Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Got Coyotes?

We do live near the local Police shooting range. About once a year they are out there with automatic weapons - except for the sound of a 12 gauge pump ratcheting a shell into the chamber, there is nothing like the sound of a machine gun to get your attention.

They also fire a weapon from time to time that must be a 50 cal. sniper rifle. Very distinctive sound to say the least.

The Canadian Forces are using those .50 MacMillan sniper rifles in Afghanistan and have been successful over 1 1/2 miles. A friend sent me an email of some baddies getting pinged off from over a mile away, across a valley from one mountain to the other(Afghanistan). I think the shells on these rifles are a few inches long!

MacMillan Tac-50

We used to call them R2-D2 with a hard-. The rounds are made up of some very nasty stuff that I don’t think I can divulge. You did not touch them with bare hands without fearing what might happen to the boys downstairs…..

I took a buddy rifle shopping the other day. I have plenty of rifles and need another like I need another hole in my head. He didn't buy one, but I ended up buying one....go figure. I walked out with a Browning Titanium A-Bolt, chambered in the 325 WSM. I’ve never held a rifle that fit like this one and as light either. It can’t weight much over five pounds. I’m looking forward to shooting a few rounds through it in a couple days when the scope shows up.

Mike, nice little inexpensive item to pick up, eh? That certainly looks like something great to carry, but 5 1/2 lbs in 325 WSM? When you put those rounds through it, you might feel it a bit more than if you got it in say 7mm-08.

5lb rifle in a WSM? That's gotta give the old shoulder a nice punch! Heck, I don't think I'd do .270 Win in a 5lb gun. Sounds like a killer sheep gun though.

The first time I heard them, I thought they were mortars being fired. I wondered why the police would be using mortars Later I surmised it must be sniper rifles. Again I wondered why the local police would need a sniper rifle unless they were just playin around.

Your local police was probably just using bb-guns connected to a EP500!

From the Wiki.

Two Canadian snipers of the same Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) regiment sniper team made the longest recorded sniper kills in history with this weapon in Afghanistan, during Operation Anaconda, in the Shah-i-Kot Valley. On a March afternoon in 2002, Master Corporal Arron Perry killed an enemy combatant from 2,310 meters (2,526 yd/1.435 miles) and Corporal Rob Furlong killed an enemy combatant from 2,430 meters (2,657 yd/1.509 miles) with 750 grain Hornady A-MAX very-low-drag bullets.[2][3] This is the longest-ever recorded kill by a sniper in combat, surpassing the mark of 2,286 meters (2,500 yd/1.420 miles) set by U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War.

Edit: Oops I see you had a link to this anyways. Oh well, I'll leave it here to save a click. The precise geometry to take an accurate shot at that distance and aim a hand controlled weapon to what must be the tiniest fractions of a millimeter is simply staggering. Add in calculations for wind that will undoubtedly change over the course of 1.5 miles and you have to wonder if there is some luck attached to that unprecedented skill.

I hunt with a Weatherby 340 now. I dread pulling the trigger on it even though I put a brake on it. Now, instead of just hurting me, it makes me deaf too. I can still remember when I first bought the thing. I mounted the scope and went to the range to sight it in. I fired a round and thought someone just hit me in the shoulder with a bat. I couldn’t believe it kicked that hard. I thought it must have been me not holding it right, so I racked another round in and lit it off. Damn thing not only kicked just as bad the second time, but now I was really feeling it. I threw the rifle in the truck, took it to my gun smith and had them put the Answer System on it (spring recoil pad and brake). The recoil is OK now (30:06 like), but now it’s horribly loud and painful to shoot without hearing protection. Ear plugs and hunting don’t mix well….

The WSM rounds were initially designed to provide magnum performance, but with reduced recoil. At least this is what I’ve been reading after I bought the thing. I’ve heard about them, but never really read up on them as I had no intention of buying another rifle. The 338 is probably the most used rifle in Alaska, but it drops too quick for me, which is why I shoot the 340. I’m hoping the 325 performs well so I can dump the 340. I’ll report back after I fire a few rounds through it. I’d hate to have to put a brake on this one…..

It has always seemed to me that your weapon kicks harder when you are practice shooting than when you are shooting at game? I turkey hunt - I did switch from the 3 1/2" magnum loads to 3" High Density loads as I dreaded practicing. The last turkey I shot did not show up where I expected, so I had to shift position when he walked behind a tree. What I was too excited to realize is that he but of the shotgun was now resting against my cheek. When I pulled the trigger, I didn't realize that the stock had "kicked" me in the face. I jumped up to run make sure the turkey was done for, staggered and almost fell on my face. Literally stunned, as it were. One of my more embarrasing moments.......