8,120 foot kill shot - times 2

[jblosser]

Original story at the timesOnline (click)

A BRITISH Army sniper has set a new sharpshooting distance record by killing two Taliban machinegunners in Afghanistan from more than a mile 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 didn’t 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 Harrison’s 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.

The distance to Harrison’s two targets was measured by a GPS system at 8,120ft, or 1.54 miles. The previous record for a sniper kill is 7,972ft, set by a Canadian soldier who shot dead an Al-Qaeda gunman in March 2002.

In a remarkable tour of duty, Harrison cheated death a few weeks later when a Taliban bullet pierced his helmet but was deflected away from his skull. He later broke both arms when his army vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.

Harrison was sent back to the UK for treatment, but insisted on returning to the front line after making a full recovery.

“I was lucky that my physical fitness levels were very high before my arms were fractured and after six weeks in plaster I was still in pretty good shape,” he said. “It hasn’t affected my ability as a sniper.”

Harrison, from Gloucestershire, was reunited in Britain with his wife Tanya and daughter Dani, 16, last month. Recalling his shooting prowess in Helmand province, he said: “It was just unlucky for the Taliban that conditions were so good and we could see them so clearly.”

Harrison and his colleagues were in open-topped Jackal 4x4 vehicles providing cover for an Afghan national army patrol south of Musa Qala in November last year. When the Afghan soldiers and Harrison’s troop commander came under enemy fire, the sniper, whose vehicle was further back on a ridge, trained his sights on a Taliban compound in the distance. His L115A3 long-range rifle, the army’s most powerful sniper weapon, is designed to be effective at up to 4,921ft and supposedly capable of only “harassing fire” beyond that range.

“We saw two insurgents running through its courtyard, one in a black dishdasha, one in green,” he said. “They came forward carrying a PKM machinegun, set it up and opened fire on the commander’s wagon.

“Conditions were perfect, no wind, mild weather, clear visibility. I rested the bipod of my weapon on a compound wall and aimed for the gunner firing the machinegun.

“The driver of my Jackal, Trooper Cliff O’Farrell, spotted for me, providing all the information needed for the shot, which was at the extreme range of the weapon.”

Harrison killed one machinegunner with his first attempt and felled the other with his next shot. He then let off a final round to knock the enemy weapon out of action.

Harrison discovered that he had set a new record only on his return to UK barracks nine days ago. The previous record was held by Corporal Rob Furlong, of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, who was using a 12.7mm McMillan TAC-50 rifle.

Tom Irwin, a director of Accuracy International, the British manufacturer of the L115A3 rifle, said: “It is still fairly accurate beyond 4,921ft, but at that distance luck plays as much of a part as anything.”

News of Harrison’s success comes amid concern over a rival insurgent sharpshooter who in a five-month spree has killed up to seven British soldiers, including a sniper, in and around the Taliban stronghold of Sangin.

In a later incident during the tour, Harrison’s patrol vehicle was hit 36 times during a Taliban ambush. “One round hit my helmet behind the right ear and came out of the top,” he said. “Two more rounds went through the strap across my chest. We were all very, very lucky not to get hurt.”

Edited May 3, 2010 by jblosser
highlighted parts since it's a long post...

[Disclaimer]

I'll have what he's having. Sounds like some badassery steak with a side of brass 'nuggets'.

[flounder]

Knowing whats involved with making those shots, Its fairly easy to guess that someone is most likely chalked full of BS.. This is making the long range shooting community forums and is getting ripped apart.

If it happened, which unfortunately I believe there has been some extreme exaggeration going on then it was 99% luck.

Edited May 3, 2010 by flounder

[Disclaimer]

"I'd rather be lucky than good any day"

[natedogg624]

why do you believe its not true, or an exaggeration flounder? just curious since im no gun expert.

[SWing'R]

why do you believe its not true, or an exaggeration flounder? just curious since im no gun expert.

This sounds like a pretty good reason...

"...even though they were 3,000ft beyond the most effective range of his rifle"

[that dude]

meh

[kawi kid]

i shot a ground hog at one hundered and fiffy yards............ that just sounds silly now

Edited May 5, 2010 by kawi kid

[Gump]

I've lobbed railroad track rocks at birds at fifty yards with a sling shot and knocked the heads off.

Anythings possible..

[Reimbrandt]

Sounds fishy to me............ one hit at that range is a possiblity, but two. Then to supposedly taken out the weapon also. Brits are such asshats.............. The canadian that holds the record took 3 or 4 shots to finally hit his target. luckily the towel heads were to damn stupid to take cover after a couple near misses.

[mahdey]

i find this hard to believe.

[flounder]

why do you believe its not true, or an exaggeration flounder? just curious since im no gun expert.

The ballistics dont work out very well based on the caliber and ammo they use. Not to mention that the accuracy of the rifle itself at that range at the very, very, very best would be hitting a target about 1.5 ft across (hitting a target 3ft wide would be amazing) and this doesnt take into account any atmospheric conditions, bullet stability (way past subsonic at that distance) and shooter error.

Edited May 4, 2010 by flounder

[kawi kid]

flounder, btw im gonna try to catch up with you and tom the next time you head this direction to shoot thunder valley.

[flounder]

flounder, btw im gonna try to catch up with you and tom the next time you head this direction to shoot thunder valley.

Sounds good.. Also, My buddy who is also an awesome gunsmith is working on building a 1200 yard range at his place. Im also hoping to have my custom 338 Lapua Mag built by the end of the year. (if funds allow it.)

Edited May 4, 2010 by flounder

[Disclaimer]

Look, I've seen it done in MW2, so it HAS to be able to happen IRL.

[John]

L115A3 rifle. thats an AWP for any of you counterstrike fans.

[20thGix]

I saw a show on the Military channel about "historic" sniper shots or something. They had the Canadian guy on their and i took him like 4 shots to hit the guy in Afghanistan. Then they tried to re-create the shot and couldnt do it. They show was really neat. I would say its possible but with a whole lot of skill and luck.

[flounder]

I have a buddy that has one NIB he has been trying to sell me ever since he found out I was planning on building a custom .338. I also have another friend who has one in .308

L115A3 rifle. thats an AWP for any of you counterstrike fans.

[max power]

i shot a ground hot at one hundered and fiffy yards............ that just sounds silly now

that does sound silly. WTF is a ground hot?

I've lobbed railroad track rocks at birds at fifty yards with a sling shot and knocked the heads off.

Anythings possible..

THIS! I believe.

Sounds fishy to me............ one hit at that range is a possiblity, but two. Then to supposedly taken out the weapon also. Brits are such asshats.............. The canadian that holds the record took 3 or 4 shots to finally hit his target. luckily the towel heads were to damn stupid to take cover after a couple near misses.

The taliban dont wear towels on their heads, they wear sheets. Therefore the correct term is sheetheads.

[Gump]

That's a darn good point about the towels. Sheets are more functional as an accessory anyways.

[wht_scorpion]

Ground hog I guess

[kawi kid]

woops i never even noticed i spell it wrong

[Reimbrandt]

sheet head.... shit head............. same difference. lol

[JaysonL]

The taliban dont wear towels on their heads, they wear sheets. Therefore the correct term is sheetheads.

Sand ******s.... Tuskan Raiders.... Camel Fuckers....

It's all the samae right?!

[Ryan_c_F]

I've lobbed railroad track rocks at birds at fifty yards with a sling shot and knocked the heads off.

Anythings possible..

qft, though you usually don't have to take the rotation and curvature of the earth into account when you're in slingshot range lol