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$27,500 gun hits targets at 1,000 yards
A new company in Texas is selling a precision rifle with a unique technology that allows even an inexperienced shooter to hit a target 10 football fields away. The price tag is a staggering $27,500.
Tracking Point describes the weapon as a smartgun, with a trigger wired to the scope so that the gun won't fire until it's locked on the target that's been tagged.
"There are a number of people who say the gun shoots itself," said Chief Executive Officer Jason Schauble, a former Marine captain who was wounded in Iraq. "It doesn't. The shooter is always in the loop."
The TrackingPoint rifles, which are Wi-Fi enabled and have a color display so users can post videos of their shots on Facebook or YouTube, started shipping in May. Schauble said his company is on track to sell as many as 500 of them this year, to clients that he describes as "high net worth hunters" who want to kill big game at long range.
TrackingPoint claims that the gun took down a South African wildebeest at 1,103 yards, a company record.
The company also has a deal to sell about 1,000 of the guns to Remington, which is Schauble's former employer. But the Remington model will be less expensive, running about $5,000 each. TrackingPoint's total sales for the year are expected to be about $10 million.
Lifelong hunter and construction executive Bob Ellis is one client who raves about the rifle. "I have not shot anything like it ever," he said in an email to CNNMoney. "The distance and accuracy of the rifle is a big WOW!"
Founder and chairman John McHale is a serial entrepreneur who's started several companies that were ultimately sold to Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500), 3Com and Compaq, which was later bought by HP (HPQ, Fortune 500). Early in his career he worked on weapons accuracy systems for tanks. The idea for TrackingPoint came to McHale while he was on African safari and frustrated by his inability to shoot a gazelle at 300 yards.
Schauble is well aware of the damage that guns can do. His right hand is partially paralyzed after he was shot with an AK-47 during combat in Iraq. He wears black "kill bracelets" commemorating dead friends. He admitted that TrackingPoint's technology is "controversial."
Government agencies contacted the company last year for a demonstration of the weapon at a shooting range at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia. But Schauble says that the Department of Homeland Security didn't express any concerns that TrackingPoint's weapon is more of a threat than existing firearm systems.
Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives declined to comment to CNNMoney.
But the weapon has some "scary implications from a security perspective," said Rommel Dionisio, a gun industry analyst for Wedbush Securities.
"There are a handful of snipers who can hit a target at 1,000 yards. But now, anybody can do it," he said. "You can put some tremendous capability in the hands of just about anybody, even an untrained shooter."
Indeed, novice shooters from CNNMoney tried the gun and did hit targets 1,000 yards away.
What sets the TrackingPoint rifle apart is its high-tech electronic scope that automatically accounts for distance, gravity, wind speed, humidity, the rotation of the Earth and other variables that can influence whether a bullet hits its target.
The TrackingPoint scope allows the shooter to "tag" a target by placing a red dot on it within the crosshairs. Even when the safety is off and the shooter's finger pulls the trigger, the rifle will only fire when the crosshairs are locked on the red dot, making it relatively easy for even an inexperienced shooter to hit a target at long range.
Tracking Point charges from $22,500 to $27,500 for the different versions of its bolt-action rifle, which has a five-round magazine using .300 or .338 caliber ammunition.
Schauble hopes to land a contract with the U.S. military. He said that American soldiers could benefit not only from the long-range accuracy, but also the rifle's Wi-fi communications features.
"From a patriotic standpoint and as a veteran, I would love every soldier to be better armed today, and this technology could get them there," he said.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/11/news/companies/trackingpoint-gun/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
I find this frightening.
Tracking Point describes the weapon as a smartgun, with a trigger wired to the scope so that the gun won't fire until it's locked on the target that's been tagged.
"There are a number of people who say the gun shoots itself," said Chief Executive Officer Jason Schauble, a former Marine captain who was wounded in Iraq. "It doesn't. The shooter is always in the loop."
The TrackingPoint rifles, which are Wi-Fi enabled and have a color display so users can post videos of their shots on Facebook or YouTube, started shipping in May. Schauble said his company is on track to sell as many as 500 of them this year, to clients that he describes as "high net worth hunters" who want to kill big game at long range.
TrackingPoint claims that the gun took down a South African wildebeest at 1,103 yards, a company record.
