Long-range smart rifles now come in semi-automatic
"From difficult firing positions, such as kneeling, standing or even lying beneath an automobile," novice shooters can hit targets 500 yards away with Tracking Point's computerized semi-automatic rifles.
What type of computerized rifle could make it even easier for novice shooters to hit targets several football fields away? A semi-automatic rifle that does the same thing.
Texas-based startup Tracking Point debuted its newest series of rifles this week and these guns are capable of shooting high-velocity rounds at distances of up to 500 yards, or five football fields. Dubbed the 500 Series ARs, these weapons are offered in 7.62, .300 BLK, and 5.56 calibers. They come with a high-powered digital scope with LCD display, laser range finder, and Wi-Fi.
What's different about these guns from typical semi-automatic rifles is they come with built-in computers that help shooters hit targets at long distances. This ease of shooting is possible through technology like a guided trigger and "Networked Tracking Scope" that can lock onto and track moving targets. Once the user pulls the trigger, the gun decides when to fire the round based on ballistics data like distance to the target, barometric pressure, wind, and more.
"With stabilized target selection, target tracking and guided firing the 500 Series semi-automatic AR products enable anyone to be an expert marksman out to the 500 yard effective range of the firearm, even from difficult firing positions, such as kneeling, standing or even lying beneath an automobile," Tracking Point said in a statement.
Last year, the company came out with its top-of-the-line series of "smart rifles" called the "XactSystem" that have the capability of hitting bull's-eyes up to 1,200 yards away. The 500 Series semi-automatic rifles start at $9,950 -- far cheaper than the XactSystem series, which starts at $22,500. Delivery for the 500 Series is expected to start in October 2014.