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  • TrackingPoint rifle



    A new rifle goes on sale on Wednesday, and it's not like any other. It uses lasers and computers to make shooters very accurate. A startup gun company in Texas developed the rifle, which is so effective that some in the shooting community say it should not be sold to the public. It's called the TrackingPoint rifle. On a firing range just outside Austin in the city of Liberty Hill, a novice shooter holds one and takes aim at a target 500 yards away. Normally it takes years of practice to hit something at that distance. But this shooter nails it on the first try.

    The rifle's scope features a sophisticated color graphics display. The shooter locks a laser on the target by pushing a small button by the trigger. It's like a video game. But here's where it's different: You pull the trigger but the gun decides when to shoot. It fires only when the weapon has been pointed in exactly the right place, taking into account dozens of variables, including wind, shake and distance to the target. The rifle has a built-in laser range finder, a ballistics computer and a Wi-Fi transmitter to stream live video and audio to a nearby iPad. Every shot is recorded so it can be replayed, or posted to YouTube or Facebook. "Think of it like a smart rifle. You have a smart car; you got a smartphone; well, now we have a smart rifle," says company President Jason Schauble. A team of 70 people spent three years creating the technology. Schauble says there's nothing else like it, even in the military. For civilians, TrackingPoint sells its high-end, long-range guns directly. With price tags of up to $22,000, they're not cheap.

    Schauble says because the company sells directly — instead of going through gun dealers — it knows who its customers are and will vet them. And he says there's a key feature that prevents anyone other than the registered owner from utilizing the gun's capabilities. "It has a password protection on the scope. When a user stores it, he can password protect the scope that takes the advanced functionality out. So the gun will still operate as a firearm itself, but you cannot do the tag/track/exact, the long range, the technology-driven precision-guided firearm piece without entering that pass code," he says. Schauble says demand has been "overwhelming." TrackingPoint now has a waiting list. Others are interested, too: Rifle maker Remington Arms wants to use the technology in rifles it wants to sell for around $5,000.
    Source

    The XS1 rifle is a bolt-action .338 Lapua Magnum Surgeon with a 27-inch Krieger cut-barrel combined with an Accuracy International AX chassis and a high quality picatinny rail. The shells are 300 gram Sierra Open-Tipped Match XactShot. The XS2/XS3 are .300 Winchester Magnums. Known as Precision Guided Firearms (PGF) the Exact-Shots come with a pre-loaded iPad, 3 scope batteries (3 hrs ea) and a weapon cleaning kit.

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  • #2
    I wonder what happens if the target moves after you have pressed that red button. In addition without the ability to judge windspeed you're back to a 2 man team. Significantly useful for military purposes? No.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by chanjyj View Post
      I wonder what happens if the target moves after you have pressed that red button.
      You can set the scope tag for a stationary or a moving target.

      Originally posted by chanjyj View Post
      In addition without the ability to judge windspeed you're back to a 2 man team. Significantly useful for military purposes? No.
      That is the one shortcoming they are working on. A palm anemometer can tell you the windspeed at your shooting location, and you have to guesstimate if this should be +/- modified. From vids I have watched, this methodology worked well at ranges up to 1000 yards.
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      • #4
        Originally posted by chanjyj View Post
        I wonder what happens if the target moves after you have pressed that red button.
        I hate warriors, too narrow-minded. I'll tell you what I do like though: a killer, a dyed-in-the-wool killer. Cold blooded, clean, methodical and thorough. Now a real killer, when he picked up the XS1, would've immediately asked about the little red button on the bottom of the gun.
        “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

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        • #5
          Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
          I hate warriors, too narrow-minded. I'll tell you what I do like though: a killer, a dyed-in-the-wool killer. Cold blooded, clean, methodical and thorough. Now a real killer, when he picked up the XS1, would've immediately asked about the little red button on the bottom of the gun.
          Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

          Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

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          • #6
            I see this as a rich boys toy. One for people that don't want to learn how to shoot.

            I almost shot coffee through my nose when I read this

            a novice shooter holds one and takes aim at a target 500 yards away. Normally it takes years of practice to hit something at that distance. But this shooter nails it on the first try.
            Any Marine marksmanship instructor can have you consistently hitting targets at 500 yards with iron sights in about an hour. Thats with a .223/5.56. Thats with a novice that has never handled a weapon before. Most of that time the person won't even have a gun in their hand. I'd say 10-15 mins range time max

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Gun Grape View Post
              I see this as a rich boys toy. One for people that don't want to learn how to shoot.