The company also has a deal to sell about 1,000 of the guns to Remington, which is Schauble's former employer. But the Remington model will be less expensive, running about $5,000 each. TrackingPoint's total sales for the year are expected to be about $10 million.
Lifelong hunter and construction executive Bob Ellis is one client who raves about the rifle. "I have not shot anything like it ever," he said in an email to CNNMoney. "The distance and accuracy of the rifle is a big WOW!"
Founder and chairman John McHale is a serial entrepreneur who's started several companies that were ultimately sold to Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500), 3Com and Compaq, which was later bought by HP (HPQ, Fortune 500). Early in his career he worked on weapons accuracy systems for tanks. The idea for TrackingPoint came to McHale while he was on African safari and frustrated by his inability to shoot a gazelle at 300 yards.
Schauble is well aware of the damage that guns can do. His right hand is partially paralyzed after he was shot with an AK-47 during combat in Iraq. He wears black "kill bracelets" commemorating dead friends. He admitted that TrackingPoint's technology is "controversial."
Government agencies contacted the company last year for a demonstration of the weapon at a shooting range at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia. But Schauble says that the Department of Homeland Security didn't express any concerns that TrackingPoint's weapon is more of a threat than existing firearm systems.
Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives declined to comment to CNNMoney.
But the weapon has some "scary implications from a security perspective," said Rommel Dionisio, a gun industry analyst for Wedbush Securities.
"There are a handful of snipers who can hit a target at 1,000 yards. But now, anybody can do it," he said. "You can put some tremendous capability in the hands of just about anybody, even an untrained shooter."
Indeed, novice shooters from CNNMoney tried the gun and did hit targets 1,000 yards away.
What sets the TrackingPoint rifle apart is its high-tech electronic scope that automatically accounts for distance, gravity, wind speed, humidity, the rotation of the Earth and other variables that can influence whether a bullet hits its target.
The TrackingPoint scope allows the shooter to "tag" a target by placing a red dot on it within the crosshairs. Even when the safety is off and the shooter's finger pulls the trigger, the rifle will only fire when the crosshairs are locked on the red dot, making it relatively easy for even an inexperienced shooter to hit a target at long range.
Tracking Point charges from $22,500 to $27,500 for the different versions of its bolt-action rifle, which has a five-round magazine using .300 or .338 caliber ammunition.
Schauble hopes to land a contract with the U.S. military. He said that American soldiers could benefit not only from the long-range accuracy, but also the rifle's Wi-fi communications features.
"From a patriotic standpoint and as a veteran, I would love every soldier to be better armed today, and this technology could get them there," he said.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/11/news/companies/trackingpoint-gun/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
I find this frightening.
You survived a "shark attack". The odds of an "attack" are astronomical considering all of the man hours on the beach, in the ocean, yearly. Nonetheless, you are "attacked" and survived. Odds there are probably a lot tighter, perhaps 50/50.
Me saying you "have no worries" is in reference to the fact that the odds of you getting shot by this horrible, dangerous, life threatening gun... is probably in the same ball park as being "attacked" by a shark. Since you survived that, chances are that not only will you not get shot by this gun, but that you'd survive being shot by this horrible monster of a gun.
There are of course a lot of things you could do to better your odds of not getting shot, but I doubt you are capable of them.
Me saying you "have no worries" is in reference to the fact that the odds of you getting shot by this horrible, dangerous, life threatening gun... is probably in the same ball park as being "attacked" by a shark. Since you survived that, chances are that not only will you not get shot by this gun, but that you'd survive being shot by this horrible monster of a gun.
There are of course a lot of things you could do to better your odds of not getting shot, but I doubt you are capable of them.
Buddy, Ill never understand you. Here you are worrying about a gun that isn't even out there yet... where is the logic there, tough guy?
Okay brice - I am going to go real slow for you but this is your last chance.
brice said: You'll be attacked by a shark before you ever get shot by this gun.
mikesimon said: I've been attacked by a shark already
brice said: Then you've got no worries
That is illogical brice.
You said an event would precede me getting shot by the aforementioned gun.
I said that the event had occurred.
Logically that means that getting shot by the gun is more likely than it would have been had I not gotten attacked by a shark BECAUSE THE PRECEDING EVENT ALREADY HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you grasp that logic?
