I’m so confused! Are ISIS snipers giants or are their snipers shooting giants? Note: I’m not a sniper, nor do I play one on the Internet. Wait. I suppose I do. I snipe at gun control advocates all the time. But not ballistically. Although I have been known to go ballistic after reading their lies and misdirections. Where was I? According to heavy.com (from whence this title was nicked), “a new photo report purportedly released by the Islamic State, ISIS sniper subunits use their invented 10-foot-long, 23mm caliber sniper rifle on opposition forces in Falluljah (sic), Iraq.” Wait. What? Let’s head over to dailymail.co.uk for the deets . . .
It’s so big that it has to be supported on two tripods and fires ammunition that’s three times the size of standard rifle ammo.
An Isis terrorist has been photographed aiming a 10-foot long sniper rifle out of a flat window in Kobane.
The fearsome weapon fires 23mm calibre bullets, far larger than the standard size.
What sort of effect this gun would have remains open to debate, however, according to firearms expert David Dyson.
He told MailOnline: ‘The problem with identifying the effect of this gun is firstly that we don’t know for sure what the calibre is, although there wouldn’t be a lot of point in building something like this if it wasn’t of a significant calibre. Secondly, and probably of more importance, we don’t know how well it is made: is the barrel accurately machined and rifled?
‘The effect will also depend on the type of ammunition used. These rounds exist [23mm] fitted with high explosive incendiary or armour piercing incendiary projectiles.They will be effective against personnel and vehicles including lightly armoured ones.’
The media likes big guns and they cannot lie. Actually they can. And do. In this case, bravo to the Mail for telling it like it is. Anything you’d like to add?