Free Republic

In this war, snipers matter in close-quarters urban fights. So does penetrating power. Accurate ranged lethality is equally important for squads in open areas, where engagement distances can easily make 5.56mm rounds ineffective. Bolt-action sniper rifles solve these problems, but can get your best people killed in close-up automatic firefights. Semi-automatic weapons have traditionally been less reliable and accurate, but offer the only reasonable approach that covers both extremes. The result has been the emergence of a hybrid approach, on both a people level and a technical level. On the human end, militaries like the Americans and British are adopting...

It was recently revealed that, last November, a British sniper (corporal Craig Harrison) set a new distance record when he killed two Taliban in Afghanistan, at a range of 2,620 meters (8,596 feet). He did this with a L115A3 rifle firing the 8.6mm Lapua Magnum round. The previous record was held by a Canadian soldier, corporal Rob Furlong, who dropped an al Qaeda gunman at 2,573 meters (7,972 feet) in 2002, also in Afghanistan. Furlong, however, was using a 12.7mm (.50 caliber) rifle. These weapons are good at 2,000 meters or more, but weigh twice as much as the 6.8...

JELLY BRYCE THE FBI'S LEGENDARY SHARPSHOOTER by K. B. Chaffin On November 12, 1945, Life Magazine ran an unusual story. It was a photographic study of an FBI agent named Jelly Bryce drawing and firing his .357 Magnum in two-fifths of a second, faster than the human eye can follow. In the pictures Bryce dropped a silver dollar from shoulder height with his right hand then drew with the same hand and shot the coin before it reached his waist. What the article did not say was that Bryce could not only draw fast in front of a camera, but...

IDF paratrooper Corporal David Markovitch foiled a would-be attack when he killed four Hizbullah members carrying an anti-tank missile in the village of Ghahar near South Lebanon. Markovitch, a trained sniper, aimed at the rocket, which exploded, killing three of the terrorists. He then shot the fourth, whose body was taken back across the lines by other Hizbullah members. The IDF was holding the other three bodies. Markovitch, who was drafted eight months ago, was described by an Israel Radio interviewer as "not especially large or threatening, even with a helmet on his head," and was eager to praise his...

IDF Paratrooper David Markovitz shot, killed 4 Hizbullah terrorists who planned to abduct soldier Monday on northern border. Markovitz, recruited only 8 months ago, 'functioned extraordinarily,' commander says. IDF Paratrooper David Markovitz, who was recruited to the army only eight months ago, became a hero Monday when he killed four Hizbullah terrorists who attempted to abduct a soldier near the border village of Rajar. Lieutenant Colonel Yaniv Elaluf, commander of the 202 paratroop regiment, told Ynet he tried to reach Markovitz on the phone to tell him how proud he is. "This is exactly how I expect a troop in...

A drug addict was shot dead yesterday by a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) sharpshooter when he refused to surrender and release a 12-year-old girl during a two-hour hostage drama in Marikina City. "It was a judgment call," said Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr., Marikina City police chief, in defending the SWAT team involved in taking down the suspect, identified only as Garry Boy. He said his men acted swiftly so as not to suffer the same fate of several Pasay City policemen who were charged in court for bungling a hostage-taking incident at a bus terminal last year. Rojas...