The supergun that kills from a mile - and the crackshots using it against the Taliban

[Blackleaf]

The British Army calls it the "silent assassin" - and the British-made L115A3 Long Range Rifle has killed many Taliban in recent weeks.

The British Army is using sniper platoons to target the Taliban and 'The Long', as the snipers call it, can take out insurgents from a mile away.

Pictured: The supergun that kills from a mile - and the camouflaged crackshots using it against the Taliban


By Christopher Leake
15th February 2009
Daily Mail

British Army snipers call it 'the Silent Assassin' and it is the weapon the Taliban fear the most.

It is the British-made L115A3 Long Range Rifle which, in recent weeks, has killed scores of enemy fighters in Afghanistan.

In a new initiative on the front line, the Army is using sniper platoons to target the Taliban and 'The Long', as the snipers call it, can take out insurgents from a mile away.

Made to measure: British Army sniper Yuppie in his home-made camouflage suit

Many of the elite marksmen who use the rifle make their own extraordinary suits of camouflage to stay hidden from the Taliban.

Some have been known to go 'under cover' for two days while they pick off the enemy.

Last week Army snipers were training with the rifle and full camouflage on the snow-covered ranges of the Support Weapons School at the Land Warfare Centre at Warminster, Wiltshire.


Enlarge
Deadly: The rifle is known as 'The Long' and can take out insurgents from a mile away

One of them, known as Yuppie, said: 'You could call it made-to-measure camouflage.

'This one is green string tied into sheets, then covered in straw with straps attached so it fits tight. It took three months and a lot of patience to make.'

His comrade Dean, who like Yuppie is a veteran of Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, said: 'I wouldn't say us snipers are an elite, but we think we're a cut above the rest.'

The L115A3 Long Range Sniper Rifle - based on a weapon used by the British Olympic shooting team - weighs 15lbs, fires 8.59mm rounds and has a range of 1,100-1,500 yards.

dailymail.co.uk

 

[Goober]

Carlos Hathcock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Colpy]

Yep Black leaf, and if they keep trying, some day they will be as good as Canadians.

In 2002, a Canadian sniper, using a rifle chambered in .50 BMG (which makes the 8.59mm look like an air rifle) killed a Taliban fighter from the astounding range of 2430 meters.

That is the undisputed longest range kill ever made by a man with a rifle.

PPCLI snipers were so feared in Afghanistan that they won Canada a top rating in bin Laden's hate list.

ahhh

Edited to say: I see this is mentioned in the link above to Carlos Hathcock, the USMC sniper of renown. I read his book.....

A honour, I might add.

 

[#juan]

Rob Furlong, a former corporal of the Canadian Forces, holds the record for the longest confirmed sniper kill in combat of 2430 metres or roughly one and a half miles. Established in 2002, it exceeds Carlos Hathcock's 1967 record of 2,286 metres. (]
Born in Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Furlong taught himself to fire a rifle ambidextrously.

 

[DaSleeper]

I imagine the bullet drop at such extreme ranges, would be quite a bit even in thin desert air.......

 

[bobnoorduyn]

I want one :mrgreen:. They give the calibre as 8.59mm but I have to assume it is the same as the .338 Lapua Magnum, which BTW is the most powerful non restricted rifle civilians can own in Canada, (non supressed though). Sure it's smaller than the .50 or .416 but doesn't have the same recoil either. A friend of mine was an instructor at the British Sniper School in Warminster and absolutely loves that rifle.

Oddly, supressors are verboten here and in many US states, but in the UK they are mandatory for hunting in some places, hmmm:-?

 

[Colpy]

I imagine the bullet drop at such extreme ranges, would be quite a bit even in thin desert air.......

Yeah....but bullet drop is pretty standard, as long as you know the range (laser range finder)and have your optics adjusted properly....the real killer would be wind drift, as it not only affects bullet travel immensely, the wind differs in direction and power over the entire course of the bullet, making it impossible to precisely predict.