              I almost shot coffee through my nose when I read this



              Any Marine marksmanship instructor can have you consistently hitting targets at 500 yards with iron sights in about an hour. Thats with a .223/5.56. Thats with a novice that has never handled a weapon before. Most of that time the person won't even have a gun in their hand. I'd say 10-15 mins range time max
              Gunny,

              While the article may have chosen a poor example to make its point, the general idea seems to be that the gun can improve your abilities very quickly. Thus a good shooter over longer distances might be able to start making shots that would normally be at the high end of the 'unlikely' range. I'd be curious to see what this thing can do in the hands of trained marksmen. Does it make a difference? I imagine there were some interesting tests.
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              Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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              • #8
                BF,

                All I read there was iPad, You Tube, smart rifle...

                These guys try to tell you can be "Sniper 3.0" in 5 mins. Somehow denies the training of the marksman ;)
                No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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                • #9
                  A closer look at the integrated components...

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Doktor View Post
                    BF,

                    All I read there was iPad, You Tube, smart rifle...

                    These guys try to tell you can be "Sniper 3.0" in 5 mins. Somehow denies the training of the marksman ;)
                    It is the way of the future.And smart rifle munitions aren't that far from large scale production.However,even if we assume it solves the marksmanship problem,there still are tactics and fieldcraft to be mastered.New tech means new tactical opportunities and new problems to be solved.

                    Today,we have sniper records in A-stan at ~2800m.During the last decade long range record has been beaten several times.However,such cases are the exception.Most environments do not allow for such long ranges.Add in a bit of skill/luck on the enemy's side and you have much shorter ranges.300-400m is the average.Which isn't much different than WW2 standard encounters.When it comes to CT precision shooting,150m is a long range.
                    Those who know don't speak
                    He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Mihais View Post
                      It is the way of the future.And smart rifle munitions aren't that far from large scale production.However,even if we assume it solves the marksmanship problem,there still are tactics and fieldcraft to be mastered.New tech means new tactical opportunities and new problems to be solved.

                      Today,we have sniper records in A-stan at ~2800m.During the last decade long range record has been beaten several times.However,such cases are the exception.Most environments do not allow for such long ranges.Add in a bit of skill/luck on the enemy's side and you have much shorter ranges.300-400m is the average.Which isn't much different than WW2 standard encounters.When it comes to CT precision shooting,150m is a long range.
                      Isn't it contradictory to introduce a rifle bigger then the range?

                      Correct me if I misread you somehow, but, basically what you are saying is that the snipers have reached their "sweet spot"?

                      I come to this conclusion as there are very niche applications for a weapon with 2km+ precision range. Give it a rough terrain or urban landscape and the range is denied. If that's true, then how this system above is the future?
                      No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                      To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Doktor View Post
                        Isn't it contradictory to introduce a rifle bigger then the range?

                        Correct me if I misread you somehow, but, basically what you are saying is that the snipers have reached their "sweet spot"?

                        I come to this conclusion as there are very niche applications for a weapon with 2km+ precision range. Give it a rough terrain or urban landscape and the range is denied. If that's true, then how this system above is the future?
                        Every mission has its tools.So you take what you need.Incidentally, 50BMG is a very good round in urban warfare.You take a Lynx and you can safely demolish most cover and those behind it.
                        Also,it's quite a bit of science behind accurate long range shooting.Believe me or not,but you need to take into account even the Earth's curvature.TP makes/will make for faster training by automating a large part of the process.You also have extra time to train the snipers in tactics and fieldcraft.


                        Generally speaking,I'm a big fan of new tech.But I don't bother buying or using the first generation of anything.I'm more interested in being good with what works now and seeing where the trend leads.
                        Those who know don't speak
                        He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Mihais View Post
                          Every mission has its tools.So you take what you need.Incidentally, 50BMG is a very good round in urban warfare.You take a Lynx and you can safely demolish most cover and those behind it.
                          And those behind them

                          Also,it's quite a bit of science behind accurate long range shooting.Believe me or not,but you need to take into account even the Earth's curvature.
                          I believe you. When we were talking that to a friend some time ago, his reaction was, "WHAT?! Next thing you gonna tell me is they predict earthquakes!"

                          TP makes/will make for faster training by automating a large part of the process.You also have extra time to train the snipers in tactics and fieldcraft.
                          I somehow like the idea that whoever does something can do it without a computer. Or at least to understand how it is done.

                          Generally speaking,I'm a big fan of new tech.But I don't bother buying or using the first generation of anything.I'm more interested in being good with what works now and seeing where the trend leads.
                          Oh, I like new tech, but being a geek at a time, have been disappointed on so many levels, that now i wanna see two satisfied users before even thinking about the product.
                          No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                          To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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                          • #14
                            Did a little checking. The founder and Chairman of TrackingPoint is John McHale, an innovative entrepreneur who has started many high-tech companies that were subsequently purchased by Cisco, 3Com, Compaq, and HP. First year sales are expected to exceed $10 million dollars. Remington is now a customer and the US military has made inquiries. R&D costs have been recouped and the profit margin is increasing.

                            TrackingPoint - Executives - Board - Partners
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