March 6, 2008
PAGING STEPHEN HUNTER...:
Unveiled: The new supergun weapon against the Taliban can kill from over a mile away (MATTHEW HICKLEY, 7th March 2008, Daily Mail)
It is the latest weapon on the front line against the Taliban - the British Army's most powerful-ever sniper rifle, capable of killing with pinpoint accuracy from more than a mile away.Posted by Orrin Judd at March 6, 2008 8:50 PMYesterday the Army showed off its new Long Range Rifle, which has just entered service with combat units in Afghanistan to replace smaller and less powerful weapons.
The £11million upgrade programme is part of a "renaissance" of the sniper tradition - which during the Cold War was largely relegated to the sidelines - as modern commanders rediscover the huge value of pinpoint fire from sharpshooters.
For some reason U.S. Marines never have to "rediscover" the force-multipier effect of point-fire capability.
Posted by: Lou Gots at March 7, 2008 5:06 AMIs there ever such a thing as overkill?
http://www.anzioironworks.com/MAG-FED-20MM-RIFLE.htm
Posted by: Mikey![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://brothersjuddblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 7, 2008 9:24 AM
The Barrett 50 cal rifles that the US is issuing shoot even further than that. My son in Afghanistan says the most annoying thing about shooting at a 2000 meter target with one is firing, going "damn, must have missed", and then have the bullet arrive a second later.
Posted by: ed in texas at March 7, 2008 12:29 PMSorry about the double post...
Posted by: ed in texas at March 7, 2008 1:19 PMEd:
Though I gather the .50 is awfully heavy; a mix of those and the smaller rifles probably makes sense.