McMillan Tac-50

McMillan Brothers Tac-50
Canadian Forces McMillan Tac-50 (C15) Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW)
Type	Anti-materiel rifle, Sniper rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	2000-present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Afghanistan War [1]
Production history
Designed	1980s
Manufacturer	McMillan Brothers Rifle Co.
Produced	1980s–present
Specifications
Weight	26.0 lb (11.8 kg)
Length	57.0 in (1,448 mm)
Barrel length	29.0 in (737 mm)
Cartridge	.50 BMG (12.7 x 99 mm)
Action	manually operated rotary bolt action
Muzzle velocity	823 m/s (2,700 ft/s) (Sniper Elite)
Effective range	1,600 m (1,750 yd)
Feed system	5 round detachable box magazine
Sights	Customizable; 5-25x telescopic sight standard in Canadian Forces

The McMillan Tac-50 sniper rifle is produced in Phoenix, Arizona in the United States by the McMillan Brothers Rifle Company. This long-range anti-materiel/anti-personnel weapon is based on previous designs from the same company, which first appeared during the late 1980s. McMillan makes several versions of .50 caliber rifles, based on the same proprietary action, for military, law enforcement and civilian use.

The Tac-50 is a military and law enforcement weapon, which, designated as the C15, is the standard Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) of the Canadian Forces since 2000. Rifles of the Tac-50 family are capable of outstanding accuracy and guaranteed to provide 0.5 MOA groups with match grade ammunition.^[2]

Design details

The McMillan Tac-50 is a manually operated, rotary bolt action rifle. The large bolt has dual front locking lugs, and its body has spiral flutes to reduce weight. The heavy match-grade barrel, made by Lilja barrels, is also fluted to dissipate heat quickly and reduce overall weight and fitted with an effective muzzle brake to reduce recoil. The rifle is fed from detachable box magazines, holding 5 rounds each. The stock is made from fiberglass by McMillan Stocks, and is designed to be used from a bipod only. The buttstock is adjustable for length of pull with rubber spacers, and can be removed for compact storage. The rifle has no open sights and can be used with a variety of telescopic or night sights.

In Canadian service, the standard telescopic sight was the McMillan endorsed Leupold Mark 4-16x40mm LR/T M1 Riflescope optical sight that has now been replaced by the Schmidt & Bender 5-25x56 PMII telescopic sight^{[citation needed]}. McMillan also endorses the Nightforce NXS 8–32x56 Mil-dot telescopic sight for the Tac-50.

Deployment

Two Canadian snipers of the same Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) regiment sniper team made at the time the longest recorded sniper kills in history with this weapon in Afghanistan, during Operation Anaconda, in the Shah-i-Kot Valley. On a March afternoon in 2002, Master Corporal Arron Perry killed an enemy combatant from 2,310 meters (2,526 yd/1.435 miles) and Corporal Rob Furlong killed an enemy combatant from 2,430 meters (2,657 yd/1.509 miles) with 750 grain Hornady A-MAX very-low-drag bullets.^[3][4] These were the longest recorded kills by snipers in combat, surpassing the mark of 2,286 meters (2,500 yd/1.420 miles) set by U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War.^[1][5][6] The five-man Canadian sniper team — MCpl Graham Ragsdale (Team Commander), MCpl Tim McMeekin, MCpl Arron Perry, Cpl Dennis Eason, and Cpl Rob Furlong — killed over 20 enemy combatants, and each of the five was nominated for the United States Armed Forces Bronze Star Medal.

These records were later broken in November 2009 by British Army Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison from the Household Cavalry. Harrison struck two Taliban machine gunners in a double kill south of Musa Qala in Helmand Province in Afghanistan, at a range of 2,475 m (2,707 yd/1.538 mi), using a .338 Lapua Magnum chambered British-made L115A3 Long Range Rifle.^[7][8][9]

Users

A US Navy SEALs Special Warfare Operator shows a Mk 15 rifle to visiting professional baseball players Albert Pujols and Ryan Franklin.

•  Canada: Canadian Forces designated as the C15 Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW).^[10]
•  France: French Navy commandos.^[11]
•  Turkey: Turkish Army Mountain Commandos ^[12]
•  Israel: Used by special forces units.^[13]
•  United States: United States Navy SEALs designated as the Mk 15.^[14]

See also

• Anti-materiel rifle
• List of sniper rifles
• Rob Furlong
• Arron Perry

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Friscolanti, Michael. "We were abandoned", Macleans.ca, 2006-05-15. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
2. ^ Data Summary McMillan Tactical Tac-50
3. ^ "World longest distance kill - 2,430 meters (1.5 miles)". Stupid Beaver. April 2007. Archived from the original on 2010-02-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20070520080829/stupidbeaver.com/world-longest-distance-kill-2430-metres15-miles/. Retrieved 2008-03-24. "Canadian snipers in Afghanistan after September 11th made the longest recorded kills in history with this weapon. It must also be mentioned that just prior to Cpl. Rob Furlong longest recorded sniper kill M. Cpl. Arron Perry recorded the second longest recorded sniper kill in history from 2,310 meters (2.31km/1.44 miles) with a McMillan Tac-50 which in itself is remarkable considering that both snipers belonged to the same Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) sniper cell." 
4. ^ Hornady A-MAX information
5. ^ Canadian Forces Sniper Rob Furlong CBC Sunday Report #1
6. ^ Canadian Forces Sniper Rob Furlong CBC Sunday Report #2
7. ^ Smith, Michael (2010-05-02). "Hotshot sniper in oneandahalf mile double kill". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7113916.ece. 
8. ^ Alpert, Lukas I. (2010-05-02). "Sniper kills Qaeda-from 1½ mi. away". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/sniper_kills_qaeda_from_mi_away_sTm0xFUmJNal3HgWlmEgRL. 
9. ^ Sheridan, Michael (2010-05-03). "British sniper Craig Harrison (The Silent Assassin) breaks record, kills target from 1.5 miles away". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/05/03/2010-05-03_british_sniper_craig_harrison_the_silent_assassin_breaks_record_kills_target_fro.html. 
10. ^ "Canadian Small Arms – Sniper Rifles – A Visual Guide". Canadian American Strategic Review. Archived from the original on 2011-02-07. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcasr.ca%2F101-army-smallarm-3.htm&date=2011-02-07. Retrieved 2010-04-19. 
11. ^ Operation libération du ponant
12. ^ [1]
13. ^ Israeli Special Forces Weapons Guide
14. ^ Tactical Weapons March 2010 Issue, Page 28.

External links

• Official Tac-50 page
• Data Summary McMillan Tactical Tac-50
• Modern Firearms

Records
Preceded by M2 Browning .50 BMG	Longest confirmed combat sniper-shot kill 2002-2009 2,430 m (2,657 yd / 1.509 mi) using Hornady A-MAX .50 by Rob Furlong	Succeeded by British L115A3 Long Range Rifle