Taya Kyle, the widow of American Sniper author Chris Kyle — but herself a novice shooter — defeated NRA Shooting Champion Bruce Piatt in the American Sniper Shootout held in Mason, Texas on December 5, 2015. The event raised more than $500,000 for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, a charity that helps service members get the time and opportunity to reconnect with their families after deployment. Check our earlier reporting on the event here.
Ms. Kyle used TrackingPoint’s new auto-locking squad-level precision-fire M600, M800, and XS1 precision-guide firearms. Piatt used the army’s M4A1, M110, and M2010 rifles.
Kyle said, “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.”
Taya Kyle hit 100% of her shots for an aggregate score of 10,140 points, while Piatt made 58.6% of his shots for an aggregate score of 3,080 points. Shot scoring was weighted, based on degree of difficulty.
Kyle said, “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.”
Piatt said, “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 American Sniper Shootout competition was a series of common shots encountered in war at unknown distances on static and moving targets. Shooting positions included prone, off-hand, and blind shots, in which the shooter is unable to see targets directly.
The contest was divided into three specific rifle competitions; service rifle, designated marksman, and sniper. In addition to winning the aggregate score, Kyle also won each individual rifle competition.
Unlike most military training, the sniper competition included battle stressors, such as explosions and simulated fire.
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. The targets were at unknown distances and moved at unknown velocities. Piatt was permitted to use a rangefinder in the sniper competition.
Using TrackingPoint’s ShotGlass wearable glasses in the fully concealed portion of the event, Kyle was able to hit 100% of her shots taken from a protected position. With ShotGlass, shooters 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.
“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.
