A Russian sniper set a precision shooting range record.

While the sniper has a long and colorful history, recent years, thanks to advancements in technology, the range and accuracy of weapons have improved, allowing for more shots to be fired. Pocket computers, devices that collect information about weather and atmospheric quality, and laser rangefinders are all there to improve a shooter's accuracy.

I wonder what the longest one was sniper shot ever? Most of the longest sniper shots recorded in history occurred at the beginning of this century, although a fifth long shot was made back in the 60s!

5. Sergeant of the Artillery Regiment Carlos Hatchcock

Regimental Artillery Sergeant Carlos Hatchcock

This US Marine is still considered a legend, and rightly so. In more than forty years, only four other snipers have managed to beat his record, which was set in 1967. With an M2 .50 caliber Browning machine gun and a telescopic sight, he shot down a Viet Cong guerrilla from a distance of 2,286 meters. His record remained unbroken until 2002. Hatchcock's shot was 2286 meters.

4. Sergeant Brian Cramer

Beretta M82A1

Kremer takes fourth place with a shot at a distance of 2299 meters, barely beating Hatchcock's record. This US soldier used the Beretta M82A1 and was a member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in the Iraq War. He was not, however, the first to break Hatchcock's record. Kremer's shot was taken in 2004, two years after Corporal Rob Furlong and Master Corporal Aaron Perry broke Hatchcock's record in 2002.

3. Master Corporal Aaron Perry

TAC50

In March 2002, this Canadian soldier from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia, Canadian Light Infantry broke Hatchcock's old record of shooting a MacMillan Tac-50 from 2,309 meters during the Afghanistan War.

2. K April Rob Furlong

Canadian Forces sniper Rob Furlong

Furlong was also a Canadian infantryman as Master Corporal Aaron Perry, and managed to break a comrade's record in the same month during the war in Afghanistan. Perry set his record, Furlong beat it with a catch at 2429 metres, a very long shot indeed, during Operation Anaconda. Furlong used the same type of weapon as Perry.

1. Copral Craig Harrison

Copral Craig Harrison

And the winner of the longest sniper shot in November 2009 was British Mounted Cavalry Corporal Craig Harrison, who fired an Accuracy International L115A3 during the Afghanistan War, his bullet traveling an astonishing distance of 2,475 metres, again significantly beating the previous record holder. This was not an accidental achievement. Harrison creatively modified his equipment to achieve the level of accuracy and range required to fire a shot at such great distances. However, Harrison does say in his reports that he owes some of the credit to good weather, which was optimal for long-range shooting.

It's still quite amazing that Hatchcock retains fifth place in the record books after all these years. You'll notice if you check other sniper records, most of the top 11 took their shots during the 21st century, with only one other exception, perhaps the most compelling of the lot. Billy Dixon, a civilian buffalo hunter, posted a photo with a .50-.90 caliber Sharps carbine during the Indian Wars in June 1874, he shot at a distance of 1406 meters. Dixon still ranks 9th in the ranking in terms of sniper shot range. Not bad for a guy drawing on 19th century technology!

Hitting a target from a distance of 3.5 kilometers with direct fire is a difficult task for almost anyone. military equipment. When it comes to civilian weapons, then completely unattainable. More precisely, it was unattainable until this moment. The Texas guys from the Hill Country Rifle company, which produces and refines rifles, did the hitherto impossible - they hit the target from a distance of 3,475 meters (3,800 yards).

Thefirearmblog reports that the previous unofficial record was 3,550 yards (3,246 meters). The author of the new achievement is Jim Spinella, who shot from a modified Long Range Extreme 375 Cheytac rifle ($6995 for the base model) and used CHEYTAC .375/350 GR cartridges.

It took the sniper 19 rounds to zero. After making all the adjustments, the hit accuracy was 90% on a 36-inch target (91.5 cm). The shooting took place in far from “hothouse conditions” - when the record was set, the wind was blowing at a speed of 4 m/s with gusts of up to 7.5 m/s.

To understand the severity of the moment, here are a few facts:

• at the peak of the parabola the bullet was 100 meters above the aiming point;
• from the moment of the shot to the hit, the bullet flew for more than 8.5 seconds;
• Due to air vibrations, the target is almost invisible at such a distance even through an optical sight.

