McMillan TAC-50
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The McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle is produced in the United States by the McMillan Brothers Rifle Company. This long-range anti-materiel/anti-personnel weapon is based on previous designs from the same company, which first appeared during the late 1980s. McMillan makes several versions of .50 caliber rifles, based on the same proprietary action, for military, law enforcement and civilian use. The TAC-50 is a military and law enforcement weapon, which is the standard Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) of the Canadian Forces since 2000. Rifles of the TAC-50 family are capable of outstanding accuracy and guaranteed to provide 0.5 MOA groups with match grade ammunition.[1] The McMillan TAC-50 is a manually operated, rotary bolt action rifle. The large bolt has dual front locking lugs, and its body has spiral flutes to reduce weight. The heavy match-grade barrel, made by Lilja barrels, is also fluted to dissipate heat quickly and reduce overall weight and fitted with an effective muzzle brake to reduce recoil. The rifle is fed from detachable box magazines, holding 5 rounds each. The stock is made from fiberglass by McMillan Stocks, and is designed to be used from a bipod only. The buttstock is adjustable for length of pull with rubber spacers, and can be folded to the side or removed for compact storage. The rifle has no open sights and can be used with a variety of telescopic or night sights. In Canadian service, the standard telescopic sight is a 16X Leupold optical sight. McMillan also endorses the Nightforce NXS 8–32x56 Mil-dot telescopic sight for the TAC-50. Longest Distance KillA Canadian sniper in Afghanistan made the longest recorded kill in history with this weapon. On a March afternoon in 2002, Corporal Rob Furlong of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) squinted through the scope of his McMillan TAC-50 and successfully killed an enemy combatant from 2,430 meters (2,657 yd/1.509 miles) with 750 grain Hornady A-MAX very-low-drag bullets.[2] It was—and still is—the longest-ever recorded kill by a sniper in combat, surpassing the mark of 2,250 meters set by U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War.[3] This impressive feat of marksmanship is not typical for the effective range with a high first-hit probability of the employed rifle (see Sniper rifle: maximum effective range). Corporal Furlong's first shot was a miss, while the second one had hit the insurgent's backpack. The third struck the insurgent's torso.[3] The ambient air density in the Shah-i-Kot Valley where Corporal Furlong operated is significantly lower than at sea level due to its 2,432 meters (9,000 feet) mean elevation. This increases the maximum effective range of a high-powered sniper rifle like Corporal Furlong used by about 600 meters (1968 feet). References
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