The Smart Rifle That Decides When to Shoot (and Never Misses)

It takes years to train military snipers to fire with deadly accuracy at long range, but now you can shoot like one in a matter of minutes – if you’ve got at least $22,000 to spare.

A startup gun company in Texas called TrackingPoint has just released a smart rifle that has a hefty price tag but enables inexperienced shooters to feel like crack marksmen.

The gun, called the TrackingPoint rifle, comes equipped with a ton of technology which means it decides when to shoot and can easily hit targets that are 1,000 yards away.

It uses lasers and computers so you can film the shooting and download it for playback on YouTube or Facebook later.

The rifle's scope features a sophisticated color graphics display. The shooter locks a laser on the target by pushing a small button by the trigger, almost like a video game.

Once you’ve pulled the trigger it’s up to the gun to decide when to shoot. It fires only when the weapon has been pointed in exactly the right place, taking into account dozens of variables, including weather conditions, shake and distance to the target.

The rifle has a built-in laser range finder, a ballistics computer and a Wi-Fi transmitter to stream live video and audio to a nearby iPad.

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Company President Jason Schauble said: "You have a smart car; you got a smartphone; well, now we have a smart rifle."

He added the rifle was by and large built for hunters and target shooters, especially a younger generation that embraces social media.

Mr. Schauble said: "They like to post videos; they like to be in constant communication with groups or networks. This kind of technology, in addition to making shooting more fun for them, also allows shooting to be something that they can share with others."

A team of 70 people spent three years working on the project and, according to Mr. Schauble, the military has nothing like it.

If you have the necessary $22,000, TrackingPoint is available to all civilians, which at a time of heated gun debates in D.C. is sure to stir some strong feelings.

Watch the amazing technology involved in the video below.

IDGA's Soldier Equipment & Technology Expo features a Live Fire Day next week. For full details, go to www.SoldierEquipmentExpo.com