The guys are not going to stop there, planning to reach the 4,000-yard mark (about 3,658 meters) this fall. Until now, the achievements of snipers in accurate shooting range had not been officially recorded, but Spinella and his comrades decided that it was time to put an end to this.

In combat conditions, the farthest confirmed sniper shot was made from a distance of 2475 meters. In November 2009, British Army Corporal Craig Harrison participated in a joint force operation in Afghanistan. During the battle in the Musa Qala area, using the L115A3 Long Range Rifle rifle, from a distance of 2475 meters, he managed to destroy two Taliban machine gunners with two shots, and with the third, disable the machine gun itself. In an interview with the BBC, Harrison said that it took him 9 sighting shots to then successively “place” three bullets exactly on targets.

Corporal Craig Harrison - author of the "combat" sniper shooting range record

Harrison also mentioned that on that day in the Musa Qala area weather conditions were ideal for long-distance shooting: clear visibility and complete calm. The bullets fired by Harrison from sniper rifle L115A3 Long Range Rifle reached its target after approximately 6 seconds of flight.

It is noteworthy that the rifle and type of cartridge used by Jim Spinella is legal on the civilian market and is available for purchase as a hunting weapon in many countries around the world. Thus, anyone can purchase a rifle if they have a purchase permit rifled weapons and the required amount of money.

When talking about the best sniper shots, the first things to consider are the range and accuracy of the shot. Guided by these criteria, Guns&Ammo magazine compiled a rating of the eight longest and most accurate shots officially registered.

Like never before modern weapons today allows snipers to hit distant targets. However, one of the record-breaking shots was made more than 50 years ago, which also speaks of the importance of the skills and professionalism of each sniper.

On last place in the rating - a shot by an American participant in the war in Iraq, Sergeant Major Jim Gilliland (1367 yards / 1250 meters). Shot fired from a standard M24 rifle using standard 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition in 2005.

In seventh place- shot by an unknown representative of the Norwegian military contingent in 2007 during the armed conflict in Afghanistan. Rifle - Barrett M82A1. Cartridges - Raufoss NM140 MP. Range - 1509 yards (1380 meters).

Number six- British Army Corporal Christopher Reynolds and his accurate shot in August 2009 at 2,026 yards (1,853 meters). Rifle - Accuracy International L115A3. Ammo - .338 Lapua Magnum LockBase B408. The target hit is a Taliban commander nicknamed "Mullah", responsible for a number of attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan. For his shot, the corporal was awarded a medal from the hands of Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Number five- Sergeant Carlos Hatchhawk, shot at 2,500 yards (2,286 meters). The date is February 1967, during the Vietnam conflict. The historic shot that made the sergeant a hero of his time was fired from an M2 Browning machine gun. Ammo - .50 BMG. Hatchcock is still a legend today American army- he ranks fourth on the list of snipers who hit maximum quantity goals. At one time, the Vietnamese placed a bounty of $30,000 on his head.

Fourth place- American Sergeant Brian Kremer and shot at 2515 yards (2300 meters). Date - March 2004. Weapon - Barrett M82A1. Cartridges - Raufoss NM140 MP. During his two years in Iraq, Kremer fired two successful shots with a range of more than 2,350 yards (2,150 meters).

Bronze- from the Canadian, Corporal Arron Perry. Shot range - 2526 yards (2310 meters). Date - March 2002. Weapon - McMillan Tac-50. Ammo - Hornady A-MAX .50 (.50 BMG).

Silver- a shot at 2657 yards (2430 meters), again by Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong, which coincides in date with Arron Perry’s record. The weapons and ammunition are the same.

First place- an unsurpassed record by Briton Craig Harrison. During the Afghan conflict in November 2009, he hit his best double shot at 2,707 yards (2,475 meters). The defeat of the target was documented - two Taliban machine gunners were killed in succession.

When talking about the best sniper shots, the first things to consider are the range and accuracy of the shot. Based on these criteria , Guns&Ammo magazine ranked the eight longest and most accurate shots, officially registered.

Today, more than ever, modern weapons make it possible to hit distant targets. However, one of the record-breaking shots was made more than 50 years ago, which also speaks of the importance of the skills and professionalism of each sniper. All ranges are given in yards (1 yard = 91 cm).

Eighth in the ranking- shot by American veteran of the war in Iraq, Sergeant Major Jim Gilliland (1367 yards). Shot fired from a standard M24 rifle using standard 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition in 2005.

