The World`s Longest Sniper Kill at 8120 Feet
Sniper with L115A3 Rifle
Back in 2006 on my fourth day of blogging I wrote an article on the longest sniper shot recorded for a 7.62mm rifle in Iraq by Army sniper Staff Sergeant Jim Gilliland. Surprisingly, that one article has received over 90,000 page views in the past four years making it the tenth most popular post I have ever written.
Although Gilliland's feat was the longest for a.30 caliber bullet, there were longer recorded kills for larger caliber rounds.
| Year | Name | Nationality | Theater | caliber | distance meters/feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Staff Sergeant Jim Gilliland | USA | Iraq | .30 | 1,250/4,101 |
| 2002 | Corporal Rob Furlong | Canada | Afganistan | .50 | 2,430/7,971 |
| 1967 | Marine Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock | USA | Vietman | .50 | 2,286/7,500 |
Now we learn that a new record for a sniper kill was set in November 2009. Here's the story and why it took so long to be announced:
Gizmag, World's longest sniper kill - 2.47km twice!
as of now there's a new outright champion - using an Accuracy International L115A3, British Corporal Craig Harrison killed two Taliban with consecutive shots at a distance of 2.47 kilometres (8120 ft) in Helmand Province, Afghanistan last November (2009). He then fired a third shot and hit the Taliban's PKM machinegun in perhaps the most prodigious feat of marksmanship in military history.
If you're wondering why it took so long for Harrison's kill to be made public, (it was made last November and only became commonly known in the last few days), understand that the publicity such a feat brings may not necessarily be wanted, or healthy, particularly if you are still "in theater". Harrison, who also survived a bullet passing through his helmet, and two broken arms from an IED explosion, has now finished his tour of duty and the story can be told.
Since I expect the western world's war with Islam to continue into the next century (unless we wipe out Islam sooner) and technology will make rifles more accurate, there will be more records broken in the decades to come. Therefore starting now I will include the distance in the titles to my articles that read "The World's Longest Sniper Kill."
