Barrett back on top

Well, it has happened again. The record for longest sniper kill has been broken. Two unnamed snipers from the Australian Army have made what is apparently the successful longest rifle shot in the history of warfare. The snipers both used Barrett M82A1 .50 caliber rifles. The snipers fired simultaneously at a Taliban commander, hitting and killing him. It is not known which of the snipers fired the successful shot. This will likely remain an unofficial record for longest shot in warfare as it is unknown who fired the shot or for that matter, who the snipers were. The implication being that they were both members of Australia's Special Forces, probably 2 Commando Regiment, and will likely not be identified. The distance as measured by GPS was 3079 yards or 2815 meters. At this distance the flight time of the bullet is estimated at 6 seconds. At distances like this, great skill is of course needed, but luck certainly is a major factor. It would be next to impossible to measure the crosswinds, anticipate the targets position after the shot is fired and a dozen other factors that are important for super long range shooting. The previous record for longest sniper kill shot was held by Corporal Craig Ferguson of the British Army. His shot(s) were taken at a distance of 2707 yd or 2475 m with a .338 Lapua fired from a L115A3 rifle.

I am sure that they are pleased with this at Barrett Firearms Mfg, Inc. The last three records were made using their competitor's rifles. Congratulations to the Australians, I hope they will all come home safe and soon.

Completely unrelated picture of a American sniper with a Barrett M82A1 in Iraq

Greatest guns of Fiction- Cobra Assualt Cannon-

Once again, here we are. You are bored and I am going on and on about fake guns on the Internet. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this brings us back to 1987's Robocop. (I suppose I would talk about my favorite late 1980s sci-fi movie, They Live, but its guns are real)

Anyway, Robocop is set in a "fictional" Detroit overrun by gangs of violent criminals, corrupt corporations that are stealing every dollar in the country and citizens too stupid and dulled by Reality TV to care.



Midway through the film, the bad guys decided they need military-grade weaponry to destroy Robocop, and where else would they turn but Corporate America? They are provided with the Cobra Assault Cannon, the latest in military hardware. The Cobra prop is based on the Barrett M82A1 .50 BMG rifle. They added some extra parts and a rather interesting squared off scope. I have heard they were going to add scenes with advanced targeting information displayed in the scope, but cut the idea due to budget constraints. In the movie, it is used to destroy storefronts, cars ( 6000 S.U.X., just like yours Clarence!), and even the armored ED-209 combat droid. It appears to fire explosive/armor piercing shells like the long awaited Barrett 25mm rifle. The Cobra Assault Cannon is certainly a plausible fictional weapon as it is shown, indeed, it is almost prescient as it mimics a weapon that was not even in development at the time. The Cobra comes off as believable in the film, especially since the prop was built to resemble a real weapon, although few knew about the Barrett in 1986 when it was filmed.
All in all, it the perfect companion to my M41-A Pulse Rifle.

In Robocop 2, a Pauza P50 was substituted for the Cobra Assault Cannon