That's my final lesson. If you don't get it by now you're doomed to wallow in a morass of confusion.
brice said: You'll be attacked by a shark before you ever get shot by this gun.
mikesimon said: I've been attacked by a shark already
brice said: Then you've got no worries
That is illogical brice.
You said an event would precede me getting shot by the aforementioned gun.
I said that the event had occurred.
Logically that means that getting shot by the gun is more likely than it would have been had I not gotten attacked by a shark BECAUSE THE PRECEDING EVENT ALREADY HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you grasp that logic?
That's my final lesson. If you don't get it by now you're doomed to wallow in a morass of confusion.
Yeah, you.... the voice of logic. You're doomed... I mean, you've been attacked by a shark so naturally you'd worry about being shot by this gun. (Where's the logic in that, oh voice of logic?)
You really are getting confused and you can't seem to figure it out.
I apologize for introducing logic into the discussion - I won't do it again.
I apologize for introducing logic into the discussion - I won't do it again.
You give it up, worry wart. You ever consider your chances of being hit by lightning? You're doomed... big old shark attack, the potential for being shot by this gun, and then lightning...? Wow.... doomed, I tell you...DOOMED.
Give up brice.
Logically, if you were attacked by a shark and lived, this is no big deal...logically, that is.
My first reaction is~what a waste of technology. Why come up with more ways to kill instead of solving the problems so many humans face, like simply having clean water, healthy food and shelter ??
How about putting this energy towards building a sustainable economy ??
How about putting this energy towards building a sustainable economy ??
Well, logically - if we assume your post to be accurate, my worries should be increased - logically, that is.
Then you've got no worries.
I've been attacked by a shark already.
Honestly, find something else to worry about. You'll be attacked by a shark before you ever get shot by this gun.
All nutcases have money?
Well, the majority of people aren't the ones I worry about. It the nutcases that scare me.
The price will still keep it out of the hands of the majority of people.
Since the gun homes in on the target, there would be no need to waste ammo on target practice.
At least you have to be looking through the scope, in order to find your target, so wouldn't be able to "shoot from the hip", so to speak.
I agree that even though the price is high, it will undoubtedly come down. Look at the smart phones, TV's etc.
At least you have to be looking through the scope, in order to find your target, so wouldn't be able to "shoot from the hip", so to speak.
I agree that even though the price is high, it will undoubtedly come down. Look at the smart phones, TV's etc.
And then someone will buy them, then someone will steal them and we will be even worse off with a psycho running around with one of these is my fear.They will eventually make their selves to the streets just like all the others have.
From the article posted above:
"....The company also has a deal to sell about 1,000 of the guns to Remington, which is Schauble's former employer. But the Remington model will be less expensive, running about $5,000 each....."
"....The company also has a deal to sell about 1,000 of the guns to Remington, which is Schauble's former employer. But the Remington model will be less expensive, running about $5,000 each....."
I am sure the ammunition is not cheap either. I would assume that people are not going to be playing around with this doing target practice.
Even with that, if you took a 90% reduction in price because of the availability of this new technology, it still keeps the price out of the range of a lot of people.
I won't be getting one, but I guess the old saying stands true... "if there's a will, there's a way.".
I won't be getting one, but I guess the old saying stands true... "if there's a will, there's a way.".
You all know about how the cost of advanced technology always starts real high and then a few years later - "voila - I could afford one of those".
I'm trying to picture a South African wildebeest and by its name ---- a gun that shoots from a great distance sounds in order.
Wow, who would buy a 27,000 dollar gun? This is the gun for celebrities and billionaires. But . . . it won't be long until they make a less expensive version. Lordy, a 'smart gun'. If someone is shooting at me, my only hope is that they'll miss . . .
Next they'll make it so you can hook your ipod up to it and shoot to your favorite song.
Wow, who would buy a 27,000 dollar gun? This is the gun for celebrities and billionaires. But . . . it won't be long until they make a less expensive version. Lordy, a 'smart gun'. If someone is shooting at me, my only hope is that they'll miss . . .
Next they'll make it so you can hook your ipod up to it and shoot to your favorite song.
Two words.... "Price Tag". That'll keep just about everybody from having one.
(I do find it troubling that they would go to these lengths to take skill and strategy completely out of the equation.)
(I do find it troubling that they would go to these lengths to take skill and strategy completely out of the equation.)
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