By David Crane
david (at) defensereview (dot) com
December 9, 2015
Last updated on 12/10/15.
DefenseReview’s (DR) been a bit busy with travel and a few other things over the last week, but we’re finally back in the saddle over here. Speaking of saddles, we recently flew out to Austin, Texas to attend the first-ever American Sniper Shootout, hosted/sponsored by TrackingPoint, where Taya Kyle used a number of TrackingPoint Precision-Guided Firearms (PGF’s), i.e., rifles integrating TrackingPoint’s computerized smart tactical scope tech, to ballistically trounce NRA World Shooting Champion and seemingly very good-natured (and tremendous sport) Bruce Piatt by a very wide point margin (see the post-event press release reprinted below). The shootout was designed to showcase the TrackingPoint system’s revolutionary capabilities and ease of use even by novice or non-professional shooters, enabling them to out-shoot/out-hit much better shooters, even professional shooters, at medium-to-long range, including against moving targets–and Taya did just that.
A million bucks was at stake if Taya tanked it, but she didn’t, thank God…and TrackingPoint. She breezed through to a pretty easy victory, albeit with a bit of confusion toward the end when the explosives didn’t work on the truck she was shooting at for the last shot. The truck had to be visually inspected to confirm that she hit it on the last shot at long range.
Before we got to the event, DR learned something from the pre-event press release on it that we didn’t previously know, that Chris Kyle was involved with the development of the Trackingpoint combat/tactical smart scope technology as a consultant, early on, in 2009. Here’s how the (pre-event) press release on the event explains it:
“In a chance encounter with the American Sniper in 2009, TrackingPoint Founder and CEO John McHale and [Chris] Kyle explored the nuances of precision shooting and the possibility of building a gun that would change the face of war.
‘Chris and I went back-and-forth on how to make everyone an extraordinary shooter,” said McHale. “We were both excited, realizing it was entirely possible to give our troops insurmountable squad-overmatch capability. We knew we were on to a world-changing idea. That was the day TrackingPoint was born.'”
Defense Review first learned about the TrackingPoint technology/hardware at SHOT Show 2013 Industry Day at the Range (or, “Range Day”), and your humble correspondent immediately recognized its importance. In fact, it was the first product I wrote about from the show, and, if memory serves, we published the first piece on it that night (Range Day). We then published a second article on it, showing the TrackingPoint sighting procedure at the company’s booth on the exhibition floor at SHOT Show 2013, so we published TWO articles on the tech from the same show. THAT’S how important we thought it was/is, and we’ve been following TrackingPoint’s product(s) development ever since.
DR’s particularly enthusiastic about the TrackingPoint M600 Squad-Level Precision-Guided 5.56 Service Rifle, M800 DMR Squad-Level Precision-Guided 7.62 (Squad Designated Marksman), TP AR 556 PGF, TP AR 300 PGF, and TP AR 762 PGF rifle packages–all of which would appear to use TrackingPoint’s TTX XACT combat/tactical smart scope tech–since we really like tactical AR’s (AR-15 rifle/carbine/SBR’s) over here.
Anyway, the event was a lot of fun, and it raised a lot of money (a physically big check for $500,000) for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, which works to help military and first responder families heal from the stresses, hardships and tragedies that often come with the job. It’s a really great cause, which you can learn more about here. The day started with food and music from country artists like Easton Corbin and Asleep at the Wheel, and Donica Knight sang the national anthem right before the shootout itself. Quick side note: I’d actually never heard of Donica before the event, so I had no idea who she was. But, she sang well during the day AND at the VIP dinner afterwards, and she seemed nice when I ran into her (actually, I was sitting at the time, but whatever) for two seconds at John McHale’s awesome, giant fire pit outside his house. It got down to 37 frickin’ degrees that night, so that fire pit came in mighty handy, regardless of the fact that it looked like a lawsuit waiting to happen. Loved that thing. So toasty. Anyway, back to Donica, who’s got a little country/cowgirl-Bohemian/hippie-chick vibe goin’ on, which was kind of interesting. She’s a little weird (good weird…we think), and we liked it.
