The ultimate long range deer rifle

[RAF]

Just been watching a program on stealth weapons and the first one they showed was a sniper rifle. The others were a submarine and and an airplane, neither of which is a practical hunting weapon . Back to the rifle. It's a Barret M 107. I'm sure some here (Rifleman at least) will be familiar with it. It's semi automatic and chambered in 50 BMG. Recoil is taken with the internal mechanism and a huge muzzle break. The reporter, a former Navy Seal, claims recoil is mild . Longest confirmed kill is over 2400 meters. Looks like an awesome weapon. Now bambi isn't safe anywhere, even behind trees . There was more about the rifle but I didn't catch it all.

[RAF]

Check this link for pic

www.weareguns.com/barm107.html

[DW]

I know 2 guys that have the bolt action models, quite a piece of artillery, they told me some unbelievable stories about these guns, including one about an idiot that supposedly removed the muzzle brake to shoot it and woke up in the hospital with a broken collar bone among other things . Another goofball tried shooting his out of his kitchen window at a deer and blew every window out of the kitchen, boy was his wife pi$$ed ;D Just goes to show you what happens when people have more money and toys than brains.

[jjw]

I had a chance to shoot the Barrette at Fort Campbell KY in 2003. My Army Reservie unit was at Campbell in preparation to deploy to Iraq and a dozen of us were shooting our M2 machine guns as the Rakasans, infantry showed to shoot their Barrettes. They offered to let a few of us put some rounds down range through the Barrettes if we returned the favor and let them shoot a few from our M2's.
I got to shoot 6 rounds and hit 5 of 6 at 600 meters. A very user friendly rifle and the recoil is not bad at all in the prone position. Very fun.

[Rifleman]

I have shot 50 BMG sniper rifles quite a bit. They are a WHOLE new ball game!

[rossman40]

The record was with a Canadian shooting a McMillan TAC-50. Supposedly scuttlbutt says the 2430 meter record was passed by one of the Brits with one of their fancy Accuracy International 338 LMs but nobody is producing evidence.

The early Barrett didn't impress me that much accuracy wise compared to the Hathcock method of mounting a scope on a M2, which we tried and was awesome. His record of 2250 meters stood for a long time. I think the US record with a Barrett in the Gulf war was only 1800 meters.

[RAF]

I also heard it was a Canadian sniper that had the record. I also heard he was using American premium ammo. Seems the Canadian stuff isn't up to snuff.

[rossman40]

Lack of quality match style ammo for the 50 BMG was one of the weaknesses of the early military Barretts. Talon was making ammo for the US military as well as several mom and pop shops (Hunting Shack is one) but most of the better rounds used by US military and just about everybody else using the big rifles are actually made (now made under license in the US from what I heard) by Raufoss, which is a Norweigian firm. the Mk211 round is a High Explosive Incendiary/Armor_Piercing Ammunition (HEIAP, green and white tip) and the Mk300 is the same with a tracer but not used very much except for training.

[art338wm]

As far as the record for the longest confirmed kill ever made, correct me if I'm wrong but I am reasonably sure that undisputed title belongs to a Viet Nam vet. He was a Marine Scout/Sniper by the name of Carlos Norman Hathcock III and he made if I remember correctly no less than two confirmed kills at ranges over 2400 meters, one was a solid 2500 meter shot. I wish I could quote directly from the book written about his Viet Nam exploits, but the book is at present on lone.

The truly amazing thing about all of Sargent Hathcock's kills with the .50 caliber were they were not made using a hand made high$$$ specialty, dedicated .50 caliber sniper rifle. No, they were all made using a plain Jane .50 Browning MG with his 10x sniper scope mounted on it.

He was known as the "White Feather Sniper". He had something like 93 confirmed kills.

It would be a great thing if someone else who has the book written about him could dbl check my info for me.

[jjw]

What I recall is that the longest confirmed kill of a man-size target was by a Canadian sniper team in Afghanistan in 2003. I believe it was something like 2,340 yards or something of the sort.

[rossman40]

Hathcock's record shot was 2286 meters (2500 yards) and stood from 1967 until 2002 when the Canadian broke the record with a 2430 meter (2657 yards) shot. Before Hathcock the longest confirmed kill was 1538 yards set by Billy Dixon at the second battle of Adobe Walls in 1874.

[ozark]

I read the book about Sergeant Hathcock and admire his skill and his willingness to do the job. I did not admire the editors of the book. Especially the part that claims that as a youngster he honed his skills around Little Rock, Arkansas shooting Jack Rabbit. If he shot Jack Rabbits within 100 Miles of Little Rock they were in a Zoo. Isn't it funny how one little bit in a book that is false ruins the crediability of the whole book. Sergeant Hathcock was the real McCoy and a credit to the Corp and to the whole military.

[rossman40]

You know city folk don't know the difference between a cottontail and a jack rabbit. Then you bring up a snowshoe hare and it gets them all confused. Probly never even tasted one

[Rifleman]

I met Gunny Hathcock years ago. I was at the Knob Creek Range at the MG shoot they have there twice a year. By that time the Gunny was in poor health but was there signing his book. I waited in line for my turn and when I got up there I told him I was a Marine shooter and that I his friend Top Macabee ( correct spelling?) was one of my coaches in the Corp's. He said he was ready for a break from signing the books and asked me if I wanted to take a walk. We went for a little walk and talked a little while, he looked at my rifle and commented on it. He was soft spoken and very friendly. Although the disease had taken a toll on him and he did not walk very fast, when he shook my hand he had a grip like steel and his eyes were clear. No doubt in my mind he was the real deal. A great shooter, a gentleman, and a great Marine. A real credit to the USMC and the American fighting man.

[rossman40]

I ran into him at Camp Perry when I voluntered for support duties and was going to try to talk to him but he was pretty much mobbed by shooters and I didn't want to join the crowd. I later talked to some friends of mine that was assigned to Range Control and he was joking with them if they would take him out for some fishing in the boat they were using. I would have to agree that he was the real deal.