Ultra-long sniper shots. An American broke the world record for the range of a sniper shot. The longest shot from a sniper rifle.

Hitting a target from a distance of 3.5 kilometers with direct fire is a difficult task for almost anyone. military equipment. When it comes to civilian weapons, then completely unattainable. More precisely, it was unattainable until this moment. The Texas guys from the Hill Country Rifle company, which produces and refines rifles, did the hitherto impossible - they hit the target from a distance of 3,475 meters (3,800 yards).

Thefirearmblog reports that the previous unofficial record was 3,550 yards (3,246 meters). The author of the new achievement is Jim Spinella, who shot from a modified Long Range Extreme 375 Cheytac rifle ($6995 for the base model) and used CHEYTAC .375/350 GR cartridges.

It took the sniper 19 rounds to zero. After making all the adjustments, the hit accuracy was 90% on a 36-inch target (91.5 cm). The shooting took place far from “greenhouse conditions” - during the record-setting period, the wind was blowing at a speed of 4 m/s with gusts of up to 7.5 m/s.

To understand the severity of the moment, here are a few facts:

• at the peak of the parabola the bullet was 100 meters above the aiming point;
• from the moment of the shot to the hit, the bullet flew for more than 8.5 seconds;
• Due to air vibrations, the target is almost invisible at such a distance even through an optical sight.

The guys are not going to stop there, planning to reach the 4,000-yard mark (about 3,658 meters) this fall. So far the achievements of snipers in range accurate shooting were not officially recorded, but Spinella and his comrades decided that it was time to put an end to this.

In combat conditions, the farthest confirmed sniper shot was made from a distance of 2475 meters. In November 2009, British Army Corporal Craig Harrison participated in a joint force operation in Afghanistan. During the battle in the Musa Qala area, using the L115A3 Long Range Rifle rifle, from a distance of 2475 meters, he managed to destroy two Taliban machine gunners with two shots, and with the third, disable the machine gun itself. In an interview with the BBC, Harrison said that it took him 9 sighting shots to then successively “place” three bullets exactly on targets.

Corporal Craig Harrison - author of the "combat" sniper shooting range record

Harrison also mentioned that on that day in the Musa Qala area weather were ideal for long-distance shooting: clear visibility and complete calm. The bullets fired by Harrison from sniper rifle L115A3 Long Range Rifle reached its target after approximately 6 seconds of flight.

It is noteworthy that the rifle and cartridge type used by Jim Spinella are legal on the civilian market and are available for purchase as hunting weapons in many countries of the world. Thus, anyone can purchase a rifle if they have a purchase permit rifled weapons and the required amount of money.

This story began almost three years ago, when Russian shooter and manufacturer of high-precision long-range rifles Vlad Lobaev saw a video on YouTube where cheerful old men from Texas hit a target with a rifle at a distance of 3,600 yards (3,292 m). Vlad decided to take on the challenge and compete with the Americans. Fortunately, he had his own weapons factory, Lobaev Arms, at hand.

Alexander Grek

The Americans fired from a custom-made ultra-long-range rifle of rare caliber .375 CheyTac. By that time, Lobaev’s company was already mass-producing the ultra-long-range rifle SVLK-14 “Twilight” in an even rarer and more powerful caliber .408 CheyTac, which allows sniper shooting at distances over 2 km. For the record, they took a special custom “Twilight” with a titanium chassis and firing pin, with a barrel length of 720 mm and a weight of more than 9 kg. In April 2015, on a field in Kaluga region(there are simply no multi-kilometer shooting ranges in Russia) from this rifle, Lobaev’s team, after sighting shots, hit the target at a distance of 3400 m. The video with the record was posted on YouTube. The Americans reacted calmly: they say, okay, let's continue the duel in absentia.

Record rifle SVLK-14 “Twilight”

Subsonic

Not only the Americans reacted: a French sniper from Foreign Legion after long training, I hit the target at a distance of 3600 m, but apart from an article in a small specialized magazine, there is no information about this record, no one has posted videos. The Americans also crossed the mark, first 3600 and then 4000 yards (3657 m). Lobaev’s company studied this video almost under a microscope: some parameters of the shot did not match, the flight time did not match up with the initial speed and angle of inclination of the bar. Nothing has changed in ballistics, but several hundred meters have been added. This does not happen, but since the competition was originally conceived as a competition of gentlemen, the Lobaevites decided to continue to shoot fairly with the Americans. And win by knockout - hit from four kilometers away.

