Longest Sniper Kill - 3871 yards 3540 m

[RicInOR]

The World's Longest Sniper Kill: The Enemy Shot Dead at 3,871 Yards (Over 2 Miles Away)

In mid-2017, the sniping community was rocked by incredible news: a Canadian sniper team operating in the Middle East had made a successful kill at a distance of more than two miles. The team, deployed to fight the Islamic State, killed an ISIS fighter at a distance of 3,871 yards. The shot was a record breaker and more than a thousand yards farther than the previous world record. The shot, which bordered on the impossible, was made only slightly less so by the skill of the snipers involved.

The sniper and his spotter had used a McMillan TAC-50 .50 heavy caliber sniper rifle.

Ballistic data in the article

example:

"The bullet was traveling at 940 feet per second when it hit, which means it slowed to below the speed of sound. "

"Finally, after traveling more than two miles the bullet hit with 1,472 foot pounds of energy, greater than most M16 bullets at point blank range."



Newspaper account of the kill:
Canadian elite special forces sniper makes record-breaking kill shot in Iraq

Read More

 

[11Charlie]

I am pretty sure there was a thread on this when it happened. Still think its crazy!!

Aim for the moon and I bet you can hit that guy two miles away!!

 

[Ura-Ki]

Optics are still the only limiting factor to the .50 BMG round!

 

[uscsoldier]

Optics are still the only limiting factor to the .50 BMG round!

And gravity

 

[Quartermaster]

"Weaponized math."

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I'm always impressed with the capabilities of the .50BMG! The
N Koreans used a 14.5mm heavy MG, really impressed with those!

That's one hell of a shot!

 

[clearconscience]

F. I can barely see 300 yards.
What did he do just point the rifle as high as he could, and squeeze.

Impressive

 

[CountryGent]

Nice shooting from a Canuck chum. An ISIS member sent to an even warmer climate than the Middle East and a record shot. Good show.

 

[Boboclown]

And gravity

And wind.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Well shucks...I shoot my .54 Hawken rifle at 3871 inches fairly often and tend to hit what I want...
'Course 3871 inches is a shade over 100 yards....

All in all the rifleman in the OP made a impressive shot.
Andy

 

[11Charlie]

And wind.

And the Coriolis affect!

 

[11Charlie]

Its incredible no matter how you look at it!

 

[Stomper]

I call BS.... it was a JDAM bullet!

 

[Boboclown]

Well shucks...I shoot my .54 Hawken rifle at 3871 inches fairly often and tend to hit what I want...
'Course 3871 inches is a shade over 100 yards....

All in all the rifleman in the OP made a impressive shot.
Andy

On the other hand... A Whitworth rifle (confederate rifle, went close to 200 grand in an auction) was used by a confederate to kill a union soldier 1,390 yards away.

 

[P7M13]

Considering the bullet trajectory angle is mostly down at that point, the fighter's mates must have been demoralized as they watched him split and peel like a banana.

 

[RicInOR]

@SKrueger - I searched a bit and didn't find it. if it turns up I have no issue with merging threads.
Anyway the top link was just released.

 

[Flymph]

People aren't mentioning air density and windage...
Sorry skipped over the windage comment.

What about a nick in the bullet, that I assume could be a variable at such distances.

I'm also glad that the world record distance shot was done by a North American. Makes me proud!