Editor’s Note: For the record, DR isn’t really into country music, so much. We’re primarily classic and alternative rock n’ roll guys over here–with some classical music thrown in. Country music is an every-once-in-awhile thing for us. That said, all the music (by all the bands and solo artists) we heard at the event was very good, and we enjoyed it. So, country music just grew on us a little. We’re not gonna’ start wearin’ cowboy hats and boots, or start goin’ to NASCAR or anything, but, well, anyway.
By the way, you’ll see in the video clips below that Hunter Ellis from the show Tactical to Practical with Hunter Ellis was the master of ceremonies at the shootout, and did a great job in that role, as he kept things rollin’ right along with humor and enthusiasm, even during some of the delays during the event.
The after-event VIP dinner at John McHale’s house was terrific. The food (we think it was prime rib with a buttered horseradish sauce and either quail or game hen, not sure) was quite nice, including the chocolate cake dessert, and there was an open bar (DR recommends our 21-and-older readers try Austin-based Shiner Bock beer, sometime). So, no complaints there. Taya Kyle spoke very movingly during the dinner, and showed a very moving film of winners of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation Award, which moved yours truly to tears while I was filming it (standby for upload). It was really affecting, and caught me off-guard. I got a little verklempt.
So, it was a great day, AND a great night. DR was honored to get to be a part of it, so we’re very grateful to TrackingPoint for inviting us. We had a really great time. Oh, and Austin rocks.
Editor’s Note: DR stayed at the JW Marriott Austin, right in the heart of downtown Austin. Great hotel, great service, great location. We highly recommend you consider staying there, if/when you visit Austin. You could do A LOT worse.
We’ll be adding photos and videos to this piece very soon, so stay tuned. Don’t touch that dial.
The following is a copy of TrackingPoint’s post-event press release on the American Sniper Shootout:
“Taya Kyle Wins American Sniper Shootout
Defeats NRA World Shooting Champion in a Shootout for the Ages
Ms. Kyle Makes Passionate Plea for TrackingPoint Guns to be in the Hands of our Soldiers
Event Raises over $500,000 for Chris Kyle Frog Foundation
Contact:
Kimberly Chung
kchung@tracking-point.com
Pflugerville, Texas (December 8, 2015) – Utilizing TrackingPoint precision-guided firearms, Taya Kyle, a novice shooter, defeated NRA World Shooting Champion Bruce Piatt in the American Sniper Shootout. Bruce Piatt utilized the same weapons our soldiers use in combat today. The event served to raise money for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation and demonstrated the superior effectiveness of TrackingPoint’s precision-guided firearms. Taya Kyle hit 100% of her shots for an aggregate score of 10,140 points while Bruce Piatt made 58.6% of his shots for an aggregate score of 3,080 points. Shot scoring was weighted based on degree of difficulty.
“TrackingPoint precision-guided firearms are a stunning leap forward. If our soldiers had TrackingPoint weapons, lives would be saved and the world would be a much safer place,” said Taya Kyle. “Our first responders and military members face situations most of us cannot imagine. They need every advantage for precision and efficiency to protect and serve while minimizing collateral damage and risk to themselves.”
Kyle goes on to say, “I am passionate about getting the TrackingPoint guns into our warrior’s hands. They are willing to give their lives for us; the least we can do is give them our very best in that fight.”
According to World Shooting Champion Bruce Piatt, “The technology in the TrackingPoint system became shockingly obvious when a novice shooter like Taya Kyle was able to complete the American Sniper Shootout without a miss. Just imagine if these were in the hands of our police and military units. I wish they were available when I was wearing a badge and coordinating the SWAT team.”
The company’s precision-guided firearms are based on fighter jet lock-and-launch technology. “For the most part our military has modernized in the last 100 years,” said John McHale, TrackingPoint’s CEO. “The Navy has gone from sailing ships to aircraft carriers, and the Air Force has gone from prop planes to supersonic fighter jets. Meanwhile the Army is still fighting with guns that are the equivalent of prop planes. It’s time they upgraded to fighter jets,” said McHale.
The contest was divided into three specific rifle competitions; service rifle, designated marksman, and sniper. In addition to winning the aggregate score, she also won each individual rifle competition. Taya used TrackingPoint’s new auto-locking squad-level precision-fire M600, M800, and XS1 precision-guide firearms. Bruce used the army’s M4A1, M110, and M2010 rifles.