Ultra-long-range shooting for shooters is considered to be shooting at a distance where at the end of the trajectory the bullet travels at deep subsonic levels, because with supersonic everything is clear - there ballistics are considered easy, simple mathematical methods. But subsonic ballistics is considered more difficult, and what is most unpleasant is that in this mode some physical processes occur that make it difficult to shoot at ultra-long distances. Firstly, a re-stabilization effect occurs. Linear speed slows down per 1000 m, say, three times - from 900 m/s to 300 m/s. And the bullet rotation speed is only 5-10%. At subsonic speeds the speed is even lower, but the rotation speed is still the same. This leads to the fact that all the design and manufacturing defects of the bullet begin to come out, which greatly affects the dispersion. In addition, at low speeds, errors in assessing wind and weather conditions become noticeable. The second factor is turbulence in the bottom part at deep subsonic levels. At speeds slightly less than 300 m/s this is not critical, but at ranges of more than 2 km it greatly affects accuracy. There is only one way to combat these phenomena - to develop a bullet design with a different bottom design.

Classic problems for ultra-long range shooting require increased bullet weight and improved aerodynamics. Lobaev set his first record with a standard D27 bullet, an analogue of the Lost River, widely known in the West. These are elongated, solidly turned bullets for long-range shooting, also called Ultra VLD. They were no longer suitable for new records. If you follow the path of increasing the mass of the bullet, you will need to change the entire cartridge - either increase the chamber or use a new progressively burning powder, or even switch to a different caliber. Another caliber (Browning .50 or domestic 12.7 x 108 mm) is a transition to another class and a completely different weapon with all the ensuing consequences: other barrels, bolts, receivers, dimensions, weight and a significant increase in recoil, at which there is no talk of enjoying shooting at all.

Lobaev decided not to deviate from the old cartridge case and caliber .408 CheyTac, not to change either the dimensions or weight of the weapon. He was able to develop a heavier 30 gram D30 bullet while staying within the standard cartridge. This was also done because the cartridge is quite accessible and anyone can try to repeat the achievement. The design of the bullet was also modified: it began to resemble a long elongated spindle with two pointed ends, which made it possible to achieve an almost ideal ballistic coefficient of one. This required a change in the rifle's design, with a faster rifling pitch to stabilize the longer, heavier bullet. If the classic rifling pitch in the 408 caliber is thirteen, then Lobaev decided to use ten on the record-breaking rifle. Although starting speed the new bullet was smaller (875 m/s for the D30 versus 935 m/s for the D27), and at 2 km it had a flatter trajectory.

Lateral support

One of the main problems with record shooting is that you can't keep raising the bar forever. optical sight. When shooting at such distances, the rifle has large elevation angles, as when shooting overhead, almost like a howitzer. At the top point of the trajectory, the bullet travels at an altitude of several hundred meters. No scopes allow such adjustments for aiming, so for record shooting they use special rails for the scope. However, you cannot endlessly raise the bar: the muzzle device begins to block the aiming line. This is exactly what confused Lobaev in the last American record: the angle of inclination of the bar did not correspond to the correction required for such a distance. Lobaev spotted a solution to this problem at the artillery, where the sight had long been moved to the left of the barrel. The solution is simple, but no one in the world has used it before Lobaev. If you look closely at the photo, you can see that the sight is on record rifles Lobaeva passes to the left of the trunk. Which turned out to be more convenient for shooting: you don’t need to throw your head back and you can take the optimal position.

Lobaev's know-how is the side mount of the sight for ultra-long-range shooting. A year ago it was forbidden to even photograph it. This system can also be used by troops: when shooting at long distances, it helps to get by with available Russian sights.

On the second try

They were going to break the record last summer in the fields near Krasnodar. For this purpose it was made giant target 10 x 10 m in size, so that you can at least aim. No one knew how a bullet behaved at such distances, and there were no exact mathematical models. It was only clear that the bullets would enter the ground in the target area almost vertically, so the target was positioned at a large angle. Another difficulty was that the soil was wet during the shooting, so it was necessary to hit the target exactly: traces of hitting the ground at such low speeds and almost vertical angles are not visible. Unfortunately for the entire team, the record failed the first time: they failed to hit even such a large target. While they were preparing for the next round, the Americans posted a video on the Internet with a 4 km record. It became clear that we needed to shoot even further.

For the past year, Lobaev and his team have been conjuring their magic on the rifle and new bullets, practically not giving out information about the project, fearing to jinx the world record, constantly approaching the cherished milestone, first taking 4170 m, then 4200. And in October of this year they succeeded in the incredible: famous shooter and promoter Andrei Ryabinsky hit a target measuring 1 x 1 m from a distance of 4210 m. For such a shot, it was necessary to take into account a huge number of factors, including the rotation of the Earth - the bullet spent 13 seconds in the air! As the record holder himself said, it took him eight years to achieve this shot. So now the ball is in American territory. Or, more correctly, a bullet.

