Gyro Rifles?

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Pyre

Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
43
Hello everyone!

So I was just sitting down having supper and listening to the evening news. The topic, of course, was the pirate incident that occured the past couple of days ago. The news anchor remarked at the incredible skill the snipers possessed to coordinate three simultaneous accurate head shots given the conditions of the situation (rolling seas, size of the target, proximity of target to hostage etc...). The reporter responded that the snipers were likely armed with "gyro stabilized guns" which were equipped with similar technology that the A1 Abrams tank uses to steady it's main gun.

Now, I don't know a whole lot about specific gun technologies especially all the cutting edge stuff the military has now a days but I've never heard of a gyro stabilized rifle before and since I'm not a member of any gun forums I figured this was the best place I could ask. Does something like this actually exist or did she pull it out of her butt?
 
The reports I've seen put them under 100 yards away, shooting form the fantail of a ship.

Not exactly an Annie Oakley challenge. Timing, basically.
 
And here at first I thought you were talking about the 12mm rocket launching Gyro-Jet rifle of the 1960's. :)

A gyro stabilized platform for the snipers to lay on is possible, but a "gyro stabilized rifle"?

I doubt it.

Typical of "news reporters", when they are speaking about firearms (and other things that they know little about) they tend to make things up as they go along.

TR Graham
The Glocksmith
 
Oregon Knife Guy said:
They were 25-30 yards from them. Still a respectable thing!
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Come on!

Any decent woods hunter can nail Bambi in the shoulder at 75 to 90 feet.

I'm not poo-pooing the shot, they hit 3 , synchronized, from a cold barrel....but this is not the shot heard 'round-the-world.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Come on!

Any decent woods hunter can nail Bambi in the shoulder at 75 to 90 feet.

I'm not poo-pooing the shot, they hit 3 , synchronized, from a cold barrel....but this is not the shot heard 'round-the-world.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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I think the hardest part is timing the shot so the movement of the ship the snipers were on and the movement of the lifeboat worked out.
 
Pyre said:
Hello everyone!

Does something like this actually exist or did she pull it out of her butt?
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Pulled out of her butt.
They were very likely to have been using Mk11MOD0s (though at 25-30yards it could've been M-4's or Mk12s). Bipods or bags in the front with a beanbag or fist in the back for stability. The SEALs who were there parachuted in with a RHIB or CRRC (probably the CRRC) and then rendezvoused with the USS Bainbridge so a gyroscope would be a bit much to carry.

Mk11MOD0

ORD_Mk11_Sniper_Rifle_lg.jpg


Mk12 SPR (Matt Axelson, RIP)
ma6xz9.jpg
 
rmc85 said:
I'm sure the media has no clue what they are talking about but it doesn't look like it could be too far from real technology.
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I agree that the media is clueless in this case, but I know there are commercially available gyroscopic stabalizers for hand-holding long telephoto camera lenses, so I suppose the idea of applying them to rifles isn't too far fetched.
 
You could absolutely attach a rifle to a gyroscope-stabilized mount, similar to a steadicam. A guy did that on the show "Weapon Masters" on the Military Channel just recently. (Actually, he did it with a crossbow, but a rifle would work too) Does a Navy SEAL sniper need a contraption like that to pull off a 35yd shot? Hell no. Those guys are some of the most highly trained marksmen in the world. Shooting from moving platforms, at moving targets is what they train for. I wouldn't think a shot like that would be a big deal for those guys at all. They're probably laughing at the media coverage of their marksmanship. I'm sure the stuff they train for is much more difficult.

Gyroscopes are not that big. Steadicam gyroscopes are about the size of a beer can. You could mount a couple of those on a rifle and shoot steadily from the back of a truck driving over rough road no problem. The only problem is the power source. You need a car battery to run those things.
 
What's the big deal ? Not new technology they've been using stabilizers on tanks for many years and the latest , used on the Abrams,is probably pretty slick !! But if the range is short they better be able to hit the perp without gadgets.
 
i dont know about .300 mags but they do use .50BMG barretts FWIW, & wouldnt be suprised if thats what they used in this case.
 
SIFU1A said:
i dont know about .300 mags but they do use .50BMG barretts FWIW, & wouldnt be suprised if thats what they used in this case.
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They got some .300WinMags but they've fallen out of fashion with most because they're bolt action (however,one of the best SEAL snipers swore by it). I don't think 35meters would necessitate a Barrett though...
 
But wouldn't you have to gyro stabilize the lifeboat too? :D
 
Could any of those stabalizers even do much for a wave? I mean were talking pretty large distances, not inches like they are for cameras ans such... Could of smoothed it out a little, but still...
 
Hammer27 said:
They got some .300WinMags but they've fallen out of fashion with most because they're bolt action (however,one of the best SEAL snipers swore by it). I don't think 35meters would necessitate a Barrett though...
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didnt say it would but it might coulda been what they happened to have that day, shoot it was pretty close from what i have heard.
 
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