The competition was an extremely challenging real-war scenario with explosions, simulated fire and other battle stressors. Most military shooting training is done in benign environments and does not typically include battle stressors. Shots taken were the same types of shots taken in war. Shots on static and moving targets were taken from prone, standing, kneeling, canted, and fully concealed positions ranging from 150 yards to 1000 yards in distance. Just as in war, the targets were at unknown distances and moved at unknown velocities. Bruce Piatt was permitted to use a range finder in the sniper competition.
In the fully concealed portion of the event, Taya Kyle was able to hit 100% of all shots taken from a fully protected position using TrackingPoint’s ShotGlasstm wearable glasses. With ShotGlasstm the shooter can see the scope view without having their head or body behind the gun, allowing the shooter to make shots over walls or around corners without exposure to enemy fire. Bruce Piatt was unable to make any shots from fully protected positions.
Taya | Score | Bruce | Score | |
Service Rifle |
M600 | 1900 | M4A1 | 500 |
Designated Marksman Rifle |
M800 | 3240 | M110 | 940 |
Sniper Rifle |
XS1 | 5000 | M2010 | 1640 |
Aggregate |
10,140 | 3,080 |
The results showed the dramatic difference between today’s military rifles and TrackingPoint’s precision-guided firearms. With current military weapons such as those shot by Bruce Piatt, the company estimates that a typical fully trained enlistee would score service rifle 1.2%, Designated Marksman 6.2%, and operational snipers 22.3%. By comparison Taya Kyle, a novice shooter, scored 100% in each of these categories after only 4.5 hours of training. The company projects that all soldiers of any level would score 100% in this very difficult simulated war scenario if they shot TrackingPoint guns rather than what they are issued today. Said differently, with only 4.5 hours of training all 1,000,000 soldiers, even new enlistees, would easily outshoot the best snipers that ever lived.
The company also estimates that if the military utilized TrackingPoint guns, $3.2 billion dollars would be saved annually in training and ammunition costs. The company approximates that if precision-guided firearms had been available in the Iraq war, over 1,000 casualties would have been prevented based on substantial squad overmatch capabilities and significantly extended battle stand-off distances.
About TrackingPoint
TrackingPoint, based in Austin, Texas, created the first Precision-Guided Firearm, a revolutionary new shooting system that puts fighter jet lock-and-launch technology in small arms, enabling shooters to make shots previously considered beyond human ability. To learn more, visit www.tracking-point.com.
About Chris Kyle Frog Foundation
The mission of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation is to serve those who serve us by providing meaningful, interactive experiences that enrich family relationships. The CKFF achieves this through experiences that provide time and space to reconnect after deployment without the distractions of everyday life, power to return to the “family unit,” and new common ground after military involvement. For more information, visit www.chriskylefrogfoundation.org
# # # # #
Media Contact:
Kimberly Chung
TrackingPoint
kchung@tracking-point.com”
And, here’s a copy of the original TrackingPoint pre-event press release on the event, if you’d like to learn more about it:
“TrackingPoint & Taya Kyle Unite for First-Ever $1M American Sniper Shootout
Wife of American Sniper Takes on World-Renowned Shooting Champion for $1 Million to Benefit Chris Kyle Frog Foundation
MASON, Texas, Oct. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Billed as the shootout of the century, Taya Kyle will use TrackingPoint’s Precision-Guided Firearms to take on reigning NRA World Shooting Champion Bruce Piatt in the inaugural American Sniper Shootout. If the champ wins against Taya and the TrackingPoint system, he will take home the $1 million prize.
The landmark event is set for Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 in Mason, Texas, with proceeds benefiting the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. Sponsors are already planning to make the American Sniper Shootout an annual event.
The American Sniper Shootout is the first of its kind to pit a novice shooter armed with yet to be announced military-grade TrackingPoint systems against the best in the world in a head-to-head competition featuring the types of shots routinely encountered by soldiers in battle. TrackingPoint’s new products will be announced on November 4th. World Champion Bruce Piatt will compete using current military squad-level and sniper firearms.
