The High-Caliber Haskins RIfle That Gives Rangers Extreme Reach

"The RAI Model 300, known as the Haskins Rifle, brought a new level of precision and reach to the Army Rangers since its introduction to service in the early 1980s. The rifle was built for flexibility and mission adaptability as it can be chambered in .50 BMG, as well as the standard NATO 7.62x51mm. These high-caliber rounds (.50 BMG) Haskins gave Ranger marksmen the ability to strike targets at distances where most infantry rifles lost their effectiveness."

"Out of this catalog of guns, we removed similar guns and guns that are believed to no longer be in use. We ranked the guns according to caliber. We included supplemental data on the type of weapon, maximum effective range, and the year entered service. Note that we have excluded RPGs, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and shotguns from this list."

"It's worth pointing out that this ranking is based on each weapon's highest caliber round as a simple and consistent metric, even though some weapons might be able to fire smaller calibers. This method uses bullet diameter as the proxy for caliber because its easier to compute and explain, but it is not a full measure of the cartridge performance (muzzle energy, case capacity, sectional density, and bullet construction)."

The RAI Model 300 Haskins Rifle entered service in the early 1980s and can be chambered in .50 BMG and NATO 7.62x51mm. The .50 BMG option enabled Ranger marksmen to engage targets at ranges beyond typical infantry rifles. A review of Military Factory's catalog produced a ranked list of weapons used by US Army Rangers after removing similar and likely out-of-use systems. Rankings use each weapon's highest caliber and include weapon type, maximum effective range, and year entered service. RPGs, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and shotguns were excluded. Bullet diameter served as a simple proxy for caliber, while muzzle energy, ballistic coefficient, sectional density, and bullet construction were noted as separate performance factors.

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