In seventh place- shot by an unknown representative of the Norwegian military contingent in 2007 during the armed conflict in Afghanistan. Rifle - Barrett M82A1. Ammo: Raufoss NM140 MP. Range - 1509 yards.

Number six- British Army Corporal Christopher Reynolds and his accurate shot in August 2009 at 2026 yards. Rifle - Accuracy International L115A3. Ammo: .338 Lapua Magnum LockBase B408. The target hit was a Taliban commander nicknamed "Mullah", responsible for a number of attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan. For his shot, the corporal was awarded a medal from the hands of Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Number five- Sergeant Carlos Hatchhawk, shot at 2500 yards. The date is February 1967, during the Vietnam conflict. The historic shot that made the sergeant a hero of his time was fired from an M2 Browning machine gun. Ammo: .50 BMG. Hatchcock is still a legend in the American army today - he ranks fourth on the list of snipers who hit the maximum number of targets. At one time, the Vietnamese placed a reward of 30,000 US dollars on his head.

Fourth place- American Sergeant Brian Kremer and shot at 2515 yards. Date: March 2004. Weapon - Barrett M82A1. Ammo: Raufoss NM140 MP. During his two years in Iraq, Kremer fired two successful shots with a range of more than 2,350 yards.

Third place (bronze) - from the Canadian, Corporal Arron Perry. Shot range: 2526 yards. Date: March 2002. Weapon - McMillan Tac-50. Ammo: Hornady A-MAX .50 (.50 BMG).

Second place (silver) - a shot at 2657 yards, again by Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong, which coincides in date with Arron Perry’s record. The weapons and ammunition are the same.

First place (gold) - an unsurpassed record by Briton Craig Harrison. During the Afghan conflict in November 2009, he hit his best double shot at 2,707 yards. The defeat of the target was documented - two Taliban machine gunners were killed in succession. This record makes Harrison the best of all time.

Many people underestimate the work of a sniper, however, in fact, he is faced with some of the most difficult tasks during combat operations. In difficult conditions, you have to hunt down a target for a long time without giving away your location to the enemy. In addition, you have to shoot from a long distance, which only the best of the best can do. Exactly about the most best snipers, who managed to hit the target from the longest distances, we will talk further.

Christopher Reynolds
Distance: 1,852 meters

The most accurate shot was fired by British sniper Christopher Reynolds. His goal was field commander nicknamed "Mullah", who took responsibility for several recent terrorist attacks in the region. Reynolds destroyed the commander with one flick of his finger, for which he received a medal from the hands of the Queen of England herself.

Sniper South Africa
Distance: 2,124 meters

One of the snipers regular army South Africa (the name of the fighter is classified) achieved amazing results: over the course of several days, the soldier “filmed” 5-6 rebels of the M23 group - all at a distance of about two kilometers.

Carlos Hatchcock
Distance: 2,286 meters

In 1967, Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hatchcock set a very unusual record: instead of a sniper rifle, this master used an M2 .50 Browning machine gun, equipped, for fun, optical sight. Carlos managed to shoot a Viet Cong at a distance of more than two kilometers, which to this day remains a record for automatic weapons.

Brian Kremer
Distance: 2,285 meters

Sergeant Brian Cramer was deployed to Iraq with the 2nd US Ranger Battalion. The mission of this detachment is still classified - it is only known that the shot of the sniper Kremer brought him fame as the best shooter of the entire operation.

Arron Perry
Distance: 2,413 meters

Another Canadian sniper also distinguished himself in Operation Anaconda. Arron Perry managed to shoot an Afghan with an RPG at a distance of more than two kilometers, and Perry pulled the trigger, guided only by the random reflection of the sun on the enemy gun.

Bruno Turcotte
Distance: 2,414 meters

Bruno Turcotte was part of a group of Canadian peacekeepers conducting an operation on the dangerous Afghan slopes. His shot saved whole squad American infantrymen: the soldiers were climbing the mountain and did not see the machine gunner, who was ready to open fire. Bruno's lightning-fast reaction earned him the rank of master corporal.

Corporal Harrison
Distance: 2,462 meters

A British sniper, Corporal Horse Craig Harrison, served in an infantry support unit. The battle that took place in November 2009 made this brave guy a real legend among his colleagues. Harrison managed to neutralize the driver, shooter and passenger of an Afghan pickup truck equipped with a machine gun with three shots. Three out of three are at a distance of almost two and a half kilometers.