“We set a new world sniping record for accurate shot range - 4210m! I shot, spotters Yuri Sinichkin, Evgeny Titov, Vladimir Grebenyuk. I couldn't have done it without these people. Team work, requires the highest level competence from everyone. And everyone demonstrated exactly this level!

Before this, our team was approaching 4170, then 4200. And now 4210 is the final distance! There are only a few shooters in the world who could get even close to such results. I have been preparing for this shot for 8 years. Thanks to the guys from Lobaev_arms for the tool specially made for us and active working together to set a record! Well? In which country do the best snipers in the world live? - said Ryabinsky.

Using a specially prepared Russian-made SVLK-14 "Twilight" rifle, ranges of 4170 and 4157 meters were first taken, after which a target measuring 1 x 1 m was conquered, placed at a distance of 4210 meters. Previously, this record belonged to the Americans, who conquered a distance of 4158 meters.

The unique ultra-long-range rifle SVLK-14S (SVLK-14S), which for 6 years has been demonstrating record performance at ranges significantly exceeding the 2-kilometer line - is power, accuracy and extreme range in your hands.

The accuracy and range of this line of rifles sounds almost unreal and, yes, daring. Its owners often achieve sub-0.2 MOA 5-shot groups. And this is with such a powerful cartridge as the 408 Cheytac, which few can make shoot. We did it.

Hit over 3 kilometers? Easily! Nice band for 2 and a half? Yes, it is available with her. New world record? She can do that too.

The new model has a reinforced multi-layer sandwich made of carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass, and is specifically designed for use with such powerful ammunition, like Cheytac. Also, to further strengthen the structure, a long aluminum chassis is integrated into the stock.

At the heart of this model is the award-winning King v.3 bolt group, manufactured to tolerances much tighter than industry standards. Accurate and indestructible.

The receiver body is made of aircraft aluminum with a threaded insert made of high-alloy corrosion-resistant steel. The shutter is also made of solid, corrosion-resistant steel. The SVL model K-14S was deliberately left in a single-shot version to ensure the required rigidity of the receiver required for ultra long range shooting, as well as modularity and interchangeability of calibers (bolts with larvae: Cheytac, Supermagnum, Magnum).

A LOBAEV Hummer Barrels stainless steel match barrel completes the picture. Manufactured to the highest standards in the shooting world, these barrels take shooting to the edge - POSSIBLE. Anyone who has tried it knows.

All lengths produced by us are optionally available for this model.

Price: 1,945,000 rub.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Technical accuracy - 0.3 MOA\9 mm between centers (5 shots at 100m)
Maximum Effective Range (sp) - 2500m++
Muzzle velocity - more than 900 m/s
Operating temperature range - -45\+65 C
Caliber - .408 Cheytac\.338LM\.300WM
Length – 1430 mm
Height - 175 mm
Width - 96 mm
Weight - 9,600 g
Barrel length – 900 mm
Trigger force – reg. 50-1500g
Bolt - right
Port - right
Shop - no

BASIC EQUIPMENT:

• Barrel contour - SHG
• Barrel length – 900mm
• Caliber – 408 Cheytac
• Muzzle brake- T-Tuner
• Doly - 6
• Bipod - no
• PBS - no
• HB\TV mount - Dedal OSB-1
• Sight mount - STD Picatiny

The experiment was carried out on agricultural fields in the Kaluga region.

World record set Russian snipers, hitting a target located at a distance of almost three and a half kilometers from the firing position. The incredible result is now being called a new victory domestic weapons and are even going to apply to the Guinness Book of Records. Our field shooting masters beat the previous group record by 100 meters, and the professional sniper record by more than one thousand.

The fire experiment took place on the border of the Kaluga and Tula regions near the regional center of Tarusa. It was here that sniper Vladislav Lobaev, together with his team, decided to carry out an ambitious task - to break the world record in rifle shooting.

This is an exclusive shooting - of a record nature. This is not group shooting - this is shooting to hit, at least one shot,” says sniper rifle designer Vladislav Lobaev.

By the way, Vladislav Lobaev himself is an athlete and enjoys long-range shooting. In addition, Lobaev developed the latest sniper rifle, which now bears his name. A few years ago, a man created the first private company in Russia serial production precision weapons. After many achievements in the development of weapons to go to a new record - already in sniper business- Vlad, one might say, was forced by the Americans.

We are talking about a video that appeared on the Internet in which four foreign cowboys of advanced age hit a target at a distance of 30 football fields - that's about three thousand three hundred meters. Among domestic masters, the foreign experiment aroused suspicion and turned into a challenge.