I read that the PPCLI sniper with the record fired one shot....knocking a parcel out of the hands of the unfortunate Taliban fighter.....and nailed him with shot number two.......as he stood looking around, wondering "What the Hell was that?!!!"

 

[L Gilbert]

Maxtek has been manufacturing a couple sniper rifles chambered in .50 for years. 1500 meters is almost point blank to these machines.

1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 (yds)
53.05 64.09 76.37 90.04 105.21 (MOA) for the 750gr AMAX
57.58 72.16 89.08 108.45 130.29 (MOA) for the 647gr M33 Barrett

[ballistics are from Hornady}

 

[L Gilbert]

I want one :mrgreen:. They give the calibre as 8.59mm but I have to assume it is the same as the .338 Lapua Magnum, which BTW is the most powerful non restricted rifle civilians can own in Canada, (non supressed though). Sure it's smaller than the .50 or .416 but doesn't have the same recoil either. A friend of mine was an instructor at the British Sniper School in Warminster and absolutely loves that rifle.

Oddly, supressors are verboten here and in many US states, but in the UK they are mandatory for hunting in some places, hmmm:-?

Wife and I both have rifles chambered in .338 it is an extremely likeable caliber alright. As far as it being a rifle goes, it isn't. Our rifles are Anschutz chambered in .338. Recoil varies in different rifles and there are many that can be chambered in .338

 

[Goober]

Yeah....but bullet drop is pretty standard, as long as you know the range (laser range finder)and have your optics adjusted properly....the real killer would be wind drift, as it not only affects bullet travel immensely, the wind differs in direction and power over the entire course of the bullet, making it impossible to precisely predict.

I read that the PPCLI sniper with the record fired one shot....knocking a parcel out of the hands of the unfortunate Taliban fighter.....and nailed him with shot number two.......as he stood looking around, wondering "What the Hell was that?!!!"

Canadian Snipers in Afghanistan have the No 1 and 2 spot for longest kills on record –
Colpy – 3 shots were taken -
It was long rumored that Aaron Perry made the shot – he never did deny it but it was Rob Furlong that had made the shot - Furlong while this was going on publicly never said anything to correct the attribution to Perry – He stated in an Edmonton Journal article that he was just part of the team and it is the team that gets the credit.
Rob Furlong is now an Edmonton Police Officer –

I understand that Perry has the no 2 record.
I read the account of Hathcock’s sniping of the NVA General – Ice water in his veins -

 

[bobnoorduyn]

Wife and I both have rifles chambered in .338 it is an extremely likeable caliber alright. As far as it being a rifle goes, it isn't. Our rifles are Anschutz chambered in .338. Recoil varies in different rifles and there are many that can be chambered in .338

Are they .338 Winchester mag by chance? The .338 Lapua mag was specifically designed for long range sniper shooting and adopted by the British Special Forces. It is quite fast, and as my buddy puts it, 50 rounds through it leaves the same ammount of copper in the barrel as 1000 rounds of .308 Winchester, (7.62X51).

 

[L Gilbert]

Yeah....but bullet drop is pretty standard, as long as you know the range (laser range finder)and have your optics adjusted properly....the real killer would be wind drift, as it not only affects bullet travel immensely, the wind differs in direction and power over the entire course of the bullet, making it impossible to precisely predict.

Yes, snipers and spotters have to be very observant to wind indicators along their range. They become very good statisticians; having to calculate ranges, weights, windages, etc. in their heads or on paper if they have that luxury.

I read that the PPCLI sniper with the record fired one shot....knocking a parcel out of the hands of the unfortunate Taliban fighter.....and nailed him with shot number two.......as he stood looking around, wondering "What the Hell was that?!!!"

hehe That's a perfectly natural reaction.

 

[Stretch]

the old Lee Enfield 303, was dangerous within 3 miles.

