TrackingPoint Auctioning Off $22,500 Rifles Fitted With Laser Guided Scope System

How much would you pay to be able to hit your target at distances of 1,000 yards–and never miss? TrackingPoint, a precision rifle manufacturer in Texas, is setting the opening bid at $22,500.

The company is producing precision rifles and fusing them with advanced scopes that account for distance, gravity, wind speed, humidity, and even the rotation of the earth. TrackingPoint debuted the system at SHOT Show in January to much media attention.

Shooters can view their target through the scope and “tag” it with the crosshairs, so even with the safety off, the gun doesn’t fire until it’s locked on to the target. What’s more, the scope systems are WiFi enabled and come with a color display that records the scope’s perspective so shooters can share videos online. But they come with a hefty price tag: $22,500 to $25,700.

In an interview with CNN Money, CEO Jason Schauble, a former Marine captain wounded in Iraq, knows the technology is controversial, but says his motivation isn’t sporting pursuits.

“From a patriotic standpoint and as a veteran, I would love every soldier to be better armed today, and this technology could get them there,” he said.

So far the company is producing units in .300 and .338 calibers and claims its guns have already killed a South African wildebeest at 1,103 yards, but that may carry little weight with U.S. hunters since most states prohibit the aid of electronic devices on firearms.

Still, Schauble says the TrackingPoint started with strong sales in May, and is already on track to sell approximately 500 units this year. It reportedly even has a deal with Remington, Schauble’s former employer, to sell 1,000 pared-down scope and gun combinations at around $5,000 each, but so far the two companies have kept details of the project in secret and have yet to unveil a prototype. Some online experts have predicted what gun models and calibers Remington will match the scopes with, but it’s simply speculation.

Schauble also demonstrated the gun’s functions for the Department of Homeland Security, which didn’t express any concerns it offers a larger threat than firearms already available, and he hopes to land a U.S. military contract citing its long-range advantages for the common soldier and WiFi communication abilities.

Photo courtesy of Tracking Point.