When I first read that a British sniper took out five Taliban fighters in 28 seconds, I assumed he was using one of the newer semi-automatic sniper rifles that have come into vogue — but he was using a newer bolt-action rifle, the L115A3 Long Range Rifle, a variant of the Arctic Warfare Magnum from Accuracy International, chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum:
He said: ‘They gave me the “weapons free”. I engaged with the first insurgent. It took me nine rounds but I took him down with the ninth. ’Then the other four had moved closer, so I took them down as well.’
