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Reports regarding the longest recorded sniper kills that contain information regarding the shooting distance and the identity of the sniper have been presented to the general public since 1967. Snipers have had a substantial history following the development of long distance weaponry. As weapons, ammunition, and aids to determine ballistic solutions improved, so too did the distance from which a kill could be targeted. In mid-2017 it was reported that an unnamed Canadian special forces operator, based in Iraq, had set a new record of 3,540 m (3,871 yd), beating the record previously held by an Australian sniper (also unnamed) at 2,815 m (3,079 yd).

Sniper technology

Although optical equipment such as rangefinders and ballistic calculators have largely eliminated manual calculations to determine elevation and windage, the fundamentals of accurate and precise long-range shooting remain essentially the same since the early history of shooting, and the skill and training of the shooter, and the shooter's spotter where applicable, are the primary factors. Accuracy and precision of ammunition and firearms are also still reliant primarily on human factors and attention to detail in the complex process of producing maximum performance.

The modern method of long-distance sniping (shots over 1,100 m or 0.7 mi) requires intense training and practice. A sniper must have the ability to accurately estimate the various factors that influence a bullet's trajectory and point of impact, such as the shooter's distance from the target, wind direction, wind speed, air density, elevation, and even the Coriolis effect. Mistakes in estimation compound over distance and can cause a shot to only injure, or to miss completely. Any given combination of firearm and ammunition will have an associated value, known as the circular error probable (CEP), defined as the radius of a circle whose boundary is expected to contain the impact points of half of the rounds fired.

If the shooter wishes to improve accuracy, increase range, or both, the accuracy of estimates of external factors must improve accordingly. At extreme ranges, highly accurate estimates are required and even with the most accurate estimates, hitting the target becomes subject to uncontrollable factors. For example, a rifle capable of firing a ½ or 0.5 MOA (approximately 0.5 inch center to center of the two holes furthest apart) 5-round group (often referred to as "grouping") at 100 yards will theoretically fire a 12.5 inch group at 2,500 yards (0.5 × 2,500/100 = 12.5). Unless the group is centered perfectly on the target at 100 yards, the 2,500-yard group will be centered 25 times the off-center error at 100 yards. This example ignores all other factors and assumes no-wind shooting conditions, identical muzzle velocities, and identical ballistic performance for each shot.

USMC Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock's confirmed 2,500 yd (2,300 m) kill in the Vietnam War was primarily due to the enemy soldier stopping his bicycle on the spot Hathcock had fired at while sighting in his Browning M2 heavy machine-gun.

Devices such as laser rangefinders, handheld meteorological measuring equipment, handheld computers, and ballistic-prediction software can contribute to increased accuracy (i.e. reduced CEP), although they rely on proper use and training to realize any advantages. In addition, as instruments of measure, they are subject to accuracy errors and malfunction. Handheld meteorological instruments only measure conditions at the location they are used. Wind direction and speed can vary dramatically along the path of the bullet.

History

The science of long-range sniping came to fruition in the Vietnam War. US Marine Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock held the record from 1967 to 2002 at 2,286 m (2,500 yd). He recorded 93 official kills. After returning to the U.S., Hathcock helped to establish the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School at Quantico, Virginia.

In addition to his success as a USMC scout-sniper during multiple deployments to Vietnam, Hathcock competed in multiple USMC shooting teams. Hathcock also won the 1966 Wimbledon Cup, which is earned by the winner of the U.S. 1,000-yard high-powered rifle National Championship. Even after being severely burned during an attack on an Amtrac on which he was riding in his efforts to rescue other soldiers, and after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Hathcock continued to serve, shoot and instruct. In Vietnam, Hathcock also completed missions involving a "through the scope" shot which killed an enemy sniper specifically hunting him, and a multiple-day solo stalk and kill of an enemy general.