 

[L Gilbert]

Are they .338 Winchester mag by chance? The .338 Lapua mag was specifically designed for long range sniper shooting and adopted by the British Special Forces. It is quite fast, and as my buddy puts it, 50 rounds through it leaves the same ammount of copper in the barrel as 1000 rounds of .308 Winchester, (7.62X51).

No, ours are Lapua and you are right, the Lapua was originally a military caliber. Winchester's calibers that are ok are 7mm Mag and .308 (7.62 NATO) but we like the Lapua better.

 

[L Gilbert]

the old Lee Enfield 303, was dangerous within 3 miles.

lol Even .22s are dangerous at a mile. I have a few "accelerator" rounds chambered in .303 with .25 caliber lead in them. They are a good varmint round.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

No, ours are Lapua and you are right, the Lapua was originally a military caliber. Winchester's calibers that are ok are 7mm Mag and .308 (7.62 NATO) but we like the Lapua better.

I just talked to my buddy and he corrected me, he loves the rifle but said it is actually more powerful than the .50, (he trained snipers on both). The .338 Lapua is a real brute in a 16 lb rifle, the ones used in the feild were 26lbs and a lot to lug around. When I said I want one he laughed and said, "who doesn't, but they're built by Peter Dobson in Portsmouth, heck of a nice guy, but he charges an arm and a leg for the things".

 

[L Gilbert]

What do you mean by more powerful?
The .338 bullet weights are variable from something like 200 grains up to around 300. The .50s range from around 550 (I think) up to about 900 grains.
Powder weights range from about 70 grains in the .338 and up. Powder weights in the .50 range from 200 grains and up.
Do you mean energy, velocity or what?

 

[bobnoorduyn]

What do you mean by more powerful?
The .338 bullet weights are variable from something like 200 grains up to around 300. The .50s range from around 550 (I think) up to about 900 grains.
Powder weights range from about 70 grains in the .338 and up. Powder weights in the .50 range from 200 grains and up.
Do you mean energy, velocity or what?

He didn't elaborate, it was just a quick phone call over something else, but he has all the ballistic data and wrote a couple of articles on them. The rounds they used were different for varying scenarios. As you know the heavier the bullet the less of a charge you can put behind it, (without risk of damage or personal injury) actually lessening its impact the farther it has to travel downrange. It takes a lot of oomph to push a 550gr (or more) bullet 2500 yards, a lighter bullet can use a hotter charge, gets there sooner and travelling at a greater velocity delivers more energy. And at 3000 - 3400 fps out the muzzle it'll be a quick trip. I guess bigger isn't always better.

 

[L Gilbert]

He didn't elaborate, it was just a quick phone call over something else, but he has all the ballistic data and wrote a couple of articles on them. The rounds they used were different for varying scenarios. As you know the heavier the bullet the less of a charge you can put behind it, (without risk of damage or personal injury) actually lessening its impact the farther it has to travel downrange. It takes a lot of oomph to push a 550gr (or more) bullet 2500 yards, a lighter bullet can use a hotter charge, gets there sooner and travelling at a greater velocity delivers more energy. And at 3000 - 3400 fps out the muzzle it'll be a quick trip. I guess bigger isn't always better.

Neither is faster. That is why we have varying weights of powder and projectiles. I'd feel much safer having a 2 grain piece of lead travelling at 1000 fps hit me in the backside than I would having a 50 grain piece of lead travelling at 700 fps.
Besides that, what sort of damage would you expect a 300 grain .338 round travelling at 1700 fps 1000 yds later would be in comparison to a 600 grain .50 BMG round travelling at 1200.
Besides that, you have to remember that the heavier round is less affected over distance by wind drift.

 

[CanadianLove]

I read the account of Hathcock’s sniping of the NVA General – Ice water in his veins -

They have to have ice water in their veins. I know a guy was sniper in Bosnian war. (Had to jump down a **** house hole to hide one time.) They paid him off because of a psych assessment. He was beginning to show remorse, regret, and pity for past targets.