TrackingPoint Technology, creators of Xact precision-guided firearm technology, wants to push the limit of long-range shooting. The company announced Wednesday that they are developing a “super gun” that will be able to shoot accurately over 3,100 yards, “farther than the longest confirmed long-range small arms shot of all time,” according to the release.
“What we have tried to do is allow technology to take what usually takes many years to get good at, the skill sets of long-range marksmanship, and to make the experience a better one,” Jason Schauble, TrackingPoint CEO told The Daily Caller.
TrackingPoint’s expectation is that the super gun will be able to accurately shoot farther than both the longest confirmed and unconfirmed kills at 2,707 and 3,079 yards, respectively. Craig Harrison, a British sniper, set the 2,707 yard Guinness World Record when he killed two Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan in 2009.
“Initially, we are doing the development project partly to see if it can be done, and I want to challenge the engineering staff to continue to develop things that are challenging,” Schauble said.
Announcement of a Super Gun project comes just months after TrackingPoint debuted the first “Precision Guided Firearm” that can shoot accurately over 1,000 yards. The Xact PGF technology allows shooters to make accurate first shots and then share those shots via social media.
The new super gun will incorporate parts of the Xact technology.
“Basically, we’ll be scaling up the technology and be using a more powerful firing platform to be able to get to extreme ranges. We’re going to have to beef up our laser range finder. We’re going to have to beef up some of our components,” Schauble told TheDC.
He said that the major concepts of the technology will stay the same, but everything from “the gun to the ammunition to the processing power to the laser range finder” will need to be scaled up to prove that it is possible to make long-range shots on the first attempt.
TrackingPoint’s PGF technology has been in development for three years, but Schauble said he expects to be able to demonstrate the super gun early next year. However, as of now, the project will not result in a commercially-available gun.
“We have to make more and develop a prototype and be able to prove that it works, and then if we decide that it is feasible, then we will potentially make more,” Schauble said.
The PGF system now sells for over $20,000, and Schauble expects that the super gun could cost as much as $50,000.
After the introduction of Xact, TrackingPoint came under fire for taking the sport out of shooting by developing a gun that is guaranteed to hit its target.
Schauble doesn’t agree with critics. He says that there are many people who want to enjoy the sport of long-range shooting but don’t have years to develop their skills. His technology allows shooters to continue into old age as their skills may begin to diminish, he notes.
“When the digital camera came along, there were a lot of traditional camera users who decried the end of an era and said this is cheating and now everyone will be able to take good pictures, but as you see in the last 10 to 15 years, there is a camera in almost everything that one uses. In 5 to 10 years, we feel that our smart rifles will be more the norm that the exception,” he said.
Schauble acknowledges the risks of technology like a super gun, but says that at the end of the day it is a firearm just like any other firearm. A stanch supporter of the Second Amendment, Shauble says that responsible firearms owners have every right to the best technology available.
“We look forward to coming up with new projects like being able to call wind or being able to use new kinds of products at night. These are all engineering challenges that we face over the next couple of years,” he said.