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LONG
SHOT
The first
day's activities wrapped up with a demonstration of the .408
CheyTac's long-range capabilities. The unique sniper system
has posted a five-shot, five-inch grouping at 1,531 yards.
Interested in upping the ante, company representatives said
they were ready to demonstrate the system's accuracy during
the Shoot-out at any unknown distance out to 2,500 yards.
All of
the first day's shooting took place on Blackwater's long-gun
(1,200-yard) range, the longest known-distance range on the
facility. To accommodate the CheyTac team's request, our group
moved to a spot several hundred yards beyond the limits of
the 1,200-yard line.
After
feeling out a few potential shooting positions, CheyTac's
marksman settled down on a spot from which his target, an
18-inch glass panel, was barely visible to the unaided eye.
Using a Cassiopeia Pocket PC with an integral laser rangefinder,
he determined the target was about 1,700 yards away. He then
fingered the control panel on the PC, which quickly computed
a ballistic firing solution based on wind speeds and direction
at three points between the weapon and the target, the ammunition's
burn rate, and effects caused by the earth's rotation. With
that information, he turned the weapon's sight's windage and
elevation knobs to the positions indicated on the PC, and
let loose the first of five rounds - a 419 grain slug - from
an Intervention Model 200 Military system.
An intermittent
wind was now kicking up dust between the shooter and the target,
bringing with it a threatening sky. Four more rounds were
sent on their way over the next few minutes; each was preceded
by a new reading on the PC. (AFJ later learned that, according
to the wind readings from the PC, during the course of the
five-shot sequence the wind direction shifted 180 degrees
and kicked up to 18 mph.)
With the last shot, the group headed downrange. Two hits were
visible in the glass; a third round had torn through the frame
holding the pane. All things considered, not a bad showing.
The CheyTac
.408/Ballistic Computer combination is truly a unique shooting
system. In its military version, the computer carries ballistics
data for all commonly used U.S. military cartridges plus the
.408 and the .338 Lapua. In the alternative "civilian"
version, the computer is loaded for various other cartridges.
CheyTac offers both military and civilian target/law enforcement
long-range systems. The Intervention Model 100 and Shiloh
Model 300 are designed for target and law enforcement use;
Intervention Model 200 and Shiloh Model 400 systems are designed
for military applications. All are chambered for the .408
cartridge, which is available in 419 grain (2,950 fps) and
305 grain (3,500 fps) versions.
The rifle's
action features a removable bolt head that can handle groups
of cartridges with the same cartridge rim diameter. The bolt
for the .408 CheyTac cartridge, for example, has a 0.6402-inch
rim; therefore, it can handle cartridges spanning from the
.300 Kong and .338 A-Square to the .505 Magnum Gibbs and .585
Nyati.
OUR TURN
After
watching the first day's shooting from behind the firing line,
the evaluators were ready by their second day at Blackwater
to get their hands on the impressive hardware arrayed on three
of the facility's ranges. A CheyTac .408 Intervention Model
200 was among more than a dozen weapons aligned on the midway
point of the 1,200-yard range.
Outfitted
with a Nightforce 5.5-22-by-56 NXS scope, and wearing an OpSinc
suppressor with a mirage-defeating thermal cover, the 27-pound
rifle was ready for the day's business. A 30-inch, fluted
match barrel, nestled in a free-floated barrel tube, accounts
for more than half of the weapon's overall 55-inch length
(with its retractable stock extended).
It came
as no surprise that the M200 rated consistently high marks
from all who fired it. "I didn't want to let go of it,"
one wrote, "this weapon touched my ergonomic roots!"
He went on to note that the system delivers "superb bolt-action
firepower at long ranges." He found loading and unloading
"smooth and easy," and the weapon's recoil "acceptable
- I had expected more. Truly a pleasure to shoot this magnificent
firearm."
His colleagues
were equally effusive. "An extremely pleasant shooter,"
another noted. "Soft recoil for its capability. Superior
to the .50 BMG for most precision applications. The suppressed
gun was impressively quiet, and I'm very impressed with the
ballistic computer integration."
Noted
another, a bit more succinctly: "A sweet-shooting rifle.
Low recoil makes it easy to get back on target and maintain
control."
The only
negative concerning the .408 CheyTac concerned the location
of the weapon's safety. He found its positioning (above the
trigger, about an inch from the closed bolt handle) "a
bit awkward."
A CheyTac
spokesman later told AFJ that future improvements being considered
for the system are likely to include a change to the weapon's
safety.
BIG
BUBBA
After
experiencing the .408's relatively low recoil, the evaluators
found quite a contrast just a few short steps away. There,
nestled among FNH's more familiar offerings, was a prototype,
shoulder-fired system with a truly intimidating tube - 76mm,
to be precise. Through that 3-inch-wide opening - a baseball-sized
hole -- the High-Impulse Weapon System (HIWS) is capable of
hurling the 2.2-pound payload of a 3.3-pound round more than
700 yards in an indirect-fire mode. In a direct-fire role,
the HIWS can engage targets out to 300 yards.
Manufactured
by Lacroix Pyro-Technologies of France, the HIWS will be marketed
by the FNH team. Touting a sophisticated recoil-mitigation
system, the weapon produces no back blast and no overpressure,
making it possible to fire the system from an enclosed space
- even from inside a vehicle. The HIWS is also relatively
quiet: Ear protection isn't needed when firing the system.
Despite
a quick rundown on how to arm and fire the HIWS, some of the
evaluators clearly had reservations about the system's imposing
size and equally imposing statistics. A couple of questions
that probably flashed through their minds were: How large
a bruise can be caused by a maximum projectile acceleration
of 65,600 ft.sec-2? And just how much shoulder pain should
be expected from a firing impulse of 22.5 pounds per second?
Perhaps
these questions went unasked because Lacroix engineers are
considering developing an 84mm HIWS, which would make the
76mm version something akin to a girly-man system. For whatever
reasons, our fearless evaluators rose to the challenge.
But one
failed to heed the salesman's twice-proffered advice to keep
80 percent of his body weight on his forward foot: A trigger
pull later, he did a 180-degree spin to his right, stumbled
three steps sideways, and ended up on his butt. And he isn't
a little guy. Subsequent shooters didn't have to be reminded.
Lacroix
engineers actually have plans for an 84mm HIWS; they've already
developed a 66mm version; and they're working on a 40mm variant
that's sure to be offered to U.S. forces.
Despite
any pain our evaluators suffered firing the 76mm variant,
there was nearly universal agreement that the concept is,
in fact, worth pursuing. "Excellent potential for less-lethal
payloads," noted one. "Great idea," said another.
"Its possible uses include less-lethal weapons applications.
I'd like to see further development of this concept."
"Tremendous
potential to provide the dismounted infantryman with lightweight,
shoulder-fired lethality at ranges well beyond our current
family of munitions," another observed. "Awesome
potential to place 2.2-pound warheads 300 to 400 meters downrange
to defeat various target sets."
Other
comments suggested that Lacroix designers continue developing
and improving the system with an eye toward evolving it from
an area weapon to a point weapon system, and that they figure
out a way for a shooter to use the HIWS from a prone firing
position.
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