Sharpshooter

[dieseltaylor]

From the Daily Telegraph. I cannot help feeling surprise and dismay that in a land with long sightlines this starte of affairs existed at all.

"Royal Marines in Afghanistan have begun using a new long-range rifle in their fight against the Taliban.Members of 40 Commando have deployed the Sharpshooter on the front line in Helmand province for about a fortnight now, the Ministry of Defence said.The semi-automatic weapon - the first new infantry combat rifle in more than 20 years - is more accurate over long distances with higher calibre rounds.More than 400 were bought in January as a £1.5m urgent operational requirement.

The Sharpshooter will be used alongside the Army's standard issue SA80 A2 assault rifle, and each weapon shared amongst three or four soldiers.

Sgt Baz Evans of 40 Commando said: "I have fired over 1,000 rounds on the rifle in training; accurately hitting targets over 800m (2,625ft) away.

"The new Sharpshooter rifle provides quick and accurate fire, with the flexibility of using it in the assault rifle role as well. It's hoofing."

Members of 40 Commando have begun using the Sharpshooter rifle in battles with the Taliban in dangerous Sangin in Helmand province.

The new semi-automatic weapon fires a 7.62mm round, larger than the SA80's 5.56mm bullet.

Col Peter Warden, from Defence, Equipment and Support, said: "It is a versatile weapon which will give our units a new dimension to their armoury."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McBcgob9DcA

[Elmar Bijlsma]

Not sure why you are dismayed. This pads out an already respectable list of infantry weapons.

Brit have already had more reach then most with their SA80 family and their widespread use of sharpshooters at the sharp end.

[dieseltaylor]

But I do not really folow modern warfare a la CMx2 : ).

Generally speaking wars are lost when your rifles do not fire as far as the enemies - terrain being open of course. Three hundred metres plus is not that far to my mind but unacquainted as I am with the Afghan weaponry ....

Suffice to say the recipients of the new rifle appear to be gagging for it which suggests that they feel there is a shortcoming in the armoury.

[akd]

Does the British army really call it "The Sharpshooter"? I had known it simply as L129A1, made by US company Lewis Machine and Tool (under the name LEI, I think). This rather small company beat out HK and FN for the contract!

But I do not really folow modern warfare a la CMx2 : ).

Generally speaking wars are lost when your rifles do not fire as far as the enemies - terrain being open of course. Three hundred metres plus is not that far to my mind but unacquainted as I am with the Afghan weaponry ....

Suffice to say the recipients of the new rifle appear to be gagging for it which suggests that they feel there is a shortcoming in the armoury.

Well, it is not really standard rifles that are the issue (most Taliban fighters have AK-47s), but the PKs and SVDs that abound. Adding an GPMG and 7.62mm sharpshooter's rifle to the squad restores parity.

[Pak_43]

I think NATO doctrine expects engagements at 300m-400m hence that's the effective range of most modern combat rifles.

I would have thought the SA80 is no less accurate (and probably more) than the ubiqitous AK I'm sure they'll be up against....

Given the vids I've seen of troops banging away at huge ranges with the vehicle mounted MG, I'd have thought there's a role for an accurate marksmens weapon to engage in more pinpoint firing though...

[MeatEtr]

What's the deal with arms makers putting religious markings on their guns? I recall an incident here in the US about a batch of M4s that had a scripture reference on them. I guess making tools of death make you a holy roller apparently. I was happy to hear some soldiers refused to wield these... ahem "holy" weapons.

This just feeds into the extremists narrative that the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are a "crusade" against Islam.

[Stalins Organ]

Killing people is much easier if you have your deity's approval to do so.

[MeatEtr]

Killing people is much easier if you have your deity's approval to do so.

So then where's the religious markings on weapons from WWI, WWII, or Vietnam. Interesting we start putting this crap on weapons when we're fighting Islamic countries.

[Stalins Organ]

Markings on weapons are not the only way of knowing you have your deity's approval - I've seen/read plenty of examples of officers & men believing god was on their side.

Markings on weapons is just 1 expression of it - and not a particularly new one at that (check out the Morko handgun).

Invoking the gods on your side is an ancient activity & it should be no great surprise that we haven't grown out of it in "the west".

[gunnergoz]

As far as I know, it was only one commercial aftermarket sight maker that had put numbers on his sights denoting passages of the bible. Many of these sights were purchased by the military. Once the practice became known, I believe the military insisted upon it being stopped and the sights swapped out for plain ones.

[Affentitten]

What about the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch?

[Stalins Organ]

I don't believe the original was inscribed with anything

[MeatEtr]

Markings on weapons are not the only way of knowing you have your deity's approval - I've seen/read plenty of examples of officers & men believing god was on their side.

Markings on weapons is just 1 expression of it - and not a particularly new one at that (check out the Morko handgun).

Invoking the gods on your side is an ancient activity & it should be no great surprise that we haven't grown out of it in "the west".

Well of course this goes back to ancient times, that goes without saying. It's been that way since religion was invented. There's nothing wrong with a soldier marking his weapon with whatever religion he chose to believe in to feel justified to kill. It's understandable and a very ancient way to think.

It's different though when a soldiers weapon is already marked for him. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't have to be Catholic or Christian to join the US military.

The classic phrase of "separation of church and state" come to mind.

[Stalins Organ]

So it's been happening since time began...and...er....what's your point again??

[akd]

As far as I know, it was only one commercial aftermarket sight maker that had put numbers on his sights denoting passages of the bible. Many of these sights were purchased by the military. Once the practice became known, I believe the military insisted upon it being stopped and the sights swapped out for plain ones.

It was Trijicon, maker of the ACOG sight. I understand their CEO is a rather "devout" individual, but all the referenced biblical passages are about or contain the word "light," so you could perhaps see double meaning in the practice.

[MeatEtr]

So it's been happening since time began...and...er....what's your point again??

Thanks for asking since you clearly missed it. It has nothing to do with a soldier wanting a god on his side in war. It's wrong for the head of a arms maker to put their own beliefs/prayers on the weapons of any nation. Especially if that nation is open to all religions and non-believers. It's called freedom of religion.

Not to mention since Afghanistan/Iraq is so highly religious, there are Crusade/Jihad undertones to something like this. Which is exactly why the military put a stop to it. Not too bad for "the west" that you said hasn't grown out of "invoking the gods".

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/21/rifles.bibles/index.html

[Stalins Organ]

Yeah so it's wrong....I think everyone has said that since it was first pointed out........I never said otherwise - I said (paraphrasing myself!) that it is a time old practice that is completely understandable - perhaps you missed that point?

Edit - perhaps the sights with the references on them will becoem collectors pieces??!!

[MeatEtr]

Well, based on your previous posts, you implied there's no difference between an individual marking his weapon with his own beliefs and an arms maker doing it. Which I think most would disagree with, including myself for the reasons I already posted.

[Stalins Organ]

I said both had been done for at least a very long time - the gun I linked to dates from 1300 or thereabouts IIRC.

What I said was that killing people is always easier if you think you have your deity's approval, and people have been invoking religon in various forms for the killing of others for a very long time

I don't see any attempt there to equate marking of personal weapons with manufacturing them with such markings.

But since you asked.....come to think of it....no...I dont' see any difference. Both are expressions that your imaginary friend is better than the other guy's imaginary friend and are a sad reflection of the human condition.

And I applaud the atheists who raised the matter with the US military for standing up the the Military-Industrial Theocracy.

As a matter of interest.....why did you bring the matter up in the first place?