Takes the skill out of it

A new hunting system. I can't call it a rifle.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/09/shooting-a-laser-guided-rifle-made-me-feel-like-a-robot/

Didn't watch the videos. What's it do to compensate for wind way down range of 300 yards?

Of all people, FJG, I thought you would be up on Tracking Point rifles. Basically, it is a computer controlled reticle whereby all of the cartridge data is known by the computer. It does some compass, GPS, barometric pressures, and angle compensation, and you still have to plug in the wind reading...which is still the absolute hardest part of the job.

So with all that information, you "tag" a target which is basically lasering the target and the spot you lasered appears on the screen. The dot holds its position in space. Even if the rifle moves off target. You can then pull the trigger and the gun will not fire until the crosshair align with the marked dot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13i-JRqFKF4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar25BbobK4s

While they call it "Tracking Point," it apparently helps if the target remains stationary. What you don't see in the videos is a target dot tag being marked on a moving target where the target dot track the spot on the target where marked. I just reviewed a bunch on their videos on Youtube and I don't see a single one where the target is moving and they show the dot actually following the target around.

It is cool technology and has some neat benefits, especially for handicapped hunters.

Also what you don't see in all the Tracking Point videos is a lone hunter going after a target at long distance. They have a whole crew there to help out the hunter.

This is a fine video. It shows all the animals being shot stationary. The shooting team is assessing the wind, discussing it, and plugging in the information into the computer. Several of the animals get center-punched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbEg608GO80

It is impressive technology, but does not eliminate the uman error, only makes the human rely on technology to continously and consistently work. We tested a few of their systems and while it got the distance correct every time, it also got the windage correct prob 75% of the time. We did moving and shooting with it, tracking a target at unknown distances moving at unknown speeds at unknown angles. This is where TP shined. It has small gyros inside that measures your every movement and constantly reads the targets movements. The downside, it requires the use of their gun and barrel(very important) along with their ammo(very expensive). It reads and records how many rounds were fired after cleaning, and will even indicate when the barrel needs cleaning from what I remember, and it takes this into account and adjust for dirty or clean barrels. In the end, it still requires the operator to squeeze the trigger and have the skills to place the shot, since we obviously cant control the bullet once it leaves the barrel.

That's nothing. The Exacto bullet guides itself to the target.

I avoid projectiles all together by setting motion-sensitive claymore mines at my feeders.

Sure, you get some young ones, but you get them every time.

I have seen it a bit before, and quickly dissmissed it. It looks to me like a computer is attempting to replace the knowledge an experienced rifleman has earned by watching lots of bullets down range. With a budget of $3k a rifle system can be built, and placed in the right hands, out shoot this system. The non-computerized version is available to far more people and they can learn how to use it properly with enough practice. I view this as another way to make a short cut and only attainable by the wealthy.

The wind is the last factor we are whittling all other factors down to. Proper technique, a well built rifle (mass produced or custom), precision matched ammo, and the proper optic are all factors we can control. We can even make accurate predictions of vertical trajectory corrections due to temp and baro. What we have no control over is wind. All we can do is practice shooting in the wind and learn from it. And the only way to attain near mastery of correct wind adjustments is lots of practice. I am still practicing wind because I have not mastered it yet.

At distance the wind can never be mastered.

Definately some truth to that. I know some guys that rarely make the wrong wind call (not me), but they are not 100%.

Agree, just have to deal with it the best you can.