Official longest confirmed sniper kill is currently held by JTF2 sniper who hit the target from a distance of 3,540 meters (3,871 yards). Through the years, especially with new technologies, the weapons industry has gone a step further. Sniper rifles and sharpshooters increased their performances at the higher level, and following that, the line of the longest confirmed sniper kill shot has been moved a few times in recent years.
Latest three longest confirmed kills
- 3,540m (3,871 yards)
- 2,475m (2,707 yards)
- 2,430m (2,657 yards)
Official longest confirmed sniper kill
Carlos Hathcock had the longest kill on record for over 30 years, 1967 to 2002, at 2,286 m (2,500 yds). Canadian Arron Perry beat it but held the title for only a few days as another man in his unit Rob Furlong bested Perry’s distance with a 2,430 m (2,657 yds) shot in March 2002.
Craig Harrison’s shot
Since then, the longest confirmed sniper kill was set in Afghanistan when Craig Harrison, a member of the UK’s Household Cavalry, killed two Taliban insurgents from a distance of 2,474 m (2.47 km) – 8,120 ft (1.45 miles) in November 2009. GPS confirmed the shot distance. The rifle used was Accuracy International AWM – L115A3.
Interestingly, the 8.59 mm rounds needed almost three seconds to hit their targets which were 914 m (3,000 ft) beyond the L115A3 sniper rifle’s recommended range. A third shot took out the insurgent’s machine gun.
The US Army Commando Sniper shot in 2012
But, the tight Special Operations Forces community claimed that the new world record was set in Afghanistan in 2012 when a US Army Commando sniper team assigned to ISAF in Helmand province, Afghanistan, made a shot from 2815 meters (3,078.52 yds). The sniper rifle was Barrett M82A1 .50 Cal with Hornady A-MAX .50 bullet. GPS confirmed the shot.
Two marksmen using Barrett M82A1 .50 caliber rifles simultaneously fired. The bullets were six seconds in the air. One killed the Taliban commander. It is not known for sure which sniper fired the fatal shot. While there have been no triumphant press releases in the tight global Special Forces sniper community, the shot is much discussed because it seems certain to be a world record. However, the official world record was still with Craig Harrison’s name.
Canadian sniper kills IS militant two miles away
In late June 2017, a member of Canada’s elite special force team, Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), made a kill shot at a mind-blowing distance of 3,540 meters (3,871 yards). That’s more than 3.5 km (or 2.1 miles)! That shot was more than a kilometer further than the previous record. The sniper made the shot from a high-rise building.
It reports that it took the bullet almost 10 seconds to hit its target. The shot, which sources tell the paper was filmed, is thought to be a record for the longest confirmed sniper kill. The sniper worked in tandem with an observer, who helped spot targets, and used a standard Canadian military-issued McMillan TAC-50 rifle.
