Wednesday, May 5, 2010

A New Record



Here is something that has been in the news the last few days.
A British Army soldier by the name of Corporal Craig Harrison, of the Household Cavalry, set a new record for the longest shot in combat. Twice.
Cpl. Harrison fired two shots at Taliban machine gunners in Afghanistan. They were confirmed via GPS to be 8,120 feet from Cpl Harrison's position. That is 1.54 miles.
More than a mile and a half.
To make it even more astounding, the range was almost 3,000 feet beyond what is considered the best effective range of the weapon. At that range the bullet takes around 3 seconds to reach the target.


The previous record was set in 2002 for a sniper kill at 7,972ft. That shot was made by Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong, of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, who was using a .50BMG McMillan TAC-50 rifle.



Cpl. Harrison accomplished this feat with the above pictured weapon, a L115A3 rifle. The weapon is manufactured by Accuracy International in Britain and is chambered in the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. This is significant because the previous two shots that held the world record were with weapons chambered for the .50BMG. The .338 is a cartridge designed for accuracy and power beyond the range of the older 7.62mm rifles. It has a much flatter trajectory, which makes the complex trigonometry problem of finding the right arc to lob the bullet onto the target easier. It is one of several other "lighter" rifle rounds like the .300 Win Mag , .416 Barrett, and .408 CheyTac that have been designed with extreme long range shooting in mind. Of especial importance are factors such as the velocity past 1000 meters, the shape of the bullet's overall trajectory and how long the bullet will stay supersonic.


The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare .338 is a bolt action, detachable magazine-fed, precision rifle. The rifle is about 15 pounds, unloaded and without optics. It can mount a variety of telescopic sights, laser designators, and nightvision or thermal sights. In British service, it usually mounts a S&B 5-25x56mm day scope. The extra large objective lens size of 56mm gathers a lot of light, making shots possible in the dawn, dusk, or into the shadows. The L115A3 can also mount a suppressor, helping to reduce the report flash and dust from the powerful rifle. The barrel is free floated for increased accuracy and is fluted for strength and cooling without excessive weight.


You don't get all that performance cheap though. Many of the news reports about Cpl. Harrison's shot put the rifle at around $25,000. That sounds a bit high, I think a price of USD $7,500-12,000 might be more likely. But if you are including the entire sniper's kit, with nightvision or thermal optics, rangefinders, ballistic computer, etc. I might believe it. But if you put a rifle like this it in the right hands and it can hit a man sized target from 4500 feet all day. The bullet, which is heavy and very fast due to its extremely aerodynamic shape cuts through the air more efficiently than almost any other. More importantly, even at extreme range, the bullet retains its power, hitting with more force than a .44 Magnum at 25 feet.


I've had the luck to fire this weapon once (at an indoor range, unfortunately) and let me tell you, the shock wave it produces is just ridiculous. You can feel it pull air out of your mouth. However, due to its well-designed muzzle brake, recoil was quite manageable, similar to a Mosin Nagant carbine or 12 gauge shotgun. You wouldn't want to shoot it all day, but it is really not too bad.

“It was just unlucky for the Taliban that conditions were so good and we could see them so clearly. We saw two insurgents running through its courtyard, one in a black dishdasha, one in green.They came forward carrying a PKM machine gun, set it up and opened fire on the commander’s wagon. The first round hit a machine gunner in the stomach and killed him outright. 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."
----Corporal Craig Harrison


Cpl. Harrison had a memorable tour of duty, making the two impossible shots and having a bullet deflect off his helmet and surviving an IED blast that broke both of his arms. He is reportedly healing well, and has returned to duty.

Corporal Harrison

42 comments:

  1. a pity he did not kill a few more with the same bullet

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    1. As the invader, I'd say it's a pity he didn't get killed himself.

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    2. Yes, you are a muslim rabbit allright. And maybe you would like to stop one of those bullets for your brothers, eh?

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    3. You are just a muslim "rabbit", whose opinion does not matter to anyone. Maybe you'd like to volunteer to try and stop one of those bullets for your brother? I think you will just shut-up and do something perverted instead.

