TrackingPoint (who you may remember from last year with their Precision Guided Rifles) took a moment to talk about their new  TrackingPoint AR-15 with Destinee yesterday at the Shot Show Media Day. Oren, the Marketing Director from TrackingPoint, gave us a preview of their new precision AR-15, the Tracking Point Series 500. This rifle is scheduled for release in March and ready to ship to consumers in October. Let’s take a look at its features:
Features
The TrackingPoint AR-15’s are Daniel Defense rifles, but with a few unique upgraded features. Here are the highlights:
- Linux based operating system
- WiFi
- Tag, Track, Xact advanced targeting system
- Fighter jet ‘lock and launch’ trigger system
- Electronics placed in the butt-stock so they are “out of the way”
- New mode known as ‘Free Fire Mode’ that allows the shooter to engage multiple targets
- Can lock onto targets up to 750 yards away
- Rifles will be offered in three calibers: 7.62, 300 BLK and 5.56
Shooting Process
Considering all of the complexity involved with computing a firing solution using a ballistics calculator, I can understand the benefits of this approach to long distance shooting. This is especially true for novice long distance shooters because the TrackingPoint system performs virtually all of the calculations for the shooter. The following is a simplified breakdown of the shooting process:
- Identify your target
- While looking through the optic, tag the target with where you want the shot placed.
- With the target tagged, follow the target with the reticle and squeeze the trigger while continuing to manually follow with the reticle.
- Once the various factors that affect accuracy are automatically calculated and the reticle lines up with the tag, the AR-15 will fire. Because the trigger is already being pulled and held, any trigger flinch is removed.
Price
The price of the TrackingPoint Series 500 AR-15 is nearly $10,000. After seeing what this system is capable of and how it can help even a novice shooter hit a moving target at up to 750 yards, I can see why it costs that much.
So, the question is, are you buying one?