Already here, in Russia, a distance of three thousand four hundred meters is a hundred more than that of the Americans. In other words, the territory for the experiment is comparable to 32 football fields according to FIFA standards. Or a little less than any runway at Domodedovo Airport. And in Moscow itself, this is almost the same distance as from Manezhnaya Square to the Belorussky Station - the entire Tverskaya Street. Find your way around rural areas The rangefinder helped. It was with his help that points for the sniper and targets were chosen in the fields.

The main condition of the experiment is the absence of obstacles at the entire distance. Only the field in the Kaluga region turned out to be like this. The target was set three agricultural fields from the firing position. The participants had to get here through plowed soil and mud.

The target itself measures one meter by one meter. The shield was dug right into the remains of last year's hay.

Mission Impossible. 3400 - simply no one has done it. If this happens, it will be a world record,” says Sergei Parfenov, master of sports in bullet shooting.

In Vladislav’s hands was a complex rifle, the likes of which have no analogues in the world. The sniper created the weapon with his own hands. In total, the athlete has six different models in his weapon range. By the way, this sniper rifle is called “Twilight”. Its caliber is 408 Chey Tac, muzzle velocity is 900 meters per second, length is 1430 millimeters, barrel length is 780 millimeters, weight is more than nine and a half kilograms.

True, to achieve the record, in order to increase the range, the weapon had to be modified: the bar for the sight was increased, the rear part of the barrel was moved higher. In addition, even the bullets had to be loaded with special ones - with a pointed tip that, like lightning, cuts through the air.

The first few shots were encouraging - although they didn’t hit the target, they definitely caught up with the Americans. And in order to overtake, it seems that all the conditions at the shooting range coincided - sunny weather and even the wind subsides from time to time. After some time, the bullet still pierced the target.

According to Vlad Lobaev, this result is still better than the American one and is worthy even of the Guinness Book of Records. Note that the previous record was set in Afghanistan by professional British military sniper Craig Garrison. In 2010, using an L115A3 Long Range Rifle of 8.59 mm caliber, which has a standard firing range of about 1,100 meters, he hit a target located at a distance of 2.47 kilometers.

Russian sniper Andrei Ryabinsky, in a team with spotters Yuri Sinichkin, Evgeniy Titov and Vladimir Grebenyuk, set a world range record aimed shooting from a sniper rifle. According to a blog post by the Russian arms company Lobaev Arms, the range of the accurate shot was 4210 meters.

For accurate shooting, the SVLK-14S “Twilight” rifle was used, specially designed for the maximum possible range of an accurate shot. According to Ryabinsky, the bullet covered a distance of 4210 meters in 13 seconds. For targeted shooting at such a distance, experts took into account many factors, including wind, Atmosphere pressure, derivation, temperature and rotation of the Earth.

Derivation is the deflection of a rotating bullet after a shot. The deflection occurs perpendicular to the plane of the oncoming air flow. The displacement of the bullet coincides with the direction of the rifling of the barrel of the weapon from which it was fired. For the SVD sniper rifle, the deflection is up to 60 centimeters when shooting at a target at a distance of one kilometer.

Many modern sights for small arms derivation is taken into account constructively. In particular, the PSO-1 for SVD is specially mounted so that after the shot the bullet goes slightly to the left. In artillery, this phenomenon is either included in the firing tables, or is also taken into account constructively.

The SVLK-14S sniper rifle is available in three calibers: .408 Chey Tac (10.36 x 77 mm), .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6 x 70 mm) and .300 Winchester Magnum (7.62 x 67 mm). A .408 caliber weapon was used to shoot at a record distance. Shooting was carried out at a target one meter wide and one meter high.

The length of the rifle is 1430 millimeters with a barrel length of 900 millimeters. The rifle is equipped with a longitudinally sliding bolt. The mass of SVLK-14S is 9.6 kilograms. The accuracy of fire from a rifle is 0.3 arc minutes.

The previous world record for accurate shot range was set by the American M300 sniper rifle. It was 4157 meters. Meanwhile, in June 2017, a Canadian sniper set the record for a confirmed successful accurate shot made in combat conditions. Using a 12.7 mm TAC-50 rifle, a Canadian in Iraq killed a militant at a distance of 3540 meters.

Correction: Initially, the news stated that the SVLK-14S sniper rifle is equipped with a five-round magazine. In fact, another rifle of this family, the SVLK-14M, is equipped with such a magazine. The SVLK-14S was deliberately left single-shot by the developers to maintain maximum accuracy and firing range. We apologize to the readers.

Vasily Sychev