Hathcock's record stood until Canadian sniper Arron Perry of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry exceeded it with a shot of 2,310 m (2,530 yd). Perry held the title for only a few days, as another man in his unit, Corporal Rob Furlong, beat Perry's distance with a 2,430 m (2,657 yd) shot in March 2002. Perry and Furlong were part of a six-man sniper team during 2002's Operation Anaconda, part of the War in Afghanistan.

Corporal Furlong's record was bested by a British soldier, Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison, of the Blues and Royals, Household Cavalry, who recorded two consecutive 2,475 m (2,707 yd) shots (confirmed by GPS) in November 2009, also during the War in Afghanistan, in which he hit two Taliban insurgents consecutively. Harrison killed the two Taliban machine gunners with shots that took the 8.59 mm (0.338 inch) rounds almost five seconds to hit their targets, which were 900 m (980 yd) beyond the L115A3 sniper rifle’s recommended range. A third shot took out the insurgents' machine gun. The rifle used was made by Accuracy International.

In June 2017, an unnamed sniper from Canada's Tier 1 special forces unit, Joint Task Force 2, surpassed the 2009 record by over 1,000 m (1,100 yd), with a 3,540 m (3,871 yd) shot in the Iraqi Civil War. As with the previous two Canadian records, a McMillan Tac-50 with .50 BMG) ammunition was used.

Confirmed kills 1,250 m (1,370 yd) or greater

This list is not exhaustive, as such data is generally not tracked nor managed under any official procedure. For example, the Canadian Army 2002 sniper team that saw two soldiers (Arron Perry/2,310 m and Rob Furlong/2,430 m) set consecutive new records, also made a number of kills at 1,500 m (1,600 yd) that are not counted here. The list also shows that, in some cases, an armed force command may choose to withhold the name of the sniper for security reasons.

Rank	Sniper	Date	Distance	Weapon	Ammunition	Nationality	Military unit	Conflict	References
1	JTF-2 sniper (name withheld)	May 2017	3,540 m (3,871 yd)	McMillan Tac-50	.50 BMG API(I)	Canada	Joint Task Force 2, CANSOFCOM, Canadian Armed Forces	Iraqi Civil War
2	2 Cdo Rgmt sniper (name withheld)	April 2012	2,815 m (3,079 yd)	Barrett M82A1	12.7mm MP NM140F2 Grade A (.50 BMG)	Australia	2nd Commando Regiment, SOCOMD, Australian Defence Force	War in Afghanistan
3	Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison	November 2009	2,475 m (2,707 yd)	Accuracy International L115A3	.338 Lapua Magnum LockBase B408 bullets	United Kingdom	Blues and Royals, Household Cavalry, British Army	War in Afghanistan
4	Corporal Rob Furlong	March 2002	2,430 m (2,657 yd)	McMillan Tac-50	.50 BMG	Canada	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Canadian Armed Forces	War in Afghanistan
5	Master Corporal Arron Perry	March 2002	2,310 m (2,526 yd)	McMillan Tac-50	.50 BMG	Canada	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Canadian Armed Forces	War in Afghanistan
