"Longest Confirmed Sniper Shot?" Topic

Just saw the recent episode of Future Weapons that featured a new auto .50 cal that almost equals the accuracy of a bolt action. The host made a hit at a mile range with no problem. That got me to thinking about Carlos Hathcock. I remember reading that he made a confirmed kill at/or about that range (smaller caliber round to boot). Anynone know the longest confirmed sniper kill using any caliber (from any conflict)? I've seen some video of Marine snipers making incredible shots in Afghanistan using .50 cals. What about smaller cals like 30-06, .308, etc?

link held by a Canadian last I heard.

Yeah, I think it's one of the Princess Pat's. Some incredible distance with a 7.62, IIRC. Yards and yards and yards of windage and elevation, too. I saw an interview with the guy, and he was pretty amazed that it worked.

That record holding shot from the Princess Pats lad was done with a .50 rifle. Range was 2,340m according to the article. Thats one heck of a shot under any conditions. They didnt even mind that they had to use US made ammo. ;-)

The 7.62 is a good round, but it goes a bit too subsonic past 900m or so for serious social work at 2K+

Well, of course not, since most likely the gun was American made too, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

Interesting, I'd never heard about the Canadian Sniper before… and I live in Canada. It makes me feel proud, but sad, British fatigues, American ammunition, kit from all sorts of different countries… we shouldn't have soldiers deployed in the field if our government can't supply them with the necessary equipment…

Sounds like they did.

My government OTOH tries to make too much … it's not bad but most would probably have been cheaper and just as good bought in.

I note from Big Miller Bro's link that

"The five have been nominated for one of the highest awards given by the United States military"

but I'm sure like any good Canadian they'll be able to live that down.

x42

I read in a revaluation by the US regarding what systems worked in Iraq (during the initial invasion) and which did not, that there was an account of an American sniper who killed an Iraqi on a watertower at a range of roughly 2,5 km as well. Again this shot was made with a Barret .50 Cal.

Cheers,

Burkhard

The Canadian was using a McMillan TAC-50 bolt .50 IIRC. Hit an AQ mortarman with the third round at 2.3/4k with wind. Impressive shooting.

Ostgrenadier said,
It makes me feel proud, but sad, British fatigues, American ammunition, kit from all sorts of different countries… we shouldn't have soldiers deployed in the field if our government can't supply them with the necessary equipment…

Personally I wouldn't feel too sad about it, sounds like your government have cherry picked all the best kit from several armies to give their guys the best stuff. Why make your own when you can buy better for cheaper?
Wish the UK government would adopt the same approach and give our guys what they need.

" I'd never heard about the Canadian Sniper before… and I live in Canada"

I don't think our media here is too terribly clear on the idea that sometimes soldiers kill people. They love the peacekeeper myth, and maybe we should just leave them with it. It must be hard on the men and women when they get back here, and no-one has any idea what they did.

I hope some books come out about the whole thing before to long. Is anyone aware of any half-ways decient journalism that illustrates day to day operations for soldiers in Afganistan?

If I recall right the sniper in question is a member of some sort of joint task force. So not under any particular one countries directions. It's a group of guys with the best of what they can get, flown in and left to fend for themselves.

Ostgrenadier: At the time of this action the CADPAT AR (Arid Region) hadn't been issued to Canadian troops yet and they had originally only had the standard green CADPAT which stuck out a bit in the Afghan geography. This would explain why they used other kit then.

SirGiles: IIRC the Canadian snipers were seconded to the US 10th Mountain Division at the American's request. They are all NATO allies …

IIRC the longest civilian shot on record is held by a canadian as well.

Carlos Hathcock got a kill at 2500 meters in Vietnam with a M2 .50 cal (Which he was using for sniping from the basecamp) as described in "One Shot, One Kill". It so happens that the unfortunate sod was crawling through precisely the same spot that he had recently been using to zero the weapon.

My teamsgt scored an 1100 meter kill in Vietnam w/a Remington 700, though he's not sure it was with the first shot since the guy was crawling through grass and he put several rounds into the spot for good measure. One hit.

Los

Lucky s,all I had back when,was the old Parker-Hale.
Nice to see the lads in my old unit keeping up the side.
Equipment was always second rate and a day late,my first rifle,an FN-C1,was three years older than I was,liked to freak out my civilian mates with nasty tight groupings from any position.Four holes,five bullets really helped the rep.

Sniping may soon be going the way of the Dodo,mini-R.V.s'with variable payloads will be coming to a sangar in Waziristan soon,watch and shoot!

Oh come on reccerat.

Shooting will never dissappear. It will always be more effective putiing someone on the ground with a pointy stick.

Admit it, you'ld take back your C1 in a heartbeat, nevermind the Parker-Hale.

I think that the shooter may have been a member of JTF2. Canada's elite of the elite special forces unit. They were formed to fill in the role of counter-terror and SWAT-type units due to the RCMP feeling that SERT was kind of a conflict in that they were supposed to be saving lives and not taking them.

Very secretive and very well-respected among the worlds top special forces units.

Not JTF-2. Clipped from the National Post:

"Sources told the Post that U.S. General Warren Edwards had already signed the recommendation for five Bronze Stars for the sniper teams, drawn from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, last month. Gen. Edwards, deputy commanding general of coalition land forces in Afghanistan, had recommended three Canadians for a Bronze Star and two for a Bronze Star with distinction."

Los456, I read "One Shot, One Kill" a number of years ago. Great book. Can't remember definitely, but wasn't Hathcock's favorite go-to sniping rifle a Rem 700 (although he used others as you mentioned)? I think his "go-to" rifle is in the Marine Corps sniper museum or something as well.

Yes CH used the Remington 700, the M2 was set up at the base camp he was at, and he spent time experimenting with it there only.

Los

Carlos Hathcock got a kill at 2500 meters in Vietnam with a M2 .50 cal

I believe that was 2500 yards, not meters. His shot was 2,286 meters, still an impressive shot by any standards especially given the equipment and more importantly the ammo he was using at the time.

I do have to wonder what sort of shooting the good Gunny might have been able to do with todays .50 rifles and match-grade ammunition. In any case, he showed what was possible and inspired a lot of very skilled men from many nations. It will be interesting to see who (and using what) will next break the record. And will it take 35 years to do it?