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  2. Good on ya mate, heal well and fast. Do a few more for us.
    Vietnam Veteran 1968/69. 10 Ptn 'D' Coy 1RAR Australia.

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  3. Thank you for serving !!! :-)

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  4. To my brother from another mother. Thank you for your service from over here in the USA.

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  5. Send him more precision bullets - No charge!!!

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  6. ...Til we can say, "Wecome Home Brother" to all of you...

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  7. God bless you, Corp. Thank you for your service and I hope you continue to serve with the same courage you have shown to date.

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  8. come home ASAP, in one piece, with all our fighting personnel!
    Godspeed be with you.

    Mike Marmorstein
    MIchigan

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  9. Thanks for your service to our Countries...you make all of us Military proud...even this old retired SgtMaj of U.S. Marines

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  10. The Soldier, the Weapon, the Bullet..and a Dead Enemy...THAT SAY'S IT ALL...

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  11. I will pay for some more bullets for him.
    Thank You for your service.
    Michael R. Swerline
    U. S. Army Retired

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  12. Job well done. Retun home safely and thanks for your service to our countries.
    Nato force member 1951

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  13. AWESOME !! GET ER DONE !! GET HOME SAFE. THANKS FOR SERVING !!!

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  14. Tom L. : Thank you for your service and a job well done.

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  15. I thank you all for every day that passes and nobody dies through terrorist action in the UK, USA, Canada, Austrailia and every other country that has sent service men and woman out to Afgan, GOD BLESS YOU

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  16. Tom G,: From a Vietnam War Vet. God Bless You and Thank You So Much FOR your SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!

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  17. To bad there were not more of those fuckers for you to shoot at.

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  18. good man 2 less scum

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  19. THANK YOU and ALL that serve in the name of freedom. God Bless!

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  20. Another Aussie Vietnam Vet thanks you and wishes you a safe and speedy return. But in the meantime, just keep on shooting.

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  21. Keep squeezing them off, make every shot count, good luck and a safe trip home,
    Thank you for your service,,,J.F.

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  22. Thank you for your service. You are as are all our fighting men and women, true heroes!

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  23. the man can shoot. way to go! .. "send it".

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  24. Gordy harris USN ret.March 24, 2012 at 4:44 PM

    Bless you, be safe, That's a dam good shot ! Some good people will now live because of your actions and skill. May you have a wonderful life !

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    1. Thank you for serving a worthty cause. Being a hunter I can appreciate hitting a target at that distance. My family and I thank you for decreasing the radical Muslim population, may there be many more before you leave. We pray for you and our other troops that are risking their lives to keep us FREE. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND COME HOME SAVE.

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  25. Dam few people can make shots like you can and did! Thank God you are on our side!!
    I pray you heal fast and as strong as before! I also pray you will be granted a continuing long, great, prosperous and safe life!

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  26. May God bless you & all the men & women who serve for our freedom.
    -Now "Send It"!

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  27. "Household cavalry, draw swords" (or in this case, rifles.) God bless the Household cavalry and the rifles they carry. Better than the charge at Kassin!
    TL Barton, USN, retd

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  28. Corporal: Thank you for serving all of us, thank you for your skill, heal well, stay safe, and God bless you.
    M R H Sr, Vietnam '69.

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  29. Few people realize the training & commitment it takes to excell in your position. You have my highest respect and may your God watch over you and give you a long life and much personal happyness.
    CMSgt PK Reid, USAF ret.

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    1. Awesome shooting! I also shoot the 338 Lapua out of a Barrett 98B and the 338 Lapua is a scary accurate round. Happy to know this round has set the record.

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  30. The Corporal is a expert marksman and, a find gentleman. The Corporal new what he had to do, and he did exactly that. Thank you for your service. G. Marquis Vietnam Veteran 1966 to 1971

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  31. thank you very much for your service. i am glad they finaly let you guys do your job... keep safe...

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  32. awsome job its about time they let you guys do your job. come home safe

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  33. c for cav and C for courage..

    Steadfast in faith my brethren

    trooper

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  34. You have done a great job, keep it up

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  35. God bless you and your rifle.

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