TrackingPoint Turns to Gun Owners for Next Rifle Platform
OutdoorHub Reporters 06.26.13
Do you want “smart gun” technology on your favorite rifle platform? TrackingPoint is looking for help in nailing down a rifle and caliber for their next product and they want the opinions of gun owners.
Seeking to expand their product line, TrackingPoint is appealing to gun owners for suggestions on the next Precision Guided Firearm (PGF) rifle platform. Currently the three models offered by the company are bolt-action rifles chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum or .338 Lapua. The options for future products are now up for a vote, and possibilities exist for a semi-auto AR-15 style PGF and a number of calibers to choose from.
The company’s survey on what they should make next can be filled out here,
The company’s groundbreaking PGF systems can be hard to find, and the three current models TrackingPoint offers are in such limited supply that there is an application process to buy one. In fact, three TrackingPoint rifles equipped with the signature PGF system was put up for auction recently on GunBroker.com, where the minimum starting bid was $24,999 and the highest neared the $35,000 mark. So how does the TrackingPoint PGF justify its price tag? According to company President Jason Strauble, the selling point is in the system’s “lock-and-launch” technology.
“You don’t have to be an experienced shooter,” Strauble said in a demonstration of the system. “You don’t have to be someone who’s put thousands of rounds downrange. You can come and pick this up and within minutes master the tag, track, and exact technology that allow you to get on target.”
TrackingPoint’s PGF allows shooters to tag targets, track them and fire calculated shots that take into account factors such as wind, bullet drop, temperature and a host of other environmental variables. To fire, the shooter holds down the trigger until the crosshires align over the target, at which point the firearm discharges.
While some gun owners voice concern over the implications of this technology, TrackingPoint believes that the PGF will allow its primary civilian customer base, hunters, to make longer, more ethical shots. Renowned gun maker Remington believes the same and has partnered with TrackingPoint for a little-known project called Venture X.
