I’m not a gun owner, and I’ve only fired guns once in my life, but every so often, I feel the urge to write about them. They’re a sort of historical icon.
You see, guns have played a major role in every major conflict of the last, well… since guns were invented, really. Prior to their invention, people used longbows and crossbows for long-ranged fighting, and in that area, I would argue that we’ve seen the most significant “improvement.” Bows are powerful, but firearms like the Vanquish .308 Sniper Rifle by Nemesis Arms are truly off the charts.
The Nemesis Arms Vanquish
If you’ve seen The Bourne Legacy, you’ve already seen this rifle. Yes, it’s a real sniper rifle by a real company, and from what I’ve read – the people who have tested it like it very much… very much indeed. The Vanquish is capable of 6.5″ shot groups at 905 yards in the hands of a skilled shooter. That’s pretty impressive.
Notice the suitcase above? It’s not just there as a handy scale prop. One of the reasons people seem to be gushing about this precision rifle is because they’re able to break it down small enough to fit into that briefcase. Why a person would be carrying around a shiny metal briefcase in a war zone, I couldn’t say, but I would give them points for style, at least.
If the suitcase isn’t your bag, you can always pack it away in this… I’m not completely sure about this one, but I believe this is the same satchel that Aaron Cross is carrying around in the aforementioned Bourne Legacy film.
Setting up and Firing the Vanquish
I admit, I didn’t find this half as exciting as the promotional video for the AF2011-A1 Double Barrel Pistol that I wrote about a few months ago, but it does show off how simple it is to set up the rifle and then break it down again. As I mentioned earlier, it’s amazing that in the course of a few hundred years, we’ve gone from firing long wooden bows with arrows coated in honey to avoid deflection to firing precision sniper rifles using long range scopes to silently hit targets at incredible ranges. The amount of money we dump into creating something to make someone not only dead but really, really dead never fails to boggle my mind.
Where can I get One?
If you’re looking to play make-believe Aaron Cross, then you’re in luck – but it’s going to cost you. The Vanquish Multi-Caliber sells for a whopping $4450.00 USD, and that’s before you buy any of the sweet accessories, like the collectors’ backpack, muzzle brake, or trendy briefcase. Those are all priced separately, and you’ll find more details about them (and the rifle itself) on the official Nemesis Arms website.
Now, I wonder: is Nemesis the kind of business that donates to a worthy cause? I’m sure many people could use this kind of discrete hardware in unsafe environments.
compared 308 to ak 47 762. 39 is this an actor
This looks like my AR-7 on steroids.
My AR-7 is setup the same as this one.
Stoner built the AR-7 for the US Air Force, and it packs into the butt when taken apart.
My model packs into a metal case just like this one.
The AR-7 uses the 22lr round.
The basic rifle design is not new.
The AR-7 is made to fit in the cockpit of a fighter jet with the pilot.
This new will not.
The new one is better, but still the same.
The AR-7 has been in the movies too.
You should give credit were credit is due.
This has a real haiku vibe to it, I like it.
Hey Chad:
You should spend some time @ a firing range to learn about & get some experience with several different firearms. Start with small caliber (e.g., .22 target rifle & pistol) then go up to larger calibers, stopping when the recoil is getting to be too much. It takes some time to learn how to handle the recoil from a rifle like a .300 Winchester Magnum & a pistol like .44 Magnum. You’d not only have more to write about, you’d know more & have a lot of fun in the learning process!
When I grew up it was customary for a father to take his son to a firing range @ age 12, to learn how to handle firearms safely. A cousin of mine a little older went to the range with his Dad too & before long we’d go together.
Both of us became expert marksmen; on 50-point NRA targets, both of us got to the point that we scored 48-50 points every time. I also got into skeet shooting (12-gauge shotgun), got pretty good at that, then handguns & I’m really good with those, revolver or pistol — if I can see it I can hit it.
It is, especially with such a short barrel. I have a .308 rifle that’s more accurate, but the barrel is quite a bit longer & my next purchase will be a .300 Winchester Magnum with a 26″ barrel. With that one I’ll be able to hit a target the size of a dinner plate @ 1200 yards. Chris Kyle, the celebrated Navy SEAL sniper, says he likes the Remington-based .300 Winchester Magnum the best, although his record distance shot was made with a .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle — which kicks like a mule!
That briefcase is not designed for a war zone. It’s designed for a person to carry the rifle in public without anyone knowing or suspecting what’s in the case. I have hard cases for my rifles, but they’re longer & narrower because neither of the rifles are “takedown” models like the “Vanquish”.
What led me to your site was the “Criminal Minds” episode “Final Shot” that’s on TV in my area now — a “Vanquish” model is used in that show & having not seen one, I “Googled” it. But I am familiar with “takedown” rifles, specifically designed to be easy to carry (case or backpack) & quickly put together / taken apart. They’re not as accurate as target or sniper rifles, but most are accurate enough to do a lot of damage in a short period of time & allow the shooter to escape without being detected. E.g., a man in a business suit walking down the street carrying a briefcase — who would think he’s a sniper, or the one who just shot 10 people from the roof of a building?
Takedown rifles can also be used in military operations, where “stealth” is a requirement. E.g., snipers with a takedown rifles parachute in behind enemy lines to kill certain “high value” targets, then get out before they’re detected.
There’s a VERY good reason for accuracy @ long distance, regardless of the cost. Example: you’ve discovered where the leader of a terrorist group is & as is typical, he’s in a residential neighborhood. Terrorists know the U.S. won’t blast residential areas with artillery or aircraft, so a residential area is the best place to hide. But if you can sneak a sniper in, who can watch the building the leader is in & shoot him when he comes out, you get the bad guy without killing anyone else. Of course then you have to get your sniper out.
Certain military sniper rifles cost over twice as much. “Your get what you pay for” most assuredly applies to specialized firearms which cannot be mass-produced on an assembly line.
FWIW, I’m a semi-retired mechanical engineer with military experience & my son is a precision machinist. I’ve done precision machine work too & for people like us, attention to detail is actually more fun than work. A person can take pride in knowing the part he just made is as good as it possibly can be. And as technology advances, you can learn with it, so when a part made last year was acceptable +/- .001″ but it has to be +/- .0005″ this year, you can do that.
Simply put, when you can build a rifle a sniper can use to kill a high-ranking enemy officer over a mile away, you eliminate the need to kill him by dropping tons of bombs or firing missiles to destroy the whole area, killing hundreds or even thousands of people. “Surgical precision”. And there’s a significant psychological element: after the 1st perfect shot, the enemy will think if they can hit our General from a place we can’t see & must be over a mile away, they can get any of us.
Takedown rifles like the Vanquish are designed for a person to get in, take the shot(s), than get out fast. In competition with other rifles which cannot be taken apart quickly, the takedown model will not be as accurate. So what’s the mission?
– Art
This is an incredibly thorough and informative reply, thank you very much! I’ve actually had a chance to visit the range many times since I first published this piece.