a few years more long-range, though not record-breaking kills would be claimed by British and American snipers in that country, and in Iraq.
A surge in long-range sniper accuracy is taking place. Part of this owes to the nature of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq where snipers play important roles. The terrain—mountains and valleys in Afghanistan, flat land and urban areas in Iraq—is also ideal for concealment and shooting.
Equipment, though, is the main factor. Higher-caliber weapons and ammunition developed for snipers, along with advanced telescopic sights and other instruments provide the ability to target and kill enemies at 1,500 meters or more, a substantial improvement in range. A sniper’s performance envelope is being significantly extended by this equipment, along with his tactical effectiveness.
The 50-caliber rifle, for example, is effective because its bullets have high muzzle velocity (around 2,800 fps.) that maintains trajectory and achieves an effective range of 2,000 meters. The rifle, though, is heavy (25-30 lb.) and not suited for every situation. Lighter rifles with few tradeoffs in power and range are as effective against most targets.
One such is the 338-caliber rifle. When paired with the Lapua magnum cartridge, which was designed for snipers, the 338 fires the bullet with muzzle velocity near 3,000 fps. Tom Irwin, director of Accuracy International (AI), a British manufacturer of sniper rifles, says the bullet stays supersonic to 1,400 meters and achieves “a flatter trajectory than anything else,” giving it “reasonable accuracy” to 2,000 meters.
Irwin sees a “clear movement” to the 338. AI won the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Sniper System Improvement Project (SSIP), and has delivered 852 model L115A3 rifles of this caliber to British forces since 2008. Last year, Cpl. Christopher Reynolds of the Black Watch recorded the longest British sniper kill in Afghanistan with one of the rifles, a 1,853-meter shot that took out a Taliban commander in Helmand Province.
The SSIP reflected dissatisfaction with the 308-caliber rifle. “Accuracy beyond 1,000 meters was not very good with the 308 (7.62 X 51 mm. NATO) round,” Irwin says, “primarily because the bullet goes subsonic just below [that distance]. Once subsonic, a bullet loses accuracy and range drops off dramatically.”
The U.S. could be the next to adopt the 338-caliber rifle on a large scale. Special Operations Command (SOC) was to release a solicitation in late February or March for the Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) program. SOC wants to replace the 308-caliber M24 and M40 and 300-caliber (Winchester Magnum) Mk 13 sniper rifles in use by, respectively, the Army, Marines and Navy. Initial specifications reflect developments in advanced sniper rifles: light weight (no more than 18 lb.), compact (52 in. maximum), easy to maintain (breakdown or assembly in less than 2 min.), reliable (1,000 mean rounds between failure) and accurate to 1,500 meters.
Another factor is high-tech optics. “The quality and power of optics are playing a more important role,” says Sylvia Ehinger, military sales and business development representative for U.S. telescopic sight maker Schmidt and Bender. “If you can’t see that far, you can’t hit your target.”
The PSR solicitation for optics was released in February, and Ehinger says the draft specification calls for 5-25X sights. Most sniper scopes, by contrast, use 4-16X sights.
There is demand for other enhanced optics such as thermal imagers that attach on a rail in front of the telescopic sight. Ehinger says that eventually telescopic sights will integrate ballistic calculators (now handheld) and laser rangefinders to improve accuracy. “Everything will be inside a scope.”
Some snipers might scoff at these developments, but like everything on the battlefield, they will be more effective with high-tech equipment. “The shots that are now amazing will become the norm with these technologies,” Ehinger says.
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Mar 3, 2010
Article Link
In 1967, U.S. Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock took a 2,250-meter (7,382-ft., or 1.4-mi.) shot in Vietnam and made the longest sniper kill ever. Hathcock’s record stood for 35 years until two Canadian snipers, operating in the Shah-i-Kot Valley of Afghanistan, set new marks for long-range kills on the same afternoon—2,310 and 2,430 meters, also with 50-caliber rifles, in both cases McMillan Tac-50 Long Range Sniper Weapons.
It is no surprise to some that Hathcock’s record was eclipsed twice on the same day in Afghanistan, or that in a few years more long-range, though not record-breaking kills would be claimed by British and American snipers in that country, and in Iraq.
A surge in long-range sniper accuracy is taking place. Part of this owes to the nature of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq where snipers play important roles. The terrain—mountains and valleys in Afghanistan, flat land and urban areas in Iraq—is also ideal for concealment and shooting.
Equipment, though, is the main factor. Higher-caliber weapons and ammunition developed for snipers, along with advanced telescopic sights and other instruments provide the ability to target and kill enemies at 1,500 meters or more, a substantial improvement in range. A sniper’s performance envelope is being significantly extended by this equipment, along with his tactical effectiveness.
The 50-caliber rifle, for example, is effective because its bullets have high muzzle velocity (around 2,800 fps.) that maintains trajectory and achieves an effective range of 2,000 meters. The rifle, though, is heavy (25-30 lb.) and not suited for every situation. Lighter rifles with few tradeoffs in power and range are as effective against most targets.
One such is the 338-caliber rifle. When paired with the Lapua magnum cartridge, which was designed for snipers, the 338 fires the bullet with muzzle velocity near 3,000 fps. Tom Irwin, director of Accuracy International (AI), a British manufacturer of sniper rifles, says the bullet stays supersonic to 1,400 meters and achieves “a flatter trajectory than anything else,” giving it “reasonable accuracy” to 2,000 meters.
Irwin sees a “clear movement” to the 338. AI won the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Sniper System Improvement Project (SSIP), and has delivered 852 model L115A3 rifles of this caliber to British forces since 2008. Last year, Cpl. Christopher Reynolds of the Black Watch recorded the longest British sniper kill in Afghanistan with one of the rifles, a 1,853-meter shot that took out a Taliban commander in Helmand Province.
The SSIP reflected dissatisfaction with the 308-caliber rifle. “Accuracy beyond 1,000 meters was not very good with the 308 (7.62 X 51 mm. NATO) round,” Irwin says, “primarily because the bullet goes subsonic just below [that distance]. Once subsonic, a bullet loses accuracy and range drops off dramatically.”
The U.S. could be the next to adopt the 338-caliber rifle on a large scale. Special Operations Command (SOC) was to release a solicitation in late February or March for the Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) program. SOC wants to replace the 308-caliber M24 and M40 and 300-caliber (Winchester Magnum) Mk 13 sniper rifles in use by, respectively, the Army, Marines and Navy. Initial specifications reflect developments in advanced sniper rifles: light weight (no more than 18 lb.), compact (52 in. maximum), easy to maintain (breakdown or assembly in less than 2 min.), reliable (1,000 mean rounds between failure) and accurate to 1,500 meters.
Another factor is high-tech optics. “The quality and power of optics are playing a more important role,” says Sylvia Ehinger, military sales and business development representative for U.S. telescopic sight maker Schmidt and Bender. “If you can’t see that far, you can’t hit your target.”
The PSR solicitation for optics was released in February, and Ehinger says the draft specification calls for 5-25X sights. Most sniper scopes, by contrast, use 4-16X sights.
There is demand for other enhanced optics such as thermal imagers that attach on a rail in front of the telescopic sight. Ehinger says that eventually telescopic sights will integrate ballistic calculators (now handheld) and laser rangefinders to improve accuracy. “Everything will be inside a scope.”
Some snipers might scoff at these developments, but like everything on the battlefield, they will be more effective with high-tech equipment. “The shots that are now amazing will become the norm with these technologies,” Ehinger says.
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