Page 40 - History of War - Issue 25-16

10 DEADLIEST SNIPERS

Long-range record

British Army Corporal Craig
Harrison broke the world
record held by Rob Furlong
in Afghanistan with a 2,475-metre shot

Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison, a British in Helmand Province, that Harrison made his Taliban spotter at 3,000 metres (double the
Army sniper of the Household Cavalry, famous shot. effective range of his rile), he spotted a new
served in the Balkans and twice in Iraq and Harrison’s sniper team was deployed to threat. An insurgent PKM machine gun had
Afghanistan. It was during his last fateful overwatch a British patrol, which was soon moved into position on a nearby hill and was
tour in 2009, deployed to restive Musa Qala ambushed. After iring warning shots at a bracketing the British patrol with ire.

1. GETTING 2. THE RANGING 3. FIRST TARGET 4. A NEAR MISS 5. THE FINAL SHOT
THE RANGE SHOTS DOWN Rapidly working the bolt, Harrison Harrison knows he has to make the shot or
Harrison estimates Breathing out, Harrison The insurgents do not know chambers another round and ires the Taliban will escape. He gently squeezes
the range to the squeezes the ril e’s where the shots are being ired again, six seconds later, a miss. One the trigger sending his fourth shot towards
hillside to be in trigger, sending the i rst from. Harrison’s shot hits dead of the other insurgents grabs the PKM the target. Harrison and his spotter watch
excess of 2,000 .338 Lapua Magnum on and the ighter holding the and starts to move, racing for cover as the round hits the second insurgent and
metres. Checking heading downrange PKM crumples to the ground. from the deadly ire. he collapses from view.
the wind, he is towards the insurgent
pleased to see that machine gunner. Six The reliable accuracy of this rifl e
there is none. He seconds later, the round L115A3 RIFLE allowed Corporal Harrison to make his
adjusts his scope impacts. A miss. Harrison record-breaking shot
for the trajectory of will later report that it took
the bullet and the him nine shots to range
rotation of the Earth. the target.

Manufacture: United Kingdom
First Year of Service: 2007
Calibre: .338 Lapua Magnum
Range: 1,600 metres
Users: British Army and
Royal Marines

BARREL SCOPE BULLET STOCK
The match grade barrel is The Schmidt and Bender The 300-grain boat tail .338 The desert-coloured stock is
luted to reduce heat build up PMII variable power scope Lapua Magnum round is designed designed to be folded when carried
and equipped with a sound magnii es the target up to 25 to maintain stability over long strapped to the sniper’s back. The
suppressor to conceal the times and can be used with a distances and is accurate to cheek-piece, stock height and
sniper’s location. clip-on night sight. beyond 2,000 metres. length are fully adjustable.

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