New sniper record set: 8,120' kills.

[Woodsman]

Congrats, Craig Harrison!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/sniper_kills_qaeda_from_mi_away_sTm0xFUmJNal3HgWlmEgRL

[Woodsman]

Holy crap - .338 Lapua round (this wasn't a 50 bmg)!

The L115A3 is being supplied as part of a broader Sniper System Improvement Programe (SSIP) program which also includes night sights, spotting scopes, laser range finders and tripods.[11] The L115A3 rifle was first deployed to Afghanistan in May 2008.[10] Some features of the improved L115A3 include:

* Schmidt & Bender 5-25x56 PM II LP telescopic sights;
* Suppressors to reduce the flash and noise signature;
* Folding stocks for better carrying in a backpack;
* Adjustable cheek pieces for more comfort and better eye alignment with the telescopic sight;
* Butt spikes (monopods) to aid stability during firing;
* Adjustable bipods, which differ from the original Accuracy International bipod;
* 5 round box magazines.

The MOD claims a muzzle velocity of 936 m/s (3,071 ft/s) for the L115A3.[12] This implies the British military are using a high pressure load to attain this muzzle velocity. A reverse engineering simulation with QuickLOAD internal ballistic software predicted that a typical military .338 Lapua Magnum load using 16.2 g (250 gr) Lapua LockBase B408 bullets at an overall cartridge length of 91.44 mm (3.600 in) produces ≈ 460 MPa (66,833 psi) maximum piezo chamber pressure to achieve the claimed 936 m/s (3,071 ft/s) muzzle velocity.

There are media reports about a British military sniper striking a Taliban leader in Afghanistan with his second shot at a range of 1,853 m (2,026 yd) using a L115A3 rifle.[13][14] These reports lack conclusive information regarding important external ballistics variables like the ambient air density and other environmental conditions on site.

According to JBM Ballistics[15], using drag coefficients (Cd) provided by Lapua, at International Standard Atmosphere conditions the L115A3 has an approximate supersonic range (speed of sound = 340.3 m/s) of 1,375 m (1,504 yd) at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3) and 1,853 m (2,026 yd) at 2,445 m (8,022 ft) altitude or elevation (air density ρ = 0.909 kg/m3). This illustrates how environmental condition differences can significantly affect bullet flight.

Other media reports mention British Army sniper Corporal of Horse (CoH) Craig Harrison, a member of the Household Cavalry, setting a new sharpshooting distance record in 2010 by striking two Taliban machine gunners south of Musa Qala in Helmand Province in Afghanistan with two consecutive shots at a range of 2,475 m (2,707 yd) using a L115A3 rifle.[16][17][18] In the reports CoH Harrison mentions the environmental conditions were perfect for long range shooting, no wind, mild weather, clear visibility. Mr. Tom Irwin, a director of Accuracy International, the manufacturer of the L115A3 rifle, said: “It is still fairly accurate beyond 1,500 m (1,640 yd), but at that distance luck plays as much of a part as anything.”

[HockeyGuy]

Let's hope he's never on the receiving end, as those ears are a dead give away.

[Hitoru]

[quote="Woodsman"]Holy crap - .338 Lapua round (this wasn't a 50 bmg)!

.338 Lapua Magnum has a flatter trajectory than .50 BMG

[Woodsman]

Holy crap - .338 Lapua round (this wasn't a 50 bmg)!

.338 Lapua Magnum has a flatter trajectory than .50 BMG

With typical military rounds that is true. When you factor in specialized loads, that is not necessarily true, but it doesn't matter:


As I look at the stats, both of these rounds at their best loadings will hit subsonic speeds before they reach 8120', so it wouldn't matter what he used - it was incredible precision at that range...X 2!

[roach coach]

That's pretty awesome. Also, lol @ some of the angry left's comments on the article.