6	Sergeant Brian Kremer	October 2004	2,300 m (2,515 yd)	Barrett M82A1	Raufoss NM140 MP (.50 BMG)	United States	2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, United States Army	Iraq War
7	Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock	February 1967	2,286 m (2,500 yd)	M2 Browning machine gun	.50 BMG	United States	7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps	Vietnam War
8	Special Forces operator sniper (name withheld)	August 2013	2,125 m (2,324 yd)	Denel NTW-14.5	14.5×114mm	South Africa	South African Special Forces Brigade, Joint Operations Division, SANDF	United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
9	Specialist Nicholas Ranstad	January 2008	2,092 m (2,288 yd)	Barrett M82A1	.50 BMG	United States	1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, United States Army	War in Afghanistan
10	Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle	August 2008	1,920 m (2,100 yd)	McMillan Tac-338	.338 Lapua Magnum	United States	SEAL Team 3, US Naval Special Warfare Command, United States Navy	Iraq War
11	Corporal Christopher Reynolds	August 2009	1,853 m (2,026 yd)	Accuracy International L115A3	.338 Lapua Magnum LockBase B408 bullets	United Kingdom	The Black Watch (3 SCOT), Royal Regiment of Scotland, British Army	War in Afghanistan
12	Saudi Army sniper (name withheld)	January 2016	1,700 m (1,859 yd)	PGW Defence Technology LRT-3	.50 BMG	Saudi Arabia	Royal Saudi Land Forces, Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia	Yemeni Civil War
13	Staff Sergeant Steve Reichert	April 2002	1,614 m (1,765 yd)	Barrett M82A3	Raufoss NM140 MP (.50 BMG)	United States	2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, United States Marine Corps	Iraq War
14	Billy Dixon	June 1874	1,406 m (1,538 yd)	Sharps .50–90	.50-90 Sharps	United States	Civilian, buffalo hunter	American Indian Wars
15	Norwegian Army sniper (name withheld)	November 2007	1,380 m (1,509 yd)	Barrett M82A1	Raufoss NM140 MP (.50 BMG)	Norway	2nd Battalion, Norwegian Army	War in Afghanistan
16	Sergeant Vladimir Ilyin	1985	1,350 m (1,476 yd)	Dragunov SVD	7.62×54mmR 7N1	Soviet Union	345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, Soviet Army	Soviet–Afghan War
17	Sergeant First Class Brandon McGuire	April 2007	1,310 m (1,433 yd)	M107 (M82A1)	Raufoss NM140 MP (.50 BMG)	United States	3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, United States Army	Iraq War
18	Sergeant Major Herbert Sleigh	February 1918	1,280 m (1,400 yd)	M1903 Springfield	.30-06 (7.62×63mm)	United States	American Expeditionary Forces, United States Army	World War I
19	Confederate Army sniper (name unknown)	December 1864	1,271 m (1,390 yd)	Whitworth Rifle	.451 caliber hexagonal bullet	United States	South Carolina Troops, Confederate States Army	American Civil War
20	Staff Sergeant Jim Gilliland	September 2005	1,250 m (1,367 yd)	M24 rifle	7.62×51mm NATO	United States	2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, United States Army	Iraq War