“I am a novice shooter,” said Taya Kyle, wife of Chris Kyle, the most prolific sniper in American history. “When I shoot TrackingPoint guns, I feel Chris’s spirit in my hands. Chris would be proud to know that every soldier now has the power to dominate any adversary, and it’s even better that this event benefits military service men and women, veterans, first responders and their families through the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation.”
TrackingPoint’s Precision-Guided Firearms instantly transform inexperienced shooters into world-class marksmen, and the competition will validate the claim, staking $1 million on Taya out-shooting the champ. “This is all about helping our veterans and their families,” said Bruce Piatt, “This may be the most exciting competition ever and if TrackingPoint guns perform as advertised our soldiers have a dominant overmatch capability.”
Chris Kyle had an early influence on the development of TrackingPoint guns. In a chance encounter with the American Sniper in 2009, TrackingPoint Founder and CEO John McHale and Kyle explored the nuances of precision shooting and the possibility of building a gun that would change the face of war.
“Chris and I went back-and-forth on how to make everyone an extraordinary shooter,” said McHale. “We were both excited, realizing it was entirely possible to give our troops insurmountable squad-overmatch capability. We knew we were on to a world-changing idea. That was the day TrackingPoint was born.”
The American Sniper Shootout is comprised of a series of common shots encountered in war at unknown distances on static and moving targets. Shooting positions include prone, off-hand and blind shots in which the shooter is completely hidden and unable to directly see targets. Scoring is weighted based on degree of difficulty.
“We want people to know that TrackingPoint Precision-Guided Firearms can save our soldiers’ lives and protect our nation,” said McHale. “And, this event is designed to let our enemies know what’s in store for them when they come up against American forces.”
The day-long event in Mason is open to the public and includes a music festival featuring country superstar Easton Corbin, nine time Grammy winner Asleep At the Wheel, the Scooter Brown Band, and Donica Knight, a rising country star with pure southern style.
To purchase tickets, go to www.americansnipershootout.events.
About Chris Kyle Frog Foundation
The mission of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation is to serve those who serve us by providing meaningful, interactive experiences that enrich family relationships. The CKFF achieves this through experiences that provide time and space to reconnect after deployment without the distractions of everyday life, power to return to the “family unit,” and new common ground after military involvement. For more information, visit www.chriskylefrogfoundation.org
About TrackingPoint
TrackingPoint, based in Austin, Texas, created the first Precision-Guided Firearm, a revolutionary new shooting system that puts fighter jet lock-and-launch technology in small arms, enabling shooters to make shots previously considered beyond human ability. To learn more, visit www.tracking-point.com.
About Bruce Piatt
Bruce Piatt is the reigning NRA World Champion Shooter. Bruce also recently won his first Heavy Metal Optics Division at the FNH-USA 3-Gun Championship in September 2015. Since 1989, Bruce has been a successful Professional Sponsored Shooter, a respected Police Firearms Instructor, and a determined competitor in NRA Action, Tactical 3-Gun, Sportsman Team Challenge, Masters, or whatever shooting game he sets his mind to. Piatt is the founder of Bruce Piatt Training Concepts, offering police, military and civilian shooting instruction and offers Custom 1911 build by hand gunsmith classes.”
Company and Organization Contact Info:
Chris Kyle Frog Foundation
Website: http://www.chriskylefrogfoundation.org
Curt Russell
National Sales Manager
TrackingPoint
Phone: 757-8790363
Email: crussell@tracking-point.com
Website: http://tracking-point.com
Eddie Stringer
TrackingPoint Customer Service
Phone: 512-222-0500
Email: support@tracking-point.com
Website: http://tracking-point.com
TrackingPoint General Inquiries
Phone: 512-222-0500
Email: info@tracking-point.com
TrackingPoint Sales Inquiries
Phone: 512-354-2114
Email: sales@tracking-point.com
TrackingPoint Media Inquiries
Email: publicrelations@tracking-point.com
© Copyright 2015 DefenseReview.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without receiving permission and providing proper credit and appropriate links.
All photo and video content contained in this article was shot by DefenseReview.com, and is copyrighted. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on all photo and video content. All DR photos and videos were shot with a Sony Cyber-shot RX100 (DSC-RX100/B) Digital Camera with 20.2 MP (20.2-megapixel) still camera and 1080p HD video camera capability.
Related Articles: