Ten TrackingPoint Rifles 'Will Feel Like 200 To The Enemy'
The makers of a computerized rifle that helps an amateur shooter hit moving targets at extreme ranges announced it will donate 10 of its "Precision Guided Firearms" to anyone "in a U.S. organization" willing to travel to Syria to battle Islamic State fighters.
Officials with gunmaker TrackingPoint say in light of recent attacks by the terrorist network, the ten guns will "save countless lives and enable our soldiers to dominate enemy combatants, including terrorists."
"It’s hard to sit back and watch what is happening over there," said TrackingPoint CEO John McHale. "We want to do our part. Ten guns don’t sound like a lot but the dramatic leap in lethality is a great force multiplier."
McHale added that one of his company's rifles could have the same effect as 20 standard-issued firearms.
The announcement comes as Islamic State terrorists launched a wave of attacks in France on Nov. 13, killing as many as 129 civilians and wounding hundreds more. France has vowed a military response to the attacks, conducting air strikes in the ISIS capital of Raqqa, Syria, and launching a global manhunt for organizers of the surprise attacks in Paris.
While the Pflugerville, Texas-based company has recently emerged from a major reorganization that cut almost half its workforce and shifted its leadership for the fourth time in three years, TrackingPoint has been trying to dive more deeply into the military market with its high-tech rifle. The 10-rifle offer includes its M600 rifle chambered in 5.56mm and its M800 Designated Marksman Rifle that fires a 7.62 NATO round.
What makes the TrackingPoint rifles unique is that they incorporate a sophisticated computerized sighting system that calculates wind, pressure, distance and movement to fire a precise shot at a target that could be moving up to 15 miles per hour. Essentially, the shooter "tags" his target through the scope, pulls the trigger and the rifle fires only when the variables are right for a clean shot.
The company also offers "Google Glass"-like technology that lets a soldier "see the battlefield without putting his head behind the gun, and is completely unexposed and can see and eliminate targets as if he were looking in the scope."
"I have shot several TrackingPoint [rifles] ... and can say without reservation the TrackingPoint [rifles] are by far the most lethal and accurate small-arms weapons platform ever designed and produced,” said a company rep with military experience.
But TrackingPoint has faced headwinds in gaining large-scale adoption of the technology, with price tags for the guns well over $10,ooo and some state game departments questioning the ethics of hunting with one. McHale argues the skepticism isn't unexpected, with many questioning the use of GPS devices and trail cameras in hunting when they were introduced.
“We were spreading like a Texas grass fire in August,” McHale said in an interview. “We know there’s a big market for our guns, and we know we can grow rapidly to meet it.”