1. Longest confirmed kill using non-match grade ammunition
2. Longest confirmed kill using 14.5×114 mm ammunition
3. Serving as part of the UN Force Intervention Brigade
4. Longest confirmed kill using a muzzle loading firearm
5. Unnamed sniper was fighting for the Confederate States of America, an unrecognized breakaway state.
6. Longest confirmed kill with a 7.62×51mm NATO chambered rifle

See also

• History of sniping
• Francis Pegahmagabow, a Canadian sniper with 378 confirmed kills, the highest in World War I
• Simo Häyhä, a Finnish sniper who, using a standard iron-sighted bolt-action rifle, recorded the highest number of confirmed kills in any major war (505 or 542)
• Ivan Sidorenko, was among the top Soviet snipers in the war, with over 500 confirmed kills.
• Vasily Zaytsev, a Soviet sniper who amassed 225 kills during the Battle of Stalingrad
• Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Soviet sniper during World War II, credited with 309 kills, and regarded as the most successful female sniper in history
• Adelbert Waldron, a U.S. sniper who has the highest number of confirmed kills for U.S. snipers during the Vietnam War (109)
• Chris Kyle, a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper credited with the highest number of kills (160 officially confirmed) for an American sniper.

References

1. ^ Fife 2017
2. ^ Murphy 2017
3. ^ Bunch 2017
4. ^ Kalvapallé, Rahul (June 24, 2017). "Small but mighty: How Canada's military produces some of the world's best snipers". Global News. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
6. Plaster 1993
7. "Circular Error Probable (CEP)," Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Technical Paper 6, Ver 2, July 1987, p. 1
8. ^ Henderson 2003, p. 181
9. Gaijinass (May 6, 2010). "The way of the Gun: USMC S/S". Gaijinass.com. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
10. Henderson 2003, p. 283
11. Dougherty, Martin J (2012). Sniper: SAS and Elite Forces Guide: Sniping skills from the world's elite forces. Amber Books Ltd. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-909160-38-5. Upon reaching the target area he discovered that his shot had gone through the scope of the sniper's rifle
12. Sasser, Charles W.; Roberts, Craig (July 1, 2004). Crosshairs on the Kill Zone: American Combat Snipers, Vietnam through Operation Iraqi Freedom. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-4165-0362-0. Hathcock's bullet had gone through the cobra sniper's scope and entered his eye
13. Riegert, Keith; Kaplan, Samuel (June 25, 2013). The MANual: Trivia. Testosterone. Tales of Badassery. Raw Meat. Fine Whiskey. Cold Truth. Ulysses Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-61243-183-3. Unfortunately for the guy behind the scope, Hathcock's shot was clean and true—perfectly passing through the glass scope
14. Sasser, Charles W.; Roberts, Craig (April 1, 1990). "Their Mission: One Shot One Kill". One Shot One Kill. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4391-3712-3. Both lenses of the enemy's sniper scope, front and back, were shattered. It was obvious what happened. My bullet smashed through his scope and into his right eye.
15. "Carlos Hathcock: Famous Marine Corps Sniper". military.com. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
17. ^ Smith 2010
18. Tovey, Alan (2 February 2015). "The company behind the rifle used by the world's deadliest sniper". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
19. ^ Friscolanti, Michael (May 15, 2006). "We were abandoned". Maclean's. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
20. Wahler & Linwood 2014, p. 192
21. Chandler 2010 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFChandler2010 (help)
22. Alpert 2010
23. Drury 2010 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFDrury2010 (help)
24. Sheridan, Michael (May 3, 2010). "British sniper Craig Harrison (The Silent Assassin) breaks record, kills target from 1.5 miles away". Daily News. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
25. Gibson 2013
26. Helfrich 2013
27. Hofstatter, Stephan; Oatway, James (22 August 2014). "South Africa at war in the DRC – The inside story". Times Live. Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
28. Murphy, Jack (26 August 2014). "South African Special Forces Sniper Takes Out Congo Rebels (2125m shot!)". SOFRep.com. SOFREP. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
29. Goldstein, Joseph (2010-05-30). "How to shoot someone from a mile away". New York Post. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
30. Buiso, Gray (January 1, 2012). "Meet the big shot – SEAL is America's deadliest sniper". New York Post. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
31. Sanchez, Raf (2 January 2012). "'The Devil of Rahmadi' named America's deadliest sniper". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
32. Jennings 2011
33. هاني صفيّان يخبر (May 7, 2016). وراء خطوط العاصفة (in Arabic). Al Arabiya. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
34. D'Alessio 2005
35. Souter 2012, p. 40
36. Johnsen 2008
37. Sohail 2015
38. Cannon 2010
39. Evening Public Ledger 1918, p. 4
40. "Preventing Diplomatic Recognition of the Confederacy, 1861–65". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013.
41. Charleston Courier 1864
42. Harnden 2006
43. being a gamer Brownlie 2003, p. 63
44. Westwood 2005, p. 212
45. Haskew, Michael E. (2005). The Sniper at War: From the American Revolutionary War to the Present Day. Macmillan Publishers. p. 74. ISBN 0312336519.
46. "Герой Советского Союза Зайцев Василий Григорьевич :: Герои страны". Warheroes.ru. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
47. Fredriksen 2010, p. 306
48. Buiso, Gray (January 1, 2012). "Meet the big shot – SEAL is America's deadliest sniper". New York Post. Retrieved 2012-01-03.

Bibliography

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• Brownlie, Robin (2003). A fatherly eye: Indian agents, government power, and Aboriginal resistance in Ontario, 1918–1939 (2003 ed.). University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-19-541784-5.
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• Sniper rifles
• Snipers
• Sniper warfare
• World records